Then and Now

While everyone was getting ready for back to school, I, like many, was surfing around social media checking out all the latest in classroom decor.  Between the colors, labels, posters, designs, and more I got overwhelmed.  I have to be honest, I was looking for inspiration too.  After 15 years and getting ready for year 16, I wanted a change.  As I've said in prior posts and on IG, it's not what color scheme you have or how many fonts you have, or using the latest code for TpT...your kids will like the room because of YOU!  However, as much time as I (we) spend in the classroom on a day-to-day basis, I strongly feel that it has to be a place I want to enter everyday.  With those dreaded Monday mornings, I want to walk into my classroom (with Dunkin' in my hand) and smile, knowing this is a place that will make me happy and that will inspire me to be the best I can be.  Yes, the little things hanging up don't matter, but in the end: if my kids see me happy, that'll make a big difference in the classroom environment.  Over the summer, I was searching around on Instagram and Meg, from Meg's Crayons, along with another teacher, started using the hashtag: #firstyearclassrooms.  How fun was it to go back and see how many classrooms have evolved and changed!  I wanted to look back at my first year, but my pictures were in school....so I had to wait until I was able to get into my classroom.

Fast forward:  I'm including pictures from that first year.  It's funny to see how the small things like my classroom library (or lack thereof) in the beginning was so small has grown to way too many books!  Just like many, my classroom included hand me down posters, decor, and handmade calendar pieces, signs, etc.  But the most important thing I learned way back then and can still say proudly now: IT WAS MINE!  This was and is my classroom and I was happy to have it anyway with any design!

So, I present my then and now....

Take Away the Clutter...get a SHOE ORGANIZER!

I just wanted to share a quick tip as we all prepare to head back into the classrooms.  Each classroom is unique in design, decor, space, size, storage.  OBVIOUSLY, the kiddos make it EXTRA unique, but we'll talk about them at another time.

This post is specifically focusing on one hack in organizing a variety of things: a shoe organizer!

I'm linking to one so click on this: Amazon

It just so happened that just after I hung one up in one of my storage closets, one of my colleagues mentioned she ordered one as well!  The organizers can be used for so many things.  I plan on storing extra supplies like glue sticks, pencils, or as my co-worker is doing, headphones.  The best thing about the organizer is that it can be hung up either on the outside or inside of the closet, depending on how you want to use it.  I have it hanging in the inside so it isn't visible!!

Time Flies When You're Having Fun....and Then Comes Back to School!

If any of you have been around town and going to places like Target or Walmart, then you know, as soon as July 4 is over, that means one thing: BACK TO SCHOOL!  The outdoor patio section is quickly cleared away and replaced with all things school supplies: folders, pencils, glue sticks, and countless other necessities!  While most teachers still have a good amount of time left before they have to head back to the classroom, some spend their summer thinking about the new year and all that will to come.  

As we close out on July, we will have the new year on the brain and will begin the planning process.  No matter the years of experience or if you are just starting out for your first year, I feel there are some commonalities that we all think about to get ready for our new kiddos!  Most of this will probably be directed towards primary grades, but can be tweaked for intermediate teachers too.  

With the help of social media and sites like Instagram or Pinterest, we get bombarded with some amazing classroom designs, decor, set up, and more.  With those great inspirations comes an overwhelming feeling of having to get the classroom just like those that we see.  That is so far from what we should be doing!  Use those pictures you see as inspiration, but start with something small.  I have listed a few areas I feel are most important when getting ready for a new school year.  Don't worry about the theme of your classroom.  Your kiddos will love you whether or not you have the SuperHero theme, the buzzing bees, or pineapple themes we're seeing everywhere!  Your kids will thrive because YOU are their teacher and not what kind of desk tag they have on their desk.

1.  Build a classroom library.  Visit places like Goodwill, Salvation Army, garage sales, Half Price books, or check with your local library (They often have book sales and books are very reasonably priced) to find books for your students to read independently.  While you may not be sure of exact levels, you can find a variety of picture books, rhyming, chapter books, and more that the kids will enjoy.  When you're visiting the garage sales too, look for indoor recess games or puzzles.

2.  Shop SMART.  Teachers spend a lot of their own money on their room.  If you buy supplies or decor for your room, check out places like Dollar Tree or Target's "Bullseye Playground" aka the dollar spot.  They are putting out some great things for classrooms like baskets, certificates, portable dry erase boards, flashcards and more!  I always buy extra folders and will only get them at Walmart.  You can usually find them for $.15-.50.  Also, Teachers Pay Teachers (TpT) is a great way to follow other teachers and see what they create for the classroom.  There are many great resources for a reasonable price or for free!  

3. Classroom Management...SOOOOO important!   If you are already hired, or a returning teacher, make sure you check with your school to see what type of behavior system is in place.  Become familiar with those expectations and see how it will fit into your room  You will need to start your management system on DAY 1!!!  Your students will need to know expectations, rules, and consequences from the beginning.  I recommend repeating these expectations and rules and practicing everyday for the first two weeks!  Your students need those guidelines in order to make a smooth transition into your classroom.  I will do a separate post all about Classroom Management at a later date...that is a whole post in itself.  

4.  Stay organized.  Get yourself a planner or binder and make lists!  Make lists of all you want to do or need to get or make.  This binder can keep any forms you will need for the year, hold your lesson plans, parent communication, etc.  

5.  Classroom Set up.  Visit the other classrooms to see how those teachers are arranging their rooms.  They are the best resources if you are stuck on where to put the furniture or how to arrange your kiddos.  Don't worry about the student desks.  More than likely, you'll rearrange them after the first few days because you'll see who can work near each other and who can't! 

6.  Class Procedures and Student Info.  Once you get going with your class lists and get started with your first day, you should make sure you know of any allergies and make sure any other staff members or lunch supervisors are aware too.  Make a list and copy it so you have it in multiple places (lesson plan binder, sub binder, by the class door, etc.) and know exactly where your students are going at the end of the day: bus riders, after school club, day care, walkers, etc.  Having that info directly from the parents will help ease any panic and stress and will have you leaving school knowing all of your kiddos are exactly where they are supposed to be!  

7.  Parent Contact.  One of the best ways to create a successful community is to have consistent contact with parents.  Give your kiddos time to adjust and get used to the new school year and send an email, a note or a quick call to the parents letting them know what type of transition their child has made and that you are confident it will be a great year!  This will open up the door to a strong relationship that is needed for those kids to be successful!  

Getting your room ready, thinking of all you need for the kids, and prepping for lessons can be so overwhelming and time consuming!  These are just the top things I'd recommend to think of as you get ready to head into the classroom.  Just remember to do a little at a time, try not to focus on too many things, and you'll get there!

Summer Teacher Haul (Part 1)

Happy Summer!

Alarm clock, OFF!  Don't have a clue as to what day it is...can go grocery shopping to Target in the middle of the day...this all must mean one thing: THIS IS A TEACHER ON SUMMER BREAK!!!!

Although I can say, waking up whenever I want and having the freedom is nice, that doesn't mean that school is not on the brain!  That's one of the MANY misconceptions people have about teachers.  While teachers may not be working IN the classroom, there is a lot taking place outside: some are going back to school for another degree, working at a second job, taking professional development, creating/developing curriculum, etc.

This teacher <RIGHT HERE>, while she enjoys summer, does think about the following year.  I do use this time to figure out what will need to change, what I want to do differently, and to find things that will keep me and my students motivated.  It is known that teachers spent quite a bit of their own money for their classroom.  I believe this to be true and here's why: for as much time as we spend in the classroom, it should be a place that WE WANT to be in, that we would like others to feel comfortable in, and to have our students feel happy about being there.  One way to achieve this, is to have items that are pleasant to look at, create functionality, or are engaging to use.

As we all know thanks to social media, there are many places out in our communities that take pride in advertising deals for back to school and thanks to TpT, teachers are able to acquire anything they need.

In just the past few weeks, I've gone to Target a couple  LOT of times. along with Dollar Tree, and Home Goods.  I'm sure there will be many more trips/summer hauls over the next month, so stay tuned!!!

I was so happy to find this paper cutter at Target!  It will come in so handy in the room.  There have been countless times that I have needed to cut note cards, construction papers, etc. and can't run down to the copy room to use the staff one.  

I have looked for these microfiber circles for so long.  Dollar Tree has a few packs left and I took them ALL!  My first graders will use these as erasers for their dry erase markers!  I found more clear dry erase pockets for worksheets or to hang posters or words on my focus walls.  The The stars came from Target and I have no idea what I'll use them for, but couldn't pass them up!  The small containers are great for extra crayons or playing cards.  I got a new smart board in my room during spring break and my old marker container doesn't work with the new board, so I found this pink one!  It has several compartments for markers and 2 strong magnets on the back!!!

I found these two stools from Home Goods and can't wait to add them to one of the small tables in my classroom.  Now if I can find a few more, I'll be set!

Come back for more hauls!  

Secret Partners

2 posts in one week!  This is a quick one...all about partner selection!  Some teachers have the students choose partners to work with in cooperative settings.  Some teachers have sticks with names or numbers and pull out two random sticks to match up students.  I'm sure there are many other ways that the boys and girls get matched up to be partners.  I've seen much cuter cards or tags made up for secret partners, but I wanted to show everyone that it doesn't have to always be cute or something to purchase...You can make these really quick and the kids will love it!  Plus, it's a great way to review math facts.  I would probably take a guess that since we are all creative teachers, we could find other things to put on the cards to match up students.  I chose math facts/vocabulary and it worked well.

Each student gets a card with either two addends, or a sum, a solid figure, the name of the figure, etc.  They look at their card and when they have figured out what their match would be (8+6 would match up with 14) then they stand up, hold their card in front of their body, and search for their partner, without making a sound!  For first graders, this was hard.  I can't say it was SILENT, but they were so good about finding their partner and did it quickly!

I started this now towards the end of the year, but that's ok!  As we all know, the end of the year means students (and teachers) are less likely to stay motivated and put forth effort in their work.  It's okay to do something new in order to keep everyone motivated!  Try it and let me know how it goes!  Congrats to those terrific teachers who are ending their school year this week!  We have about 7.5 days left!  

Mother's Day Tea

I meant to get this up earlier in the week but as usual...no time.  Why is that always the reason?!?!?

I hope all of the Moms out there had a wonderful Mother's Day!!!

Every year I try to find something cute, easy, but something that the moms of my kiddos will love!  I have been following Michelle from Fabulous in First for a long time and saw that she did a Mommy and Me Tea with her first graders.  My immediate thought...PERFECT!  I do love having parents come into the classroom any chance I can get.  I luck out with parent volunteers, but know that the working parents would like to come in whenever possible too!  As I looked through Michelle's products for this Mom event on TpT, I figured, why not!  How precious would that be?  

Here are some pics from our Mother's Day Tea!  The firsties made the book, sang two of the songs and read one poe, and made the flowers!  The songs were short but sweet and most importantly, SO ADORBS!!!!!! I hope all of the Moms/Grandmas who came loved every minute of it!  I loved it all!

Earth Day and Dollar Store Finds!

This past week we finished up our Earth Day project!  It looks time consuming, but it really is a fun and quick project to do with your kids!  I cut out circles for each student to use for their painting.  As I'm typing this new post up, I am thinking that I should have taken pictures of the step-by-step process of how each first grader made his/her marble Earths. I set out four cookie trays (to work with four students at a time) and sprayed a small amount of shaving cream onto each tray.  Then, I added some blue and green paint to each tray.  The kids used a paintbrush to swirl the colors together in the shaving cream.  We put a white circle cut-out on top of the colors and patted around to push the paint and shaving cream onto the paper.  After the painting was dried, I shook off the dried shaving cream and beautiful marbleized painting were uncovered!  I absolutely love how each one turned out and with such unique patterns!

Now, onto a teacher's dream!  If you're anything like me, you are about organization or know that organization is important when having many games, papers, and STUFF for your kiddos!  I have become obsessed more than ever with going to the dollar store!  Granted, you get what you pay for, but I have found some great things to add and hope that I can keep better track of everything in my classroom!  This weekend I was pleasantly surprised to see the re-stock of containers, buckets, and more!  I FINALLY found the small containers I've been looking for!  I have wanted these small containers for so long to add dice!  My firsties are like any other group of energetic lovies who enjoy tossing the dice up in the air and at times across the room when playing different games.  Hopefully, these containers will help keep the dice in one place!  In addition to this little cups, I also bought more boxes for card games and other buckets for indoor recess games and puzzles!  If you're a new teacher, student teacher, or a teacher needing a re-do, go check out your local Dollar Tree and pick up some of the colorful containers!  

SCOOT!

Here's a game that can be played in so many ways!  If you go on Pinterest or any teacher's blog out there, chances are you'll find SCOOT games!  It is such a common but awesome game that so many are playing and using it in A LOT of ways!

For this last time of playing, I set it up to review telling time to the hour and half hour.  My kiddos struggled with telling time to the half hour, so I thought moving around (I mean, when is movement a bad thing in first grade world....right?!)  would be good to help master this skill.  Anyways, I set up different analog clocks in the hallway.  Every other time I've played this, I've set it up in the classrooms on the desks.  For something different, we used our lockers.

Each locker had a different time: hour or half hour.  When every student got a sheet (sort of a grid style) they picked a clock to sit by.  Each clock had a corresponding letter with it.  The sheet each student had, listed the letters from the cards.   When I said, "GO" they had to write down the digital time that the clock showed. So, if a kiddo was sitting by card "A" then he/she wrote down the time in BOX A...then when I said "SCOOT" he/she would move to card "B."  If a firstie started at card "J" then after I said "SCOOT" they would move to card "K."

Like I mentioned earlier, I have played this in the classroom.  Rather than a card on each locker, each desk had a card.  The kiddos would move around to each desk answering the problem.  Listed below are different skills you can practice by playing SCOOT:

• Addition Facts
• Subtraction Facts
• Write the Missing Number ( ex: 12, 13, ____, 15, 16)
• 10 More/10 Less 
• Place Value
• Skip counting (ex: 2, 4, 6, ___)
• Write the Fraction
• Greater Than/Less Than/Equal To
• Patterns (ex: A, B, A, B, ___)
• Unscramble the Sight Word
• Rhyming Words (ex: What word rhymes with fan?  hop or can)

 I hope this game can come in handy in your classroom!  It truly is such an engaging and fun way to practice math or literacy skills!  Each time we play, my kiddos LOVE it and are so excited!  If you have any questions about the game or need ideas, please leave a comment below! 

Let's Play Catch Up!

It's been WAY TOO LONG since my last post!  Things have gotten so busy and I've been wanting to sit down and make a post, but well, I've been busy!  Looking back from my last post, there has been a lot going on in First Grade World!   Let's take a look back!  We got through February with Dental Health Month, Groundhogs Day, Valentine's Day, and Presidents Day!  Oh and did I mention Parent/Teacher conferences?

Here in the Midwest, we have been fortunate enough to have a pretty low key winter!  At first, I thought Mr. Groundhog was wrong!  Well, here comes this week and winter is still here!  A lot of snow and colder temps have reappeared!  So, March has come in like a lion and I'm ready for it to go out like a lamb!  I'm ready for spring!

March has started off just has lively as February turned out to be!  Below you'll see a few pictures that sums up our first part of March!  Let's start with: Dr. Seuss!  How could anyone in the primary grades NOT spend time celebrating one of the most beloved children's authors?!  Well, at my school, and with my team, we did not fail!  We got our books, our craftivities, and our students, and we celebrated Dr. Seuss all during the week of his birthday!

Uhhhh, can you say Target's dollar spot got me again????  #addictedtoTarget

How cute are these hand prints turned into Thing 1, Thing 2, Thing 3, etc....19 Things altogether!

My class has been learning about the sky and weather in science.  One of my most favorite ways to teach the different types of clouds was to use shaving cream.  I wanted to change things up just a bit this year and found this engaging science experiment still using shaving cream.  I want to give credit where credit is due, but can't find who to say THANK YOU to, so many thanks to the teacher who created this experiment...I wish I could take credit for it!  Each first grader got a cup filled with a little water and shaving cream on top.  They dropped colored water on the shaving cream CLOUD and waited to see what would happen when the cloud became too full with water.  Would it rain? YES IT DID!

Indoor recess has always been a little chaotic!  I do give the kiddos many options of games, coloring books, cards, Lego's, etc.  I used one of my extra Jenga games to turn into a math game.  I have seen this wonderful idea floating around Instagram, so it was my turn to transform Jenga into Math Fact Jenga.  Now when my kiddos want to play Jenga, they will also be working on mastering their addition and subtraction facts!

Last but not least....my firsties are really AMPED up for Friday aka St. Patrick's Day!  I take one for the team and keep trying to have memorable activities that my kiddos will hopefully remember for a long time to come!  For many years now, my kids can make a leprechaun trap at home to bring to school, in hopes of catching a leprechaun!!   Each year, I know their excitement and anticipation cannot be controlled and while it can be challenging to stick with everyday routines, I know it is only temporary and this is something they truly enjoy! So why take it away?  Today, the leprechaun visited for the first time, but thankfully, didn't cause too much trouble!  Here are a few of the creative and well designed traps some of the kiddos brought to school.  Wish us luck in catching this wee little man!

I hope everyone's March has gotten off to a good start! What's up next....SPRING BREAK!!!  Please continue to share this blog with your friends!  If there is anything you need or have questions about, please leave me a comment and let me know!  Many thanks again for the support!   xoxo!!

Read the Room

The day after the Superbowl was a little slow going!  That game lasted later than most little first graders should have been up, but I understand that it was an event and knew that many of them were out with their families watching the game.  As Monday went on, we were on the struggle bus to get going and focus.  At the last minute I changed my plans and rather than doing a pocket chart sort, I created a "Read the Room" to introduce "or" and "ore" words.  Many of us have probably done Read the Room or Write the Room activities.  My firsties have been accustomed to doing these for word practice, math facts, or problem solving.  Plus, seeing them use their clipboards and being so involved is cute to watch too!

So with that said, I knew they enjoyed this, so I had to do something that would get them up and moving, but of course, also making sure they were learning at the same time!  Adding a little movement helped!  They were engaged and did well at reading the words found around the room!

Attention Student Teachers or New Teachers: 6 TIPS for the first year!

This post may be a bit early for those new teachers on the job, but I'm hoping this can be of some help and reach out those who are student teaching now, in the future, or those teachers that will just be starting out.  Time has flown by for me as a teacher...15 years!  That got me to thinking about my student teaching experiences and the first year or two as a teacher.  There are MANY things I remember and probably many MORE that I have forgotten, and with probably due reason.

I wanted to do a post where I could give my thoughts or advice to help those just starting out and things I learned along the way that I wish someone would have told me.  Grab a snack and a drink.  This will be a LONG one!  So here we go:

1.  ASK QUESTIONS and ASK FOR HELP!!!  I'm going to be honest: YOU CAN'T DO IT ALL ON YOUR OWN!!!  I certainly tried and I know you will to.  But, you may need to rely on your team members, mentor teacher, administration, or parent volunteers.  It's okay to say no to being on a committee...it's okay to focus on your classroom.  There will be A LOT of new things, so ask questions...yes, write down the questions you have so you don't forget, but ask your team members.  They have all been in your position before and will help you out!  They are the best resources to go to!  If you're lucky to have involved parents, they are willing to help you out in any way you need...trust me!  Create a rotating schedule for parent volunteers, have them help make copies, sharpen pencils at home, cut out laminating at home, etc.

2.  DO WHAT YOU KNOW!  When I first started teaching, I started three weeks after the school year started.  My students had already gotten in the groove of other teachers' routines, structure, and schedules.  Then, they had me!  Well, they did better at the transition than I did!  I was fortunate to have some administration, team members, and other district staff help get my room set up before I started so it wasn't a blank slate.  While that won't happen for everyone, the big thing that helped was I took what I knew from my cooperating teachers (student teaching) and my former assistant job.  I made homemade posters, games, or worksheets.  They didn't include cute fonts, clip art, and weren't the most attractive to look at, but they worked.  The kids learned their sight words, vowel sounds, math facts, etc.  I used classroom management routines, organizational tips, and other things I observed with my cooperating teachers.   I was determined to get new things, I knew I had to watch how much money I spent.  Now, don't get me wrong, I spent too much PLENTY of money on things for my new classroom.    This leads me to #3.

3.  UTILIZE THE PEOPLE AND RESOURCES AROUND YOU!  Like I mentioned earlier, talk to your colleagues...they have TONS of resources and will be more than willing to share with you.  Ask fellow colleagues if you could observe them teach a lesson or look around their room for ideas.  You don't have to spend so much money when it's time for resources in your room.  Now, we are so fortunate to have TpT (Teachers Pay Teachers).  If you're on a small team and need more ideas, this website (along with Pinterest and Instagram) is a hub for resources!  You can get many items for FREE or for a low cost!  I use this site now and only wish I had this 15 years ago!  Who knows, maybe I can get some things posted on TpT inthe future.  You will want things to be engaging for your students to use, but remember...start out simple and easy for you to manage.  You can always change things later.  The Goodwill, Salvation Army, or garage sales can help you add items for your classroom for an inexpensive price too...indoor recess games, classroom library books, bins/baskets, book shelves, stools, etc.

Here are some teacher blogs/websites that I have found over the past few years and love seeing what they are doing and creating in their rooms....awesome inspiration and teachers!  (I hope they don't mind me mentioning them here!)  There are so many more out there too!

What The Teacher Wants

Pocketful of Primary

Fabulous In First

Smitten in First

Fun in First

4.  GET TO KNOW YOUR COLLEAGUES!  Every school is different and some schools are smaller/bigger than others.  No matter the size, get to know your teammates, school secretaries, nurse, etc.  These people are just as busy as you, but can be just as helpful!  With this tip, the best advice I can give is eat lunch in the teacher's lounge.  Not every teacher takes his/her lunch break to eat in the lounge but give yourself a break...you will need it!  If you feel as if you can't or don't want to take that time to eat and you'd rather get some work done, that's fine.  But, make yourself a goal of maybe at least twice a week using your lunch time as a break and a time to EAT (you will need to EAT, trust!)  By sitting in the lounge, you will get to know the teachers, share stories, and build relationships!

5.  YOU WILL NEVER FINISH EVERYTHING....there is ALWAYS something to do in the classroom.  I have to admit, I still struggle with this, but I have gotten better over the years.  You may choose to come in to your classroom early or stay late, but remember you need to give yourself a break or two during the day, and know that whatever doesn't get done will be okay and you always have tomorrow!  It can be hard, but prioritize...make lists!  In one of my first posts, I showed a picture of a weekly planner I found and recreated to better fit me.  This has helped me so much!

6.  DO YOUR BEST TO STAY ORGANIZED.  Some teachers have those dreamy, Pinterest perfect classrooms and others, let's be honest...there's so much going on in there, you don't know where to look first!  No matter the way your room looks, you will have your own routine, way to organize, and manage your room.   A teacher binder is one way to keep track of important things.  If you are a frequent user of Pinterest and now that you are familiar with TpT, you can look up different ways teachers stay organized with a binder.  Using a binder can help locate daily schedules, student schedules, calendars, curriculum organizers/outlines, standards, lesson plans, etc. You can have that all in one place and refer to it easily when needed.

Finally, just remember to take care of yourself, make sure you're getting a good amount of sleep, eat, and relax...it will all work out, you will get things done, and your kids will love you no matter how many cute posters you have in your room or if some games are homemade, or in black and white!  Things can always be changed for the next year.

See you next time!

New Year=Motivation

Happy New Year!  I guess I'm one of those who let the craziness of the holidays and winter break get the best of me.  My last post was two months ago...oops!  I'm hoping everyone had a great holiday!  I figured it was time to get back on the blogging train and get going with posting again...and hopefully gain some motivation to keep at it!!   When the new year comes around, we all think about what can we improve on, what will our resolutions be, etc.  I don't know about you, but I need some motivation in a lot of areas! LOL!  Along with my first graders, we are trying to get back in the swing of things this week.  We just got back from winter break on Monday after having two and a half weeks off!  Therefore, we're all trying to remember our routines and how to make it through a full day again (no snacks every hour, no mid day naps).

To my surprise, my kiddos have been doing great at remembering our routines!  But, as expected, the excitement of coming back and sharing what they did over break and with the shock of having to wake up early, we've had to work on those listening skills, showing good behavior and strengthening our stamina!

During this time of the year I usually read the story Stranger in the Woods.    Along with the story, I have my snowman friend aka: the stranger accompany me while I read it.

After I read the story today, I decided to change things up a bit!  For the rest of the day, the snowman was moved around to different students who showed appropriate behavior and who was putting forth great effort!  

Everyone worked hard to have the snowman visit their desk today!  While not everyone got a turn yet, we still have the rest of the week!   So, the stranger in the woods was a little motivator for all of the first graders!  Let's see how the rest of the week goes!  

Again, for those who this blog may get to, I appreciate you taking the time to read it!  Please share it with your friends/teacher friends!  I hope I'm able to give some ideas or tips along the way!  Thank you so much for your support!  

Happy Wednesday!!