Liebster Award Nomination

What a nice surprise to be nominated for the Liebster Award this week.  The award is passed among new bloggers, as a way to get to know each other and "share the love" so to speak.  I'd never heard of it before being nominated, so I read a little more about it here and here.  

I was actually nominated by two of my blogger friends.  Elyse Rycroft blogs at Proud to be Primary.  We started our TpT journeys around the same time.  Her blog and classroom are gorgeous, and she offers lots of great ideas and tons of freebies on her blog.  

Jacqueline Harbison is a Pre-K blogger from New Jersey.  I am always looking for other good Pre-K blogs to follow, and was drawn to her blog I is for Inspire.  It is so much fun to take a little peek into her classroom through her blog!

The "Rules" for accepting the Liebster Award are:
1. Link back to the blog that nominated you.
2. Nominate 5 blogs with fewer than 200 followers.
3. Answer the questions posted for you by the nominator.
4. Share 11 random facts about yourself.
5. Create 11 questions for your nominees.
6. Contact your nominees and let them know that you nominated them.

My Nominees are:

Jennifer is a music educator in Indiana.  I first discovered her TpT store, and loved all the great ideas and products for incorporating music education at the early elementary level.  She just started a brand-new blog The Yellow Brick Road and I had to chuckle when I read the first post about BoomWhackers.  We just used these in preschool and were talking with our music teacher about how to store them.  Jennifer has a great solution!

Carol at "C is for Creative Classroom" writes about the adventures in her 3rd grade classroom in California.  I enjoy reading all of the great ideas that she has for keeping her lessons creative and engaging.  When I read her blog, it sounds just like I am having a conversation with her, which I love.

I first met Shelly Rees through the TpT discussion forums.  I am always drawn to her posts because of her obvious kindness and friendliness.  Her blog Appletastic is exactly the same.  Although she teaches 5th grade, I still enjoy reading about all the fun things she does in her classroom.

Lawren blogs at Teaching is a Royal Adventure.  Her blog is exquisite!  In addition to all of her amazing posts, I really enjoy reading about her trips to the Dominican Republic.  Lawren is an elementary special educator, and I think any child would be fortunate to have her in his corner.

Like I said, I love finding other great Pre-K blogs.  Karry at Yay for Pre-K has a colorful, fun blog with lots of great products, giveaways and ideas for the 4-5 year-old crowd.

My Answers to the Questions:
1.  When did you know you wanted to be a teacher?
For as long as I can remember I have known I would be a teacher.  (Does that sound believable?! It's really the truth.)  I never considered anything else, and have never regretted the decision.

2.  How long have you been teaching?
I taught 2nd grade right out of college for 6 years, then opened my own preschool in 2005.  I could never have imagined how much I love preschoolers.  When I started, I thought it would be a brief stint before returning to the public schools, but now I cannot imagine stopping.

3.  Do you make products for TpT?  What's your favorite product?
Yes, I opened my TpT store in the fall of 2013 at the same time as I started blogging and Facebooking.  That may have been a bit ambitious!  My favorite products are my "Circle and Center Time Units".  I can't wait for warmer weather so I can break out the Spring unit in my classroom.

4.  What is your favorite blog post?
I am very passionate about restoring more play in the early childhood classroom.  I have 5 half-written posts about this subject, but my favorite published post is this one.  

5.  What are your 3 favorite online shopping websites?
Amazon.  I'm a book junkie
Zappos.  I have 4 kids, so going shopping at a real store is tricky.  
TpT.  I find so many fantastic things here that I use in my classroom.  


6: What is your favorite part of the day?
My preschoolers leave each day at 1:00, and I have an hour before I have to go pick up my kindergartner from school.  My youngest daughter and I spend the hour cuddling on the couch, resting, reading, and watching an episode of Daniel Tiger.  I love this special bonding time with her.

7.  What is your favorite book to read to your students in the beginning of the school year?
I love Pete the Cat Rocking in My School Shoes.  I mean, who doesn't love Pete?!  These books get my students excited about school and about reading.  It's the perfect way to start the school year.

8: What are your favorite get-me-through-the-day items (food, drinks, supplies, etc.)?
At all times, I must have a Sharpie and some post-it notes in my pocket!  I am a list-maker.  I am also a chocoholic, and must have a little chocolate each day!

9. If you had an unlimited budget, what would you purchase for your classroom?
That's an easy one!  I would buy everything from Kodo Kids.  I saw their products at the NAEYC conference in the fall and fell in love.

10. How do you and your students have fun each day?
Preschoolers love to have fun.  I always say that laughing = learning.  I like to act silly, sing crazy songs, make up stories about our class puppet migrating to Florida when it snows, and read great books to my students.  I hope that they can leave each day and say, "That was fun!"

11. What do you do for fun outside of school?
When I am not teaching, I am shuttling my kids around to their activities, volunteering for my daughters' recreation softball league, watching Downton Abbey, and reading chick lit.  Colleen Hoover is my favorite author.  Her newest book comes out in March, and I have seriously considered scheduling a sick day for myself so that I can have uninterrupted time to read it!

11 Random Facts About Me:
1. I am a life-long Pittsburgh Steelers fan.  I don't watch any other sports.
2. My husband and I started dating when I was 16.  We have been together for over 20 years.
3. After we started dating, we found out that our grandparents are distantly related.
4. Our families are both from the midwest, but we grew up in Pennsylvania.
5. I went to a women's college.  It went co-ed after I graduated.
6. I always wanted a big family.  My husband wasn't as enthusiastic.  We compromised and have 4 kids.
7. My daughters all have red hair.  People (strangers, friends, family) touch it a lot.
8. I have a quirky thing with numbers.  I dislike prime numbers, and would never leave the volume on the radio or alarm on my clock set to a prime number.
9. I have a quirky thing about birthdays.  I can remember the birthdate of (almost) every student I have ever taught, as well as most of my childhood classmates.
10. I stink at sending birthday cards and calling friends on their brithdays.
11. I am not a morning person.  At all.  

11 Questions for My Nominees:
1. When did you decide to become a teacher?
2. How long have you been teaching?  What grade/subject?
3. How did you get your first teaching job?
4. What's your favorite part of your job?
5. What is the last book you read?
6. If you could change 1 thing about education, your school, or your classroom, what would it be?
7. When did you start blogging?
8. What is your favorite blog post?
9. Finish this sentence: I wish I had more _____ and less _____.
10. What is your favorite teaching supply/product/book?
11.  If you were not a teacher, what would you be?

Phew!  That's a lot of information.  Thank you again to the kind bloggers who nominated me, and to all the people who read the blog.  I appreciate you!