Classroom Friendly Supplies Sharpener Review

Ahoy, blogging friends! I was recently given the wonderful opportunity from Troy Decoff of Classroom Friendly Supplies to review their classroom pencil sharpener. I've heard SO many wonderful things from teacher friends that have this pencil sharpener and this was a great opportunity for me to give this sharpener a try!

If you're anything like me, you know classroom pencil sharpeners can be quite the NIGHTMARE! They're noisy, messy, and often break quite easily. UGH!

From my student days, teachers always made us use the pencil sharpener that was attached to the wall. Not only did I HATE using those as a kid, I hated them even more as a teacher! The case always fell apart spilling all the pencil shavings and the students always mess around with the hole section and that cap always fell off! For the last few years, I tried another well known electronic pencil sharpener and I used to think it was the best I would ever find in a classroom pencil sharpener.

BUT . . . Lo and Behold . . .

Classroom Friendly Supplies' pencil sharpener results compared to the one I sharpened with my electric pencil sharpener. I am seriously SO impressed and amazed at how sharp my pencil is. Now my kids won't complain how quickly their pencils become dull (I hope) and won't have to sharpen as much. The best part though? It is quiet and mess free!!! 

I know I got on the bandwagon of this awesome pencil sharpener a bit late, but if you're like me just discovering this or have never heard about it yet, then I recommend that you head on over to Classroom Friendly Supplies website and try one out for yourself. It'll seriously change the way you feel about kids sharpening pencils in class!

You Oughta Know About ...

. . . Book Scanner App & Classroom Check Out App !

Happy 2015, everyone! I am linking up again with the wonderful Jasmine McClain from Buzzing with Mrs. McClain to bring you this new year's You Oughta Know About . . . Book Scanner App!

If you are a teacher that has your own classroom library and your school uses Accelerated Reader, then this post is for you!

About 5 years ago, my 5th grade friend and I spent months coming to school on a Saturday to label each book that had an A.R quiz in our school's entire library and our own classroom library. I know what you might be thinking: "cray, cray"! It's okay, I had a stipend position that paid us to do that. So worry not. But as you can tell, that was some tedious stuff; coming in on a weekend having to type EVERY single book title and author on A.R bookfinder, copying and pasting all the reading level, grade appropriateness, and etc... onto an Excel sheet, to printing a label for the book's spine, and then finally sticking all that info on the book. Sounds stressful, right?!?

Well, stress no more! This is where the bookscanner app comes in. It works on any phone that has a camera so that you can scan the book's barcode, just like you would scan a Q.R Code or a barcode if you use Target Cartwheel to find if an item has deals.

After scanning the book, the app gives you all the A.R information you or your student may need to know. Just as so:

Now you will have the book's quiz #, book reading level, points students earn, and interest level of a book in A.R. I even keep an old old iPhone that has a scanner in my classroom so students can check the information when they can't find it on my book's spine or on A.R bookfinder.

The best part of the bookscanner app however, is that it then sorts a book inventory list on your phone for you and allows you to have a list of all the books you own in your classroom library that has an A.R quiz. 

Simple and easy peasy like Mac 'n Cheesy right? Now no more worrying on organizing your classroom library. But wait, what about if you allow your kiddos to check out books from your classroom library so they can read for A.R time or at home? No worries, I got you covered again!

That's where Classroom Check Out App comes in and saves your day! No more losing books you spent your hard working dollars on or forever saved Scholastic points on. The Classroom Check Out App will help you with keeping track of your books that have been borrowed & checked out and to which student.

First, you scan the book the students want to check out so that it registers in your phone's system. It even allows you to scan and see how many copies of one book you have:

Next, you create your class list:

Then, just like magic . . . you are now able to keep track of everything at the palm of your hands! It tells you which student has which books and the date that they borrowed your book. 

I hope you can find these two apps as useful to you as it has been for me. I don't know how I survived the last 5 years without these 2 apps! 

An InLinkz Link-up

January 2015 Currently

WOW . . . another year has come and gone. I seriously CANNOT believe it is already 2015! For my first post from the new year, I will be linking up with Farley from Oh' Boy 4th Grade.

Listening: Catching up with Season 8 of "Keeping Up with the Kardashians". I seriously have not had much television time this school year. It's nice to just veg out on my couch and watch mindless show with absolutely nothing to do!!!

Loving: I have also been catching up on all the books I have not had a chance to read during the regular school year time. I just finished 3 books and they were ALL so amazing! The first one I read was If I Stay after renting the movie version Redbox. Then, I went and read the sequel, Where She Went. 

There were a lot of mixed reviews on the sequel and a lot of people didn't (*Spoiler Alert) like the happy ending. (*Spoiler Over). For me though, I absolutely LOVED the sequel and Adam's point of view. I will admit, the ending was rather rushed, but not every book is going to end the way one wants it to. 

Then, the 3rd book that I can't believe took me so long to discover is Eleanor and Park. Wow! Just absolutely WOW is all I can say. It took me back to high school crushes and I just fell in love with Park's character and his entire family! I hope there is a movie version of this. I would love to see how it is interpreted into a movie.

I am now working on reading Paper Town. 

Were it not for the fact that I get super lightheaded and nauseous from taking antibiotics for my root canal infection, I would've finished this book last night. 

Thinking: And speaking of root canal infection, I can't stop thinking about it. I have been to SO many doctor and dentist appointments this past week. First of all, I didn't even know there are different types of dentists and they all focus on a different thing. I first went to my regular dentist for a cleaning, then had to go to the endodontist, then the oral dentist. Now, I found out that my root canal infection is so bad that there is no saving the tooth so I will have to get an implant; which I have been researching and found out is extremely costly and my insurance does NOT cover it. Seriously a pain in the buttocks!

Wanting: Some Pinkerry Yogurt and KBBQ. The perfect combo to a lunch or dinner!

Needing: To heal. I have lovely kiddos this school year, but they come in with all sorts of colds and flu to school. I not only had the regular cold and flu, but it got so bad that it turned to a sinus infection. I pretty much have been a walking mucous for the last 3 months. Pretty disgusting, right?

Yes, Maybe, I Wish: Yes, to having an extra week off! I get 3 weeks off and I can use it to recuperate my body. Maybe I should start getting off my butt and start putting all the Christmas decor away, but I am not ready to do that yet. I wish that I had  a personal assistant to run and do all of my errands. I can't help but feel entitled to my vacation time and I just want to do NOTHING, NOTHING I tell ya!

That is all for my January currently.  Wishing everyone the best 2015 has to offer!

December Monday Made-It

Oh my goodness, December is already here and I only have 2 weeks left until my Winter Break. Now how exciting is that? I realized that it has been a while since I linked up with 4th Grade Frolics for some Monday Made-it. I definitely would like to share with all my wonderful bloggy friends what I have been up to this month. So . . . here I go!

Acrylic Sub Tub

My good friend's birthday is coming up and I decided to hand make her a gift this year instead of buying something she might not need or like. Recently I have been obsessed with acrylic items; from my acrylic bed tray to my acrylic EC recipe box. So, when my friend Aris from Sailing into Second, introduced me to an acrylic file organizer from Target turned into a sub tub I just had to get myself one. 

Below is a picture of the one I made for myself:

(Yes, I was too lazy to take my tub out of my shelf. Don't judge!)

Here is the one I made my friend:

(I feel like the one I made her came out WAY better than mine. LOL)

Aaaaannnddd . . . here is what I mean by obsessed with acrylic:

(I even had to get myself an acrylic pencil holder, which is really a straw holder)

Nautical Whales Book Hospital & Box Top Bucket

This past summer, I remember going to Learning in Wonderland's  blog and telling myself that I needed to make myself a nautical book hospital and box top bucket like she did for her owl themed classroom. However, that project got put on hold since I was teaching a 2/3 combo class for the first 2 months of this school year. BUT now that I am a regular 3rd grade class teacher again, I have time during weekends and breaks to actually craft like I like to! I was finally able to create my projects using my Cricut Explore:

(I'm SO happy with how my project turned out! You can't tell from this pic, but the whale to the left is also holding a box top sticker)

Winter Classroom Projects

Pinterest has seriously been my best friend this past year. I saw this awesome D.I.Y for kids using mason jars as snow globes and decided to try it to test out the level of difficulty. It actually is a very easy project, especially if you have parent helpers helping in the classroom. I will be having my kiddos bring in an empty and unlabeled glass jar to school next week along with a picture of themselves. I also used my Cricut Explore to make labels that say, "There SNOW Place Like Home". Just search for "mason jar snow globes" on Pinterest and you will find all the directions and list of materials needed!

(Believe it or not I don't print out pictures and this old picture of me feeding a deer at the SD Wild Animal Safari Zoo was the only picture I could find of myself)

 Elf on a Shelf Delivery

Tomorrow, Santa will be delivering my Elf on a Shelf book along with a letter to my class. My sister made this awesome bow and I am using Jaimie Knudson from Kinder World Way Elf on a Shelf resources and note tags this year. I can't wait for my class to meet their elf!

 Stampin' Up

Isn't my sister so crafty? She held a stamp class for my teacher friends this past Sunday. These are the cards we all made! My favorite one is the car with the Christmas tree and the snow angel. I just hung mine up on my mini tree.

 O.C.D Tendencies

Lately I have been getting WAY too many clip art (I mean can you blame me? They're just SO cute!) and I was starting to lose track of what I had already purchased or not. So . . . my crazy, anal, needs to be organized or my life is chaotic self; was inspired by Schroeder Shenanigans in 2nd's "Organize Your TpT Cover" to organize ALL MY CLIP ART COLLECTION! 

This is what my file cover and 2 out of 10 pages of my clip art file looks like:

(Don't you just love the Aztec background paper? I'm also obsessed with collecting digital background paper if you can't tell)

As you can see, when I need a file I can just open my document open on my laptop and see if I have the clip art already or not. I am still working on adding the actual title of each clip art above each picture. My summer plan is to have all my digital files that I purchased on TpT also organized by subject. Life is just easier when it is organized, that is all I can say! 

Whew . . . what a long post! 

December Currently

It's The Most Wonderful Time . . . of the Year!!! It truly is because Christmas time is my favorite time. You know what else is my favorite? Farley's Currently linky at Oh' Boy 4th Grade


Look how cute this button is! It even has a hidden elf on a shelf on the lower left. Ah...I die! Too adorbs!

Listening: Okay, Okay . . . so I have another teeny bopper song that I am listening to. Surprise surprise! But seriously, how can you not find this song catchy? I don't care if Selena Gomez is singing about the Biebs. Whatever she needs to heal and move on, I support ya, girl! After all, what female doesn't know or has not gone through a bad relationship but still was in it because that's what the heart wanted at the time? Luckily for a lot of us, our brain caught up with our heart.

Loving: I am SO in love with all the Christmas decorations that are up around my neighborhood! BUT, because nobody ain't got time to go house by house to take pics of my neighbor's decorations, I'll settle for showing you what I have been working on at my house instead.

This is my night view when I enter my community's gate:

Found this awesome Christmas countdown at Target:

My dress form even got a make-over all thanks to Victoria Secret:

Two new friends surround my night table. Aren't they cute? All at Lowes!

My work/craft table:

Thinking: 3 more weeks until my 3 weeks Christmas break! Let the countdown begin!!!

Wanting: Urban Outfitter's Macaron shaped jewelry boxes. I mean . . . let the picture speak for itself:

Even though it is Cyber Monday, I just can't bring myself to cough up $10 each for these. First of all, if I get it, I would have to get ALL of the colors, which there are a total of 10 on the website, so that would cost me $100. SIGH . . . decisions, decisions . . .

Needing: I said it before, but I'll say it again . . . I need to hit the gym! 2015 Resolution (again).

Giving: I have never done this before since I am not a TpT seller, but I will try it and hopefully it works. I am putting up my "While You Were Absent" folder covers that I have for my students when they are absent. I made several versions of it to last me an entire school year and here are 2 for you to choose from. Enjoy! (You can find my original blog post on how I use these HERE).

CLICK HERE TO GET THE COVERS!

Wishing everyone a Happy and Safe Holiday Season!

A Week of THANKS - The Letter S

I can't believe that today is already Saturday. My week has gone by so so fast! Time sure does fly . . .

I am linking up for the last day for A Week of THANKS with Blog Hoppin'

The Letter S is for . . .

Scarf season & Sharing!!!

Although the weather has mainly stayed on the sunny side here in So. Cal, the mornings and nights get a bit on the chilly side. I appreciate the fact that I can pull out all of my scarves and accessorize my wardrobe with these fuzzy and snuggly accessory! 

Lastly, don't forget that it is the season of sharing because sharing is caring (such a nerd)! But I truly believe in that =)

So . . . go out there and wear some scarves and share your love and kindness with the world! 

Five for Friday (last one for 2014)

WOW . . . I haven't linked up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for some Five for Friday in quite some time. Since this is going to be the last one for the 2014 year, I thought I'd link up with what I have been up to during this week off.

Make sure you link up soon because this linky will be taking a break during the month of December, meaning the next time we will be linking up with this it'll be . . . wait for it . . . 2015! Holy....!!!

Riley Farm at Oak Glen Family Trip

My family and I decided to make a spontaneous trip to Riley Farms in Oak Glen last weekend after Riley Farm came to my school for a field day. I got to taste some freshly made apple cider and just had to go get me some more. Not only did I get 3 gallons of apple cider, but we also got ourselves 3 dozen of these fresh out of the doughnut maker, apple cider mini doughnuts. OMG...so delish!

Mani & Pedi

I finally was able to get myself a mani & pedi that my hands and feet really needed. Being a teacher, it's difficult to maintain our manicures. But during the week off,  I am able to make it last a tad bit longer!

Thanksgiving Day Dinner

This year, I was promoted from clean up crew to sous chef status. I was in charge of the potatoes au gratin, rice pilaf, and croissants. All hand made at my momma's kitchen. Oh, and the kitchen is still in tact...no burns! YAY! Thank you Williams Sonoma and Bon Appetite magazine for the awesome recipes!

Dining Room Make Over

It finally happened! My dining room, which no one EVER uses (it's for decoration purposes only which was pointless) is finally my make-up/crafting/office room. Oh yea . . . look at my extra clothes rack because apparently 1 full closet and 1 additional walk-in closet are NOT enough for all my clothes and accessories. 

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Currently working on putting away "harvest" decor and taking out all my Christmas decor! Here are my 2 mini trees I used to have in my old apartment. I love my pink Christmas tree in my room and my white tree by the heater. 

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving break and enjoyed some Black Friday shopping! I know I did!