Cyber Monday Sale!

Happy Thanksgiving, Peeps!

Make sure to stop by Kinder Peeps' TpT store for our Cyber Monday Sale (check out the Christmas recipe book in the post below...and the parent letter)!

Off to get Jet ready to see his Great Grandmothers!

Holiday Cookbook...Will Make Your Heart Melt and Your Mouth Water!

Good evening!

We have had quite a busy day!  Went on our morning walk through the hills and then Jet and I went to the mall so I could get my hair done and get some last minute things...and of course, stop by Janie and Jack to get Jet another outfit...such a cute store...trouble, trouble!  

We had Christmas pictures taken this afternoon in downtown Austin at the Long Center (the views are truly so pretty...backs up to Town Lake). I can't wait to see the sneak peak later tonight!  Here is a picture of Jet at Janie and Jack's...and in the car after pictures (we stopped at Lotus Hunan, our favorite Chinese restaurant, on our way back)!

So...I have been wanting to get my class cookbook from last year uploaded!  My kinders created a holiday cookbook last Christmas (as their gift to their parents) and it turned out SO cute!  I just love it!  I compiled all of the recipes, formatted them so they would look seamless in terms of where to find the ingredients/directions on each one, hole punched them, and tied them with a pretty Christmas ribbon.

We asked the parents to send in a family recipe they enjoy over the holidays (best to ask for a digital copy...makes the transfer easier when you're ready to put it all into one file and print/copy) and then, during small group/guided reading time, I had them write what they thought was in their recipe on the back of the "real" recipe.  Take a look at my sweet Catalina's handwritten recipe....it will melt your heart...and make your mouth water!

I bought/downloaded the border I used last year (seen below) from Graphics From the Pond on TpT...you can purchase the border by clicking here.

I have created a parent letter requesting a holiday recipe; you can download it from my TpT store or by clicking the image below:

I hope you have so much fun with this!  The parents will treasure this forever!

Almost Turkey Time!

Hi, Friends, Parents, Teachers, Pinners, and TpT Sellers!

I feel like I should change the name of my blog to inbetweenJetsnaps.com, haha!  I want to blog and upload more...!  Jet is getting into a good routine during the day...he usually naps at 10 am and then again in the early afternoon.  When he naps, I find myself cleaning (I am one of those who loves to clean, haha!) and responding to e-mails from buyers, etc. before I even get a chance to think about blogging or uploading!

My mom and I went to the Nutcracker Market at Reliant in Houston this past weekend and did a lot of Christmas shopping (you should have seen my car with all of Jet's travel gear on top of everything we bought at the Nutcracker)!  I found Jet some of the cutest Christmas outfits and PJs...can't wait for him to wear them!  We had so much fun and Jet loved spending time with his Mimi over the weekend!

On that note, can you believe Thanksgiving is two weeks from today?  The year is almost over...and my sweet Jet is 11 weeks old!  He is smiling so much and talking, talking, talking.  And...we made the "big move" and began transitioning him to his crib last night!  He is such a big baby and I felt like he was literally about to rock on out of his Rock and Play at night, haha!  He did so good in his crib and slept longer than he ever has (8 pm - 2:00 am and then every 2-3 hours after that...yes, that is a long time in the newborn world, haha)!  We will see if this becomes a trend and if Mommy's daily "rescue" trips to Starbucks continue! 

Along those lines, we used our Withings "Smart" baby monitor we bought at the Apple store this summer for the first time last night...and also kept us awake most of the night (and my iPhone died first thing this morning)!  They market it as "game-changing" technology and it truly is! You can talk to baby through it, zoom in and around the nursery, note the temperature and humidity...and the list goes on and on!  So neat...BUT...I went in his nursery constantly because I wanted to make sure he was a happy little sleeper...so, there was almost no need for it anyway ;-) 

Yes, yes...Thanksgiving isn't even here yet and Mommy is already dressing Jet in Christmas outfits!  Ahhh, I love my baby!

So...let's talk Thanksgiving and teaching:

I am so thankful for my beautiful, healthy baby boy and my wonderful family.  I always loved hearing about what my kindergarteners were thankful for during this time.  Such an important, special time of year.  Last year, we got all of the kindergarten classes together and had a fun Thanksgiving feast.  We talked about the Pilgrims and Native Americans, their hardships, travels, and ultimately, their friendship.  

Be sure to stop by my TpT store and preview my Thanksgiving products and FABULOUS FREEBIE (I will never forget the kindergartener who told me he would be bringing Lysol when asked what he would be bringing to our feast - ha!):

Please leave me feedback if you download the freebie :-)

Last but not least, I am also so thankful for all of my followers....and for Pinterest! Its "reach" is incredible and has really increased my sales on TpT!  Through the TpT Seller's Forum, I discovered the magic of collaborative boards and I am now currently pinning on over 30 collaborative boards!

If you would like to pin to Kinder Peeps' boards or any of the boards Kinder Peeps pins to, simply follow Kinder Peeps on TpT and Pinterest and let me know which ones you would like to pin to...and I will add you!  Follow the steps below:

1) Click the image below and it will take you to my store:

2) Click my Pinterest icon at the top right of my blog which will take you to my Pinterest boards

3) Take a look at the collaborative boards I pin to (I recently created one for the 100th Day in February!) and e-mail me at ashleyivey@utexas.edu and let me know which boards you want to be added to!

Happy almost-weekend!

Kinder Peeps' 20% Off Sale

Bundle Time!

Hi, Peeps!

I hope everyone had a fun Halloween!  Here's a picture of Jet (the cutest little hunter EVER!) and me before his very first Halloween block party!

We have had a busy week and weekend.  We took some of my girlfriends and their husbands out to our ranch in Uvalde this weekend and had such a fun time!  One of my girlfriends is five months pregnant and one has three absolutely beautiful children!  The boys hunted while we had some much-needed girl time!  Lots of fun and great food!  Jet is going to sleep good tonight!

So...I consolidated some great word work files I created and decided to give them a facelift...and begin updating my TpT store!  You know me and word families...I love them!  I think word work with word families (that's a lot of w's - ha!) is not only important in reading instruction ("chunk the word/look for a part/chunk you know"), but also in writing (writing fluency activities like word family races during small group/guided reading, "Write as many -at family words on your dry erase board as fast as you can...if you know bat you know rat, sat, chat, etc..." and/or "What do I need to add to the -at to make it "chat?"). 

Check 'em out (they are all linked to my TpT store so you can click for a preview file):

I am going to make it a point to upload all of my Thanksgiving files THIS WEEK (this requires what I call "precision timing" with a newborn)!  I need to say that several more times...this week....this week....THIS WEEK!  In between Jet's naps, that is!

I can't believe he is two months old today (cuter/sweeter/chunkier than ever)!  Time truly flies.

I need to get some sleep while I can (also have to rest up for the Nutcracker Market in Houston this weekend...I look forward to it every year)!  Acres and acres of the cutest Christmas decor, food, and fun at Reliant! After this weekend, no more traveling for this mama until Christmas! I'm sure you can understand how exhausting traveling can be with kids...especially newborns!

Have a wonderful week (there are those w's again)!

'Tis the Season to be Collaborative! Join Kinder Peeps' Boards!

Graphics: Graphics from the Pond on TpT

Border:  Jess Cabral on TpT

Graphics: Graphics from the Pond on TpT

Border:  Jess Cabral on TpT

The holidays are right around the corner and Kinder Peeps has created a Thanksgiving and Christmas-themed collaborative board for elementary teachers! If you would like to join, please follow the links below (you can also click the images above and they will take you directly to their corresponding collaborative board):

pinterest.com/ashleyatUT/k-2-turkey-time

pinterest.com/ashleyatUT/its-a-kinder-christmas/

Once you have followed the boards, I can add you.  Please limit your pins to 3 paid products per day. More than anything, please pin resources you deem to be of the highest quality. 

Happy pinning!

And before I sign off for the night...here's a picture of my little turkey in his camo Uggs our neighbor bought him, haha!

Hello Halloween!

Halloween is one of my favorite times of year...love the cooler weather (especially after enduring the 100+ temps this summer while pregnant!), the fall decorations, the food, and the list goes on!

Have fun and get creative with your kids! I created a class book based on the pattern of the popular "There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat" children's book. Have your students draw and write what they would swallow if they were the old lady. I like to have my kids brainstorm as a whole group first and then have them each complete a page for the class book. So much fun to come back together and read our book!  Download them from my TpT store!

This next class book is based on the pattern of the popular "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" children's book. I love reading this with them after they have created it!  I have them get in "trick-or-treater" mode (haha) and draw/write what they see as a trick-or-treater. Again, I would brainstorm with them as a whole group first and then have each student complete a page for the class book.  And...did I mention this is FREE?  Download it here!

I also included a link to BrainPop Jr.'s Halloween clip; it explores traditions associated with Halloween and also discusses Halloween safety.  As an extension and to make this personally meaningful to your students, I created a brainstorming web for students to include their own Halloween safety tips.  This could be done in groups or independently.  I think Halloween safety is so important to discuss...especially with the little ones!  Click on the BrainPop Jr. screenshot below and it will take you directly to the site.

Time to go walk...having a neighbor with a newborn is fun! I'll be adding more over the next few days!  Currently working on Thanksgiving and Christmas products (while Jet naps)!

The Most Amazing Gift...

Well, a lot has happened over the past 9 months to say the least!  

My kindergarteners and their parents gave me the sweetest baby shower at school. We had so much fun!  My kids gave me some great parenting advice, too!  One of their moms put all of their advice in a photo album and gave it to me...I will treasure it forever!  I love the way the student below referred to Jet as "it," haha!

So...fast forward a few months to May:  I graduated from the Graduate School at the University of Texas!  I received my Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction (Instructional Technology/Learning Technologies focus) and I am truly so proud.  Teaching kindergarten all day long and then driving to UT and walking 2 miles to my last class - at 6 months pregnant - was pretty intense!  And...graduate school itself was tough.  Really tough.  With this said, I appreciated the rigor.  I learned more than I could have ever imagined and met some unbelievably talented people from all over the globe.  It was such a rich experience on every level.  I could not wait to be finished...and, dare I say it... now I miss it!  One of my kindergarteners handed me this the day before I graduated...YES is right:

We celebrated after graduation (to the extent possible when you're 6 months pregnant, haha!) and had so much fun having family and friends come to Austin for the weekend.  The catering department at The Driskill certainly knew how to please a pregnant woman...

After I graduated, I still had a few more weeks of teaching and then...SUMMER!  What a great year all around.  I had such a wonderful group of kids and had so much fun sharing these special times with them.  Summer could not come fast enough, though!  I was getting so big and the temperature was on the rise!  Summer in Texas is not for pansies (and neither is pregnancy, haha)!  I spent the entire summer preparing for Jet's arrival and discovered a new passion:  decorating!  I had so much fun decorating his nursery!  It was truly a labor of love.

I did take a break from all of the decorating...I took a trip to California (Beverly Hills of all places...haha!) with some kindergarten moms from my school in Houston and had a lot of fun but realized traveling at 30 weeks was probably not the best idea!  My doctor approved traveling/flying through 33 weeks but it was pretty hard!  I was getting so big!  We did get to see Sandra Bullock and Jay Leno (front row seats...that's another story!) so it was definitely worth it!  And, I got to meet up with a friend I went to Texas Tech with...at the famous Beverly Hills Hotel...who would have thought, haha!  From Lubbock to Beverly Hills.  Nonetheless, I had fun getting out of Austin for a few days and enjoyed the cooler weather.

And then came August!  It was almost baby time...almost!  I got my classroom ready (planned to teach 1st grade this year) and then got so big and became so exhausted within minutes of any activity, I went ahead and took maternity leave a week early.  I felt good about my classroom being ready, though!  I spent the remaining days resting, relaxing, and trying any and everything to induce labor!  

More fast forwarding...September 1st, my due date, passed and still no baby! Then came Labor Day and we checked into the hospital!  I finally got to meet my gorgeous, perfect baby boy on September 3rd at 7:33 pm.  The absolute best day of my life!

At about 2 weeks, Jet had his newborn pictures taken.  Ella Bella Photography here in Austin is amazing!  She is so good with the tiny little things!  Newborns are her specialty. I wanted to share my favorites...isn't he the cutest cowboy you have ever seen?

  

Little Jet is waking up from his nap...time is ticking!

Lots of love (and uploads coming soon!) -

Happy 100th Day of School!

Happy New Year, Peeps (a little late)!

I had so much fun getting this blog going this past fall and feel so bad I have been MIA since November!  I finished a tough semester in graduate school in December and spent a lot of time relaxing, eating [tons], and traveling over the Christmas holidays!  But...I'm back!  A lot of exciting things happening in my life...and I can't wait to share them with you! I'm currently taking my last course and will graduate from The Graduate School at the University of Texas with a M.Ed. in Instructional Technology on May 18th!  The end is SO close!  Only a few more weeks...but who is counting? ;-)

So...the 100th day of school is here!  Can you believe it?  The 100th Day has been my favorite day of kindergarten since I started teaching in 2008!  I just have so much fun seeing the smiles on my kids' faces throughout the day!  I even gave my TCEA badge to another teacher last week so I wouldn't miss the 100th Day (I look forward to TCEA every year)!  I told my student teacher to get some sleep tonight, haha!  I am always more exhausted than ever after the day is over...but, knowing my kids had a blast makes it worth it!

I have always been one to eat my dessert first...so, I've decided that is what I'll talk about first.  The 100th Day Snack is literally the cherry on top...

I created a table with 2 columns (Snack Name / Parent Name) and listed 10 different snacks I needed parents to buy (see below) and send in...and shared it with them on a Google Doc [so that it is automatically updated when a parent signs up].  They sign up on the Google Doc, bring the snacks in, and I put them in trays [I bought for .99 at Party City] on each table.  After previewing the snack/sorting mat as a whole group, I have my kids return to their tables and gather 10 of each snack from their table's tray. After they fill their snack mat, I have them choose 2 snacks they would like to eat...and we put the rest in a Ziploc bag and send home. So much fun!  

Now...back to the beginning of the day (now that I have gotten the "dessert" out of the way - ha).  We are dressing up like we are 100 years old tomorrow (some years we have made t-shirts; I polled the parents this year using PollDaddy on our classroom website and dressing up won this year).  So...after the parents come in and take pictures after morning assembly, I usually start the day with a lot of fun, fast-paced activities.  I have the straws helper lead the class in counting to 100 on the interactive hundreds chart on my SMART Board, have them do 100 jumping jacks, have them write their name as many times as they can in 100 seconds, and then have them go to their tables where they will find their hundreds chart along with a sheet of stickers.  You can purchase this hundreds chart by going to my TPT store or clicking the image below:

I have them create their own pattern with stickers for each row of 10. Not only do they like having their own hundreds chart and counting/creating a unique pattern for each row, but this is also an activity that develops fine motor skills (peeling each sticker and placing it in a small, designated space).

You might also want to check out BrainPOP Jr.'s 100 video:

And of course, I love to read Miss Bindergarten Celebrates the 100th Day during our read aloud time after lunch:

Well, I hope you have a wonderful time celebrating the 100th Day this week!  "See" you very soon, Peeps!  Off to bed to get some ZZZZzzzzZZZ's for tomorrow!