Time is flying!

I say this every summer.....when I pull out of the school parking lot on that very last day, I know the summer will be over in a blink of an eye. Don't get me wrong, I feel like it has been a while since I was with my kinder kiddos but the time with my own children is going way too fast. Although, today was one of those days that seemed like everything was going wrong but at least I could feel the warm sun on my face to make it all feel better. These are some of the things that have been going on in my life.....

Who doesn't love a good snickerdoodle cookie? They are my kids' absolute favorite. Unfortunately during our move, I misplaced an old cookbook and lost our awesome cookie recipe. I am so thankful to Pinterest as I found an even BETTER one! I made a batch yesterday to take to a dear friend only to find an empty container this morning....such is the life of living with four boys! LOL! In case you have loved ones that enjoy a snickerdoodle, here is the recipe from "Love From The Oven":

Ingredients

• 3 3/4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 cup butter ( 2 sticks) 
• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
Topping
• 5 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

Instructions

For the dough:. In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and cream of tartar. Set aside. 

In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs, milk and vanilla. Mix well.

Stir in the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined.

Cover bowl (or remove dough from bowl and wrap in plastic wrap) and chill for 2+ hours. You can chill for up to 24 hours if you have time.

When ready to bake, Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Form the dough into 1 inch balls. Mix cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl and roll each ball of dough through the cinnamon and sugar mixture to coat well. 

Place on a greased baking sheet or a cookie sheet covered with wax paper or silicone baking mat. 

Bake 8-9 minutes. Do not overbake. Allow to cool on baking sheet for at least ten minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.

I have been looking for an online tool to connect with my families on a more frequent basis. Have any of you used bloomz? I read about it on a Facebook page but was waiting to see if anyone has had any success with it. I have also heard of educators using Remind 101. I have been researching both and this one seems to offer more services.  I always have one or two parents that have difficulty using technology in which I need to send a hard copy but this seems like it would be so much easier!

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My oldest broke his wrist riding his bike about a week before we left for vacation and had a cast on the past five weeks. We went to the doc today to get a new X-ray in hopes of seeing some progress. The doc was thrilled to see that an entire shaft of bone had grown and repaired the damage that had been done. So happy! He was given a brace to secure it during soccer camp next week but then it should be good to go. We are so lucky that kids are resilient and their bodies heal so well!

I am getting things ready for my upcoming kinders. Our school theme this year for our reading program is "Take the lead and read!". I designed everything to be a superhero! Check it out in my store if you are looking for :

*lunch orders
*name cards
*nameplates with alphabet, colors, shapes, and 100 chart
*alphabet letters with illustrations from A to Z
*numbers with dice, tallies, and ten frame illustrations 0-10
*3d shapes
*greater than/less than, and equal to
*labels for table numbers
*labels for items around the room
*locker name plates 
*a 'Welcome' banner with blank penants too
*calendar items: numbers, days, months, today, yesterday, tomorrow
*identification cards for 2d/3d shapes, numbers, ten frames, tallies, simple addition and subtraction, upper and lowercase letters, and high frequency words

Many items that you can use to foster an educational and inviting environment for your active learners! 

I'm going to use this as the front of the name plate and the bottom one as the back for the kids to use as a reference. 

Alphabet cards for your wall...

numbers....

and calendar items...plus much more =)

Check it out here:

Superhero Classroom Theme

If you read my blog, you know how important physical activity is to me. I run everyday as well as go to jazzercise. I want to instill the same in my children who tend to be a bit more lethargic for my taste but that comes from my husband...LOL! I even bought my pre teen a Garmen Vivofit band to ensure that he is active enough throughout the day in getting his steps in. He has been doing an awesome job and it working towards a good goal he has set for himself. I am so proud of him! I take the kids out every morning whether it is to the park, splash pad, local playground, pool, etc. It has been so much fun =)

We have a playground that is 3.5 miles from our home. I jog with the jogger stroller to and from with sometimes getting suckered by the little ones to get a glazed donut from Dunkin Donuts across the street. LOL!

I love our neighborhood. It used to be a golf course so we have all of these beautiful paths and greens. The kids love going over the bridges and finding the wildlife all around us.

The splash pad is also a fan favorite!

Well, we would never allow this on the school playground...LOL! I found them like this asking for a picture so I had to snap it =)

Speaking of athleticism, I don't know if you have heard of the guy who has been doing the 50/50/50 but he has been doing an iron man course each day for 50 consecutive days in 50 states (refers to himself as the Iron Cowboy). I have been following his story as he works to conquer childhood obesity. This poor guy looks like he has been worked down to the core as he has almost completed his journey. In fact, he finishes THIS Saturday! His family (wife and five children) and crew have been going with him the entire way as he works to break a world record. You can follow him on his Facebook page as it is an amazing story!

The Iron Cowboy

Have a wonderful weekend!!