Sunshine Blogger Award!

A big thank you goes to Alison from Rockin' and Lovin' Learnin'  AND 
Angela at The Teacher's Desk 6 
for nominating me for this award!




This is my "Tried it" for Tried It Tuesday with Holly at The Fourth Grade Flipper because I have never tried anything like this before!  :)


The rules of the Sunshine Blogger Award are:
1.  Post 11 random facts about yourself.
2.  Answer the 11 questions asked by the blogger who nominated you.
3.  Nominate 11 other bloggers you think bring sunshine to the world.
4.  Make up 11 questions for your nominations to answer.  

My 11 random facts:
1.  I love Disney! I have an annual pass and go at least once a month!  (probably more because we also have DVC.)
2.  My favorite color is blue.
3.  I love traveling!  I've been to the former USSR, England, Spain, France, Italy, Mexico, Canada and I'm not done yet!
4.  I thought I wanted to be a teacher of the gifted but in college my friend told me she thought I had a gift for Special Education.  Turns out she was right!
5.  I can play the piano (not terribly well but I don't practice enough either.)
6.  I am trying to learn how to play acoustic guitar.
7.  I like to paint - not artwork, just the inside and outside of my house.  :)
8.  I've never broken a bone! (And I'm no couch potato but then again I'm no work-out/hiker/biker/runner queen either.)
9.  I love turtles and dogs (I have a Great Dane).
10.  I have been married for as long as I have been teaching.  August makes 20 years for both.  :)
11.  I have been on Teachers Pay Teachers since it began.  I even remember when it was sold and re-acquired.  

My 11 questions from Alison:
1) How long have you been teachin' and what is your absolute favorite grade to teach? (I know that's two questions, but they go together)

I will have been teaching for 20 years in August.  My favorite grade is 6th grade.

2) If you had an opportunity to change one county, state, or national law about teachin', would you change anything?
I think I would change all the laser focus on data and testing.  There's so much more to a person than just the numbers.

3) Have you ever thought about teachin' abroad?  If so, where?
When I first began teaching, I thought about teaching with the Department of Defense and going to where ever they sent me.  I actually applied because I have wanderlust and then turned it down to get my Masters.

4) If you could go on a shoppin' spree for one day and buy anything you wanted(money would be no object), what would you buy?
I would buy a new, bigger house.  I have it all picked out!

5) What is your favorite "me time" activity to do?

"Play" on my computer (blogging, making resources for my class)

6) What is one food that you could eat every single day and not get sick of?
Italian food or chocolate - but not together...

7) What is your all time favorite children's book title and why should I read this book?

When I'm Six, I'll Fix Anthony.  This is special to me because my Dad used to read it to me and we had some exceptional quality time with it.

8) What is one app or piece of technology that you could not live without?
I love my cell phone with internet and Siri.  I use it every.single.day.

9) If you were in charge of your school for one day, what would you plan for that day?
I would plan a big 'ol community building day.  

10) What made you decide to start bloggin'?  
Well I love playing on my computer and reading blogs, so I thought it looked like fun and a way to meet other teachers to get more ideas for my students!

11)  Where should I go on vacation and what should I do there?

Depends - in the USA or out?  In the USA - The Grand Canyon and nearby Flagstaff and Sedona.  It's all so absolutely breath-taking and it really grounds you.  Outside of the USA - Rome:  You must see the Colosseum and all the other ruins.  Plus the city has some great wine.  But watch out for pick-pockets - they got me on my last night.  :(

Now for my 11 questions from Angela:

1. Describe your teaching style.  My friends call me the "kum-by-yah" teacher.

2. What is your favorite non-teaching thing to do?  Go on vacation or to Disney!


3. If you could live anywhere in the world where would you live?  I'm not sure - but definitely somewhere warm.  Maybe on my own island.  


4. What are your three MOST favorite things? My husband and my 2 sons.


5. If you could change anything about the school year calendar what would you change?  I would change Spring Break - it needs to be AFTER state testing - kind of like a reward.  :)


6. If you were a color, what color would you be?  blue


7. Are you an introvert or an extrovert?  I think of myself as an introvert but my husband says I'm not.


8. What is your least favorite thing to do?  At school - grading papers!

9. What started you blogging?  It looked like fun and a great way to meet other teachers!

10. How did you choose your blog name?  I just decided to go with the best description of who I am and what I blog about.

11. Do you have a vice?  chocolate! (That's why I gave it up for Lent.)

My Nominations:  I would like to nominate the following blogs and bloggers for bringing sunshine into my life:


My 11 questions for them are:

1.  What inspires you?
2.  What is your best blogging tip?
3.  What is your best TpT product?
4.  What is your favorite book? (adult or not)
5.  How do you manage time to balance school, home, blogging and creating?
6.  What do you use to write lesson plans?  (Do you have a template?  A required form?  Will you please share? :)  )
7.  What is your best classroom organizational tip?
8.  What is your favorite technology to use with students?  
9.  Do you belong to any professional organizations?  Which ones?
10.  How do you individualize learning in your class?  (Or another way to say it is:  How do you handle the different ability levels in your class?)
11.  Do you use inquiry to teach Language Arts?  (I could use some ideas...)

Thanks so much for stopping by ~ I will be very excited to read all the answers to the questions!  :)