Return, Bloggy Makeover, and a Linky Party! :)

So, I know I haven't posted in almost 4 months, but school is out, I am finally starting to get back into the swing of things! That being said, I'm going to warn you up front, this post might be a little long and ridiculously random!

I can't even tell you how insane things have been around here. I honestly don't know how all you fabulous people keep up with it all because I know your lives have to be just as crazy if not crazier than mine! I have approximately 10 unfinished products that I have been dying to finish and post, but have been lucky to have 5 minutes to sit down these past few months. From wedding showers to life changing decisions I can't quite mention yet, my life has been a whirlwind of crazy. However, now that things are slowing down and the decision making process is now left up to God, I can finally start to breathe again! I apologize for my absence, but have made it my summer project to finish all of my products, create new ones, and keep up with my blog at LEAST once a week. Even though school will be out, as you know a teacher's work is never finished, so I will have plenty to share with you this summer!

In other news, if you have seen my blog before, you might have noticed that I finally got the perfect MAKEOVER! I cannot tell you how excited I am about it! After trying out a few different looks, I finally found the perfect place for my custom blog design, Honey Bunch Blog Design! I have to thank Erika and Misty for all of their AWESOME work! They took my vision of what I wanted to the complete next level and I love it! They were so awesome about responding quickly and even checked on me when I would go MIA for a few days! So if you are looking for a new custom design, you should definitely check them out!


Moving on, I wanted to let you in on some things that I will be posting within the next few weeks days. I am in the process of finishing 3 of my 10 as we speak, and hope to have the other 7 within the next few weeks. Now, for you lucky ducks who are already enjoying your summer breaks, you'll have to wait until next year for all of them, but those of you who still have a few days/weeks left, you may find some of these useful! :) This leads me to my next order of business...

I am linking up with Kim from Finding Joy in 6th Grade for her What Will YOU Do Differently?
Linky Party! Boy, is my list a mile long on this one! As most of you know, this year was a little challenging for me. There were days when I felt like the biggest loser and there are SO many things I want to do differently for next year. So, here it is, {which will lead into some of my product previews I was telling you about!}

I don't know about you, but this year I had a horrible time with keeping things consistent the whole year long. I always start these great ideas, like homework charts, reading logs, writing journals, etc...and for some reason they would fizzle out toward the middle of the year, or I would start something else instead. So, next year, I solemnly swear to actually finish all things I start! One thing I already have my eye on to help me with this new goal is Rebecca's Silly Dilly Caterpilly...Buggin' Over Sight Words unit! It looks so cute and will be a great way to get my little sweeties going with their sight words! I can't wait! 

With my crazy schedule and unusually-large-for-my-school class size, writer's workshop kinda fell to the wayside this year. This is something I feel like I really excelled in my first two years, so I am making it my mission to get back to that place, which leads me to one of my products I've been working on:

This Higher-Order Thinking writing journal will allow my kiddos to grow in their writing skills, create independent work for them while I am conferencing during writer's workshop, and hopefully help me work on my consistency! This will be available in my TpT store within the next week!

Have I mentioned how crazy things were for me this year?!? I can't tell you how many times we would get a project or activity all cleaned up and I would think to myself, "AHH! I forgot to take pictures!" OR how many seasonal activities I would take pictures of, with every intent of blogging them, and then the time warp would get the best of me, and all of a sudden it would be the next season, repeating the vicious cycle! So next year, I am going to try really hard to have that camera at my side at all times! :)

Self-explanatory, but this one is my biggest downfall. I can't tell you how many times I have sat down to blog and how many drafts I have in my post column. I just never seemed to find the time to finish anything! So, starting this summer, and leaking into next year, I am going to make a set time every day to sit down and work on products/blog posts, and not get up until I am finished! Here is a sneak peak of one of my products!

This is all finished, I just need to complete my Credits page, so this should be my next product on TpT! Since it's a monthly unit, you will all have to wait until next year, but it's never too early!! :)


Ok, whew! Better stop there before I get even more carried away! So there you have it, I hope you haven't given up on me! I promise I will be around much more this summer! So my friends, go link up with Kim, and keep checking back for more posts and more products! Happy Summer!