5 for Friday!

Happy Friday!  I am linking up with Doodle Bug Teaching for another Five for Friday post today.  I am trying hard not to think about the fact that this is my LAST week of summer vacation!  Next week's post will be full of classroom photos and "back to school"... hard to believe!  

My identical twins are going to be a little less identical for awhile!

My sweet Matt had his "Phase 1" braces put on this week.  He was super nervous... but he did great!

Isn't he cute?

My husband and I laugh (so we don't cry) because we keep taking kids to the dentist and getting great reports but there is ALWAYS a very, very, very expensive catch.  

Here is how it tends to go:

"No, cavities, looks great!  But it is time to pull these 3 teeth to put in spacers for his adult teeth." OR

"These teeth are coming in great!  Let's get a retainer put in to make sure they stay in place." OR

"He is doing a great job taking care of his teeth... but it is time to see the orthodontist for that cross bite."

I swear, we must be the only people who can leave the dentist with no cavities and a treatment plan for over $3,000! Oh well, what are you going to do?  He's totally worth it.  We've gotta keep that heart melting smile in tip-top shape! 

Kirsten went away to cheerleading camp this week.  I was a nervous wreck... I know this is what kids do... and lots of kids do it much younger... but I like keeping my kids close.  She has never gone "away" where she wasn't with a family member before.

She was a little nervous when she was leaving but I got a text that evening that said "This is the most fun day of my LIFE!" so I think she got over it pretty quickly ;)  

She and her high school team went to camp at a nearby university.  They got to sleep in the dorms, eat in the campus cafes, and cheer from 8 am- 10 pm.  It was her version of heaven!

My friend sent this to me this week and I just about died laughing. 

I wish it wasn't one of those "It's funny because it's true" deals... but... it's funny because it's true.

It has been a bit of an indulgent summer... I am not looking forward to "real life" starting next week!  

As much as I am wishing summer didn't have to end... I am being reminded that I like routines... a lot. At the beginning of the summer I am always so happy to have no (or less) obligations.  The idea of "open" days is so freeing!  However, after about a month, I am craving a bit of "normalcy" and routine.  I am NOT saying I am ready for the back to school rush, everyone having tons of homework, carpooling around town non-stop... But, I AM saying that we can no longer all be in the house for more than an hour or two.

The people that I adore and love with all of my heart are driving me up the wall.  I have NO MORE PATIENCE for the arguing about nothing, the whining (about nothing), the mess everywhere I look, the 7,000 cups that are being left out all over the house... WHY DO WE HAVE SO MANY CUPS?  I am seriously at the point of the summer where I am ready to throw away all the cups.  I guess that's extreme... maybe I will keep 6... then everyone can have 1 cup.  That sounds perfectly reasonable doesn't it?

Anyway, I am combating the end of summer cabin fever by getting everyone OUT OF THE HOUSE. It is about 900 degrees out, so that isn't exactly easy... but we are managing.  

       

When we haven't been at the orthodontist, or pediatrician, or ophthalmologist #alltheappointments we have enjoyed the free morning movies at the local theater. (The MOVIE is free, the popcorn is still the equivalent of a mortgage payment.)

We have also been spending TONS of time in the water... We don't have a pool... but we go out and find water all over town... the beach, grandparents' houses, town pools, club pools... we aren't picky!

Yesterday I was hit especially hard by the "we can't all be in this house" feeling.  So at about 5:05 I yelled for everyone to put on bathing suits and we would go "find water".  It wasn't great planning on my part since my tiny kids eat their body weight in food at every meal and decided they were "starving" as soon as we left the driveway.  

Luckily, the grilled cheese sandwiches at the club were delicious and only $3.95 each!  I was so excited!  Taking these guys to eat ANYWHERE usually costs a fortune.  This was the perfect answer. They ordered their food, swam until it arrived, we ate in the shade, and then they jumped right back in the pool.  It was the nicest "family dinner" we've had all week!   There wasn't one argument... no one complained about anything!  It was heaven!

I worked on a HUGE update to my Nursery Rhymes unit this week!  First, HERE is the Jack and Jill portion of the unit (which is a FREEBIE). 

The complete unit includes 16 more nursery rhymes.  

Each section  includes :

-Poem with colored illustration to be used for a class display/ teaching poster

-Poem with black and white illustration to be used for student poetry journals, partner reading, fluency practice sheet, etc.

-Crown for students to color, cut, attach to a sentence strip and wear (adorable!)

-Student booklet for reading and/or sequencing practice

-Colored and black and white retelling/ puppet pieces- The colored pieces can be used for a class center and students can color their own to keep.  These pieces can be used to sequence/retell the rhyme OR they can be attached to a Popsicle stick for a fun, simple puppet.

I LOVE using this unit with my kiddos.  The little puppets and crowns make them so happy.  It is so cute to see how excited they get about the little touches.  

I added over 60 pages to this unit this week.  However, I am not going to raise the price unit the end of the weekend.. So, if you need some nursery rhyme materials for the beginning of the year, they are on sale HERE this weekend! :)