August Sponsor Giveaway - Don't Miss It!!

Yay!  Friends, it is time to highlight my awesome July & August sponsors and celebrate YOU with a fun giveaway!!!

First, here's what's up for grabs...

And now, a little bit about each of these awesome businesses:

1. Lil Sweetie Designs 

I think if I ever owned an online store, it would be like Lil Sweetie... Cameron - who is super sweet and so easy to work with - sells a mix of custom applique and monogrammed clothes and accessories AND practical things like blankets, bibs, etc. from some of my very favorite brands like Aden & Anais & Kissy Kissy.  This is seriously a one-stop shop for baby shower gifts and new-mom essentials.  (P.S. We LOVED our Aden and Anais muslin swaddle blankets when Sam was a baby - I consider them a must-have for summer babies!)

2. Windows by Melissa

Melissa is SO talented on a sewing machine (plus, she just recently ran a half marathon in Ireland DESPITE a serious joint disease), and incredibly popular in the windows world... You might remember that I actually WON a pair of those beautiful yellow chevron curtains (pictured above) for Sam's room a couple of years ago, and then discovered that Melissa actually just lives a few miles from me.  #smallworld  We get compliments on Sam's curtains all the time, and my mom even had Melissa do some custom burlap roman shades for her house last year.  Her business is very successful, but she always handles herself with professionalism and humility.  If you are in the market for new window treatments (or pillow covers), this is your shop!

3. The Fairy Blogmother

Erika is the talent behind my new blog design and anything that looks halfway cute on this blog (i.e. my blog button, series banners, etc. etc. etc.).  I LOVE working with Erika (aka "The Fairy Blogmother") because she is fast, SUPER patient, affordable, and REALLY good - seriously, her style and "customer service" are unbeatable! In addition to being a blog-design genius, Erika is also the mama to two adorable little girls and blogs with heart and humor at Life Unfluffed.  *For the duration of the giveaway only, mention my blog and receive 10% off all Fairy Blogmother design packages!

4. Room to Romp

Sandy and I have been "working" together for a couple of years now, and still, every time I go to her Etsy shop I find 10 things I havetohave for Sam.  She is a Southern mama and an expert on dressing little boys... Her clothes are preppy, age-appropriate, reasonably priced, and VERY well made.  We LOVE our Room to Romp clothes!! *Get free shipping on your order with the code EMIFREESHIP!

5. Boy Oh Boy Boutique

As the mom of a toddler herself, Leanne knows motherhood.  She GETS that, sometimes, our best Pinterest-inspired plans fall short, so she makes "homemade" EASY with her iron-on appliques and more!  Trust me, if I can do this, anyone can!!  With appliques ranging from "formal wear" to footballs, monograms, and holidays, your plain onesies will never be the same again! She also sells custom birth announcement wall art and offers amazing package deals! *Use code EMYSELFANDI10 for 10% off your order!

6. Watching Me Grow

I found Sharon's shop when I was pregnant with Sam and in the market for monthly onesies.  I was initialy drawn to her shop because the numbers were actually sewn onto the onesie instead of stickers like I'd seen in lots of other places.  I bought the six month "neutral" package first and was so impressed by the quality etc. that I went back and ordered the next six months too.  Now, the little bitty onesies are all packed up for another baby one day!  Since then, Sharon has extended her business and also sells adorable fabric alphabet sets and state-outline onesies.

7. Shared Joy

I can't remember when I first met Jennifer, but it has been a joy (pun intended) to watch her speciality headband and earring shop start at ground level and grow (very quickly, I might add) to become a very successful business.  You better believe this place is bookmarked should I ever be blessed with a little girl head to "decorate" one day! :) Check out Shared Joy on Very Jane on August 17th for deals and new headbands!

For more pictures and favorites from all of the shops please visit my new "Amazing E, Myself, & I Sponsors" Pinterest board!

So...

Want to win?  OF COURSE YOU DO!  To enter, simply follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter below.  Entries will be accepted until 11:59PM on Wednesday 8/21 and I will announce the lucky winner in Thursday's post!  GOOD LUCK!

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Midweek Confessions 8/14

You know what time it is... Here goes!

- My "swag" is still in the middle of my bedroom floor in my suitcase from Blogher, and I have not unpacked or washed the first thing from last week's beach vacation.  #naptimetoday #forrealthistime

- I took Sam to the movies yesterday for the first time (We saw Planes - very cute, but I hardly paid attention).  Although I normally have a strict rule about NOT going to the movies without popcorn, I had already decided that we would not get any this time since a.) I'm trying to eat healthy and b.) popcorn is dangerous for toddlers.  BUT, how could I resist when the man in front of us gave us a coupon for a free small?!?  So... Sam ate popcorn.  He did fine, but I was a nervous wreck and may or may not have spent the first 20 minutes of the movie Googling "dangers of popcorn" on my iphone.  

- I want to train for a half marathon in November.  Yesterday, I ran ONE mile and almost died.

- I buy Luna protein bars with the best of intentions - "these will fill me up AND satisfy my sweet tooth without being terrible for me" - then, I eat four... In one sitting.

- Our dishwasher is broken, so... I feed Sam on the same plate at every meal and absolutely CANNOT cook.  Some things are just non-negotiable in my life, like the fact that I can't wash dishes when there are things like blogging, playing, and browsing Pinterest to be done. ;)

Join me in airing your dirty laundry (in my case, literally) today?

Grab the button & link up below!

Introducing Teaching Tuesdays + An Updated Missing Work Log Printable

It's that time of year again... The teachers are out in full force on Pinterest (myself included)! I love it!  So, in the spirit of Back-to-School, today I'm introducing the newest E, Myself, and I series...

That's right friends, every Tuesday (or at least, most Tuesdays), I'll be "talking shop" with my teacher friends and - hopefully - sharing some creative ideas and inspiration for the high school classroom. (I feel like there is a real need for more high school resources out there; but, of course, many of these ideas etc. can be adapted for any grade level.)

If you aren't a teacher, you won't hurt my feelings if you skip Tuesdays - but just know we'll be back to our regularly scheduled programming come Wednesday (i.e. Midweek Confessions).  Everybody got it?  Ok, good. :)

To get us started, I felt obligated to do a little "Yellow Sheet"/ Missing Work Log update for y'all since that is still (by far) the topic I get the most blog traffic and emails about.  Some of you might have already read about this tenmilliontimes, so feel free to jump down to the new (and much easier to access) printable below.  Otherwise, here's a quick &  dirty description...

On the day an assignment is due, the rule in my classroom is that EVERYONE turns SOMETHING in.  If a student does not have his/her assignment, he/she must fill out one of these Missing Work Logs (which I affectionately call "The Yellow Sheet" because they are printed out bright yellow paper) and turn it in in place of said assignment.  These are kept in a stack at the front of my classroom, and my students know to grab one if they are missing an assignment on a due date. 

The log itself asks for basic information like the assignment title, due date, and student signature.  Once it has been filled out and turned in, I keep the Missing Work log in my stack of collected papers for the assignment.  

Then, the next day/week/month when the late assignment is turned in, I record the date it was turned in, the number of points deducted (based on school policy - ours is 10% per day late), and the final score.  **This version of the log also includes a spot to record contact with the student and parent about missing work too.  I obviously do not make personal contact for every missing assignment; but, it is nice to have a spot to record that information right there when I do.

The bottom portion of the sheet is detached when an assignment is turned in and stapled to the assignment, so the student (and parent) knows exactly why they got the score they did on an assignment.  The top portion gets filed and saved in my record.

 If the assignment never comes in, a zero is recorded in the grade book and the yellow sheet gets filed. These work GREAT on parent teacher conference day and help to keep me fair.

Now, here's a simple JPG image you can download and print to start using right away:

When you click on the image above it should open in full size so you can save it to your computer.  Then, you can just print out (it should be formatted to fill a standard sheet of printer paper) as many copies as you need.  (Again, I usually print mine on bright yellow paper so that they stand out among ALL the papers I usually have.)

Rather have it as a PDF?  Try clicking here.

Easy, right?!?  (I went ahead and updated all the links on the blog to reflect this new version and easier format, FYI.)

One last thing... I didn't include a watermark or copyright on the image itself (because, really, your students don't need to read my blog); BUT, if you PIN the image below and link back to my blog, I would REALLY appreciate it. 

For more information about the Missing Work Log and/or other classroom organization ideas, try these posts: Classroom Organization Tips (original) and Classroom Organization FAQs or follow my Pinterest boards Teaching Ideas & Inspiration and Classroom Decor & Organization.

*And a big thanks to The Fairy Blogmother for my cute new "pin-it" button and graphics!!!

Ok, I think that's enough teaching excitement for one day.  I hope this was helpful and you will tune in each week.  In the meantime, please share in the comments some topics that you would like to see covered as part of Teaching Tuesday!  Thanks!