Five for Friday: 7/18

I'm so excited to have time to link up with Kacey for Five for Friday! :) 

Last time I had a chance to post on the ole blog, I was talking about my summer plans/goals. Sadly, summer is quickly dwindling down to about a month left. :( I'm not quite sure what happened, this summer has gone by faster than any other summer I can remember. 

One of the reasons this summer has flown by is graduate school.  I took an education administration class this summer, which is a core requirement for my masters degrees in reading. The only grades in the course were two tests and four outside readings on leadership. So, I really need to stay on top of course material since the tests were 90% of our final grade. The class ended yesterday, so I spent a lot of time studying this week. 

I don't particularly enjoy being a graduate student, I've only had one class that I truly feel helped me grow as an educator.  So even though I don't enjoy graduate school, I know getting my masters degree is important, so enrolled in another class for the fall yesterday.  

I'm an avid menu planner. Having a plan for the week keeps us away from take out/eating out and thus saves us a lot of money.  However, lately I've been in a menu planning rut.  Even though I have hundreds of food related pins, it would take forever for me pick out recipes for our weekly menu. Last week, I stumbled on a new to me blog, Peanut Blossom.  The author, Tiffany, shared that she gives each day of the week a theme and it allowed her to come up with a meal plan for the week in minutes.  

I tried it this week and loved it.  I gave each week a theme and creating this week's menu was a breeze! :)

Certainly I have more time to cook in the summer, but I do feel that this system is easy enough for me keep going during the school year.  If you are looking for recipe ideas, I'd love for you to follow me on Pinterest.  

This summer I've been doing weekly Wish List Wednesday deals.  Every Wednesday, I put one of the most wish listed products in my store on sale.  :) This week my spelling contracts are 30% off. :)  I announce the deals on Facebook and Instagram mostly, so make sure you follow Fourth and Ten on Facebook and Instagram. :) 

Spelling Contracts Throughout the Year on TpT.

You can see how I use these contracts with my class, here. 

I've been sneaking away a few minutes here and there to work on a new project that I'm so excited about, warm ups for my guided reading groups.

 These quick warm ups are short activities that spiral review CCSS standards, or skills like PQA that I feel are important for success with the CCSS. They are perfect for the first few minutes of guided reading, while I'm scanning the room to make sure everyone else is doing what they are supposed to be doing.  

I've mapped out the first set of warm ups and hope to have them ready for you next week.  

This past week, I finally tried Jamberry for the first time.  I would not consider myself to be super girly and never do anything with my nails because when I paint them, it looks like a two year old did it.  I tried Jamberry because even though I'm awful at painting my nails, I do how nice they look when I get the occasional manicure. 

I will be the first to admit that your first application is a true learning experience, but I was so happy with the final product that I decided to join Jamberry as a consultant.  My blog will always remain dedicated to my teaching adventures but if you see a picture of a manicure here or there on Instagram, that's why.  If you've never tried Jamberry, you can check out my consultant page here.