Merry Christmas!! Apartment Christmas Tour!! Going Offline!!

Christmas is upon us, so I thought I'd give you a little tour of our Christmas decor. Decorating an apartment is tricky. We don't have a fireplace and mantle. We can't hang lights outside. We barely have room for a tree. BUT I love Christmas decorations and we do our best to make it work.

Last year, I finally got enough pieces that I can set out my Willow Tree nativity. Up until last year, I only had a sheep and a goat. :)

With no mantle, I decided to hang our stockings from the book case. I also used it to display my Grinch drawings. 

Since I have plenty of wreaths, I figured why not hang some inside like on this closet door. 

Our table is all set and hasn't been used in months. :) I also want some Christmas napkin rings, but haven't been able to find any. 

I love this little sign we got on our honeymoon. 

This is another treasure from our honeymoon. 

I made this framed chalkboard earlier in the year and recently added a Christmas verse. 

Lee's shelf didn't need to miss out on my Christmas drawings. 

On top of the bookcase is the glittery Joy to the World nativity. 

A fun sign I made at a craft night with my friends. 

 More wreaths needed a place to hang.

A Christmas craft hanging on our door. 

An idea taken from Pinterest that I love. 

 

 The centerpiece on our coffee table

The Grinch and Max hang out on our loveseat.

 Lighted garland outlines our sliding glass door and beautiful blinds. :)

I love my gingerbread man spoon rest. 

And my gingerbread man hand towel. 

Last, but not least is our tree which we rearranged the living room for so that it would fit.

Anyway...I've decided that with Christmas approaching and due to my feelings of social media/blogger burn out-I've decided to go offline for a week or so. Social media-as I've shared before- can be both a blessing and a curse. It can become an addiction and it makes it so easy to compare your life to others. Christmas is a time for joy and comparison robs you of joy. I don't want to spend my Christmas ill because so and so is doing this or so and so has that. Christmas is also a time to spend with loved ones. Social media takes up time that could be spent on making memories. I want to spend time with the people I'm with, not online. I don't want to be that person who's always checking their phone. I'm going to have my husband hide my computer and I'm removing social media apps from my phone. I will be back some time after Christmas. We'll see how this goes. I have some end of the year stuff scheduled for the blog after Christmas. I look forward to seeing what the new year has in store for me and my blog.

Lastly, I want to wish you and your family a 

VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

#santaselfie

Grinch-y Classroom Management

Classroom management is key to being a successful teacher. Your classroom management strategies have to be constantly changing and evolving to fit the needs of each individual class. I have never had the exact same classroom management strategy from year to year. Many times, my management strategy also changes (sometimes completely, other times only slight adjustments) during a given school year.

With Christmas approaching, I want to share with you my fun, holiday classroom management strategy featuring....THE GRINCH!

First of all, let me say that I work at a school in a large city with a diverse population. So, "Christmas" is not allowed. I still use the Grinch. I don't say anything about Christmas. I just say that he's the Grinch and he likes to steal things. If you don't have the "Christmas is not allowed" problem at your school, you could incorporate reading the book or other Christmas-y things.

I tell my students that we are coming to the halfway point of their 4th grade year. (I'm at a year round school and we are off for most of December. This break marks our change from 1st semester to 2nd semester.) I tell them that I want to throw them a little celebration for being halfway through 4th grade. However, the Grinch wants to steal this party from them. (Again, if your school allows Christmas then you could call this a Christmas party.You could also use another reward if you don't want to or aren't allowed to have a party of any kind.)

How does he do that? By earning more points than the class. The Grinch likes things like students talking out of turn, students not doing their homework or classwork, students being too loud or too messy. Whenever my class does these and other undesirable behaviors, I give the Grinch a point. On the other hand, the class can earn a point for displaying desired behaviors: working quietly, completing assignments, lining up correctly, etc. In the end, whoever has the most points wins. The Grinch wins-no party. The class wins-party!

Christmas time can be a hectic time in the classroom as students are ready for a break and for all the fun holiday activities. So, I found this to be a simple strategy to help them remember and display correct behaviors. I would recommend there never being a huge gap between the points. If the Grinch gets too far ahead, the goal will seem unattainable and the students will stop trying. If the class gets too far ahead, they won't be as worried about the possibility of losing their party.

This worked for me last year and is working well so far this year. For me, I want the class to get the party in the end. That's not the point. The point is to keep your classroom managed and running smoothly for the purpose of learning right up until the holiday break.

What classroom management strategies do you use to keep your classroom running smoothly during those crazy holiday times?

Halloween: Throwback Thursday Style

Wow, October is over. The year is almost over. Where does the time go? 

Since today is Halloween and it's Thursday, I thought I'd do a little Throwback Thursday post. Here's my  Halloween Throwback Thursday Edition. I'm going to share some throwback pictures of me in some of my favorite Halloween costumes through the years.

My First Halloween

Yes, my mother dressed me as a devil for my first Halloween.

Coolest Characters from My Childhood

I loved ninja turtles when I was younger, so I needed to be one for Halloween.

The Year of the Lost Accessory

The year I was a princess, I went to a Halloween party and lost my magical wand. I was devastated. My mom worked hard gluing that glittery star cut out to that stick. (And my brother is a female kangaroo.)

The Recycled Costume

This year I was a butterfly in a play at church. Naturally, that meant I also was a butterfly for Halloween. 

The Only Time I was a Cheerleader

High socks, pigtails, and all!

Flashback to the 50s

I remember thinking this was one of the best costumes ever. I loved having my own poodle skirt. I even wore it to school. 

I'm Too Old to Buy a Costume but...

I was starting to get to that age where I didn't want to be too into Halloween because that wasn't cool, but I still wanted to participate. I think I'm my dad....he worked at Sony and works with tools. 

Ballin'

For a church carnival, my mom and I raided my brother's basketball stuff. We were in character because we were running the basketball game at the carnival. 

Meet the Flinstones

This costume served me well for 2 years. This is the last time I really dressed up for Halloween. 

What's one of your favorite Halloween costumes that you dressed up in?

Merry Christmas! {25 Days Link Up}

You can link up your Christmas related post.

This link up only has ONE rule:

1. Please link back to my blog in your post.

Nativity {25 Days Link Up}

One day, when I have the complete Willow Tree Angel Nativity and a mantle, I will decorate it like this.

You can buy this subway art here.

I recently discovered that they have a Little People Nativity. I want this when I have children.

This is the nativity that I currently have. I knew I wanted to work on getting the Willow Tree Angel Nativity, so I didn't want to spend a lot of money on one. 

There are many beautiful nativities out there. Do you have one as part of your Christmas decorations?

 ^"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." Isaiah 7:14

"For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Isaiah 9:6 

Link up your Christmas related post.

This link up has only ONE rule:

1. Please link back to my blog in your post.

We 3 Friends of a Small Town Girl {25 Days Link Up}

I LOVE pictures! I spend way too much time looking through old pictures. They can be funny. They can also bring back great memories. Christmas is one time of the year where you're sure to have plenty of pictures.

Check these ladies out in all their Christmas glory:

Sarah
Blog//Twitter//Facebook

Kindra
Blog//Pinterest


Kim
Blog//Twitter//Pinterest

I also love Christmas and think it's so fun to learn about different people's experiences with Christmas.

What is your favorite Christmas tradition?
Sarah: Start watching Christmas movies RIGHT after Thanksgiving. I don't watch any of it before that.
Kindra: We all go to both sets of Grandparents (one on Christmas eve & the other on Christmas day) and on Christmas eve we always read the true Christmas story.
Kim: Definitely getting a Christmas tree each year. My parents didn't hop on the artificial tree wagon until about two or three years ago, so we always had a real tree growing up. It was so much fun to go to the tree farm and wander around forever trying to find the "perfect" one...me and my siblings always fought about whose tree was going to win. Spoiler alert: none of us ever won. Mom always won.
 
What is the most memorable Christmas gift you've ever been given?
Sarah: The unexpected gifts are always memorable. Last year my mentor gave me two beautiful coffee mugs with some hot cocoa packets. It touched me b/c I wasn't expecting it and the mugs were gorgeous!
Kindra: I got a log cabin doll house one year from my grandparents. I still have it to this day.
Kim: Definitely the year I got a bike. I remember coming home from church and it was just there in the living room - Santa came early that year!

What is your favorite Christmas movie and why?
Sarah: I have a lot, but I have to say that ELF is by far my favorite. It's the first one I watch after Thanksgiving. I like this movie b/c it's fun for all ages and is just good quality humor!
Kindra: I don’t think that I have an absolute favorite Christmas movie but I always enjoy watching the original old “children” movies like Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-nose Reindeer, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Charlie Brown Christmas, etc. I also like watching the Hallmark Christmas movies.

Kim: actually have two! I absolutely LOVE the "real" version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas, but I'm also a sucker for the old black and white movie "The Holiday Inn" with Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. I make sure to watch at least those two movies every year!

 

Part of loving Christmas is loving Christmas decor.

 

Sarah loves Christmas ornaments. Aren't these adorable?

 

Kindra loves to remember the true meaning of Christmas and hopes to one day have an ornament or decoration similar to this one.

 

Kim loves Christmas lights-on a Christmas tree, over a door, on the mantle-it doesn't matter. Something about twinkling lights in a dim room, just sets a Christmas mood.

These 3 ladies are 3 of my lovely sponsor and wonderful bloggy friends. You will not regret checking out their blogs and following along. 

If you only view one post on their blog, they ask that it be this one:

Sarah- Baby Blog Blues

Kindra- Who Am I

Kim- For Me

Now, it's your turn to share something Christmas related.

This link up has only ONE rule:

1. Please link back to my post.

 

 

 

TAG...I'm It! {25 Days Link Up}

I have to admit, I got REALLY excited when Kera from Nugget on a Budget "tagged" me in this fun Christmas game.

This was created by Lanaya from Raising Reagan. It's similar to when you win a blog award and then you nominate new people. Basically, when someone tags you, you answer their questions and then tag 5 new people. It's a great way to learn how other people celebrate Christmas. 

You can read Kera's post here or Lanaya's here.

Here are the questions I have to answer:

1. What makes Christmas such a special holiday for you and your family? 

The thing that makes Christmas a special holiday to me and my family is celebrating the birth of Jesus. As a Christian, Christmas holds a special meaning in that our Savior came to the world to live as a human. My favorite name of Jesus is Immanuel which means "God with us." Even to this day God is with us because of His son.

 2. Were you told the truth about Santa by your parents or did you find out another way? And...do you plan on lying to your kids when the time comes? 

I kind of got the age where I figured it out plus I had a lot of friends who weren't "believers" anymore. So, I finally just asked my mom about it. Afterwards, I still played along because I have a younger brother. I thought I was so cool because I was in on the secret.

Lee and I have discussed it and we don't currently have kids, but when we do we don't plan on lying to them about Santa. As I just stated, I believed in Santa and I have nothing against people who do it. I wasn't traumatized because my parents "lied" to me. It's just not something we want to do. I'm not against them knowing who Santa is, visiting Santa at the mall, reading Santa books, or watching Santa movies. That's part of the fun of Christmas. I just want them to view him as a character just like Mickey Mouse. The main reason we don't want to push Santa is because we don't want Christmas to be about presents. It is so easy to get wrapped up in the materialism of Christmas. We want to fight that and make Christmas more about Jesus, family, and giving for our kids.

3. Real tree or fake?

My family has always done fake trees. It's never bothered me that we had artificial trees although I think it would be fun to go to a real tree farm at some point in my life. Lee and I also do an artificial tree. Lee wanted to get a real tree, but because we are gone for a long time at Christmas visiting family, we didn't think having a real tree would be the best idea. 

 4. Do you open presents on Christmas Eve, Christmas morning, or both?

When I was younger (and my dad's parents were still alive), we used to spend Christmas Eve with my dad's family and we'd exchange gifts. Then, Christmas morning was when we got present from Santa. Then we'd go to my mom's parents' house for lunch and spend Christmas afternoon with her family where we'd also exchange presents.
 

Now that I'm married, we alternate whose family we're with on Christmas day. We'll exchange presents a couple of days early with whichever family we don't spend Christmas with. Then, we open gifts on Christmas morning with the other family. If we're at my family's on Christmas, we still spend Christmas afternoon with my mom's side of the family. It's a little harder to get my dad's side of the family together these days because the family is so large, there's been family drama, and my dad's parents have passed away.

 

 

 5. What's your favorite Christmas movie to watch? Or favorite Christmas song?

I love watching Elf, How the Grinch Stole Christmas (both versions) and A Christmas Story. I also enjoy the Christmas classics like Frosty and Rudolph. 

My favorite fun Christmas Song is "Carol of the Bells." My favorite religious Christmas song is "O Holy Night."

I especially love Lea Michele's (from Glee) version. This girl can sing!

Okay, now it's my turn. 

I tag:

1. Jennifer from Part of That World

2. Kim from Living on a Latte and Prayer

3. Sarah from Loveee, Sarah

4. Ashley from Dancing with Ashley

5. Angi from Into the Forest Dim

If you're tagged, please let me know if you want to participate because if not...I'll tag someone else. 

Here are my questions:

1. Describe Christmas morning at your house when you were a child.

2. What's your most memorable Christmas gift?

3. Did you believe in Santa as a child? Are you (or do you plan on) using Santa with your own children?

4. What's your favorite holiday treat? Include a recipe if you'd like. :)

5. How will you spend Christmas day this year?

Have fun! Answer the questions and tag five more awesome bloggers. After you've done your post, come back here and leave me a comment with the link to it because I don't want to miss it! Instruct your tag-ees to do the same for you. Don't forget to link your post back to Raising Reagan.

  You can also link up your Christmas related post to help spread Christmas cheer. 

This link up only has ONE rule:

1. Please link back to my blog in your post.