Shopping Made Easy

Christmas is just a few weeks away!  YIKES!!!  Why oh why do I always let it sneak up on me like this every single year…

      Thank goodness for Oriental Trading and their huge selection of Christmas items!  I found several items that will bring huge smiles to my first graders. 

      Every year the students make gifts for their parents.  This year, I decided to go with these Holiday Pot Holders.  Who wouldn't love getting them from their little one?  My students will be able to color/paint these in no time at all!    They will use these 10-Color Crayola Fabric Markers to paint/color them with.  Unfortunately there wasn’t a brown one included in the package... so I had to find a brown paint marker to use also. 

      Every year we have a Polar Express day in our classroom and I have always made a “ticket” for each of the students.  This year I will be using these beautiful gold tickets.  They are stickers so the kiddos will put them on their pajamas.  

We also have an Elf on the Shelf visiting our class named  “Charlie” this year.  Charlie has already brought several surprises  to my students already.   These Elf on the Shelf Erasers are going to be a wonderful surprise to the kiddos.

      It’s not all about my first graders you know… I had to find something for my precious Samson for Christmas.  He loves wearing bandanas.  When I saw these on the Oriental Trading website, I knew that they would be absolutely perfect for him. I think Santa is my favorite, but Samson likes all of them.  :-)

Samson is always carrying around a little friend.  This is one of his favorites, and so I always put the same color of bandana on him.  Aren’t these two twinkies adorable!? 

     I hope you saw something here that you liked.   Oriental Trading has a HUGE selection of all kinds of items.  They ship quickly...but you are running out of time... so don't wait too long.

***Disclosure*** All the items that are mentioned above, were provided to me at no cost.  In exchange for receiving these products for free, I agreed to express my opinion of each of the products without being influenced by any outside sources.

At-A-Glance Planner

What is there not to love about this 8 1/2 inch x 11 inch At-a- Glance Weekly/Monthly Vienna Planner!!  Let me show you a few of the things that I love about it!

 It is very well put together with its bronze wire bound binding.  I don’t know about you, usually I end up ending a few pages by the end of the year, so I’m anxious to see how this one holds up.   

The purple front cover which is made of durable poly, has a gorgeous die-cut.  It is extra thick because there is another gray poly sheet which has been attached to the purple.  Very sturdy!

There is a reference page at the beginning of the book which allows you to see three-years at-a-glance.  It is also a very thick page which appears to have some kind of laminate over it…perhaps for durability!

The monthly-calendar is a two-page layout with plenty of room for me to write any appointments or notes I need to! 

Behind each monthly calendar, there is a two-page layout for each week of the month.  There is definitely lots of room to write any additional information that doesn’t fit or need to be on the monthly calendar.

It will be very easily to turn to any month because of the tabs added for each month of the year. 

A special treat at the end of the book is a Holiday List for the next 4 years!  Now that is planning ahead. 

For those people that like to have a smaller planner, then this 4 7/8 inch x 8 inch planner might be the answer for you.  It is exactly like the one that I just described above…just in a smaller scale. 

Shoplet has both of these At-A-Glance Planners.  I hope you will give them the chance to help you find a planner that works for you!  They also have an assortment of office supplies, cleaning supplies, medical supplies, office furniture, and everything in between.  Happy shopping!!!

***Disclosure*** I received these planners at no charge, in exchange I have given my review of the product.  The opinions expressed are my own.  

Master Duo Heavy-Duty Hole Puncher

I never knew I needed one of these...  

I have several hole punchers and I use them for all kinds of projects.  But when I received this Master DUO Heavy-Duty Hold Puncher in the mail… I was a bit perplexed!  How on earth could it punch 3 holes and also 2 holes???   Well it didn’t take me long to find out!  Take a good look at it.  Doesn’t it look kinda complicated?  Well it did to me… but thank goodness even I could figure it out.   I must admit I did have a few issues that I had to work out.  I couldn't get the paper under where I needed it to go so that my paper could get punched.  Grrrr... I knew what the problem was...I just didn't know what I needed to do to fix the problem.  

The two-hole punch is in the LOCKED position!

Duh.... I realized that it was in the locked position.  If you look closely at the picture below there is a place where you ALIGN the paper...but there is also a a lock mechanism that needed to be unlocked which then allowed the paper to slide under the hole punch position.  Yip!  I figured it out all by myself. 

I have 23 students in my 1st grade classroom, so I wondered if I could hole-punch 23 sheets of paper all at one time.  It was kind of a tight squeeze, but I was able to get 25 sheets in there. I tried it in the 3 hole and also the 2 hole side.  It was relatively easy and they came out perfect!

I also was concerned about how I was going to be able to line up the papers and get the holes in the exact right spot.  There was an easy solution to that problem too.  On the two hole side there are the words "align here" which points at a line.  All you have to do is put your sides of the paper on these two lines.  Easy Peasy!  (Yikes...look at the dust that has accumulated on my hole punch)

I love it and I think you will too.  I'm excited that I now only need one hole puncher in my room now.  

Please go check out this hole puncher at Shoplet.  While you are there go ahead and spend some time looking at their huge assortment of office supplies, cleaning supplies, medical supplies, and office furniture.

  
I received these products at no charge in exchange for my honest review of this hole puncher.  The opinions expressed here are my own and reflect what I thought about the product. 

Life just Got Easier . . . with PaperMate Products

Take a look at those Sharpie Electro Pop Permanent Markers. There are five in a package and the colors are Optic Orange, Techno Blue, Nano Blue, Electric Pink, and Ultra Violet.  I use Sharpies on a daily basis in my classroom and these are going to be a perfect addition!  I love Sharpies and so do my students!  They dry quickly and they are able to survive my first graders dirty fingers.   I hope you can see in the picture below that these Sharpie do have a “POP” to them! 

    Con:  The caps on these markers are difficult to get off! 

Next up are the colorful pens that are in the above picture.  My heart always seems to skip a beat when I find new ones to try. These Paper Mate 300RT Effortless Glide Ballpoint Pens quickly brought a smile to my face.  J  These pens will definitely add some cool colors to my writing. 

I draw a lot of happy faces on papers when I grade papers and so I always look for comfort! These pens have a soft, dimpled grip which is a defininte plus!  These pens come in a package of 8 with a medium point and are retractable. 

  Con:    I had a hard time writing my period on every single sentence!  What’s up with that I wonder?

I have never been very successful using a mechanical pencil.  I have a tendency to write with a heavy hand and break them!  It’s just not a battle I choose to fight.  I wasn’t sure what to except when I tried these PaperMate Mechanical Pencils.  I was pleasantly surprised that I could actually write an entire sentence without breaking the lead.  Yeah!!!!!  These pencils have a lead diameter that is 1.3mm… probably thicker than any mechanical pencil I have ever used before  They come in an assortment of colors too!  I like the pencil’s triangular barrel which allowed me to grasp the pencil with a good grip.

    Cons:  It writes way to thick for me… but I think my first graders will LOVE them!! 

The last thing I want to talk about is the PaperMate Correction Tape.  I don’t know about you, but I hate it when I make a mistake when I’m writing with an ink pen.  Usually I use the correction fluid which takes FOREVER to dry.  And…since I am very impatient I write before it is completely dry…which makes even a messier mess!  Thank goodness for this product! 

This will make my life so much easier and less stressful!  J It goes on smoothly and I was able to put it exactly where I wanted it to go.  Love it already.

     Con:     None

I hope that you will give Shoplet the opportunity to help you meet your needs forOffice Supplies, Sanford Products, Cleaning Supplies, Medical Supplies and Office Furniture.  Ordering is easy and they have a wonderful assortment of products to meet your needs!

***Disclosure*** I received these products at no charge in exchange for my honest review of the product.  The opinions expressed here are my own and reflect what I thought about these products.  

Stop Looking!!! Oriental Trading Probably Has It!

Summer is definitely in fully swing here in the state of Oklahoma!  As a teacher, I truly enjoy my summer break…well…except for the blazing hot days!!  In the month of July, my family will be having our annual family reunion.  We decided to have it at a private lake (really a pond) where there is absolutely no air conditioning. Crazy I know…but that pretty much sums up my family.

As I searched the internet trying to find fun activities for our reunion, I knew that Oriental Trading would be one of my favorite places to look for ideas and products.  They have so many cute ideas and quite affordable.  I found a few items that are definitely going to work for this outdoor get together.  Let me tell you about a few of my favorite things I saw:

After I typed in “Reunion” in the search box I was pleasantly surprised.  Have you ever heard of an inflatable buttet?  Oh my goodness… this is such a great idea!  

Getting everyone to eat at the same time is always a problem at our reunions. This is exactly what we will need.  All you do is fill the inflatable with ice…. put your containers of food in it…and the food will stay chilled for hours.  Yes… I am definitely ordering one of these babies!

Throughout the heat of the day we will have so many activities happening.  We will definitely need a few Water Toys throughout the day to entertain us and help us survive the heat. I think these Neon Grip Squirt Guns might do the trick…or at least cool us off a bit!!

The little ones, the old folks and everyone in between will definitely enjoy feeling the squirt of cool water during the heat of the day.  Oh yes... they are a must!

For some reason we have never thought of having BUBBLES!  I think they will definitely be a big hit for all!  And of course... if you are going to get bubbles…you might as well go big!!!  Take a look at these Huge Wands! 

I have such a crazy family…there is absolutely no telling what kind of game/torture we will think of implementing with these long tubes filled with bubbles!!!

Outdoor Games have always been a huge part of our summer family gatherings!  As a matter of fact, several of us are in the process of making a few oversized outdoor games that will definitely bring out the competitive side of some of us!!!  I came across these Large Yahtzee Dice and I think they will be a HUGE hit!  Now all I have to do is find a cute bucket to put them in. 

Oh my goodness there are so many other summer fun items that you need to check out at Oriental Trading!  What are you waiting for... go check out all the summer fun ideas!

The Atonement by Beverly Lewis

Book Description: 

Jah, Lucy thought.  Tobe would have known what to say.

"But what would he say to me if he knew the truth?" she murmured into her hands, leaning on the desk.

Alas, that was something she could not afford to find out.

The mistakes of the past haunt Lucy Flaud, now twenty-five and beyond Amish courting age. Instead, Lucy focuses on volunteering in both the Plain and fancy communities of Lancaster County. Yet no matter how hard she strives, she never feels she's doing enough. Then her father strikes up an unexpected friendship with an Englischer in search of a simpler way of life. Lucy forms a connection of her own with the thoughtful young man even as she rejects courtship with her longtime Amish friend. Is it too late to embrace redemption . . . and the power of love?

My Thoughts:

Lucy is a young lady that is having a difficult time dealing with her past.  Her emotional struggle within has been a part of her for quite some time.  She deals with the struggle within by always trying to stay busy with her volunteer work.  Lucy is no different than so many of us who try to make up for the things we did in the past by trying to do make up for by the things we do now. 

This book is a simple book but left me with so many thoughts that left me wondering about so many things.  It spoke to my heart in so many ways!  Throughout the story, my heart yearned for Lucy to find the redemption that she needed.  If you are looking for a heart-warming story about love and forgiveness, then this is a book worth considering.  😊o very different walks of life - can somehow find a new beginning?

Disclosure:  Disclosure statement:  I received this complimentary book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  The opinions are my own.