Holly Bloggy Link Up!

I hope that by now everyone has received their Holly Bloggy gift and is ready to post about it!  Share here so we can all see the neat things that were exchanged this year!

Please shoot us an email if you have NOT received your gift yet and we will check in with your partner.  Thanks so much and hope you all had a Merry Christmas!

Oops! Winner and Final Giveaway

Almost a day late, but better late than never! The winner of yesterday's giveway is Jen of Jen's Kinder Kids! Congrats!!!

Before I do the final givewaway, I wanted to do a few housekeeping things. If you have not received something from your partner, please email us and let us know. We are still receiving emails about people not getting a gift yet.

Here is today's giveaway. (This will run until 10:00 tomorrow night.)

Hi Everyone!
My name is Kelly.  I'm a kindergarten teacher from Minnesota (brrr) and my blog is KindergartenKel.  I hope you'll hop over and check out my freebies and ideas there.


One of my favorite things as a teacher is Teachers Pay Teachers.  Who doesn't love that site?!?  I have gotten the best resources, and I do love that my money is helping other educators instead of big companies.  I know that the resources I've purchased, especially for Guided Reading, have made me a better teacher.  I also love to create and sell products on TpT.  Because TpT is one of my (and I hope one of your) favorite things this Christmas, I have decided to give away a $10.00 TpT giftcard to one lucky winner.  Good luck to everyone!

Speaking of TpT, I hope you'll head over and take a look my store. Click the image below to see my products.

Yay! Just in time to get you some new products for the new year in your classroom! Here is what you need to do:

-Follow Kindergarten Kel and leave a comment
-Follow Kelly's TPT store  and leave a comment
-"Like" her Facebook page and leave a comment

Good luck!

Winner(s) and a New Giveaway

We have 2 winners today. That's right...2! I never posted the winner to Jen's Giveaway (#5).  SOOOO sorry! The winner is Cherie Neal!!! Congrats! I will email your information to Jen and she will get your markers to you!

The winner of Abby's 4 books is Jennifer Alsip!!! Congrats! I will send you info her way!

We have 2 more giveaways...today and tomorrow! Here is today's giveaway.

     Hi!  My name is Tamera and my blog is....

     I am so excited to be a guest blogger and to share one of my Favorite Things in the classroom!
     I am currently a first grade teacher in North Carolina. I have taught kindergarten and second grade. I have also been a Title I Teacher and an ICARE teacher - both of which involve teaching reading in small groups or one on one. I enjoyed both of those jobs so much that I went back to school in 2008 to get my Master's in Reading from Appalachian.  I loved every minute of it & wish I could make a living by being a full time student! 
      As my blog title states, "My Heart Belongs in First." There is so much magic that happens in first grade as students unlock the secrets of reading and writing! And let's not forget all the LOVE they still have for their teachers and learning!  Hugs, kisses, and sweet notes are abundant daily.  Maybe that explains why I am have a constant cold?    
      I am the mother of three beautiful children who keep me on my toes with laughter and joy. Kaitlyn is in college studying accounting. My son Zach is our comedian who runs track and plays football for the North Davidson Black Knights.  The Black Knights recently made it to semi finals in the State Playoffs!  Tanner is my youngest who loves to play sports and still likes school.  At 11, he gives me hugs in front of his friends and claims to be a "Mamma's boy!" 
     I met my husband when I was 14 and we married when I was 21. We have been married for 21 years now and are still madly in love. At 20 years, we renewed our vows. It was even more special the second time. For those recently married, my advice is to laugh together, talk together, and to compromise! 

    I am giving away something I cannot start my year without! It is a must have! Mr. Sketch Markers! Let's face it,  we are constantly making anchor charts in our rooms!  Why not enliven your senses while you do!

    Click on my blog button below to go to my blog:  My Heart Belongs in First.  And please check out my Teachers Pay Teachers Store.  Everything in my store is kid tested and approved.  I do not make items to sell.  I make items for my classroom and then put them on TPT.  

Click here to visit My TPT.

We love some markers! Okay...READY, SET, GO!!!!

-Follow My Heart Belongs in First and leave a comment

-Follow Tamera's TPT store and leave a comment

 

Giveaway ends tonight at midnight. I will post the winner and the last giveaway tomorrow!!!! Good Luck!

 



Giveaway #8

Hey y'all!

I am Abby from Third Grade Bookworm! I live in Georgia (hence the "y'all") and I've taught for 11 years. I've worked in 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade but my heart is in 3rd. Their little personalities start to bloom, they are hi-lar-ious, their independence is awesome, but they still need you like a "school mama." Love notes abound and I just love every minute of it. Even the part of the year where they still act like second graders... it usually goes away sometime in October. :)


Since I know we're all anticipating our Christmas Breaks, I have a fun favorite things *winter* giveaway for you! I know that those days off are supposed to be relaxing, but I also know that if you are a blog reader (or writer!) you are not the kind of teacher to totally "check out" of teaching for your entire break.

Admit it, you're planning and brainstorming all of those fun January lessons you want to do as soon as you get back. :)

I have something I hope will make life a little easier - 4 of my favorite winter read-alouds!

I want to make that "back to school" planning a little bit easier for one amazing teacher out there. For me, all it takes is a good book and the lesson ideas start flowing. :) I love, love, love sharing seasonal books with my kiddos and these four books fit right in from December through January!

I will send these super-fabulous  books via Amazon to one lucky winner! Good luck!

 

 

Yay! You know the drill:

Follow Third Grade Bookworm and Leave a Comment

Follow Abby's TPT store and Leave a Comment

"Like" Third Grade Bookworm's Facebook page and Leave a Comment

 

The giveaway ends tonight at midnight!

 

Winners!!!!

We have 2 winners to announce. Sorry for the delay! The winner of Tammy's giveaway is Aimee of Pencils, Books, and Dirty Looks! I'll be sending your address to Tammy so she can send you your cookbook! Congrats!

The winner of Danielle's giveaway is Jen of Jen's Kinder Kids. I will be sending your address to Danielle so you can get those Sharpies!!!!

See ya tomorrow with another giveaway!!!

Giveaway #7

Seasons Greetings!

Danielle from Classroom Cupcakes here!  I am so excited to be a part of Holly Bloggy Christmas Giveaway! 

Before I reveal what I am giving away, I want to spread some Holiday cheer! Below is a cute and funny clip of the fabulous {and increasingly attractive as he ages} Jim Carrey being his charismatic self.  Enjoy!

 

 

Now onto the giveaway!  I was thinking about my favorite things.  All of my colleagues can vouch for the fact that I am OBSESSED with writing utensils.  Pens, markers, pencils, highlighters - I love them all and have WAY too many.  My favorite thing to write with by far are Sharpies.  C'mon, who doesn't love Sharpies?!

Hence....my giveaway is a 24-set of fine line Sharpies!

Follow the guidelines set by Teacher Blogger Exchange for details on how to enter to win!

 

Follow Ms. Chaney's blog and leave a comment.

Follow her TpT store and leave a comment.

Good luck to all!  May your memories this season be warm and bright!

{Psst..I would love for you to stop by my blog!}

Giveaway #6

Merry Christmas blogging buddies! Tammy here from First Grade in Storybook Café. I hope everyone is winding down their days in school before your break and ready for some rest and relaxation. Here in the heartland of America it is WAY too warm and dry to feel like December, much less Christmas. This week I had my air conditioning on as we sang Christmas Carols and made Gingerbread houses. It just isn’t right. I left Arizona for a reason!

Well ok for those of you that don’t know me or my blog here is a little bit about the both of us. I live and teach first grade in a small rural community in north central Oklahoma known as the Osage. My blog is First Grade at Storybook Café.

I have been married to my best friend and love of my life for twenty seven years (which makes me sound really OLD but we were really young when we married haha). I love to read, cook, and gather my friends and family in my home as much as I can.

I have two amazing kids. Kanten, my son is twenty-three and a recent graduate of OSU (go Pokes). He now works for the USDA as a Rangeland specialist (no I do not know how to explain what that is). Hadley, my daughter is eighteen and a freshman at OSU this year (again go Pokes). She is working toward her degree in Wildlife Management (and nope can’t explain that either). They are both the very best part of me and their daddy all rolled up into two amazing kids young adults.

Two years ago I started blogging because I love to write, then I began discovering amazing teacher blogs and was pulled in by the warmth and kinship of all the wonderful teacher/bloggers. I can honestly say my teaching has expanded and grown in ways that never would have been possible within my small town. I love blogging and the world it has opened up to me.

Which leads me to my favorite thing…I had a very hard time deciding what I could give away. I wanted it to be something good, useful, fun, and reflective of me. And then it me…I’m sure you’ve all heard of Ree Drummond “The Pioneer Woman” well she lives in the same county I do (uhh no our paths have never crossed) and her cookbooks have some really great recipes, but more importantly they have some great photos of Osage county. 

So my Favorite Thing-cooking, eating, gathering friends and family, Osage county- and the new cookbook by Ree Drummond-The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food from My Frontier.

I hope you like it and enjoy seeing parts of northern Oklahoma. 

 

Yum!  We love a good home-cooked meal too!

 

To enter:

Follow Tammy's blog and leave a comment.

Follow her TpT store and leave a comment.

 

Good luck!

Giveaway #5

I'm BAAAAACK! Super Excited for Giveaway #5. Remember: You have to be a HBC participant to enter. Here we go:

Happy Holidays To You!!

I am Jennifer from Jen’s Kinder Kids.
 

Blogging has been such a blessing to me & I am so happy that I decided to start this new adventure. The blogging community has gone above & beyond my expectations with all the kindness and generosity that I have experienced. I have learned so much from everyone & I am a better teacher because of all of you! Awwww….:)

I am super excited to share with you some of my favorite things! So, without hesitation…here are a few of my favorites!!

1.    I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Scentos markers & I am sending them to the lucky winner! My class loses their minds when I put them in centers, and yours will too!! So, here are 5 Scentos for you.

 

2.  I know that you LOVE TpT as much as I do! A $10 gift card is coming to the lucky winner! Yay!

 

3.  I am a total pen freak! I know nerdy, right? Haha! I am sending the winner a pack of my favorite Bic Cristal Pens in fancy colors! Can I get a woot, woot!

Good luck, friends!!

Have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Stop by & visit me at my blog, TpT store, or on Facebook!


We love pens too Jennifer! Here is how you win:

-Follow Jen's Kinder Kids and leave a comment
-Follow her TPT store and leave a comment
-Like her on Facebook and leave a comment

Giveaway ends tonight at midnight! Good luck!

Winner! Winner!

We have a winner. Jessica from Tales of a First Grade Teacher (who did the giveaway on Monday) is the winner! Ha! I’m sending your information to Kelly! See ya tomorrow with another giveaway!

Giveaway #4

We are back for giveaway #4! Remember: You must be a Holly Bloggy Christmas participant to enter. You'll love this "Favorite"!

 

Hello! I am Kelly from Thirsty Firsties. I am new to the blogging world and loving it. I am honored to be able to do a “Favorite Things” Giveaway. My *Favorite* store is Target. I love everything about Target, especially the dollar spot, so I am giving away a $20 Target Gift Card. Merry Christmas! Kelly

You know the rules:

 

-Follow Thirsty Firsties Blog  and leave a comment (She's new to blogging...let's give her some love!)

-Follow Kelly's TPT store and leave a comment

The giveaway ends tonight at midnight! Good luck!

Giveaway Winner and Deadline

 

We have a winner!!! Congrats to Irene from Learning with Mrs. Leeby! Woo Hoo! She was our first giveaway if you remember! I’ll send your information to Jessica!

Just a reminder today is the deadline to send your package and email us your tracking number! Thanks everyone!

My Favorite Things Giveaway #3

Before I share this giveaway.......please remember - You have to be a Holly Bloggy Christmas participant to enter this giveaway. The first winner chosen in the last 2 giveaways has been a non-participant and we had to choose another winner! Okay..now to the fun stuff. Here is today's giveaway:

Hi I'm Jessica from Tales of a First Grade Teacher

Thank you Caitlin and Sarah for having me here today.

I'm here to share a few of my favorite things and to giveaway 1 of those things I just could not live without.  Can you guess?  That's right--it's Coffee!!!!! Please don't laugh.  Starting back in college when cramming for exams all the way to the after I had my first child in 2004, coffee became my goto drink.  Once, I had my 2nd child, coffee and I could not be separated. We now have a friendship that has lasted quite some time. If not for coffee, my teaching life would not be the same.
So with that being said, I'm giving away a $15.00 Giftcard to Starbucks!

Here are a few of my favorite things.......

 If you were to walk into my classroom 2 things would stand out. 

First- OWLS and Second Charlie Brown and Snoopy.

If you can believe it I made these about 13 years ago, using the Overhead Projector, transparencies and clear contact paper.
I just ordered this for my classroom. I could not resist.

From Really Good Stuff

If You were to walk into my house right now you would see Christmas decorating is well on it's way.

I love these reindeer!

I found them at LOWES!

My favorite movie of course is BREAKING DAWN--DUH!  I read all the books about 4 times.  
Have you heard the song yet?  It's Perfect!

I will be sharing more of my favorite things at the HOLLY BLOGGY Linky Party .

You can follow me at the below links for teaching ideas, Freebies and more.

My TPT Store    My FB Page   My Pinterest Boards

Thanks so much for reading,



I know some of you are DIE HARD coffee fans so get to entering. Here is what you have to do:

-Follow Tales of a First Grade Teacher's blog and leave a comment

- "Like" Tales of a First Grade Teacher on Facebook and leave a comment

-Follow Tales of a First Grade Teacher's TPT store and leave a comment

 

Giveaway ends tonight at midnight! Good luck!

 

Congrats to Winner

Yeah! Congrats to Heather from A New Teacher’s Journey! You are the winner of the Bath and Body Works Giftcard! I’ll be sending your information to Jennifer! Check back tomorrow for another giveaway!

Hello! I'm Jennifer from Herding Kats in Kindergarten. I currently teach 1st grade this year, but my heart is in Kindergarten! Most of the products in my TPT store are geared towards K-1st and I always try them out with my own little guinea pigs first - my 4 children ages 13, 11, 8, and 6 and then my fabulous firsties. My class runs the gamut of super high and super low, so I am always working on products that are differentiated so that I can meet the needs of all my kiddos. Please stop by my blog and say hello! or leave me a note on my Herding Kats' Facebook page :)

 

Every time I tried to sit down and think of my favorite things for the Holly Bloggy Gift Exchange, that song from "The Sound of Music" would go through my head:

"Girls in white dress, with blue satin sashes, snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes, silver white winters that melt into spring, these are a few of my favorite things!"

Of course, that was not at all helpful in coming up with this post, or my giveaway idea! Honestly, it was really hard to think of something that was truly one of my favorite things and that others would love to win in a giveaway. I love to read, but my favorite paranormal romances wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea. My favorite cds are a mix of Glee and country favorites, which also wouldn't have a wide following. I usually don't get treats like Starbucks since I'm trying not to break out my fat jeans this winter. Hmm, this giveaway is hard!

Then my daughter came to me and asked for a "Girls Day Out". We do this every few months - I leave the boys home with daddy and my daughter and I spend the whole day together - shopping, eating and having a great time. We try to find different places to eat in our little town - like The Tea Room which serves on fine china and has 100's of different teas, sandwiches and pastries or The Silver Spoon which serves rustic, country fare with huge dessert portions. Then we hit the mall, Hobby Lobby and Hastings. Right before we go home we stop off at Atlanta Bread Company and get some freshly baked cookies - my favorite is the chocolate toffee cookies - yummy!

Part of our experience is always stopping at Bath & Body in the mall. We slather on hand lotion and sample all the new fragrances. We stock up on mini hand sanitizers and sniff all the candles. I hem and haw over which scent to get for my little ladybug scent portable that's clipped to the sun visor in my van. Basically, its a half hour of sensual bliss!

And, I bet a lot of you are like me - hesitant to buy something indulgent for yourself since it seems like there's always a child in need of new shoes or a special outfit for a choir performance, or maybe your class is out of dry erase markers and construction paper, so you put off the scented body lotion and bath gels in favor of something more practical. It's kind of sad that we always put ourselves last on the list, when if we take care of ourselves a little more, we would find we had more to give. So, in the spirit of "Take care of yourself so you can take care of others." I am giving away a $25 gift card for Bath & Body!

 

Best of luck in all the giveaways and I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season, that your class is more nice than naughty and that you get a free snow day (or two!) this winter! A great big thank you to Caitlin and Sarah for allowing me to participate in the Holly Bloggy exchange and giveaway!

So we all know that Bath and Body works is a great gift but this is a gift certificate for you! To pamper yourself! Woo Hoo!

Remember: You MUST be a Holly Bloggy Christmas participant to enter. (I keep getting entries from those not participating.) Here is what you need to do to win:

Follow Herding Kats in Kindergarten's blog - Leave a comment
"Like" Herding Kats in Kindergarten's on Facebook - Leave a comment
Follow Herding Kats in Kindergarten's TPT store - Leave a comment

The giveaway ends tonight at midnight! The winner will be announced on Saturday! Good Luck!
 

Giveaway Winner

So excited to announce that Kelly from Beg, Borrow, and Steal is the winner of Giveaway #2! I will sending your information to Jennifer at Rowdy in First Grade!!! Congratulations!

 

Check back tomorrow for another giveaway!!!

Winner and Giveaway #2

Yay! Congrats to the winner of Mrs. Leeby’s giveaway - Kelly from Thirsty Firsties! YAY! Thanks to everyone who entered! You will LOVE today’s giveaway!

Hello, I'm Jennifer from Rowdy in First Grade, and I'm addicted to online shopping! There. I said it. Whew! I shop a lot online. Don't get my wrong- the mall is my happy place, but there is something about shopping in your pj's that's very appealing. One of my favorite site's is Erincondren.com.

Are you familiar with Erin Condren products? If you aren't then prepare to be obsessed. My addiction started small. I bought the teacher planner. The teacher planner is AMAZING! It has absolutely everything you need for planning, grading, calendars, etc. Then I just had to have an iPad folio. Now I have holiday labels, note cards and wrapping paper. I'm trying to justify why I must have an acrylic tray! (Surely I need it for something, right?) During the holidays we think of others, but lets face it- we teachers work hard and we love to treat ourselves. So I'm giving away a $25 gift card to Erin Condren! Happy shopping and Merry Christmas!

Jennifer

Rowdy in First Grade

 

Seriously??? $25 for Erin Condren?? WOW!!!! Merry Christmas to 1 lucky winner. Are you ready to enter?

Remember: You must be a Holly Bloggy Christmas participant to enter. This means you have HBC 2012 partner and are currently working on a gift to send to them! :)

Here is what you have to do:

Follow Rowdy in First Grade's Blog - Leave a comment

"Like" Rowdy in First Grade on Facebook - Leave a comment

Follow Rowdy in First Grade's TPT store - Leave a comment

 

The giveaway ends tonight at midnight! Winner announced tomorrow!!! Have fun!

 

 

 

 

My Favorite Things–Giveaway # 1

EDIT: Sorry! It seems there were some problems with the rafflecopter this morning. I have tried to fix it, but no use. So........to enter please look at the bottom of the post and do each and leave a comment. The giveaway has been extended until tomorrow night!!!



Before we have our first giveaway, just a reminder. All partners should have been emailed by now. Remember: Please send out this gift by December 10th WITH a tracking number! Be sure to take pictures before mailing it! Please email us the tracking number and pictures by December 10th! We have already received a few!   Now, on the the fun stuff!
The only rules for the giveaway are that you are a participant of Holly Bloggy Christmas 2012 AND that you follow the directions on the rafflecopter! Easy enough! We are so excited about our first giveaway sponsor!

 

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Mrs. Leeby is here with some gifts for you!

 

Merry Christmas and happy winter to this wonderful blogging community! I am honored to get to share with you some of my favorite things! Blogging has enhanced my life so much this year and I could think of nothing better than to give something back! Anyone that knows me, knows that I find a reason to buy an outfit at Target almost every week, would be the most boring teacher EVER, if I didn't get my coffee fix, wish I had a million to spend on TpT and LOVE to create items for my classroom and yours!

 

Without further adieu, here are a few of my favorite things that I am giving away:

 

1. A $10 gift card to Target - I'm sorry that this gift card is going to make you walk through the Target doors. You know you're going to spend over $200. . . and you only needed toilet paper!

 

2. A $10 Starbucks gift card- this one might last you two visits. Stay awake; our students need us!

 

3. A $10 TpT gift card- Whoop whoop!

 

4. My hot seller and favorite item in my store at the moment: Winter Wonderful: A warm bundle of worksheets, books, math and literacy fun

 

 

Good luck to you all!

 

Stay warm,

 

 

 

 

 

 

Told you it was awesome!!!! To enter just do the follow and leave a comment for each:

 

"Like" Mrs. Leeby on Facebook

Follow Learning with Mrs. Leeby's Blog

Follow Mrs. Leeby's TPT store

 

We will choose 1 winner tomorrow night and announce on Wednesday....where there will be another giveaway!!!! Good Luck!