Blogger Award- and the VBA goes to...

I have been given a blog award by Laurie at Chickadee Jubilee.  It is my first, and I admit to being a bit dumbfounded.  I still find it hard to believe other folks actually read these things I ramble on about- even though they often leave me wonderful comments.  Regardless, it's pretty cool, and Chickadee Jubilee is a great site.  It is one of my regular reads as I scour blogs looking for inspiration.


The rules of the award are as follows:
1) Thank the blogger who nominated you - Thank you, Laurie!
2) Include a link to their site - yep
3) Include the award image in your post - check
4) Give 7 random facts about yourself
Well, hmmm...I'm just sort of a random person anyway, but here's seven
a) I have an 11 yr old boy, an 8 year old girl, and a 15month old Babyzilla
b) How do you get such an age difference? You get divorced, jaded, and then naughty.
c) As a kid, I taped my fingers together overnight so that I could make Spock's "Live Long and Prosper" sign to impress my Dad.  I don't know that he was impressed, but at least now I can make my students go "Cool!" before they start showing me how to do gang signs.
d) I hate making left hand turns without a light.  My heart begins to pound and my inner elbow area starts to sweat.  
e) I am afraid of clowns, for no real particular reason except that they are the spawn of the devil. 
f) I failed gym in the eighth grade. Yep. I am THAT dorky.
g) For one year of my life I gave up red meat and used a crystalline stone as deodorant.  It was my ex-husband's idea.  We were going "earthy".  Absolute rubbish.  I like my meat to have little bit of a moo to it and I bathe in Degree.


random enough?  I hope I am doing this correctly...


5) and 6) and 7) Nominate 15 other bloggers for the award AND leave a link to their site AND let them know you did.


I'm a little flummoxed on this point, because I don't want to just randomly pick 15 blogs.  I also don't want to pick people I really haven't had any conversational exchange with, because then it just feels like rolling the dice, you know?  So I guess I'm going to break the rules just slightly on this one.  I have selected 10 blogs that I have either had a contact with at this point, or I read their blog on a regular basis for inspiration.
So here's 10- and I apologize, but I don't know how to do the button thing- so if anybody wants to teach me, I am game.  (Plus, I'd like to make my own button.)

Reaching for the Top  A second grade blog that I am looking forward to learning about classroom economies from.
A Differentiated Kindergarten  Lots of great inspiration and ideas for differentiated lessons.  I got some great lesson planning freebies and multiple intelligence posters from this site.
A Turn to Learn  A great place to read up about technological feats.  I can't wait to print on a sentence strip!
Clutter-Free Classroom  I read this religiously, hoping the organization gets in me through osmosis.
Flamingo Fabulous  My super fabulous teammate, also a tech guru and crafty mccraft craft goddess...
Heather's Heart  Some great posts on classroom management using Conscious Discipline, you can really tell how much she loves her students in her very caring and spirit filled posts.
Stapler's Strategies  I have been enjoying a little bit of a pen-pal email relationship, as well as Pinterest with Melly.  She is starting Daily 5 this year in her second grade class and I am looking forward to exchanging ideas and learning along with her.
Teacher Idea Factory  Some great stuff for kinesthetic movement in your lessons on this site.  I have received great inspiration from her Move It Monday posts.
The Science Penguin  Fascinating stuff on taking Science and putting it into the Daily 5 sort of format.  The Science Weekly 5!  Very inspirational, I'd love to make it work for my classroom.


I would assume that all of these blogs have already been given the nomination, but I add my nod in there too.  I still don't know how I taught for nine years without knowing about teacher blogs.  I'm surprised I can find my car keys in my own purse though, so that should say something.

Have a great Fourth everybody!