Some Liebster Love

Speaking of being thankful, I am especially thankful for Irene over at Learning with Mrs. Leeby and Erica at Blooming in First Grade, who both nominated me for the Liebster Blog Award!  Thank you so much, that was so thoughtful and kind of you!  It means a lot to me and made my Thanksgiving even more special.  :)

What is it?

The Liebster Award is given by bloggers to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. It is to show new bloggers that they are appreciated and to help spread the word about new blogs.

The Rules:

- You must post 11 random things about yourself.

- Answer the questions that the nominator set for you.

- Create 11 questions for the people you nominate.

- Choose 11 blogs you love (with less than 200 followers) and link them in your post.

- No tag back (but please leave me a comment on this post with the URL to your Liebster post so I can learn more about you)!

11 Things About Me:

1.  I have always wanted red hair!

2.  I love roller coasters.

3.  I still watch cartoons; in fact I prefer cartoons to "grown up" TV shows.  :)

4.  My dream vacation is to visit England.

5.  I always thought I'd want to teach sixth graders, but now that I've been with PreK I can't imagine teaching anyone older than 6!

6.  I love Harry Potter (but I can't stand Twilight)!  

7.  I will always be a Packers fan.

8.  And I will always love cheese curds.

9.  I grew up in Wisconsin, if you couldn't tell!  :)

10.  I will never buy a Kindle/Nook/anything not a book.  Until they come out with a "scent of new pages" feature, anyways!

11 Questions Asked by Learning with Mrs. Leeby:

1.  Do you play an instrument?

Do I play an instrument well?  No!  :)  But I have been trying to learn how to play piano.  My left hand has issues!

2.  Where have you traveled?

Mostly places in the United States, like Disneyland in California and Disneyworld in Florida.  I have also been to Mount Rushmore (on crutches, no less).

3.  What is your favorite thing to cook or your favorite recipe?

It depends... if I'm cooking for myself I love to eat rice for dinner!  (Or a bowl of cereal...)  BUT since getting married I have realized that most men don't like to survive on rice, cereal, and pickles.  So I've had to learn how to cook a bit more.  :)  My favorite way to cook is with the crock pot (it's so hard to go wrong!) and my favorite crock pot recipe is a new beef and veggie stew I just learned how to make.

4.  How long have you been teaching?

This is my first year in my own classroom!  Prior to that, I substitute taught for half a year. I did most of my field experiences and my student teaching in sixth grade.

5.  What's your zodiac sign?

Scorpio

6.  Camping or hotel on a beautiful summer weekend?

Hotel for sure!  I like to camp in early fall.

7.  Most embarrassing blogging moment?

Probably putting in my actual name instead of the name of my blog post the first time I ever participated in a linky.  Whoops!  :)

8.  Bath or shower?

Shower- I never have enough time to take a bath.  :(

9.  Wine or beer?

Neither, actually.  I don't much like the taste of alcohol.  My preferred drinks are chocolate milk and Mountain Dew.  

10.  Real or fake Christmas tree?

Real!  (Of course my husband is a fake Christmas tree person)!  But I LOVE the smell of real Christmas trees.

11.  Is blogging taking over all of your free time?

Teaching in general is taking over all of my free time!  Being a first year teacher is definitely exhausting.  There's so many ideas I have and so many things I want to learn and make and do, but I never seem to have enough time.  Blogging is actually lots of fun for me.  It motivates me to plan ahead and I love being a part of the teacher community!

11 Questions Asked by Blooming in First Grade:
1.  Why did you decide to start blogging?
Well, to be perfectly honest I don't get much professional support where I currently work.  So I was craving to be a part of the wider teacher community, exchange ideas, talk with people who are actually still excited to be teaching, etc!
2.  What is your favorite thing to do on a snow day?
It's been so long since I've had one I don't even remember!  Right now I would drink hot chocolate, curl up with a good book, and blog a bit.  :)
3.  What is the first thing on your Christmas list?
A new laptop!  Mine has died and my husband is graciously sharing his desktop with me... for now... :)
4.  Do you have any children?
Nope.  All of my students' parents thought I did, but we don't yet.
5.  What is your favorite book?
That depends!  I have so many, it changes quite often.  Probably my favorite book series is Harry Potter, followed closely by The Hunger Games and the Wheel of Time series.  My favorite stand-alone book is The Other Boleyn Girl, right now.  I tend to be a "serial" reader!  :)
6.  What is your favorite activity to do with your students?
Writer's workshop!  I am amazed every day.  I love, love, love teaching using writer's workshop and it's my favorite part of the day.
7.  What is your favorite place to go on vacation?
Disney!
8.  Is your Christmas tree real or fake?  Colored lights or white lights?
It's fake.  Currently it has no lights, this is our first Christmas with a house and a tree so we'll have to buy some!  :)
9.  Are you a morning person or a night owl?
Night owl!  Well, by nature I am.  I wake up early in the morning to go to work but I would be a much happier person if school started around about 10 am.
10.  What is your favorite food?
Chinese food.  And cereal.  Does cereal count as food for this question?
11.  What TV show is your favorite?
This is hard because I don't really have time to watch TV.  So I guess I don't have a favorite anymore.  When I was a kid, my favorite TV show was most definitely Sailor Moon.  I loved anime.  :)

Questions I'm Asking My Nominees:
1.  What is the funniest thing a student has ever said to you?  :)
2.  What is your favorite color?
3.  Favorite children's book?
4.  Favorite places to get cute clip art/fonts?
5.  Cats or dogs?
6.  What is your favorite subject and least favorite subject to teach?
7.  Favorite type of music?
8.  Favorite grown-up book?  :)
9.  If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?
10.  Disneyworld or Disneyland?
11.  Advice for a new teacher?

Blogs I'm Nominating:

1.  Live, Laugh, I Love Kindergarten

2.  The Convenient Teacher

3.  Mrs. Thigpen's Kindergarten

4.  Fun and Fearless in First

5.  Pink Polka Dots & PreK
6.  Mrs. A's Room
7.  Mrs. Jones's Kindergarten
8.  Kindergarten Faith
9.  Teaching Munchkins
10.  Club Kindergarten

11.  Peace, Love & Pencils