All Things Entertainment

It’s Apple of Their Eye’s favorite member, Courtney,  here to report on all things Entertainment ! Since I was able to walk/talk (sneak an episode of The Real World: Miami in while my parents weren’t looking,) I’ve been pretty certain that I should have my own reality show.

But, alas, no networks have sniffed me out quite yet. So for now I’ll have to settle for these next few paragraphs being my outlet.

These posts are merely meant to keep you posted on the ups and downs of my celebrity fascination – whether it be music, television, or cinema. Oh and of course, if I am staying true to myself, there will be some booze thrown in the mix. Each blog will give you suggestions of new shows and movies to watch, cocktails to try, and tunes to jam out to.

So sit back, pour yourself some Pinot, and enjoy :-)

Netflix Binge Worthy

It’s early in the blogging game so I am keeping it simple and obvious with my choices. Here are my top 3 choices you MUST watch in a class binge-watch session. These shows, in my oh-so humble opinion, are the kind that make all of those tragic Instagram-Netflix references true.

1.       American Horror Story

a.     As someone who has a constant fear that any and all things living are about to capture me and sell me into  sex-slavery at any given moment…I must admit my doors are locked and my 911 speed dial is on while watching this show. However, the characters are well-developed, the story lines compelling, and lead actor Evan Peters makes everything seem a little less scary ;-) Each season is a different theme with completely new characters, which  makes enticing people to start watching with you a little easier. Happy Hauntings.

                                                                          i.      Favorite Season: One

                                                                        ii.      Least Favorite Season: Three
2.      LOST

a.     I mean really. Life does not get much better than Jack, Kate, and Sawyer stranded on a magical island. I must admit, every time I am on a plane, I look around and think, “Who will be the John Locke of the survivors?” … “Who will help me find the white polar bear that will inevitably come to our camp and taunt us mangled survivors?” The show is an “oldie” but a goodie….And binge watching it makes it even better. I will admit there are some odd story lines and a few loopy episodes that sneak their way in to the series, but overall it is hands down one of my favorites of all time.

                                                                          i.      Favorite Characters: Jack, Charlie, Ben

                                                                        ii.      Least Favorite Character: Sayid, Claire
3.       Walking Dead

a.     Is it weird that this has become my “Background Show”? The show I put on to relax me as I write emails, IEPs, and this very blog? Que everyone’s complaints….  “I don’t like anything to do with zombies” … “End-Of-The-World dramas aren’t for me”…To which I quickly reply….There is so much more to this show than zombies! It becomes about the relationships and survival status/strategies of the characters. Plus, I am now ridiculously confident that I will dominate in a Zombie apocalypse. So confident in fact, that mid typing this blog, I sent a text to my roommates stating we should all be watching this together…(And I quote)…”So that we’re ready”. So at this point my love for the show is purely educational.

                                                                          i.      Favorite Characters: Glen, Shane, Daryl

                                                                        ii.      Least Favorite Characters: Carl, Andrea

Courtney’s Cocktail Concoction

Summertime is here at last! Sunshine, Flip Flops, and Cocktails. Doesn’t get much better than that trifecta. My first choice is something refreshing, easy, and perfect for a day soaking in the Vitamin B. The beverage of the blog is called Backyard Lemonade. The most important part of this mix is the ingredients. The proportions are totally up to you and your taste buds…Or how happy you want your guests feeling.

            Ingredients for Backyard Lemonade:

                        Iced Tea

                        Lemonade

                        Raspberry Liquor

                        Vodka

Corner of Cinema (We’re working with a 5 *  rating….because we are THAT official)

Ted 2 (**)  To be honest, I sat through the first Ted contemplating my life. Wondering if it was worth the criminal charges to run up and slash the screen or pull the fire alarm to end my misery. Needless to say, my expectations going into the sequel were quite low. But, out of rainy day boredom and the promise of multiple 20 oz. Bud Lights, I begrudgingly agreed to go. Gotta say…worth a watch! Let’s not get hasty though. I am not encouraging you to spend the 10 dollars to see it in theaters.  I am simply standing behind your hesitant pointer finger that’s not sure whether to rent it on OnDemand for 4.99 (Standard View of course. The extra dollar for High-Def may make it on the cusp of not worth it). It got lengthy but was only 75% offensive, pretty funny, and (most importantly) better than the first.

Jurassic World (****) Loved it! …Literally walked out of the theater with jazz hands and a corny smile. It was entertaining, exciting, and Chris Pratt can do NO wrong. However, I saw the movie with some life-long, die-hard Jurassic fans who didn’t share the same feelings. There were definite plot holes that “should’ve/could’ve” been solved somewhere between the 1994 and 2015 gap, which is where some of their hostility was rooted. But overall I thought it was a fun watch that paid a nice homage to the original. It  made me leave wishing there was a park with real life dinosaurs…A park that left me stranded fighting for my life with their amazingly hot and studly employee…So, a job well done Spielberg.

Jam of the Day

My inkling is to share the song BEFORE sharing the artist, to avoid stereotypes, but that’s just not in the cards for this post. So I’ll fess up and admit the song is from Demi Lovato. I typically do not rock out to her songs but I am telling you this one is a classic! Turn it up and enjoy. You. Are. Welcome.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29GWMT0GB6s

Just tell me it's not the end of the line….

But it is my friends. But it is.

(Inside joke if you actually listened to my musical pick)

Until next time….

XOXO

AppleOfTheirEye

Work it Wednesday

Welcome to Work It Wednesday!!!  Each week I will post a workout that you can do at home, during lunch at work, or in the gym! We are excited to also join fellow blogger, Queen of the First Grade Jungle, for week 4 on this road to a healthy and fit lifestyle!

As a full time School Counselor, and avid fitness enthusiast, balancing working out and the demands of daily life can be a real challenge.  Working out has become something that I have made a priority in my life, and has turned into something I truly loving doing each and every day!  I hope to share my passion and love for fitness through my Work It Wednesday posts. 

All Work It Wednesday posts will include functional movements, meaning real world movements that lead to increased fitness, and less injury in the long run.  My experience with functional fitness began with experimenting with Crossfit workouts at my home gym, and I  then went on to get my Crossfit Level 1 Certification a few  months later.  One of the best things about these workouts is no matter what level of fitness you are, you can do the workouts! 

This weeks workout can be done in the gym with weights, or in the comfort of your home with just body weight- either way, it will definitely get you sweating!  See how many rounds of the three movements you are able to complete in the allotted time!

In the video below, you'll learn about proper squat technique.  Having proper technique really helps to get the most out of the movements.  Practice your squat form before starting the workout!

         AOTE Work It Wednesday Workout:

               AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) in 15 min:
                                                     10 squats
                                                      8 lunges
                                                    6 push ups

Set a timer for 15 minutes, press start and don't stop moving until time is up!  Keep track of how many rounds you are able to get through of the three movements ( 10 squats, 8 lunges, and 6 pushups = 1 round), and challenge yourself to beat that number of rounds next time you do the workout!!

Teacher Tip Tuesday!

Hello all!

For the next few weeks of summer my fellow members of Apple of Their Eye are really trying to get this blog thing going and will be posting some tips and hopefully insightful things for you!

Today I am going to share a new tip that I discovered that helped me in making QR codes with stories.  Now I may be behind the times here and think that I am sharing something new when really it has been known to many so bare with me!  

While I was trying to create QR codes with the Safeshare website which I normally use, I kept getting an error message that it was unable to get the link to use to create the safeshare link. Then determined to find something else that will allow students to scan the codes without the commercials and ads appearing I began to research.  I came across a website that discussed using TubeChop.  Tubechop although only seems to work with YouTube links did the job! You just simply have to copy the YouTube link and you can even cut the video to how long or short your want it...and voila! You have your video or story being read without commercials or advertisements! I made a screen capture seen below for an example of easy to do instructions. I hope you can find this tip useful and hope I am not a technology dinosaur here!

 

Everyday Life Tip!

 Cass and I (Melissa) happen to be pregnant together so 1/2 of our team will be first time moms soon! We are so excited! Boy has the summer been nice to kind of kick back and catch up on life and take some time to put into TpT .  Cass is very into fitness and will be sharing some of her fitness tips throughout her pregnancy and other everyday fitness routines. During this pregnancy for some reason I am soooo over water right now. I can't seem to stomach it.  What has really helped is flavoring my water with fruit. Goes down a lot easier.. but another thing is the water has to be FREEZING cold for me to drink it. So I came across this wonderful tip on Pinterest and it has saved me this pregnancy in getting down water! See the recipe here.  It is fulfilling my love for cold flavored water all in one shot. It is purely genius! You simply pick the fruit you want and slice it. I usually do lemons and cucumber, but you can seriously do anything! Fill a muffin tin or even mini muffin tin with water and place the fruit desired in each section, freeze, and then you have frozen fruit flavored ice cubes! And did I mention the benefits of fruit infused water? There are a ton! Check them out here! I hope you found this tip useful! You can also click the pictures below to get the link for the recipe. Enjoy!

Newest How-To Writing Bundle!

The more time we spend on Instagram, Facebook and blog stalking, the more we learn about teaching, classroom strategies and engaging center ideas. Not only are we learning about practical teaching ideas, but we are learning SO much about the simple (yet time consuming) art of: creating! (HUGE shout out to Proud to be Primary Blog for doing an AWESOME post on creating great products!)

            While our TPT store has been up now for two years and are products are purposeful/what we each use in our own classrooms, we have really taken the time these past few months to explore ways to make our products more engaging and just down right cute!

            This past week, my first graders and I began our second go around at How-To Writing. How-to writing is always so much fun for my kids AND me. The prompts are endless and this time around my students have really gotten creative with different How-To ideas! (We even wrote paragraphs on how-to add with/without regrouping during our integrated centers.. but that is a post for another day!)

            Motivated by my students and a desire to makeover my previous How-To Bundle, I created this 100+ page CCSS aligned bundle. What was important to me was to go beyond just providing graphic organizers and writing paper.  I wrote out a 14 day unit plan, a list of mentor texts, transitions poster, 6 different writing checklists and writing conference organizers as well as pre/post assessments!

             Most importantly, I took the time to explain how crucial and beneficial a pre-assessment in writing is to meet the needs of all your students. I also explained  how (and why) to formulate skill groups within your class along with sample skill group lesson ideas.

            Gone are the days of teaching a standard mini lesson and having all of the students write independently as your peer over shoulders. In my district, we are required to use data to drive our instruction: our mini lessons and small group work. And while this style of teaching was difficult to get adjusted to at first, it is absolutely BEST practice!

            At any given moment you can walk into my classroom and ask my first graders: What is your writing goal and how will you achieve this goal? They ALL know. The importance of this is immeasurable. Their ability, at the young age of 6, to work towards a specific need (with my guidance during small skill group meetings) is incredible. They have come SO far as writers this year and I attribute it to our encouragement to use pre-assessments to drive instruction. 

            If you haven’t used this “model” in your classroom yet, TRY IT. I am telling you, you will be amazed. When students are aware of their needs they can more actively take control of their learning! When a student is writing in their journal and turns to you to say, “See.. no random capitals!” or cheers when they “graduate” from their goal on to the next as the class claps along you know something is working!  Our bundle provides you this opportunity to use data to drive your instruction!

            You can check out a preview of our bundle here Ultimate How-To Bundle PREVIEW! If you like what you have read, or seen in the preview, check out our Ultimate How-To Writing Bundle! 
                   -Kerry

New design, intros and a GIVEAWAY.. oh my!

          

           Welcome to Apple Of Their Eye’s blog! A HUGE thank you to Lindsey! Be sure to follow her on IG @missjohnstonsjourney.. She is SUPER talented!! We are so excited to introduce ourselves to you and give you some background as to how we got here. Be sure to read until the end to see how you can enter our AWESOME giveaway! 

        Apple Of Their Eye all started in the summer of 2013. As young teachers, we found that life outside of the four walls of our classroom was quickly beginning to suffocate us. Our responsibilities became overwhelming as we added mortgages, weddings, a social life and future planning to our list of worries. 

         Never being the type to become complacent, we seemed to be continuously working to develop ourselves as educators, but always wondered: “How can we get ahead? How can we use our passion and drive to take our career to the next step?” 

         Our shared desires came to a head one night at our favorite All You Can Eat Sushi restaurant, of course accompanied by a bottle of wine. In between bites of our giant plate of sushi, we decided to create a TPT store. After deciding on our company name, our goal and vision for our future started off quite small. Our hopes were to create a well-rounded store to meet the needs of a variety of teachers. From there, thoughts of trainings and consulting trickled in to our company aspirations. 

           In the most recent months, Apple of Their Eye has accomplished two milestones. We completed our first professional development workshop (“How to Enhance Instruction Through the Use of Social Media”) and will be soon launching our own ETSY shop with hand designed coffee mugs!  We are working hard to expand our TPT store, continue to collaborate with the thousands of talented teachers throughout the country, train teachers throughout the state and sell mugs that will make you smile while drinking your favorite beverage!                
            This blog is our way of bringing it all together! We hope you join us on this journey that has turned out more exciting and rewarding we could have ever thought possible while polishing off our 10th TriColor roll.

                                              Meet the Girls

           Kerry is currently a first grade teacher right next door to Melissa. (and yes she is Courtney’s identical twin!) After teaching 5 years of third grade, this is her first year in first and she is loving it! She is dual certified in both general education and special education and believes her special education foundation has really allowed her to meet the needs of all of her students. She LOVES holidays, a good nap, themed parties and nachos.  Her not-so secret passion is crime T.V. and has always wanted to be a detective! This past summer, Kerry and her husband bought their first home and has loved every second of decorating it and making it their own.

           Melissa is currently a first grade teacher alongside Kerry. Teaching with a fellow Apple of Their Eye member has allowed us to collaborate and share new ideas everyday for our store and daily teaching instruction. She has taught for 5 years. This is her 4th year teaching first grade and she loves it! When she’s not teaching and lesson planning, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, exercising, hiking, and spending summers at the beach.  She was just recently married in July, so along with Kerry she enjoys spending time getting settled in her new home and sharing it with her husband.  She can never say no to ice cream, anything chocolate, and binge watching tv shows!

             Courtney  is a Special Education teacher for the last 6 years. Her first two years were spent as a Resource Room teacher, doing both pull-out and  in-class support. Four years ago she got her own classroom in an LLD Moderate program and has been in love ever since. Each year the students and dynamic of the classroom force her to completely reinvent herself as a teacher, which she absolutely loves. Outside of her hectic school day, she centers her social calendar around spending time with her amazing family and friends. Her role is the “party planner” and loves planning and organizing events for her favorite people. She's also been known to binge watch her share of Netflix shows and is currently hooked on American Horror Story.

           Cassie’s work in education began as part of Teach for America as a sixth grade teacher.  She then received the opportunity to open a new school as a kindergarten teacher.  After three years of teaching, she chose to stay in the school setting, and now works as a School Counselor.  Her work is focused on providing counseling and support for students with special needs.  She loves working with teachers to ensure that students’ needs are being met within the classroom.  When not at work, Cassie’s time is spent with her family, friends, and dog, Lush.  She is extremely passionate about fitness and living a healthy lifestyle, and has her Crossfit L-1 Certification.  She loves spending time working out in her garage gym with her husband, or training clients in functional training!  

                                  ENTER OUR GIVEAWAY

Enter to win a 50 Target Gift Card, adorable Iphone 5 cover our very own “but first.. coffee” mug!! Follow the rules below! We will announce a winner on Sunday night! GOOD LUCK!

                      1. Follow us and like our picture on IG. 

                      2. Tag a friend on IG!

                      3. Follow our TPT store.

                      4. Click the link below to finish your entry!!

CLICK HERE FOR LAST STEP TO ENTER GIVEAWAY!!

           

First time bloggers

Hello all! Welcome to our very NEW blog! Unsure of how this all works, we will keep our post short and sweet...Thank you for visiting our page! Be sure to check in with us as we take you on our wonderful, crazy, exhausting, exhilarating journey as educators, wives, friends, aunts and first and foremost: young women who are determined, motivated and hard working.