Back & with a Guest Blogger!!!!!!

Hi bloggers!!! I am so glad to be back online and up out of bed!!! Our internet was down for a few days (bummer) and then I ended up catching the flu after taking care of my little Missy (okay, my high-schooler) for four days )-; I was miserable, but feeling much better now!! Thank you to all of you who sent such nice emails and let me know you I was missed!!  I am VERY excited to announce that I am having my very FIRST guest blogger today!!! Woo HOO!!! I am playin' with the big girls now!! It may be a couple of days before I get to reading up on everyone's blogs, but I can't wait to see what I've missed!! I am so excited to get my Pinterest Exchange gift sent out (I know...I am LATE).

I am going to over-night it tomorrow to

Here is a little sample of what I am sending to Tennessee! It is a scrap rug...I have one that I made in my laundry room & I love it. I also made one for my dog. It is super easy - just a bit time-consuming.

Well, without further ado....Here is my guest blogger....Enjoy!
Thank you Lindsey for being my very first guest blogger!!!

Ahhhh! Hi, everyone! It’s Lyndsey from A Year of Many Firsts.

I am so excited to be guest blogging today for Michelle. I ADORE you, Michelle. Don’t we all? Your creativity seriously BLOWS ME AWAY. Love you, sweet lady! I cannot believe how quickly this school year has flown by. Each day, I am more and more amazed with the progress that my students are making. It seems like they go from little babies to BIG firsties overnight. I am getting a little teary eyed just thinking about seeing this group of kids go. Last year was my first year teaching and I remember thinking, “Gosh, I don’t think I could ever love another group of children as much I love these kids.” But sure enough….I DO, I DO, I DO! I love them. A big focus in my classroom right now is WRITING! We are working on editing our own work for capitalization, punctuation, and clarity. I always tell my students that writing takes a lot of effort and practice. In the next few weeks, we will be setting up our very own Writer’s Workshop with the help of Mr. and Mrs. Fix-It! I am creating a packet right now to help students edit their own writing, and to develop the necessary “tools” to becoming amazing writers. I can’t wait to share this little packet with you all. I hope to have it posted on my TPT store in the next week or so.

I’ve created a Writer’s Checklist poster (similar to the Fluency Checklist poster) for you all to grab for free here:

This poster is hung up in my writing corner. I often ask my students to go read the checklist before turning in written work. It is a great way to remind students to do their personal best WITHOUT having to hear it from me. The last check, “Does it showcase my best work?” was created for my fast-finishers. You know, the ones who don’t always do their personal best because they just want to be the first ones finished. Grrr! I hope you’ll find the poster helpful in your classroom. I hope you’ll stop by my blog and say hello! Thank you so much, Michelle, for letting me guest blog. You are so, so sweet!

Thank you again, Lindsey!!
Here is a "show-off" button for being my guest!!!!