Stitch Fixin' AGAIN!!

 Happy Sunday, Peeps!!!

Well, my lovely obsession (aka Stitch Fix) arrived a couple of weeks ago and it might have been the best one ever! I literally could have kept the entire box, and I almost did, but I managed to control myself and I did return one item, albeit very grudgingly!! :)

Let's dive into this month's goodies, shall we? My stylist is Jessica (hey girl!!) and she is pretty much perfect! She literally chooses things for me that are sooooo right on, every.single.time!

Doesn't this picture just look so gorgeous already? I had asked her for some boho tops that were sleeveless since it is STILL 1,000,000,000 degrees here in Southern California, and apparently our weather is BROKEN and permanently set to HELL WEATHER, so sleeveless is perfect for me in my lovely UN-AIRCONDITIONED classroom! (Can you tell I'm a tad bitter??)

I had also asked Jessica for a light jacket for those cool Fall days I have been anticipating, but haven't arrived yet, and at this rate, probably never will. We'll just roll right back into summer, come February! LOL

She sent me this gem of a jacket. Isn't it GORGEOUS?? The color is soooo pretty. 

This is the Julia Utility Jacket from MARKET & SPRUCE. It fit perfectly and looked so darn cute with jeans, but I just couldn't justify keeping it. I literally almost NEVER wear jackets here in Orange County. Usually, a light sweater is all I need when it gets chilly. So, even though I really wanted to keep it, I knew it would just sit in my closet and not get worn. 

WAAA WAAA WAA WAAAA. 

RETURNED sadly.

The next item in my box was the Zemba Henley Blouse by PAPERMOON. Ok, she had me the minute I held it up. Isn't it so fun?? The pattern, the colors, the fit, EVERYTHING is totally me!

Yup. This one is a really keeper, don't you think? And it looks great with jeans, shorts, black pants. Anything really!! I also love that the arm holes aren't too big, so I don't have to wear a cami underneath it, but I can dress it up with a cardigan if I want to,.

 TOTALLY KEPT IT! And I have worn it several times too. :)

Okay, item number 3 is the Osage Scoop Neck Blouse from LE LIS. Once again, I knew immediately that this blouse would be my forever friend, unless it was too short when I tried it on. The colors are so bright and vibrant, I love the print, and it is loose and flowy like I like (gotta hide that baby bump I've been carrying around for 16 years, right?? heh!) I was super excited about this one!

And, we have a WINNER!! This blouse is my FOREVER FRIEND!! The arm holes are perfect, the length is just right, and the color is soooo perrrrty! I love the way it looks with my Iridescent blue Kendra Scott necklace. YAY Stitch Fix on this baby!!

Item number 4 was yet another sleeveless blouse because my girl Jessica comes through for me and sleeveless blouses are my fave right now!
The color in this picture does not do this blouse justice. It is the prettiest pale pink color and the flowers are a bright teal and bright pink color. I also LOVE the neckline! It is so so pretty on, as you will see in just a minute...

  

The fifth and final item in my box was the Siena Cropped Pant from KUT FROM THE KLOTH. These pants were specifically made for Stitch Fix and I just LOVE Kut jeans, so I was hopeful about these. They are a very light cotton material that is perfect for our currently RIDICULOUS weather, and they are super comfy. I was oh so excited about these pants!

TADA!! The pants are fabulous and fit me just fine (pants tend to be my arch-enemy most of the time. Anyone else feel that way?) and isn't the top just so feminine and pretty? I can wear it with jeans, pants, whatever, and feel totally put together. 
I KEPT BOTH! It looks a little boxy in this picture, but I think it is just my awkward pose. I promise you it isn't! :)

So, there you have it! I kept 4 out of 5 items this time and I really could have kept all 5! Stitch Fix comes through for me every time, thanks to the best stylist ever, Jessica!

So, what exactly is Stitch Fix, you ask?? It is super easy to explain...Basically you get your very own stylist who chooses clothes for you that fit your unique style, without having to leave the comfort of your home. Super fun, right??

Here is how Stitch Fix works:

1. Create a Style profile on the Stitch Fix Website
2. Have 5 handpicked items that fit your style profile delivered to your house.
3. Keep what you like and check out online. Send back the rest in a pre-paid envelope.
4. Look fabulous at work!!

It takes about 10 minutes to fill out your style profile online, and this part is very fun, because you get to choose different outfits that best represent you. I loved this part! 
This really is the easiest service in the world. There is no pressure to keep anything. If you don't like anything, they charge you a $20 styling fee, but if you keep at least one item, the $20 fee goes toward the cost of that item, and shipping is FREE both ways. Easy peasy lemon squeezy!!

Plus, if you keep all 5 items (which I have done, by the way) you get 25% off your entire box, so you get a bigger discount! 
You also can just sign up one time to try it out, which is what I did the first time. After I did it once, I was hooked, so I signed up for monthly, but my mom signs up for a Fix every once in a while. It is so easy and flexible AND FUN!!!

If you want to check it out, would you please use my Stitch Fix referral link? I get a small commission when my readers have their first box shipped and this helps me to keep posting these awkward super special photos for you all to see! :)

Hope your week is AMAZING and AWESOME and MUCH COOLER than mine!!

XOXO Kerri B

STITCH FIX (fabulous dresses edition)!!

Happy Stitch Fix Day, friends!!

Well, I SAID I was going to do better with my Stitch Fix posts, and then a week before school started, my principal told me I was going to be teaching a 1/2 combo! YAY ME. 

And then my life got all turned upside down as I tried to figure out this combo thing, PLUS moving Lindsay over to my school to teach first grade with me!!! (More on that later!)

Currently, I am having my fixes delivered every 2-3 weeks because, well, I am KINDA obsessed with this service, in case you didn't notice. HEH! But also because I am looking for some back to school clothes and specifically I had asked for a couple of dresses I could wear the first week. As usual, my girl Jessica did not disappoint! Let's dive right in, shall we??

Here are this month's goodies, straight out of the box. Looking promising already!!

The first item Jessica sent me was the Brunswick Button Down Blouse from Collective Concepts. I knew the minute I took it out of the box that it wasn't for me. First of all, the pink was seriously NEON. Like for reals neon. And the diamonds were brown and burgundy. Not a fan. When I tried it on, I looked like a grandma. gross. 

RETURNED!

The next item in my box was the Brix Scoop Neck Blouse by Collective Concepts. This one was SCREAMING me (the colors and print were gorgeous!), until I put it on. Wah wah! It was just too short. I HATE and LOATHE short tanks that hit my thigh in just the perfect spot to make me look GINORMOUS. Boo! RETURNED.

The third item in my box was the Oliander Open Cardigan by Loveappella. Again, I totally felt like this was a granny sweater! It was all thick and a weird material and when I put it on, I felt like I was 65. So sad!! RETURNED.

So far, this Fix is pretty depressing right?? Just wait until you see the dresses she sent me!! :)

Item number 4 was the Calvin Dress by Donna Morgan. When I first saw it, I loved the color but the print seemed a little crazy for me and horizontal stripes are not my best friend, soooo...... I was skeptical, to say the least.

And then I put it on. And the heavens parted, the angels sang, and it.was.amazing!!!

TADA!!! Check it out Peeps!! Isn't it soooo darn pretty?? And check out the illusion of a waist it gave me with the navy stripe across the middle! This dress is a keeper for sure! 

P.S. Don't mind the awkward arm pose. I have no idea what my arm was doing was in this picture!! heehee :) 

Item number 5 was also a dress, the Tod Dress from Market and Spruce. This dress was 100% right up my alley! The colors, the length, the print. I loved it at first sight!!

And it is fabulous on, just like I thought it would be!! Not too tight around my midsection (Can you tell I got issues??) and super comfy!! I actually wore it to school today and it was perfectly perfect!! KEPT IT!!

This last dress was from a previous fix that I never blogged about because I had to get it hemmed. This is the Jesse Maxi Dress by Loveappella. Isn't it just the prettiest purple color?

It is super comfy on too! After I got it hemmed, it was the perfect length and not too loose or too tight. I'm excited to wear it to school after it cools down a little (since it is a brazillion degrees right now-ugh!!)

So, what exactly is Stitch Fix, you ask?? It is super easy to explain...Basically you get your very own stylist who chooses clothes for you that fit your unique style, without having to leave the comfort of your home. Super fun, right??

Here is how Stitch Fix works:

1. Create a Style profile on the Stitch Fix Website
2. Have 5 handpicked items that fit your style profile delivered to your house.
3. Keep what you like and check out online. Send back the rest in a pre-paid envelope.
4. Look fabulous at work!!

It takes about 10 minutes to fill out your style profile online, and this part is very fun, because you get to choose different outfits that best represent you. I loved this part! 
This really is the easiest service in the world. There is no pressure to keep anything. If you don't like anything, they charge you a $20 styling fee, but if you keep at least one item, the $20 fee goes toward the cost of that item, and shipping is FREE both ways. Easy peasy lemon squeezy!!

Plus, if you keep all 5 items (which I have done, by the way) you get 25% off your entire box, so you get a bigger discount! 
You also can just sign up one time to try it out, which is what I did the first time. After I did it once, I was hooked, so I signed up for monthly, but my mom signs up for a Fix every once in a while. It is so easy and flexible AND FUN!!!

If you want to check it out, would you please use my Stitch Fix referral link? I get a small commission when my readers have their first box shipped and this helps me to keep posting these awkward super special photos for you all to see! :)

Thanks for reading, friends!! I'll be back with another review in a couple of weeks. Hope everyone's back to school has been smooth sailing for everyone!!

XOXO Kerri B 

One day TPT BOOST SALE!!

Good News, Bits and Bobbers!! TPT is having a ONE DAY BONUS SALE all day Wednesday!! Now we can stock up on all the goodies that we didn't get during the last sale!

Both Kerri and Lindsay's TPT shops will be 20% off on Wednesday, plus with TPT's extra 10% discount code (MORE15) you can get 28% off! SCORE!

Make sure you pick up Kerri's latest Monthly Writing Prompts and Word Family Notebook Packs, perfect to use the entire school year!

And don't forget Kerri's Super Sentence Writing Pack and Number Representation Math Pack that you can also use the ENTIRE school year…

And Lindsay's latest: her Kindergarten Science Notebook {Year-Long BUNDLE}… No planning needed!  Science activities for September thru May!

 

 

 

 

 

 
Get your classroom management set for the year with Lindsay's Free & Easy Classroom Rewards and Classroom Rules For Your Littlest Learners . . .

 

 

 

 

 

 
And finally . . . get your kiddos writing independently with Lindsay's Write the Room {All Year Long} pack!

 

Alrighty!! Gotta go our shop on, Peeps!!

XOXO Kerri  and Lindsay

Science Notebooks . . . or How I Sneak In Science With My Munchkins All Year Long!

Howdy friends! Lindsay here . . .

 

I kinda can't believe that the last time I was on here writing to you all was when I was wrapping up the school year with my End of the Year Awards . . .

 

But then I think about what I've been up to this summer . . . and it kinda makes sense.  Being home with my boys all summer and spending the days breaking up fights and dealing with tantrums making memories  has been keeping me pretty busy! :)

 

Not only that, but I had several items on my School To-Do List that I needed to check off.

 

I am the Checklist Queen.

 

Need to run to the grocery store?  Don't forget the checklist!

 

Brainstorming Christmas present ideas in August?  Need. A. Checklist.

 

So NATURALLY the Checklist Queen likes to actually get things CHECKED OFF her list(s).  The biggest item on my School To-Do List was my Kindergarten Science Notebook unit . . .

 

It all started last summer when I was just feeling overwhelmed with the amount of NEW programs and things that were being required in my district, and the feeling that things such as science and social studies were being forgotten.  I had never done a science notebook before, but my bestie Kerri had used a science notebook with her Fab Firsties and I thought WHAT THE HECK.  LET'S GIVE THAT A TRY.

 

Not only that, but I also thought it would be so fun to create a THEMATIC science notebook!  That would solve all of the world's my problems, right?

 

Think about if for a second . . . So often the science textbooks/pacing plans that we are given are not ordered in any particularly helpful way . . . In my district our kinder kiddos are given district science assessments that just make NO sense.  For example, the physical science assessment is given in the fall, when teachers are naturally talking about seasonal things such as apple trees, pumpkins, harvest, etc. (a.k.a. LOTS of life science!).

 

 Makes sense? NOPE. 

 

And not only that, but I found myself always supplementing my science resources anyway.  I felt like science should be tied in with writing.  Duh!  We want our kiddos doing expository writing . . . then let's guide them in organizing their learning in meaningful ways that will be helpful in making them more confident emerging writers!

 

 Not only that, but science should be tied in with language arts as well!  Particularly in light of the emphasis on nonfiction with the new CCSS, using read-aloud books (fiction AND non-fiction) makes perfect sense. Kids LOVE to read and explore ALL books . . . so why not use that as a platform or hook to get kids excited about science?

 

 Also . . . technology.  There are amazing videos, websites and other resources that can really make science come alive for our little super scientists.

 

My great idea soon turned into one GINORMOUS checklist item.

 

I started last year and created a Kindergarten Science Notebook {Fall Edition}, then a Winter Edition . . . and by the time spring rolled around I was assessing, conferencing, report carding and doing who knows what all else . . . and the Spring Edition never happened.

 

Epic fail.

 

After giving myself a little grace (turns out you can't actually do ALL things with your Teacher-Mommy superpowers) I realized it wasn't a fail, just a an item that still needed to be checked off The List.

 

So . . . after many hours of planning, typing, fiddling, editing, retyping, formatting, etc. . . . IT. IS. FINISHED. 

 

 

 
Not only is the Kindergarten Science Notebook {Spring Edition} done, but I changed the format of all three units (fall, winter & spring), added some new pages and resources (posters, graphic organizers, etc.) and put it all into one Kindergarten Science Notebook YEAR-LONG BUNDLE.

Check. Check. Check.

 

 

Soooooooo  . . . if you too are looking for a way to "sneak in" the science this year, or perhaps you have never done a science notebook before and are interested in trying it out . . . here you go!

My Kindergarten Science Notebook {Fall Edition} - full of apples, pumpkins and sink & float activities!

 

My Kindergarten Science Notebook {Winter Edition} - featuring activities with the 5 Senses, arctic animals and states of matter!

And my Kindergarten Science Notebook {Spring Edition} - with activities centered around weather, butterflies and plants!



Here is a sneak peek into how I plan to use my Science Notebook Bundle this year . . .

First off, I printed out the entire Science Notebook Bundle and put it into a binder that will be my go-to science resources this year.  As I sit down and plan each week I will have one handy resource from which I can pull my plans and things to print!

Inside the binder I put in all of the Science Notebook sets, organized by season.  I hole punched all of the pages EXCEPT for the colorful posters (those will be laminated and put into a special pocket for easy access!) and put the seasonal covers into page protectors that make handy tabs to divide up the year!

Within each season, the "themes" are broken down by month.  For October, for example, the monthly focus is on pumpkins.  Each monthly guide features vocabulary that is helpful to focus on for the month, as well as resources to be used during the month. The resources range from National Geographic for Kids readers to favorite read-aloud books to YouTube videos.  You can use what you like!  The resources, however, are not always to be used WITHIN the lessons themselves.  They are meant to be interwoven into the learning throughout the month. 

 

 

Behind each monthly guide are the specific activities.  Each activity is numbered for the month, and each month has 3-4 activities centered around the theme of the month!   

 

When it is time to teach a lesson, you can simply pull out the teaching guide for the activity and the student response page to be copied and you are set! 

 

The student pages themselves are meant to be used with a spiral notebook.  (Included in the pack are covers for your students' notebooks (color or b/w).)  Each page that your student completes has a dotted line around the perimeter.  After completing each page . . .

 



 
. . . your students simply trim around the edge on the dotted line . . .

 
. . . and glue the page right into their notebook!

 
Easy, peasy, lemon-squeezy AMIRIGHT??!

The activities are all totally different.  Some of the response pages are more "interactive", but still kinder-friendly . . .

 
. . . while other pages are more straightforward and simple.



One thing that I swear by in my classroom are graphic organizers, so I have included many of those to be glued into the science notebook as well!

 
(Confession: on occasion last year when I didn't have time to have my kiddos trim their page AND glue it in their notebook, we simply folded the page in half and glued it in the book so that it could still be opened and referenced later!)

 

 

 

 

 My students LOVED using their science notebooks last year!  Their favorite was probably learning all about owls in October! 

First we completed an owl step-draw and practiced labeling together! I heart kindergarten art!

 

 

After reading and "researching" together using lots of books, we completed a tree map with our "owl expertise"! :)

And finally . . . we examined an owl pellet!  Yes, nothing says SCIENCE like looking at regurgitated items under the doc camera.

 

Just going through old pictures from last year makes me SO EXCITED to get my fresh crop of kinder kidlets!

 

I hope that you enjoyed hearing all about how I do science in my classroom . . . and perhaps you will give science notebooks a try this year too!  I guarantee your kiddos will L-O-V-E it!

 

That's it for today!  I'm off to the pool with the fam!  Happy Sunday folks!

 

Lindsay