Teacher Tuesday: fresh start 2015 {freebie}

Raise your hand if you went back to work yesterday! Oh my, by half-way through the day I was completely exhausted. Getting back into the swing of things is rough. I have a freebie for you today that I hope will help with that- click on the picture to download for free!

This is a checklist of things you can do to clean up, organize, purge, and freshen up your classroom, office, and teaching practice. There is space for you to add in your own items under each category as well (teacher area, student area, walls, instruments and manipulatives, planning, and digital). And if you want to do the same thing at home, go check out yesterday's post- there is a fresh start checklist for home that you can download too! 

My big project right now is finally putting together an inventory of everything in my classroom. When I started this job a year and a half ago, I took over for a teacher who had been in that position for 6 years, and the person before had been there for over a decade. When I started going through the closet, I found stuff from when the person 2 teachers before me had started! I did some major purging at the end of last school year and now I need to document what I have and where it is- there was no inventory list whatsoever before now, as far as I can tell. I made this excel document to help me organize all that information- you can find that file here if you're interested. 

P.S. I have 2 chances for you to get more free stuff going on right now- I am going to be sending out an exclusive freebie to all of my TpT followers when I reach 200 (and I'm stuck at 199 right now, so the next person will be the lucky one to get in on the freebie with us!), and I have a $10 store credit giveaway going on all week for everyone here! Don't forget to go enter the giveaway, and make sure you're following me on TpT to take advantage of all the goodies! :)

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Mommy Monday: fresh start 2015 {freebie}

It's a new year- Happy 2015! For those of you who don't know, I spent most of my childhood in rural Japan, and New Year's is kindof a big deal in Japan. One of the things we do, called 大掃除, is like the American "spring cleaning"- the literal translation is "big cleanup". Everyone in the family helps clean the house from top to bottom. With small children, a big part of cleaning up is getting rid of stuff we aren't using. About a week ago I went through the closets and toys and donated or threw away a bunch of stuff- it felt so good! I also went through and organized and purged my digital life as well. I think this is the first time I've done it but wow, what a difference! I had so many old files, old contacts, unused apps on my phone, out-of-date pins on Pinterest, email subscriptions I don't even like, etc....

To help me keep track of everything I want to do to get a fresh start this year, I made a checklist of things around the house and my digital devices that need cleaning/organizing/refreshing. You're welcome to use the checklist yourself to get your own fresh start- I've left some blank space for you to add your own items depending on your own home situation. Just click on the picture to download the file.

The thing I love about this is that it's a little bit of everything- cleaning, organizing, purging, doing something new- but it's all focused on giving myself a fresh start. I will probably be doing this again- it doesn't even have to be a New Year's thing! Plus the little birdie makes me happy :) 

I hope this helps you feel good about the new year! I'd love to hear from you if you use it! Let me know if you're unclear about any of the items on the list.

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Follower & Feedback Frenzy

Big news! Several of the up-and-coming music teacher sellers on TeachersPayTeachers have joined forces for an awesome giveaway!

There are lots of ways you can enter my giveaway, and you can come back and do many of them once a day if you want more entries! And don't forget to follow the links to enter the giveaways in the other stores as well- you could walk away with a TON of free stuff at the end of this week! The winner of my giveaway will get $10 worth of products from my store- just peruse my items and let me know which ones you want- and if it's something over $10 you can get $10 off the item.

We are hosting this giveaway because, as newer sellers, it can be hard to get the word out about our stores and blogs. I believe very strongly in the quality of my blog post ideas and store products, and the whole point of taking the time to post them on the internet is to share those ideas and products with other people! 

Here's a little bit about why I am asking for your follows and feedback:

TeachersPayTeachers: When you follow my store, I can communicate with you more easily. I send out notes with exclusive freebies as well as news about new and updated products. A lot of people don't see when products they have purchased have been updated- that's an important piece of information for you because you can re-download for free and get an improved or expanded product! 

When you leave feedback, not only does it help me understand how my products are being received, but it also gives future buyers helpful information and gives you credits towards your own future purchases! So that one is a no-brainer! But please, if you have a question or have a problem, contact the seller before you leave feedback (you can do this in the Q&A section). Unlike Amazon and other similar online stores, TpT encourages sellers to update products (which buyers can then re-download for free). Give the seller a chance to improve (or point you in the right direction if it's a technical issue) before marking them down! 

Pinterest: I love Pinterest. It is often my first stop when I am trying to spread the word about a new blog post or product in my store, and it is definitely my go-to for saving, searching for, and sharing other ideas I find for home, teaching, and everything else! By following me on Pinterest you will see the ideas and products I pin- not just my own stuff but the other great stuff I find. I consider myself a thoughtful pinner- I don't pin stuff without knowing that it's good- so you won't find any spam or fluffy pins from me.

Facebook: Ah Facebook. I have a love-hate relationship with Facebook. I hate that Facebook decides what I want to see when, but I love that I can keep in touch with so many people from all over the world in one place! For a quick place to share links, Facebook is definitely my go-to, and I do occasional quick deals that you won't see anywhere else. Facebook has the most up-to-date information because it is by the minute. If you "like" my page on Facebook, please make sure you go to the "liked" button and click "get notifications". If I want you to see the information I post on my page I have 2 options: hope that you selected "get notifications" or post stuff A LOT. I'd rather only share stuff that I think you'll be interested in than spam your newsfeed! I may be interesting but I'm not THAT interesting LOL!

Blog: My blog is my favorite. I love the opportunity to be creative, to write, to share my ideas, and connect with other moms and music teachers. It has been a fantastic journey. I am going against the general blogging wisdom by writing about two pretty broad topics- parenting/home and music teaching- but I love both so much! I hope you will help me spread the word about my blog by sharing my blog posts or following my blog because it helps me connect with more people.

And now for the giveaway! Thank you for your support, and don't forget to go show your love to the other music sellers by visiting their links as well. I bet you will discover a new seller or two (or three...) that you love!

**The links to all my pages are at the top of my blog- just click on the icon in the top right corner.**

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you are a music blogger and want to join the Giveaway Linky party, here are the directions:

1.) Save the Giveaway picture above and include it in your blog post, with a link to this blog post.
2.) Blog about why feedback and followers are important to you.
3.) Plan your giveaway for $10 credit to your store.
4.) Click the button below and add your information!

An InLinkz Link-up

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And the Award Goes To.....

Jennifer from The Yellow Brick Road and Michelle from Music With Miss W both recently nominated me and my blog for the Liebster award! I love both of their blogs, so I was thrilled to receive the mentions. The Liebster award is awarded by bloggers to blogs with growing audiences.

At the end of this post, you'll find the bloggers that I've chosen to nominate. The following rules have been set for me, as well as for the bloggers I nominate. I am nominating just a few blogs (the award seems to have made it's rounds through many of the blogs I follow!), but my nominees could nominate up to 11 blogs.


1. In your post, link back to the blogger who nominated you as a thank you and a 'shout out'.2. Answer the questions that the tagger set for you, plus create 11 questions for the people you've tagged to answer (please use the set questions I've answered).3. Nominate up to 11 people, (blogs with less than 200 followers) and link them in your post. 4. Let your nominees know and provide them with a link back to your post (so they can see the rules)5. No nominating the person who nominated you, however you may send them a thank you.


1. Why and how long ago did you start blogging? 

I started blogging in 2009 with a little family blog. I started because I was living on, quite literally, the other side of the planet from most of my family. It was especially nice to have when I was pregnant and after the girls were first born, but it quickly died when the Chaos-with-a-capital-C of newborn twins set in, and became unnecessary when I moved to the States closer to my family. I started this blog this past July (2014) to participate in the great idea exchange that I saw in the online parenting and music teacher communities. It is a great creative outlet for me and a nice change of pace to sit down and reflect on what I do as both a parent and a teacher.
2. What one word sums up the heart of your blog and why?
Chaos. I want to celebrate chaos (at least the semi-managed kind) as a positive thing. Chaos is what tends to happen when you allow people (and children in particular) the freedom to do things their way. As long as we are all working to support each other, and as long as we have things in place to organize it, I think chaos is something we should all strive for both at home and in the classroom! I try to communicate that in my blog posts by sharing ideas that have helped me (a "type-A" personality, for sure) give my children and my students more of that independence and freedom to create organized chaos :)
3. Is there something you learned late in your blogging journey you wished you knew before?
Well, I wouldn't really say I am late in my blogging journey to begin with, but I have learned that picture are important. I don't think I realized how much time and effort those "top bloggers"  put into taking quality photos, editing them, watermarking them, and on and on... I certainly don't take the time to go that far but I have become more conscious of how I can use pictures to capture attention and communicate ideas more clearly and effectively.
4. What is your favorite past time other than blogging?
Oh my goodness, do you really expect me to pick just one?!? My mind is racing with all the things I want to say but if I really had to pick, I would probably say my time that I have each morning with my latte and Bible reading. I wake up around 4am just so I can have enough time to sit by myself in silence before the girls wake up. And for my birthday last year I got a latte machine so now I can enjoy a home-made latte with very little effort each morning.... Aaaah.
5. How many hours per week do you dedicate to your blog?
Hmm. It depends, but.... probably about an hour total. Woops.
6. What category of blog posts do you enjoy the most?
I enjoy a pretty wide range- which is partly why my blog also has a wide range of categories! I like any post that expresses thoughtful ideas eloquently and gracefully.
7. Where does your blog inspiration come from?
Life. I think my favorite part of blogging has been allowing myself to notice and reflect on the things that I do well at work and at home!
8. Which post that you've written are you most proud of?
Hmm. Two posts that I really put a lot of heart into come to mind: this one on how I try to talk to my daughters and students, and this one on world music that I wrote as a guest post on The Yellow Brick Road (hi Jennifer!). 
9. Is there any post you have been planning to do, but have been postponing for a while now?
I have been planning to do a Mommy Monday post on my entry way (or lack thereof), but I keep putting it off for other ideas that I think are more timely. I'll get around to it soon because I love what I have ended up with! :)
10. What's your favorite aspect of blogging?
I already mentioned this in another answer, but my favorite aspect has been having an excuse to notice and reflect on the things I do well at work and at home. As a single mother and a teacher I don't get a lot of positive reinforcement for either one on a regular basis, and it's easy for me to start focusing on things that go wrong rather than things that go right. Blogging has been a wonderful antidote for that negative thinking cycle!
11. Which recipe, project, or idea on my blog would you be most likely to try yourself?
I love many of the teaching and technology ideas on Jennifer's blog, but I have already done a few, including the headphone splitters she mentioned in her post on "Music Center Gadgets and Tools". I really love the binder stands she mentioned in that same post, so I will probably be getting those soon too! I have been wanting to stock up on some of Michelle's "color by music symbol" worksheets for my sub lessons for a while, so that is definitely something I want to try soon!

With that, here are my nominees!
 I Heart Teaching Music - love her website layout and design, and she has some great tech tips for teachers!
Mrs. Kuchta's Corner - lots of great Kodaly-inspired resources!
Floating Down the River - so many great resources. I loved her Nutcracker lesson ideas!
The Munchkins - single mothers of twin girls unite! 

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