Teacher Week: Classroom Tour

Hey friends! Wanna check out my classroom? Head over to Blog Hoppin' today and take my Classroom Tour.

Be sure to link up with us so we can see your space and check back tomorrow for SANITY SAVERS! Let's face it - we could all use a little savin'. Happy Wednesday!

Teacher Week: Make ahead Meals

Hey friends. Happy Tuesday! I'm back and blogging about "Make ahead Meals!" I'm linking up with Blog Hoppin' for teacher week and sharing my absolute favorite potato soup recipe. 

This recipe has been floating around Pinterest f.o.r.e.v.e.r. but I first tried it because I saw it on Pearls, Handcuffs, and Happy Hour. I was inspired and looking for easy Crock Pot meals and this fit the requirements. Little prep, can toss it in the morning of, and it's ready to go when I'm home. Not to mention - it is DELICIOUS! Here is what you need....

It's really the easiest meal to make and absolutely mouth watering. Everyone I've made it for has gone on and on about it and thinks I'm an awesome cook. Little do they know how simple it is. Shhhhh, don't tell. ;-) It's what's on the menu tomorrow. I hope you can add this to your meal plan and have dinner on the table when you get home from a long day in the classroom. It will be just the thing you need to hit the spot!! Be sure to link up with Blog Hoppin' and check out all the other fabulous "Make ahead Meal" suggestions. 

Teacher Week: 5 fun facts about me!

Hey everyone! I'm back and linking up with Blog Hoppin' for 5 fun facts about me. I am just getting warmed up for the week and am so excited to share my posts with you all. Be sure you check back each day and link up. Remember, you don't have to do a blog post each day! We have given you other ways to participate....you can read about that {here}. 

So, let's get started. Here's a little about me...

I'm a newlywed! Daniel and I got married on 7-11-15 and I'm now Mrs. Erin Lynch. Don't worry, I'll still be Eberhart's Explorers. ;-) We had the most magical and romantic day, shared with family and friends.  

I was blessed to have my sister and dearest friends by my side. They made my day enjoyable and took care of every little detail. I couldn't ask for better friends. 

Sweet Ava (my God child) took her job seriously as bell ringer and did a fabulous job notifying our guests that the "Bride was coming!" She told us all she would make sure Jensen (my nephew) got down the aisle and if not, she would drag him! ha ha 

After my husband and I got married, I left Tennessee and moved to North Carolina to Daniel's hometown. Daniel works for his family's business and was unable to leave the area. We bought a beautiful new home, in a nice neighborhood, and I've enjoyed decorating and making it ours. But, I'm not going to lie - - it has been tough! I am SUPER close with my family and leaving them (although it's only about 3 hours away) has been the hardest thing I've ever done. Homesickness is for REAL, ya'll! My family has been so good to come here on weekends and visit...and Daniel and I have made many trips back home, but it's not the same. I know it will get easier with time.

One of the reasons I can't stand being away from Tennessee is because I left these two guys behind. My nephews, Jensen and Beckett, who I am obsessed with. Literally, they are my WHOLE world. I cannot even imagine what it will be like when Daniel and I have our own kids. ha I call these little guys Foof and Fee and when I was home, I was just down the road. I went over to my sister's almost every day to visit. And don't be fooled - my husband is equally in love. Jensen loves his Big D and asks for him always. So thankful for facetime!

When I moved to North Carolina, I had to leave my beloved school and students. I was faced with the choice - classroom or something else? I had a tug on my heart and felt that maybe it was time to leave the classroom and go another direction. I had worked the past two summers for TNDOE as a Common Core Coach and LOVED it! The traveling, staff developments, collaboration, friendships, and ideas were enough to inspire. So when a job opened up for an Instructional Coach, in the county I now live in, I jumped on it! After an intense interview (2 hours long), I was notified that I got the job. I am thrilled to begin a new chapter and help teachers be successful in their classrooms! Any advice you can share with me?

I've personalized and painted things for YEARS! At one point, in college, I was personalizing and painting items for 4 small businesses in town. Whether it was ornaments or chalkboards, it kept me busy and was good extra money. Since then, I've just dabbled on the side. While I'm no Cara Carroll....ha ha....I try. Here are some other boards I've personalized. I always dreamt I would have my own shop or sell on Etsy - maybe one day, I will! Anyone want to place an order? 

So there you have it! Those are a few fun facts about me and I cannot wait to hear all about YOU! Be sure to link up on Blog Hoppin' and I'll be back tomorrow for Make Ahead Meals.

Teacher Week 2015

Hey friends! Lord have mercy...it's been a while! I am so sorry. I really, really want to get better about blogging and have it become a part of my daily weekly routine. But, I just can't manage to fit it all in. A lot has happened since I've blogged last, but I'm going to save ALL of that for later! :) For years, I have loved linking up with Blog Hoppin' during Teacher Week and it's that time again! So excited!! Here is what we have planned...

This year, we are making it easier to participate. We've chosen fun topics for each day and given you different ways to connect with us. Here is what you can do...

1. Classroom Blog: Write a blog post and link up at Blog Hoppin,'

2. Instagram: Don't have time to write a blog post? Just share a picture on instagram and tag Blog Hoppin'. Make sure you use the hashtag #teacherweek15.

3. Periscope: Are you on it? Such an easy way to share pics of your classroom or some fun facts about yourself! Let your followers know that you'll be participating so we can watch. 

4. Facebook: Maybe you don't have a blog, but have some great things to share! Make sure you head over to Blog Hoppin's facebook page, on the day you share, and leave a comment.

There you have it! Four easy ways to participate. Connect with us, celebrate with us, and let us get to know you. We are super anxious for Teacher Week and I'm looking forward to learning more about you all. Happy Teaching!

St. Patrick's Day!!

Happy Monday, friends! I hope everyone had a restful weekend. Mine was filled with errands, packing, moving, engagement photos, and so on. No rest for the weary...and let's not even talk about the time change. I'm 12 kinds of behind on sleep! :( I am desperately trying to stay ahead of the game and be a week to 2 weeks planned out. For some of you, this may be a part of your weekly routine....but for me - this NEVER happens. I am living in the moment and finishing my plans for the week, usually on Sunday night!! Well, next week we are gearing up for St. Patrick's Day! And while I'm not ready yet, Gertie is...

She cracks me up. Such a diva!

We are working on our Leprechaun Traps to catch the sneaky leprechaun that's been visiting our classroom and leaving footprints. This family project can be found in this unit...

We will also be graphing Lucky Charms, learning about Roy G. Biv, and making Leprechaun Punch. My students LOVE leprechaun punch. Afterwards, we sequence our steps and write about it. 

This great idea is from DeAnna Jump's St. Patrick's Day unit. You can find that {here}. Several of you have been asking me about this photo...

And WHERE you can find the patterns. While I would LOVE to take credit for this, I stole this brilliant idea (and patterns) from April at Chalk Talk who got the idea from Kim Jordano. She so kindly posted the patterns on her blog and you can grab them {here}. I hope that helps everyone!!

Teachers are Heroes TpT Sale!!!

Yep! We love teachers and if you love a teacher, you know how hard and dedicated they are to their kiddos! Teachers are heroes and TpT knows it too! To celebrate, they are throwing a site wide sale TODAY - February 25th! Not only will everything be 20% off, but you can add a sweet promo code for an extra 10% off too! Just enter the code: HEROES at checkout. Yahoo!! So empty those wish lists friends and head on over to shop. Remember...

You can visit my TpT shop {here}. Happy shopping and thank you to ALL of the teachers out there....for your continuous hard work and dedication. 

Winner winner, Chicken dinner...a Valentine Day recap!

Hey ya'll. I'm back with the winners to our fabulous "Love is in the Air" giveaway. As you all know, I teamed up with some fabulous bloggers to give away a 16GB iPad air! Yahoo! All of the bloggers, who participated, joined in by giving away some type of techie prize. There was much up for grabs! 

Congratulations to Cori Blubaugh who won the iPad!!!!! I'm so excited for her - - yet, jealous! ha On my blog, I was giving away a $25 iTunes gift card. The lucky winner of that giveaway is.....

Thanks to everyone who entered! I didn't have too many entries...because I realized (a few days into the giveaway) that my rafflecopter was messed up. Sorry about that. I set up my blog post in a hurry and set the date of the giveaway wrong. Oops! Speaking of "Love in the Air," there was lots of it at my school. Makes me happy :) 

Will you BEE my Valentine? Here's a glimpse of my classroom door.

We had lots of fun Literacy & Math work stations going on. You can find these (and more) in my Valentine unit on TpT.

We had a fun Ice Cream Social in lieu of a Valentine Party. Students had to have friends sign off on each of their items before they could collect their ice cream supplies. For example: if they wanted sprinkles, they had to find a friend with a pet dog. This great handout can be picked up {here}. 

Here are the Valentine gifts I gave my students and teacher friends! :) Students each received a pack of oreos and a valentine themed straw (picked up at Target) with a tag that said, "Valentine...we go together like milk & cookies!" I also gave out a box of brownies to my friends with a rubber spatula. Their tag read, "Shooting for brownie points!" They went over well! Everyone loved them. The tags were picked up online for free and I just printed them on cardstock and attached with ribbon. I hope everyone felt the love on Valentine's Day. Thanks for entering our "Love is in the Air" giveaway. Hugs!

Love is in the air...

Hey friends!!! Valentine's Day is just around the corner and I've teamed up with some awesome bloggers to spread the LOVE. We are giving away a 16GB iPad Air 2!! What?!?! I'm so excited - - I want to enter and try to win it myself!! Not only that, all of the bloggers who have teamed up together, are giving away additional prizes on each of their blogs. You can win things from Amazon and iTunes gift cards to a Document Camera and an Osmo.

You can enter to win the iPad Air 2, here:

a Rafflecopter giveawayI have decided to giveaway a $25 iTunes gift card to one of my fabulous followers. You will certainly want to use this gift card to purchase apps for your new iPad - - if you're the lucky winner!

You have 4 chances to enter. Simply follow Eberhart's Explorers on Facebook, Instagram, TpT, and bloglovin'. All giveaways are open for entries until February 14th at midnight. What are you waiting for?
a Rafflecopter giveawayMake sure you visit all of the other fabulous bloggers that are participating. You'll want to enter to win their prizes, too!

An InLinkz Link-up

Thank you for being such faithful followers. Good luck to everyone and much love to you all!