Top 5 Tips from Vegas!

Have I mentioned I've been to Vegas recently? Please pardon my repetition, but it was *hands down* the best trip ever. As I mentioned in my last post, one of the best things about the trip was all of the wonderful women I had the opportunity to meet. One of these women just happen to be my new friend Becky. Have you heard of her? Sweet Becky made the solo trip from Tennessee all the way to Vegas to attend the TPT conference on her BIRTHDAY! Yep, that's right. Talk about dedication ya'll. I was fortunate enough to meet Becky and share a small birthday celebration with her, and now I'm fortunate enough to be linking up with her on her blog to share a few of the tips I learned from Vegas.

Be Authentic

One of the most emphasized pieces of advice throughout all of the conferences was the importance of being yourself. By doing so you can bet your work will be unique and valuable. Nobody wants to see the same thing over and over again. Staying true to yourself is a great way to make sure your products stand out against the crowd.

Give it a test run.

Before making a product "live", try it out on your little ones! I know first hand that my students are the best way to catch a mistake. Trying it out first helps you know whether or not your activities are helpful and realistic for the classroom.

Protect your work

We put SO much time into all of the wonderful activities we produce, so it's important to make sure we product all of our hard work (and the work of others). Make sure you put your copyright information at the bottom of your pages, and secure your documents to prevent others from copying the clip art you use.

Check and Double Check Your Work

This goes hand in hand with testing out your work before posting. Edit your work yourself, but also have others check it over. Chances are they will find mistakes that you looked over.

Treat it Like a Business

If you want to be a successful TPT seller, you have to treat it like a business. That means setting time aside each week for creating, marketing, revising, and whatever else you need to do. It will pay off in the long run!

As you can see, I learned a whooole lot on my short little trip. I am excited and inspired to start implementing these tips in my personal life. If you'd like to read more about what others learned from the recent TPT conferences, check out Becky's blog. 

Check back soon for my updates! 

Happy teaching, sweet friends!

Viva Las Vegas!

Hey there, sweet friends! So happy to be back here on this little blog of mine. After taking a break from blogging for the last few and crazy months of school, I thought there was no better time to rekindle our friendship than after spending an amazing weekend in Las Vegas with some exceptional educators.

That's right friends, I was lucky enough to attend the very first TeachersPayTeachers convention, and let me tell you....it did not disappoint. My bestie Ms. Winter and I managed to make our way west for the week of a lifetime.

First up, we started out with a keynote speech from the man himself....Paul Edelmen. Ya'll, words cannot express the wonderful and inspiring messages he shared with us. I have never felt so proud to be an educator or a part of TPT. Totally and completely life changing.

Following the keynote I had the privilege of listening to some truly amazing women share their TPT tips and experiences. Seriously....I was pinching my cheeks in disbelief. I am still in shock that I was able to sit in the same room as all those ladies who never cease to amaze or inspire me. 

No you aren't dreaming, that is most certainly Erica Bohrer, Cara Carrol, and little ole' me! 

It's ok to be a little jealous. 

However, my most favorite part about this weekend was meeting all of my new friends. 

Hands down. 

My greatest takeaway was the connections I formed with some wonderful ladies who I would have never met without TPT. That alone is what made this trip truly money well spent.

Now, don't go thinking that my trip was all conventions and connections.Of course, we snagged a little free time for some fun!

Well friends, that about wraps up my weekend.

We laughed, we cried, and...well you know how the story goes.

Now I'm heading back home to put all this new found inspiration to good use!

Please check back soon for some truly exciting news from myself and my new friends!! 

Fit and Fresh!

Hey ya'll! 

Today I'm linking up with Blog Hoppin' to share a few of my New Years goals! I, like most people, have made fitness goals for the upcoming year, so I felt today was a perfect day to join the party! Overall, I pride myself on the healthy life style I lead. However, like most women, there are ALWAYS ways I can improve myself. I never want to become complacent with a routine or find myself in a rut where there is no room for growth. Therefore, I have deemed 2014 my year to "live lean and clean!". 

Although I often feel like the picture above, fitness is undoubtedly the ONLY way I can keep my sanity. I have always followed a pretty strict weight lifting/ running exercise program. I am also a fairly picky and conscious eater. However, lately I have found myself making little  muscle growth through my current workout routine. While searching the web for healthy recipes, I stumbled upon an exercise program and instantly fell in love! The program is called Jamie Eason's LiveFit. Have any of you tried it? The workouts were pretty similar to those in my old routine, but what I like about this program most is that it provides me with guidance and methods to make my routines more challenging. Most importantly, it also inspired me to adopt the eating 5 clean, high-protein meals a day diet. That's right  FIVE meals. At first, I was more than happy to jump on board with any lifestyle that requires me to eat as often as possible. However, living on a teacher's schedule makes this a little more challenging. But, with the company of my favorite {and only} workout partner, Ms. Winter, I know I can stick to it!

Here we are after our workout today: shoulders, abs, and a little HIIT (high intensity interval training). And, on the menu today:

Organic baked chicken, organic Basmati Brown Rice, and steamed veggies. YUM!

Well friends, that's about it for my fitness goals this year. It's been a busy day of eating and exercising. Now, it's time to get my booty in gear for school! I wish everyone luck with their  fitness goals! I will be back soon to post my plans for our upcoming Polar unit! Don't forget to link up!

Happy Teaching!