Liebster Award-- a million thank yous, so honored!

Wow-- tomorrow will officially be TWO WEEKS since I started Blogging...and it has probably been the best two weeks ever (I am definitely not over exaggerating here)!!! I love all the blogs I follow and every single one of you have inspired me to keep creating and keep learning. I LOVE the fact that I can be reading a blog or joining a linky party--and then I find 5 more blogs to follow. AMAZING. I couldn't have asked for a better introduction to the blogging world and all the feedback and support from all of you! I can't even put into words how thankful I am!!

I can't even begin to thank Rachel over at Senorita Creativa for nominating me for the Liebster Award. I am so new to blogging that this is an amazing honor and I am so thankful for it :) This award is for new blogs to be welcomed into the blogging community!  It means a lot that her and all of you read my blog and hopefully one day I can have many more followers!!


To accept this award I must:

1. Link back to the blog that nominated me

2. Nominate 5-11 blogs with fewer than 200 followers

3. Answer the questions posted for you by your nominator

4. Share 11 random facts about yourself

5. Create 11 questions for your nominees

6. Contact your nominees and let them know you nominated them

 Thank you Rachel again over at Senorita Creativa! I love your blog-- especially because I am certified in Spanish as well (so many great ideas) Gracias! Check out her blog its awesome :)

I am nominating 5 blogs for this award as well :)

Mrs. Z @ Mrs. Z and Company

Lindsay @ Just Keep Teaching

Amanda @ Teacher at the Wheel

Vanessa @ The Educated Crown

Susan @ Happiness is Watermelon Shaped in 3rd Grade (Pink Watermelons)

 Here are my responses to Rachel's Questions!

1. What is your must-have teacher tool? My must have teacher tool(s) are my post it notes. I am obsessed with them! I love all colors, shapes and sizes! I use them for to do lists, observations notes. etc. Can't get enough of them! (just ask my students!)  
2. What is your favorite age to teach? Favorite age to teach 4th graders!
3. If you had to eat one food/dish every day for the next year, what would it be? I would eat SUSHI or Buffalo Chicken --both completely random but LOVE them equally haha
4. What is your favorite subject or topic to teach? Favorite subject to teach... LITERACY -- that includes reading, writing and word work--I have a bit of an obsession with books. I have a classroom library of over 250 personal books!
5. What is your favorite place to buy teacher clothes? My favorite place...that's a tough one...NOT. LOFT is my absolute favorite place to shop in GENERAL--teacher clothes, work out clothes, lounge clothes, anything! (Plus it doesn't help that I work there AND have a wonderful discount!)
6. Chevron or polka dots? Chevron ofcourse! Except I do love polka dots too
7. What is your best teaching-related memory? When one of my students picked up a book ( he is a 5th grader and cannot read even at the first grade level) He picked up Goodnight Moon and read the whole thing!!!! I almost cried.
8. What is the funniest thing a student has said to you? (This is a hard one!) I was talking with a student and he was telling me about a sale that was going on at a store over the weekend. He told me that I should check it out. I said okay I will. And then he pauses and goes..."nah the sale is over Miss O'Leary, I just wanted you to say you would go"  (guess you had to be there! haha)
9. What is your favorite organizational tool (teaching-related or not)? I am obsessed with my new Classroom Library Organizer (booksource) it categorizes all the books, scans the ISBN number, and students can check out books through it as well...simply amazing!
10. If you could talk to yourself before you started teaching, what would you tell yourself? To not sweat the small stuff and enjoy the simple things in life.  
11. What is your favorite movie or tv show? Bachelorette or any reality tv AND Law and Order SVU!!  

Okay-- now 11 random facts about me :)

1. I am a twin! I have a twin brother ( No we are not identical)-- we used to get asked that all the time!! haha. He lives in buffalo, ny. One crazy story--when he pulled is hip, I felt it at the exact time it happened! (Crazy twin thing right?!--only time that has happened though!)

2. I LOVE Essie nail polish-- I have a bit of an obsession and always have to have my nails painted.  I even take those classic nail polish pictures and post them to instagram, twitter and even pinterest haha (see it is an obsession)!

3.  I am super organized and have to have everything is a specific place...I even know when something is out of place or missing (OCD a little). This goes for school stuff, clothes, papers, anything and everything! My teaching assistant would laugh at me for some of the things I did throughout the year...all in good fun of course!

4. I absolutely hate mashed potatoes (un-american) YES I know--my family has told me this for years. But the Texture! Eww can't stand it haha My Thanksgiving plate consists of turkey with ketchup , corn, StoveTop stuffing only, and jello ha. No gravy and obviously no mashed potatoes.

5. I will only eat red meat if it is med-well or well done. I usually make a comment that says "I don't want it still mooing on the plate!" I will take chicken or fish over anything else!

6. I have probably close to or over 100 dresses-- for every occasion. I LOVE dresses at all times, in the summer with a maxi or in the winter with tights or leggings. Can't go wrong with a dress! 

7. I love Country Music and find any time to listen to it. During the summer I go to as many country concerts as I can!! This year I will be seeing, Zac Brown Band, Dierks Bentley, Brad Paisley, Toby Keith, Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line, John Mayer, Maroon 5..and a few more that I forgot!

8. I speak Spanish-- I'm actually certified to teach Spanish 7-12...I studied abroad in Valenica, Spain for a summer. It was amazing and I would go back in a heartbeat. 

9.  As I said before..I am super neat and organized, except for my bed (my mom always yelled at me to make my bed growing up--I never did) I still sometimes don't haha.

10. I am addicted to Pinterest..I probably am on it 10 times a day if not more. 

11. I played Field Hockey in Highschool and College and was even a coach for a few years! I love the sport...The funniest comment I get about field hockey is that it is a very confusing sport to watch--the whistle blows ten thousand times a game and they don't know why! haha

 Now the questions for you (my nominees) !!

1. How long have you been teaching?

2. What technology do you use in your classroom?

3. If you could go on a dream vacation where would you go?

4. How many items do you have on TpT or TN?

5. What is one piece of clothing in your closet that you could never ever get rid of?

6. If you could change one thing about teaching what would it be?

7.  Iphone or Droid?

8.  If you were stranded on a desert island and you could only bring 3 things..what would they be?

9. Have you ever been abroad to another country? 

10. What was your favorite children's book OR if you had to choose one favorite book our of your classroom library now--what would it be and why? 

11.  When did you decide to become a teacher and why?

I hope I did okay with all the questions! It was very fun :) Thanks again Rachel and I can't wait to read the responses from the nominees!! Keep Blogging with a pop of color!