New Orleans = Friday Favorites!

Happy Phenomenal Friday!  Today I am linking up with Andrea from Momfessionals as well as  Erika from A Little Bit of Everything for:

Yep, I just spent from Monday until today in New Orleans.  This is the first time I have ever visited this city and the first time I have ever seen the Mississippi River!  It's also the first time I ate grits (I had to add jelly to sweeten them up; the waitress advised adding more butter and sugar; that just seemed too unhealthy so I went with the jelly).  Check out some highlights!

Cemetery Tour

New Orleans is under sea level and has a very high water table.  This combination means that burying loved ones poses multiple problems, and they have adapted by making very fancy and ornate cemeteries.  To prevent coffins and bodies from popping out of the ground, New Orleans has above ground tombs.  There are regular cemeteries like St. Patrick's #1: 

Then, there is this cemetery for the extremely wealthy who want to leave a landmark in their wake: Metairie Cemetery: 

This is Anne Rice's "eternal home."  In addition to this, there are so many more ornate and special structures to check out.  According to our tour guide, you need mucho dinero to be buried here (especially if you want to make a statement).    Either way, this is an amazing and a once in a lifetime experience!

Hurricane Katrina Memorial

Our tour guide told us that he thinks about Hurricane Katrina every day.  During this catastrophic storm, many residents lost their lives and were never identified.  They are all buried in the six crypts at this memorial.

Bayou Time!

One day my husband and I headed to the bayou for an air boat adventure ride to see some alligators!  I learned that:

    *To know how long an alligator is, measure from between its eyes to between its nostrils.  One inch  = one foot.  Consequently, this alligator is about 10 feet long!

Stinging Caterpillars

While on the cemetery tour, a caterpillar landed on my collar bone.  While brushing the creature off, it fell in my shirt where it did substantial damage.  I did eventually remove the invader, but he panicked and stung me A LOT!  I ended up in Urgent Care where I received a cortisone shot; a prescription ointment; and a prescription tablet to prevent itching.  My advice:  NEVER pick up a caterpillar!

Thank you for checking in this week!  I hope you are enjoying some spring weather!  Make sure to visit other blogs that link up for Friday Favorites by clicking on this link or graphic:

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Friday Favorites For a Good Friday!

Happy Friday Everyone!  Today is the first day of my vacation!  Today I'm also linking up with Andrea from Momfessionals and   Erika from A Little Bit of Everything for:

A New Favorite Author!

Last week I got a new book at my library:  Home by Britta Teckentrup.  I was interested in the book because it was a peek-through book which I find so creative.  When I read it, my students were enraptured with the illustrations and loved the book.  I was so delighted that I went and ordered all the books from my library.  You can see them for yourself and read more at Amazon.

Britta is an author/illustrator from Germany.  She even has an "All Natural" series of books which are eco-friendly.  I got those from the library, too, and they are super adorable!

IXL Engaging Feature:  Live Jam!

Does your school have IXL?  This year students must do 15 minutes of Math on IXL.  First, they step into the arena for their "Diagnostic" work; once that is complete, they can do "Recommended Skill" work for Math.

One day I was looking at some new Recommended Skill work, when I came across the opportunity to do a "Group Jam:"

Of course, the principal just happened to meander into the room when I discovered this, but since I love trying new and exciting technology, I told the kids were doing an IXL experiment.  As soon as the teacher starts a "Jam," the students receive a message on their Chromebooks asking them to join.  The kids' favorite part is that they all receive an icon that can be see on the "Big Screen."  

Once every student answers, there is a review page that explains the answer.  Bottom line:  the kids are excited and engaged; and that's enough to make me want to keep doing Group Jams!

Morning Messages!

Every morning I have a Morning Message for the kids.  Last week included two big "holidays:"

and

Consequently, we are now reading Ramona Quimby, Age 8.  In addition, we talked at length about the Declaration of Independence!

As always, thank you for visiting today!  Wishing you a peaceful Ramadan, Passover or Easter!  

Make sure to check out other blogs that have linked up, too, by clicking the graphic:

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Currently ~ Amazing April & Spring is on the way!

Happy Amazing April!  Today I am so happy to link up with Anne in Residence for:

Getting:

Right now I am getting ready for my daughter's wedding in June.  I am wearing this dress, and I need sandals to
go with it:

(Today I discovered this dress on the Nordstrom Rack site for a fraction of what I paid last summer, and I waited until it was on sale!)

Anyway, I did find these pretty blue sandals:

I have them in my cart so we will see how they look in real life.

Going:

During April vacation, my husband and I are heading to New Orleans.  So far, our plans include a jazz concert and an airboat ride in the bayou.  If you have any travel tips for New Orleans, please let me know in the comments!  We are both looking forward to our first trip and both got our 2nd boosters last night!

Planning:

Today my plans include going to the library to get some new children's books to read to my class.  We just got the rug back in my classroom, and the kids are so excited to come over to the rug!  I have been reading e-books on the "big screen" in class so that everyone could see the book as well as social distance.  It makes me so happy to have some normalcy in school.

Last week I read this fun book:

The narrator actually mail orders a sloth which proceeds to sleep the day away.  The "smartest" girl in class criticizes the sloth.  My students had a lot to say about this "perfect" girl.

Posting:

Well, I am posting right now, and I promise myself that I will post every weekend, but I just can't seem to reach my goal.

Thinking:

I love being able to crack my windows and let some fresh air into the house.  You can tell the sun is stronger.  Spring is such a hopeful time of the year.

As always, thank you for popping in for a visit!  

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