It's A Launch Partay! Free Blog Design Giveaway!

Hi, all! I have some super exciting, over the moon news: my newest expansion Learning 4 Keeps Design is officially open! {Whoop, whoop} To celebrate I am having an official Launch Partay!

Head on over by clicking the picture above or just click here for your chance to enter! My design blog will be a place to share digital freebies and tips on how to make your Blogger site a bit fancier! I hope that you will visit and join the adventure!

And the Winners Are...

Hello, friends! Check out my big news for the day:

Woohoo!! I am so excited about this special day because I could never have dreamed the blessings this path would take me when I began a year ago. I have met wonderful parents, teachers, professionals and READERS. You guys are fabulous and I am humbled to have you join the journey. (I am also excited about the winners of the Giveaway Extravaganza! You will find that below!)

I thought I would celebrate today by taking a glance back at my very first post. It was suitably titled: New Beginnings...

Hi there! My name is Leah and I have embarked on a new journey in bloggersville. Education and learning have been a passion of mine for many years... since I was old enough to hold a book. I was the student who could not WAIT for school to start back each year. I loved everything about a new year including the smell of my brand new textbooks and the sounds of my school hallways. There was nothing more exciting than packing my new backpack with all of my new school supplies. In fact, I would rearrange their placement in my backpack a half dozen times to get it "just right!" Books were my best friends and I wear corrective lenses today because I couldn't put one down once I had started. Darkness was just an inconvenience that could be fixed with a window and a moon or a flashlight under the covers. Okay I admit it, I am still this way. :)

My journey through education has taken a few twists and turns. I began as a student of Elementary Education before receiving my degree and certification for the Florida Department of Education. I worked in the public school system for several years before my health caused me to reprioritize my life. As a result, I became a stay at home mom to two beautiful daughters. During this time, I decided to use the passion I have for learning and my training to teach my own children. I now homeschool my girls and it has been one of the greatest yet most challenging choices I have ever made. 

My family has now grown to three beautiful girls and we are preparing for a brand new year! I have decided to create a blog that focuses on techniques and resources the promotes knowledge retention. As I have a K-3, 3rd grader and 6th grader this year, these resources will span many different grades. Perhaps you are a homeschool parent or a teacher, I hope that you can find something that will be useful or interesting. Maybe it will just spark your own creative juices! I have found that teachers are the most creative and resourceful people in the world!

A season of new beginnings is an opportunity to be stretched, to grow, and to change. Though "change" has never been a popular word in my vocabulary (as I am a creature of habit) I have learned that growth naturally equals change. As an elementary teacher or even a mother, I would be so frustrated if a student remained unchanged from the beginning of the year to the end! So, here I am embracing this new season and I look forward to sharing it with you... Leah

How cool is it that I still get to use my passions today that have been within my entire life! :)

And now on to other BIG news:  Drum roll please! Here are the winners for my Giveaway Extravaganza!

Congratulations to all the winners! You will be hearing from me soon. Also, a BIG thank you to the many wonderful TPT stores who so generously donated their product and for each one of YOU who took part! Here's to another year! May it be as exciting as the first!

Giveaway Extravaganza! Oh MY!

Hello, friends! *Warning- this post will be FULL of exclamation points!* ;)

I am over the moon with what I am sharing with you today! As I explained yesterday, Learning 4 Keeps has hit a HUGE milestone! I now have over 500 followers in my TPT and 500 friends on Facebook! Just because this wasn't awesome enough, my 1 year bloggyversary is on Wednesday! EEK! I can't believe that one year ago, I decided to jump into this mysterious world called blogging. It has been an amazing ride and one of the greatest aspects has been the connections. I have connected with fabulous writers, bloggers and professionals.

This would most definitely include the fabulous sponsors of my 500 Follower/1 Year Bloggyversary Giveaway! I called out to my TPT buddies and BOY, did they deliver! You will not believe all of the uh-may-zing items that are willing to give to a lucky winner! Of course, I have had so many donations that I have had to break them up so it will actually mean 5 lucky winners! Available in the following giveaways are back to school resources, reports cards, classroom management tools, center activities, units, word programs, posters, and more!! All you have to do is show a little support to these generous professionals by following them! Who would want to miss out on the creators of these fabulous resources anyway? Sounds like a win/win to me!

Also, you will notice the first giveaway is for a few things from Learning 4 Keeps. :) I have a large pack ready to go to someone and I will even include a brand new Blogger blog design by Learning 4 Keeps design!

This is my new venture that I am excited to begin and I hope that someone will enjoy putting a fresh look on their blog or maybe even think of starting one if they haven't already! This design will include a header, sidebar labels, signature, matching button with grab box, installation and matching Facebook cover photo if desired! Want to see one of the designs you could win? Click here!

Have fun entering the giveaways! Winners will be chosen on Wednesday! If you would, promote the giveaway by sharing the button below! Thanks and have a fabulous week my friends!

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.learning4keeps.net" title="Learning 4 Keeps"><img src="http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w401/learning4keeps/500followerbutton_zps3882b000.png" alt="Learning 4 Keeps" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Learning 4 Keeps Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

K-2 Math and ELA Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

K-2 Must Haves! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

3rd Grade and Up Math/ELA 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Are you read to PARTAY?!

I am so excited today! I have been planning a giveaway for weeks and it is finally here! I reached 500 on Facebook as well as in my TPT store so I decided to have a major giveaway! I have had generous donations coming in from my TPT pals and oh.my.... you will love them! 

So, here is how it will work. Come visit Learning 4 Keeps tomorrow through Wednesday to enter for your chance to win! There will be so many ways to earn entries through Rafflecopter. You will find teaching resources, posters, center ideas, and projects as just a few of the available prizes. There will also be a very special prize that could mean a brand new blog design for your blog! Winners will be announced on Wednesday which just happens to Happy First Bloggy Year for me!! Coincidence? I think not...

You will not want to miss this one! Tell your friends and let's PARTAY!! Whoop whoop!

Okay, could I have put any more exclamations points in this post? LOL Can you tell I am excited!

Winner of the April Favorite Giveaway!

Hello, friends!! We have a winner!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Congratulations to Lisa M. who will win a free download of the My Memories Software! Be looking out in your email Lisa... ;)

I am so excited to be able to share this great product with all of you! If you didn't win, you can still get this software for a phenomenal price! Just use the code STMMMS38656 at checkout to receive $10 off of your purchase of the My Memories Suite Scrapbook Software! You will also receive a $10 coupon to use in the MyMemories store.

It is a fantastic program and an economic way to create special keepsakes with all of your precious memories.

I also want to remind you all of the Coffee Connections newsletter that will begin next weekend! The first edition will go out on April 27 but this Saturday you will receive a special letter from me. I am so excited about the wonderful ideas that teachers and homeschooling parents are sharing! It is a resource that you will be able to use right away. If you haven't already signed up for this newsletter, just click the button below.

Also, if you have a great tip or resource that you would like to share, I would love to feature you in the newsletter! Just fill out the submission form by clicking the button below! Have a great day everyone!

Have a wonderful day everyone!

April Favorite and Giveaway: My Memories Suite

Hi, friends! As busy as this past month has been, I have been filling up my camera with family pictures and holiday moments. But, if you are anything like me, you never seem to get the pictures printed. They accumulate on the SD card until you have 1,200 unprinted memories that you can no longer afford to print all at one time. Even worse, you don't know which ones you want to print and display because you like them all!

This is where my April favorite steps in and saves the day! Introducing the  My Memories Software, a digital scrapbooking software.

This software allows you to easily import your pictures to create a scrapbook, movie, slideshow, calendar, you name it! I was so excited to download my software and dive in!

After the online download, I was very impressed with the easy to use interface. You can create presentations from scratch or use pre-existing templates based on a theme or look. I chose to create a presentation with my latest Easter pictures. A design template was already available with 6 different decorated slides. It  included places to insert my pictures and some of the cutest design elements that matched my Easter theme. Take a peek at a few of my pages:

Are these not the cutest?! It took minutes to insert the pictures and even add my lettering! I also moved some of my elements around a bit and added a bit of my own. This scrapbooking software is super easy to use and they offer the cutest packages to add the WOW factor to your pages. There is a certain amount freely given in your package but more scrapbooking kits are available on their site for very reasonable prices! 

Here are some of the highlights of this program:

• Easy to Use Interface
• Beautiful background papers and embellishments
• Ready to use Photo layouts or you can create your own!
• Insert text and Word Art quickly
• Insert videos and multimedia
• Insert music and narration
• Share albums by printing from home or send to My Memories to be professionally printed and bound into a photo album
• Share with others by creating slideshows with music and narration, create movies that can be played on your DVD player, create Ipod ready movies and interactive albums.
• Online tutorials are available on Youtube to ensure that you are getting the best out of your software!

To celebrate my April favorite, one lucky winner will be receiving the My Memory Suite FREE by signing into the rafflecopter below! There are many ways to earn entries and I wish you the best of luck!

Don't want to wait to purchase this great program? You can use my code below to receive $10 discount off the purchase of the My Memories Suite Scrapbook software and a $10 coupon for the MyMemories.com store - $20 value! Just type in STMMMS38656 at checkout! When you use this code, you will receive a discount and I will receive commission from your purchase.

Best of luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Disclaimer:  I received a free copy of this product in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations.

Freebie Friday: Math Resources

Hi, everyone! Have you sign up for the Coffee Connections newsletter that is launching in April? This weekly resource will have freebies, resources, tips and ideas for you to use in your classroom or homeschool. As a bonus for subscribing, you will receive a downloadable Math Game by Learning 4 Keeps for free! This pack includes four playing options to practice number recognition, addition, subtraction and using a hundred's chart. It is a little practice and a lot of fun!

To receive your free Math game, simply subscribe to the Coffee Connections newsletter by clicking the button below. You will then receive your free pack in your email within 48 hours. I hope it is something you will enjoy!

Also, if you would like a chance to win two items of your choice from Learning 4 Keeps, just click HERE! We are having a Share IT to Win IT party! The winner will be able to choose ANY TWO items from my TPT store!

Lastly, I wanted to share with everyone my latest Freebie from my Teachers Pay Teachers store! I have created a few worksheets on elapsed time in five minute increments. This is just a small portion of the new pack coming soon! Head on over by clicking the button below to receive your free copy!

Have a fantastic Friday everyone!

We Have a Winner!!

I am so excited to be announcing the winner of my March Favorite!! This lucky lady will receive a $25 gift box of soaps from Five Sisters Soap, Co. I know she will LOVE it!! BTW, Jalyn: YOU HAVE MAIL!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 If you didn't win the giveaway, be sure to check out this great family owned company in the future. The soaps would serve as excellent gifts, favors, or just a special treat to reward yourselves from all of those looooonnnnggg hours slaving over lessons plans or report cards! ;) Have a fantastic weekend everyone!

March Favorite Giveaway by Five Sisters Soap Co!

Hello, friends! I am so excited to be sharing with you a great giveaway made possible by my March Monthly Favorite: Five Sisters Soap Company. If you read my post from earlier in the month, you know that I adore this company! I have personally met the fantastic woman who owns and operates this business. She is as sweet as her gourmet soaps!

One winner will be chosen on Friday to receive a $25 giftbox that I know you will love!

There are many different ways you can enter and some methods you can do every day! I have created a button for you to grab to make spreading the news easy! I hope you will enter and spread the word!

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.learning4keeps.net" title="Learning 4 Keeps March Giveaway!" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w401/learning4keeps/Marchfavoritebuttonresize_zps3e4d3d44.jpg" alt="Learning 4 Keeps March Giveaway!" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Best of luck and I pray that you are having a fabulous Sunday!

March Favorite Giveaway: Live Tomorrow!

Hello, everyone! I hope that you have all had a great week. My hubby and I have battled some kind of bug and I admit that I was getting ready to tap out! But, we fought back and are feeling back to normal! Woohoo!!

I did want to share some exciting news with you! The sweet developer of my March favorite: Five Sisters Soap Company has graciously offered a $25 giftbasket for one of my dear followers to win!! The giveaway will go live tomorrow and you won't want to miss out on your chance to try this fabulous product! See you tomorrow and good luck!

Gingerbread Mania Resources and FREE Holiday E-Books!

Hello, friends! I am feeling a bit better today and I am so excited to share a new activity pack with you! There is a new sensation going around that is so cute and super fun. Maybe you have heard of Elf on a Shelf? ;) Well, to be honest, we have never taught our children that there was a Santa Claus. I have nothing against those who do; we just chose to be upfront with our kids from the beginning. We joke around about Santa and say that Daddy or Papa is Santa. We will even sign the tags on the gifts FROM Santa, but our kids know better. It has just never been a big deal around our family. We have had to have conversations with them though about making sure not to spoil it for any of the other kids. :)  Also, I never did out right Santa activities in my room because I did not like to field Santa questions from the kids. You know the ones that say, "Mrs. Mathis, tell Julie that Santa is real!" It happened every year in first grade. I would always play the Mommy or Daddy card. "That is something that Julie needs to ask her Mommy!" LOL

Well, the Elf on the Shelf is adorably cute but it wouldn't really work for us. So, I thought that I would create an activity that would have this type of excitement but with a mystery, too! I started to imagine a little trickster of a gingerbread man who liked to wreak havoc in the classroom. The problem is we don't know his name! So, the students see the remains of what Jester did the night before or maybe while they were out at specials. Candy wrappers are strewn and there is a clue left in an envelope. The students must figure out the riddles and write the clues in their investigative journal. After they solve three clues, they will have figured out Jester's name! A treat and riddle will be at the end of the week to celebrate. This pack also includes ideas to make a bulletin board display to share with the rest of the school or family. They will then get the opportunity to solve the clues! Here are a few sneak peeks of the pages you will get:

I am so excited about this new activity. It is only $3 in my store and can last a week. It would really add some excitement to that final week leading up to the holiday break. Would you like the Jester the Gingerbread activity for FREE? Just comment below about how you would use the project. I will use a number generator to choose a winner! Best of luck!

Also, before I close this post, I thought I would share a couple of gingerbread freebies that I have in my store. One is a gingerbread writing activity that would be super cute to hang with the bulletin board display from above or to decorate your room. It asks students to imagine if they were a gingerbread boy or girl. You can pick it up here:

The other is a number recognition center. It would be great for Pre-K through Kindergarten and is the top download from my store!

Both of these freebies you will find on my page of the new Holiday E-book at Teachers Pay Teachers. If you have not already seen this book, RUN don't walk to download it! It is absolutely free and is chock-FULL of free holiday items, tips, and greetings from some great TPT stores. You can click the links below to head over to the PK-K edition which is where my page can be found. :) BUT, there is also a 1-2 grade version, 3-5 version and a high school version! There are free gifts for everyone and could be used for the classroom or homeschool room. Check them out!

PreK through K Holiday E-book

1st-2nd Grade Holiday E-book

3rd-6th Grade Holiday E-book

7th-12th Grade Holiday E-book

Great Blessings Giveaway WINNERS!

Hello, friends! I am so excited to say that my family and I had a beautiful Thanksgiving together. Want a glimpse at our table?

On to other great news, we have winners for the Great Blessings Giveaway! Here they are!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway
You should be receiving emails from me shortly as well as those who have generously donated. Thanks for participating! I hope you enjoy all of the great resources. Also, don't forget about the Cyber Monday and Tuesday sale at TPT!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

 And just a reminder... you can still enter the Great Blessings giveaway with over 50 teacher's resources available to win!! Just click the link below!

From my family to yours... HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
~Leah

A Giveaway, Sale, and Linky.. OH MY!

Hello friends!! This post will be loaded so hang on tight! First, let's start with the fantabulous giveaway here at Learning4Keeps that includes over 50 resources!! If you haven't already signed up, you can click the button below to enter. You will not want to miss this one!

Next, I am so excited to announce a MEGA SALE at Teachers Pay Teachers!! To take part in Cyber Monday AND Tuesday, you can get 20% off at my store plus even more by typing in the code! In total, you will receive 28% off! :) Whoop! Whoop! Who doesn't <3 a good deal? You can click on the picture to head on over to my store and take a peak. You might find a couple of things that catch your eye.

Here are just a few things you will find:

Homework Resources

 

Writing Resources

Classroom Management Resources

And more!

Michelle at the 3 AM Teacher had a fantabulous idea to link up and share some of the great resource creators that will be participating in the TPT Cyber Monday Sale! Just click on the links below to check them out!