Teacher's Pay Teachers Sale Tomorrow

Chicken Fajita Soup

I don't know if you are a mom, a wife, and aunt, a friend... basically if you are a human being you are busy. We all are. There is nothing better than coming home after a long day at work and knowing that dinner is already done. It's lovely to unlock the door and the heavenly smell of the work being done greets you. :)

Personally, I am the full time mom of three and wife of one, and that doesn't leave me lots of time to rest my weary feet after a full day at school. I have been on the search for fabulous recipes that can be prepped ahead of time or that can spend the day in the crockpot. 

Welcome to Make Ahead Meal Mondays. On the 3rd Monday of each month I will be hosting a Linky Party with all of you. I hope you will visit often. Link up some of your favorite recipes and see what recipes others share too.

My recipe to share is a delicious Chicken Fajita Soup. I found this delicious soup recipe on

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup salsa
• 2 cups frozen corn
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1½ cups water
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon dried cilantro
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• Optional Toppings:
• sour cream
• diced tomatoes
• green onions
• cilantro
• lettuce
• diced avocado
• tortilla strips

Instructions

1. Spray your slow cooker with cooking spray. Add chicken to the bottom of the slow cooker.
2. In a medium sized mixing bowl, mix cream of chicken soup, salsa, corn, black beans, water, cumin, and cilantro. Pour over the top of chicken.
3. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. Remove the chicken and shred with two forks. Place back into the slow cooker and add shredded cheese. Continue cooking until cheese has melted about 15 minutes. Serve with your favorite toppings.

I am telling you this is tried, tested and OH delicious!

An InLinkz Link-up

The best part of my day...

There is nothing like a phone call, moments before school begins, from the daycare telling you that your little girl threw up all over another child! I admit I laughed. 

I had a momentary chuckle and then got busy getting a sub and getting things ready for someone to take things over so I could go and rescue my sweet girl. I feel very blessed to have a team of teachers and friends that were there and willing to let me simply walk out the door. I didn't do it - not completely at least. I jotted down a few sub notes with the promise that they would translate if needed. 

I found my baby curled up in lap of one of her supervisors. They had cleaned her up but I could tell she was exhausted. Even then she had a giggle and a bright smile for me when she saw me. Makes a mama's heart melt. 

We haven't done much today...it is the best kind of days.  I have held and simply snuggled this sweet girl. It isn't very often that I get to take advantage of these sweet moments. 

When she got tired of sleeping on me she wanted to sleep in her crib and I have gotten a few things done. I had to take a moment and thank heaven for moments like this one. Nothing else in the world mattered right then but her.

Estimate to Find the Product

With Halloween Approaching it happens to be a great time to teach or review the skill of Estimating to find a Product. My students are a little bit restless now that the weather is starting to change and with Halloween getting closer...We needed a chance to get moving.  To introduce the concept I created a PowerPoint. It helped introduce students to the steps needed to solve these type of problems. It also gave us a few chances to practice the skill on our whiteboard before I turned them loose.  Click to grab a FREE copy of the PowerPoint

I also created a  poster to print and post for my students to see and reference throughout the lesson. I had my students copy the posters into their math journals. If you wanted you could print 4-6 on a page and have your students glue the steps into their journal. 

We ended our lesson and practice with a Estimate the Product SCOOT. Click HERE for your own copy of the poster, SCOOT cards and worksheet. 

Teacher Week 2015

I am thrilled to link up with Blog Hoppin' today and be a part of Teacher Week 2015. Each and every day there will be a different theme and topic so make sure to check back every day this week. If you would like to join in the fun click HERE.

Let me introduce myself. My name is Heather. I am a 4th grade teacher at Maple Ridge Elementary. This is my 9th year teaching - it would have been my 12th but I took 3 years off while my husband was attending law school. (Let's be honest, one of us in school was plenty.) I love being a teacher - in fact I can't often get my brain to be quiet. The following isn't everything about me. It's just 5 fun facts. ENJOY!

Most kids go through phases where they want to be different things: astronaut, policeman, bobsledders, pilots, or princess to name a few. Those future plans often change with their different moods. I was the unusual one. I started talking about becoming a teacher at the age of 4. That is all I have ever wanted to do.

On March 11th my Dad received the best birthday present ever...ME! I love sharing my birthday with my dad. Most years one of us would pick what we would eat for birthday dinner and the other would pick the type of cake. My favorite was the year we had two cakes and 75 candles between the two of us. Mom was more than a little worried we were going to set the kitchen on fire. We didn't! I know I gave my dad plenty of gray hairs as a teenager but I always knew he loved me.

In 2012 I was the reigning Ohio's Outstanding Mom. I didn't grow up competing - in fact this was the very first time. I feel blessed with the opportunities and experiences I had while wearing my crown. One of my most favorites was the St. Patrick's Day parade with my darling boy.

 While living in Ohio I took a few years off from teaching while my husband went to school. I started going crazy. I needed a creative outlet. While watching tv on day I saw someone decorate sugar cookies. I thought, "I could do that!" I started making cookies and before I knew it - Jellybean's Bakery was born.

My final fact is about these three...

My favorite job in all the world is being the mother to three of the greatest kids in the world. They make me smile and want to be a better person. They are quick to love, laugh and hold me tight if I ever get sad. Though time flies by, this picture was a year ago, and I wish I could make time slow - I love watching them grow and learn and see the world as a magical place to discover!

The most incredible 4 words...

Today I was given the best four words that I have heard in a long time. "We can MOVE in!!!!" Finally, the new school is finished, it has passed all the walk throughs and we have been given a chance to move in - make it ours and make it a wonderful place to learn! I can't wait.

I am going to pretend you are as excited as I am. Take a picture walk with me and see my new room. 

From my door...to the left

 From my door to the right...

There you have it! My new oasis...well at least it will be :)

Happy Summer everyone. 

End of the Year Celebration

The last week of school can be a struggle. It can be a struggle with management and keeping 36 students actively engaged. Luckily our principal knows this and sets aside one day the last week of every year for us to play...

Let the celebrating begin...

 ...Hamster Balls...

 ...Parachute...

Got glasses?

 ...Water Duck Duck Goose...

 ...Relays...