Everything is 20% off!!!

I'm linking up again with Chalk One Up for The Teacher for her 2 for Tuesday Linky!

My entire store is 20% off this week for Christmas in July!  Check it out HERE!!!!

-Jamie

Christmas in July!

I heart July.  And I heart sales.  

If you want some pretty neat, stuff head on over to my TpT store for my Christmas in July Sale!

July 14th-July 17th!

20% off everything, which makes my products super cheap!

Get 'em while they're hot!

#ihadamiscarriage & more

I don't have a Twitter, so I didn't now about this particular hashtag movement until my wonderful friend Kristina posted a video from Buzzfeed on her Facebook feed and mentioned her experience with miscarriage.  Watching it brought about some really hard feelings for me and I realized it's time to share my story. Not only the story of my miscarriage in 2011, but of an overwhelming loss I experienced in June, 2015 as well.

So heres my story.  Or rather, stories.

I had been married to my incredible husband for 9 months when we found out I was pregnant!!! [insert the happiest emoticon there is right here!] It was the most incredible/scary/beautiful feeling I had ever experienced. We were overjoyed and told everyone we knew about the good news. My first OB appointment at 6 weeks was perfect and the baby had a strong heartbeat. We were brainstorming names, themes for the baby room, and I spent time daily on every pregnancy website there was.

At 10 weeks gestation it was time for my second ultrasound. I literally couldn't wait! We had decided my husband wouldn't attend because he needed to save his PTO for after the baby was born, but as I was walking into the doctor's office he turned the corner to meet me. At that moment I couldn't have understood how important it was that he joined me at this appointment.

The second the ultrasound technician turned on the machine I knew something was wrong. Her smile faded into a grimace and she immediately told me to get dressed and that she was going to get the doctor.

A few minutes later I was sitting in a strange office completely confused and knew in my gut that something horrible was happening. My doctor spoke a few simple words that would forever change my life... "There is no heartbeat.  You've had a miscarriage". There are truly no words for the heartbreak, the tears, the utter devastation that followed those two short sentences. I was broken.

There was life inside of me. And then there just wasn't.  I had miscarried.

My doctor suggested a surgical procedure called a D&C (dilation and curettage) which I had two days later. For two days I was walking around with death inside of me. I wondered what I could've done differently. I wondered what went wrong; I questioned everything in my life.

I struggled for months with my loss. Depression was an understatement. To this day I still cry tears for my first child, whom I never got to meet.

Three short months after the worst experience of my life, I got pregnant again! I went from feelings of desolation and depression to pure joy! I was scared through out my entire pregnancy but it went perfectly. Every single appointment I attended had me scared to death that there would be no heartbeat, that I was again harboring death inside of my body.  But instead, I was full of life. I was induced on April 30th, 2012 and the most beautiful baby girl entered the world, my Olivia Ann.

For 3 years my heart has been full. Full of the deepest kind of love, joy, laughs, tears- the full spectrum of motherhood.

We recently decided it was time to try for another child, and we tried successfully! I got pregnant in May! This time though, it was a failure from the beginning. I went for a confirmation blood test and my HcG levels were very low. I was pregnant, but not 'pregnant enough'.  My levels were rising, but not as they should have been. After many brutal weeks of blood testing and ultrasounds I was told that I was having an ectopic pregnancy. Another baby. ANOTHER LOSS.

Ectopic pregnancies happen when the fertilized egg implants somewhere other than your uterus, most often in your fallopian tube.  Ectopic pregnancies are not viable.  I had to go thru injections to terminate the pregnancy so that my tube wouldn't burst and cause internal bleeding.  

This journey started in May and just ended, the second week of July. I have been waiting for my HcG levels to drop to 0, and my most recent test read an HcG level of 13 so I'm slowly but surely getting my body back to where it needs to be.

I am sharing my story so you know you're not alone. Your struggles are not only yours, they are the struggles of thousands of women through out history. I have learned that loss is a part of life. A part we would rather not have to deal with, but an inevitable part nonetheless.

When I came public with my first miscarriage I couldn't believe how many women had experienced the exact same thing that I did. I was saddened for them but also comforted in the fact that I wasn't alone. As women we must stand together, comfort one another, cry on each others shoulders and scream in agony with each other when necessary.  You can get through it.  I know from experience.  Two experiences.

I will forever wonder what would've been- what those babies would've been like.  Whether they would've looked like my husband or myself.  Whether or not I did something to deserve the heartache I've been through with a miscarriage and then an ectopic pregnancy - But there are no answers.  Truthfully, there are no words to describe it.  All that's there is the raw emotion of having experienced the loss of life within you, within your very being.

I am better.  I have my beautiful, brilliant, funny daughter to play with every single day and I could not be more thankful for her.  She is my pride and joy, my greatest accomplishment.  And when I get overwhelmed with sadness I just glance at her and my sadness spirals into happiness again.

That is my story.  

#ihadamiscarriage
So if you've had one, you're not alone.

2 for Tuesday! Place Value and Word Wall Letters!

I just began following Chalk One Up for the Teacher and I'm super hyped for her 2 for Tuesday Linky!  I have two products from my store for 50% off today!  (Which makes them incredibly cheap!)

The first product is my Decimal Place Value SCOOT/Task Cards!  My students absolutely loved using these last year. I used them on and off through out the entire year as a spiral review in centers.  I feel like it really helped them!  Get it super cheap HERE!

 The second product is my Colorful Chevron Chalkboard Word Wall Letters!  Although I am not required to have a word wall in my room, I think it's an important asset to any classroom.  If you're feeling like adding a splash of color to your classroom pick these up HERE!

Get these items while they're hot! And have a terrific Tuesday!

Monday Made It! FREEBIE!

I am linking up with 4th Grade Frolicks for her Monday Made It Linky Party!

We had an incredible 4th of July weekend!  We went to an indoor 'water zoo' about 1.5 hours from our house and my daughter had a blast!  I technically didn't "MAKE" anything for this first one except for memories!  We made a lot of great memories this weekend! Here are a few pics!

Sparkler fun!

l.o.v.e with a photobomb

She had so much fun!

So precious!

The hubby and I!

Probably my favorite picture from this weekend...I tried to get a cute pic of my daughter smiling and happened to catch my friend's son dunking his little sister! BAHAHHA!!!!

My little model in her precious outfit!

Just in time for MMI, I finished my 2015-2016 Calendar set!  It includes calendars dated August 2015-July 2016 in horizontal orientation.  I absolutely love the design and the colors! It is free in my TpT store right now so go download it!  I keep it in my teacher binder and I also make a copy for each student for long-term planning purposes! It works wonders!

Don't you just loooooove them???!?!?!?!

Get them while they're FREE!

Five for Friday~ 6/26/15

Linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for Five for Friday!

This week I met up with one of my very best friends to have lunch and cuddle with her super sweet baby boy!  He is absolutely adorable!

My BFF Staci and her beautiful baby boy!

 I also went to a "Paint and Sip" for the first time this week and it was a blast!  I didn't have very high expectations for my painting, but it turned out alright for my first time.

That's me, on the left!

I was craving some good Chinese this week so I decided to make fried rice and sweet and sour chicken for dinner one night!  I got the fried rice recipe from Pinterest and it was absolutely delish!  The sweet and sour chicken was super good too!  I cut the chicken into pieces, dipped them into milk and cornstarch, fried them for about one minute on each side, threw them into a pyrex, covered them with sweet and sour sauce I bought from the store and cooked them at 325 degrees for 45 minutes!  It was incredible!  And my husband and I cooked it together so the process was super fun!

I am finally going to get around to a project that I've been wanting to do for a long time this weekend-- I am going to refinish all of our our doorknobs! Our house was built in the 60s so we have the ugly gold/brass looking knobs and they are in desperate need of an upgrade.  I'm super excited to get it done!

And finally, this week I finished Orange is the New Black!  I began watching it and just instantly fell in love with the characters! I am not so sure that I love how the third season ended, but it just makes me more excited for the fourth season!  I can't wait!

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!

-Jamie

Monday Made It!

Today I'm linking up with Fourth Grade Frolics for Monday Made It!  I have been a busy little bee lately!  Here are a few of the things I've been working on!

 Father's Day creativity with my little girl!

 My daughter and I made concrete pavers for my dad, father-in-law, and husband for Father's Day!  I sent my husband to see Jurassic Park with his best friend as a Father's Day gift so Livi and I could spend the evening being creative!  It was so fun!

My awesome husband and Livi drawing on Father's Day when we were out at lunch!  Just had to add this one in here because it's so cute!

OUR POOL IS FINALLY UP!  It feels like it took forever but it was totally worth it!  We worked our tails off and now we get to reap the benefits! Finally!!!!!!!!

YAY SUMMER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!