National Geographic Kids Deal!

Red Alert! Red Alert! Dollar Tree has National Geographic Kids Early Readers for $1.00 each! I'm thinking nonfiction. I'm thinking Common Core. I'm thinking research. I'm thinking about the $3.99 I paid at Barnes and Noble AND the $3.83 I paid on Amazon. Seriously, click here to see for yourself! 

Here is the box at Dollar Tree. It is in the educational section, not with the books.

 I bought the Safari (pre-reader,) Ponies (level 1,) and Race Day (pre-reader.) They had Sharks (level 2) but I already had that one. (See $3.99 note above!)

 Here is the text progression in case you were wondering.

What a deal! Now, I should tell you-the pages aren't glossy like my $4 books, but they are a buck and will certainly make for some happy reading! 

Go grab some and let me know if you find any others!

When you wish upon a star....

A friend recently asked what my passion is. being a mom? teaching? writing? traveling?  blogging? She wanted to know my REAL passion. I thought about my answer in a rather awkward moment or two of silence. With my head tilted ever so slightly to the side, I smiled and said,  Children. 


My reasons for this are Real Simple. Children embody the spirit I wish every adult had. They are carefree. They are the future. They are why I teach. They are the reason I love being a mother. They are the reason I blog. They are the reason I read. They are the reason I smile nonstop, especially with my own little guy. They are the reason I support the Shot@Life campaign. 


Children around the world are the same. They all love to play and have attention. They wish on the same stars and give the best night time kisses. One big difference is the amount of care they mothers are able to access for them. Did you know that by the end of 2011, GAVI had contributed to the immunization of an additional 326 million children? Those children might not otherwise have had access to vaccines. These vaccinations averted more than five-and-a-half million future deaths. 

5,500,000 deaths

That is not ok. My passion is children and I am standing up for them. It is not acceptable for children around the world to die from vaccine preventable diseases. Unacceptable. 
Look at these faces! What a blessing that the United Nations Foundation and Shot@Life campaign are making a difference in countries like Tanzania! 

Come learn more about Shot@Life. Sign up for more information! You don't need lots of money. You don't need lots of connections. You only need a passion for helping children.


When I see that shooting star tonight, I'll be wishing that ALL children get a shot@ making wishes on their own shooting stars!

**Free and Fabulous Journal**

I love a journal! I love writing down the whacky things my kid says! I love sharing my journal with my first graders! 

In the best news I've gotten all day, Paper Coterie is supporting the Shot@Life campaign and offering a FREE JOURNAL to customers!! Not just that, but for every order, Paper Coterie will donate $2 to Shot@Life to help vaccinate children in developing countries. 

Look at the one I made! $16.00 spiral journal for free, just pay $7 shipping. Totally worth it! I have ordered from them before and never been disappointed!

130 lined pages, coilbound with elastic closure, plastic front cover

My only problem was deciding which one to choose! There are soooo many adorable designs and you can upload up to 4 pictures on some covers!! A perfect gift or treat for yourself! 

Go visit Paper Coterie now and be sure to enter shot@lifesummer in the code box! Let me know what you choose!

Thank you for supporting Shot@Life and recording your special moments!

Happy Birthday Lakeshore Giveaway!

Happy birthday to me,

happy birthday to me,

happy birthday to blogging,

happy birthday to me!

Reasons to celebrate this special occasion!

*One year of blogging!

*Donors Choose projects funded!

*Guest blogs!

*Guest bloggers!

*Sharing our reading life! 
*200+ followers, 600+ Twitter followers, 400+ Pinterest friends!
*Over 17,000 site hits!
*New blogging buddies!
*Sharing lots of teacher freebies under Teacher Action!

I think this calls for a giveaway! Enter below for a Lakeshore Back to School package! You will receive a Teacher's Plan Book and a $20 gift card! Lakeshore (store or online) has so much to offer for both parents and teachers! They also happen to be having a pretty big sale right now! Enter below and please share! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway