Another Liebster(!!!) and News

I'm so excited to be nominated {another} Liebster Award! As many of you all know a Liebster Award is an award given to bloggers with less than 200 followers to recognize one another! This Liebster Award is from Lil' Bit Country in the Classroom.

Liebster Awards do come with a few guidelines (I don't really like to call them rules):

1. Link back to the blog that nominated you
2. Answer the questions that the person who nominated you asked
3. Share 11 random facts about yourself
4. Nominate some great blogs with less than 200 followers! (My favorite!)
5. Present 11 questions for your nominees to answer

Let's get to it!

1. What is your favorite sports team?

Easy. Dallas Cowboys. It's actually a love-hate relationship with them. Anyone who follows football can probably understand why. In the end, I'm going to love them but sometimes they just make me so darn mad!

2. What is your perfect weekend?

The perfect weekend is spending time with my husband and daughter. It really doesn't matter what we're doing. He's away on business during the week, so the weekends are super valuable family time for us.

3. What is a must have at your desk?

Something that is a must at my desk is a drink! Coffee in the morning, then water, and after lunch a Diet Coke.

4. What is your favorite professional book?

My favorite professional book(s) would be Readicide by Kelly Gallagher, The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller, In the Middle by Nancie Atwell, and Teaching Reading in Middle School by Laura Robb Very good! Gosh, I could keep going. These are books I read and reread. 

5. What would a utopian society be like to you?

I teach the The Giver by Lois Lowry every year. I do not want to be part of a Utopian society! 

6. Name three things you would bring to a deserted island?

After watching Naked and Afraid on the Discovery Channel, I've decided I would make sure I had clothes on and bring:

• A lighter (there's no way I'm going to figure out how to start a fire otherwise)
• A person who has survival skills (I have none so I need to bring an expert)
• Sunblock!

7. If you could mentor a first year teacher, what would be the first thing you would tell him/her?

If you have questions, no matter how dumb you think they are, ASK!

8. What is your hobby?

I knit!

9. What would you be if you weren't a teacher?

I would probably want to be a journalist. I find that life exciting!

10. If you could move anywhere in the U.S. where would you move?

I love living in Texas. I don't think I would want to go anywhere else.

11. Who is your favorite president?

Abraham Lincoln. I am uhb-sessed with Abraham Lincoln. I find him to be a super fascinating person in history. I also think that he was a monumental figure. 

11 Random Facts About Me:

1. I am the least coordinated person on the planet
2. I played the saxophone in high school
3. I am horrible at math (like really bad)
4. I've been to Paris and did not have a great time
5. I like taking bubble baths- they relax me
6. My favorite movies are the ones from the 1940s
7. My favorite actor is Cary Grant
8. My favorite actress is Katharine Hepburn
9. I love the movie Gone With the Wind and have seen it countless times. I have lines memorized. I'll quote them. That will be annoying to people.
10. I'm susceptible to motion sickness. You don't want to be in the backseat on a windy road with me! Or a boat...
11. I love office supplies and used to work at Staples

My Nominees are:

• Teaching 5th-8th
• The Short and Sassy Teacher
• IBTEACHNU Language Arts
• Amy in Education
• Texas Middle School Teacher Connection

Questions for My Nominees:

1. If you could go anywhere, where would it be? (This doesn't have to be a real place)
2. What's your favorite sport?
3. What's your guilty pleasure?
4. What's your favorite word?
5. What's your favorite part of starting the school year?
6. What's the worst thing about starting the school year?
7. Is the glass half empty or half full?
8. What advice would you give to teachers for starting the new school year?
9. What's the last book you read?
10. What is your favorite professional book?
11. What's your favorite flower?

The News of the Day:

During my training today, I received a phone call from my principal asking if I would be the new Language Arts department chair. So, after some thinking and talking with him I accepted and officially can say that I am the new Language Arts department chair at my middle school! Our former department chair was given an assistant principal job at another middle school last week. Add this to my back to school craziness! This is definitely going to be some year!

Thanks for all the bag recommendations. I went with the Cindy Tote from Thirty-One. Hopefully, this will help me contain all my junk!

Have a great week everyone!