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What I’m Thankful For

I am linking up with one of the sweetest bloggers out there, Rachelle from What the Teacher Wants to tell you what I am thankful for.  She was inspired by my best blogging buddy, Cheryl Saoud’s blog, Primary Graffitti.  Cheryl has been a good blogging friend of mine since I started blogging, she even mentions me in her day two post!  Cheryl I am so thankful for you, too!  

What I am most thankful for:

1.  What are you thankful for in your classroom?
I am thankful for my classroom aide Tammie Wolf.  She is my right hand and is so dedicated to her job.  She is a hard worker and is going to school herself for early childhood education.  I don’t have to tell her what to do, she just does.  She reads with students, reviews their word rings, pulls small groups for extra math support, helps me set up my centers, helps with so much paper work, my list could go on and on!  I don’t know what I would do without her.

2. What person are you most thankful for?

I am most thankful for my mother.  She is my rock and my friend.   She is so supportive and can find the good in anything.   She is a teacher and instilled in me the work ethic I have today.  She inspires me to do my best and always lets me know how proud she is of me.  She is always there for me when I need her and she is a shoulder to cry on.  I call her all the time.  One time, my cat got spooked by the dogs and hung herself from the Roman shades upside down by her claws.  My instinct was to just grab the cat and help her off, the cat’s instinct was to bite down hard on my wrist.  I was squirting blood everywhere.  I started to panic and my vision began to blur.  I called my mother and told her the cat bit me and I was going blind.  She very calmly told me she would be right over and she was.  Turns out I was having a panic attack, not going blind from blood loss.  My mom came over and dressed my wounds, she asked my aunt, a nurse practitioner, for advice and I needed a tetanus shot and antibiotics.  We still laugh about how I almost went blind from a cat bite.

3. What 3 blogs are you most thankful for?
I am thankful to all the blogs out there and all my followers but these blogs helped get me started.

Ladybug has great techy tips and those have helped me with my blog.  I would not have know how to tag posts if it were not for her!

I am thankful to Deanna Jump’s blog.  This is the first blog I ever went to and inspired me to start my own.  Not only is she a power seller for TpT, but she is also a kind person.  I feel like a celebrity is emailing me when I get a message from her! 

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I am thankful for What the Teacher Wants!  I love how they list all of the blogs they follow.  It is so nice to see a blog with so many followers go out of their way to add bloggers like me to their blog roll.  I also, love how Rachelle is so on top of all the blog posts and always has such nice comments.  I hope one day to meet up with her!

4. What guilty pleasure are you most thankful for?
I agree with Rachelle and love, love the Hunger Games!  But I think reading is not a guilty pleasure, I think reading great literature is good for you and pleasurable, so I am not listing it here.  I count TV watching as a guilty pleasure and reading US Weekly!

My new favorite show is Once Upon a Time.  I have always loved fairy tales and happily ever after.  

I cannot wait for my US Weekly to arrive in the mail each week.  I love all the gossip and photos!

5. What are you most thankful for?
I have so much to be thankful for and I have to remind myself this everyday.  This week has been hard on me as I turn 33 on Tuesday and will celebrate another birthday alone.  I have watched almost all of my friends get married and move on with their lives.  It is frustrating and lonely.  But I cannot allow myself to wallow in self-pity.  I have so much to be thankful for.  I have great friends, who are there for me no matter what.  I have two adorable dogs that light up my life.  My family is close and so supportive and wonderful.  I have my job; when so many teachers in my district, who are just a year below me in seniority, have lost theirs.   I have a love for the gym and the way I feel after working out.  This keeps me going, up to six times a week!   I have my health.  
I am especially thankful for this blog, the blogging community, and Teachers Pay Teachers.  Pre blog, I was not making that much on Teachers Pay Teachers.  Once, I started blogging my sales picked up.  I also learned about the best places to get graphics and fonts from my fellow bloggers.  I picked up marketing tips and my sales have never been better.  Teachers Pay Teachers has allowed me as a single homeowner to start spending money without feeling guilty.  Shopping makes me happy and it used to make me sad too when I realized I was putting myself into dept or those new boots would cost me a week of not eating well.  So thank you Teachers Pay Teachers and Paul for providing me the platform to sell my products.  My students love when I make a new product and are excited about learning.  I love that I get to share that product and learning joy with all of you and your students.  

Niles and Sophie, my dogs!
We all got Snuggies for Christmas!  *You are probably saying, “hmm, after seeing these photos, I know why she is still single.”

Now what are you thankful for?

Filed Under: All About Erica, Thanksgiving, Uncategorized

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Rachelle

    November 21, 2011 at 1:03 am

    FIRST OF ALL…I {heart} you!!!! Girl, you are gorgeous, talented, sweet, and one hell of a teacher! You would be SNATCHED up in a minute where I live!

    No, reading isn't really a guilty pleasure, but when you are OBSESSED with it….it might become just that! HA!

    Second of all…seriously, how sweet are you? AH! You listed me as one of your favorite blogs and I.about.cried! SO SWEET! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

    And thanks for linking up. Now I don't have to feel like the last kid picked on the kickball team! HA!

    -RAchelle
    whattheteacherwants.blogspot.com

  2. Kristen

    November 21, 2011 at 1:17 am

    Oh Erica, this was the nicest thing to read. I loved reading what you said about your mom! I have a very similar relationship with mine. That cat story is hysterical (though it would be extremely frightening at the time!!).

    You made me lol with picture at the end–and NO!! None of us are thinking that! I can't believe you are single, you are amazing! I just turned 33 this year too and it's been the first hard birthday (at least the first one where age bugged me a bit).

    Thank you for including my blog in your thanks! I am continually amazed at the work you do and it means so much coming from you, someone I greatly admire.
    Kristen

  3. Mrs. Saoud

    November 21, 2011 at 2:14 am

    I HEART YOU!

    Cheryl

  4. Ms. Rachel

    November 21, 2011 at 2:42 am

    I live in northern MI, you would fit right in here with that snuggy!

    I love your blog and am totally thankful for all the AMAZING ideas that you share!!!!!

  5. Jodi

    November 21, 2011 at 2:43 am

    Happy early birthday! You are a beautiful and kind person that has accomplished so much. You should be very proud of yourself.

    Jodi
    fun-in-first.blogspot.com

  6. Reagan Tunstall

    November 21, 2011 at 3:08 am

    I read your post like an US weekly! {I want more!!!} It was hysterical! I am still laughing about the cat and the blindness.
    Reagan
    Tunstall's Teaching Tidbits

  7. Maria

    November 21, 2011 at 3:08 am

    Thank you, Erica, I am touched. I am blessed to have you for a daughter. And yes, I am so proud of the teacher, person, you are…you are caring, intelligent, hard-working, beautiful…the list goes on. The day you were born, you gave us so much to be thankful for on Thanksgiving…and we continue to thank God for you. Love you! Love, Mom

  8. Lindsey (The Teacher Wife)

    November 21, 2011 at 4:14 am

    girl, i love those doggie snuggies and yours! they are too cute!

    and yes, i do wonder why you are still single. i think you are so beautiful, creative, kind… i could go on and on! there is one lucky guy out there for you! 🙂

  9. Mrs. Missy Kennedy, Master Teacher, MAT

    November 21, 2011 at 5:05 am

    Happy Thanksgiving!

    The Kennedy Korral

  10. Jill

    November 22, 2011 at 2:02 am

    I love your Snuggie!!! I don't even know what I did before I had mine…… haha!!

    Marvelous Multiagers!

  11. Mrs. Saoud

    November 23, 2011 at 5:58 am

    You are awarded the sunshine award.

    Cheryl
    Primary Graffiti

  12. Ginger Snaps

    November 23, 2011 at 4:28 pm

    What I wouldn't give to have a teacher aide!! My life would be so much easier!

  13. Sarah Mackey

    January 4, 2012 at 3:02 am

    First of all, I would like to say thanks to you for inspiring me to begin this blogging addiction. And second for helping me get started on TpT and knowing where to go for all the "goods" to put on my products. I don't have much up there yet, and compared to your products mine seem pretty pathetic actually, but like all of you that have posted, you all had to start somewhere. Thank you for being such an inspiration in: teaching, blogging, facebooking, and life in genereal.

    Sarah Mackey
    http:mackeysclassroom.blogspot.com

  14. Sarah Mackey

    January 4, 2012 at 3:06 am

    And yes, how do you find the time to work out 6 days a week???? Amazing!

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