November 22, 2015

Frenzied SLPs: Gobble Up Holiday Goodies!

get ready for the holidays with recipes, crafts, and therapy activities

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Here in North Dakota we have a little dusting of snow on the ground, and it's really starting to feel festive around here. The Frenzied SLPs are back to get you in the holiday spirit with a link-up of Holiday Goodies for you :D


I can NOT wait for Thanksgiving next week - extra time with family, a couple days off of work to relax, and don't forget the yum-o food! I'd like to share a recipe with you that my family traditionally only makes for the holidays.


Krumkake is a Scandinavian dessert that my family makes every single Christmas. You do need a special iron to cook these on, similar to a waffle iron. This is the type of iron I use (not an affiliate link). After baking the batter in the iron, you roll the delicate disc into a cone shape and let it cool. Then it becomes a delicious, sweet, crispy treat. In my family, we eat these plain, although I've seen pictures of them dusted with powdered sugar or filled with whipped cream.


What else does the holiday season mean to me? Lots of homemade crafts and gifts! A couple years ago I made all my nieces and nephews (that's 13 total!) homemade bookmarks for Christmas gifts.

 
                                       (source)

I made monster ones for the boys, and scalloped edges for the girls using this pattern. Since then I've made more for myself and have also used them for Secret Santa at work. Quick, easy to personalize, and they go along with my love of reading. They would also be an excellent therapy activity/gift for your students. Win-win-win-win :)


Need a Thanksgiving-themed craft for your students or family celebration? This Thankfulness Wreath was so heartwarming to make last year at school. I simply cut out a basic leaf shape in a variety of fall colors, students wrote the things they are thankful for in metallic markers, then we pinned them to a styrofoam wreath form and hung it outside my therapy room. I can't wait to make another one with my students this week!

Finally, don't forget about holiday-themed fun in your therapy room. The following activities can be found in my shop:

  
  
  
  

And the 2015 edition of the Gifts of Gab Holiday ebook is hot off the presses! It's packed full of FREEBIES and fabulous therapy resources from over 70 #SLPBloggers! Download your copy here and you'll be fully prepared for the upcoming busy holiday season.


Thanks so much to Sparklle SLP, Speech Universe, and SLP Runner for hosting this Holiday Goodies linky! If you'd like to add your own ideas, feel free to join using the link below. Blessings to each and every one of you for reading!




November 13, 2015

Friday Funny



Happy Birthday to my husband Tony!! I think I have something better than this planned for you today :)

November 08, 2015

Frenzied SLPs: Thankful and Grateful Blog Hop

the Frenzied SLPs are thankful for our readers!

Halloween is over, and now it's time for my absolute most favorite holidays - Thanksgiving and Christmas! I adore the coziness of November and December, all the get-togethers and extra time with family, some time off from work, and of course the food! It's just an awesome time to pause and count your blessings. The Frenzied SLPs are doing just that, and this week we are passing our gratitude along to our wonderful readers:


Three lucky readers will each win a $10 gift card to Starbucks AND a $10 gift card to Teachers Pay Teachers! Here’s how you can participate:
1. Read through the cycle of Thankful and Grateful posts from the Frenzied SLPs.
2. On each post, collect the character at the bottom. Don’t forget to write down the characters in order to discover the secret phrase.
3. Enter the Rafflecopter at the end of any post by typing the secret phrase.
4. An extra entry can be found on The Frenzied SLPs Facebook page.
5. You have until 11/13/2015 to read all the blog posts and enter the Rafflecopter giveaway.
Here are the things I am so very very grateful for in my life:


T: Teachers Pay Teachers and Technology
Starting this blog 3 years ago and creating activities for Teachers Pay Teachers has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. Schoolhouse Talk gives me an opportunity to be creative and motivates me to keep my therapy interesting and fun. I have virtually “met” so many new and talented friends through the blogging world as well as on social media. If you’re not on Instagram, I highly suggest you join. Every single day I am inspired by the things my fellow SLPs all over the world are creating and sharing in that virtual community. Technology is amazing!


H: Housing and Health
These are things that are so easy to take for granted. My husband and I are so fortunate to be able to afford rent on a spacious townhome which is in a super convenient location in our city. And we have no health issues limiting our daily activities. Completely blessed.

A: All my students
This year I am grateful to be working with the grade levels I prefer. I get to have fun and make a difference in the lives of PreK – 5th grade students every time I go to work. They keep me creative, they make me laugh, they are hands down the best part of my job.


N: New pets
In September my husband and I adopted two kittens and they have been so nice to have around! I won’t go so far as to call them my “fur babies”, but Callie and Lucy have sure been fun and I love them ☺

K: Knowing I make a difference
Every time I go to work, I have the privilege of doing a job where I make a difference in the lives of my students. Talk about a blessing! As SLPs, we get to help students learn to communicate and interact with the world around them. It’s such an important job and I am so proud every time I get to tell someone I’m an SLP.


F: Family and Friends
I don’t want to brag here, but I really do have the best husband. Tony, you support me, keep me grounded, believe in me, and make life fun. They say laughing adds years to your life, so I’m sure I’ll live to be 129 years old with how much you make me laugh. You know what else? He came with fantastic in-laws! I also grew up with the best parents who raised me right, and am blessed with 5 sisters whom I am so glad to say are also my friends.

U: each and every one of U!
Wow, I cannot say enough how thankful I am for you, my readers. The fact that people believe in what I write and create enough to spend their own hard-earned money on those resources blows me away! I love connecting with the readers and supporters of Schoolhouse Talk. A million thanks to all of you for the blessings you are in my life!

L: Life
Well, as you can tell from all the items discussed above, I have so much to be thankful for! Writing this post has helped me see I have a pretty great life and should feel blessed every day. Thanks for reading along ☺.

Here is my letter for the secret phrase:


Trot along to the next post and keep collecting those letters for a chance to win one of our three prizes ☺


Once you have visited all 22 blog posts and collected the entire secret phrase, enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter entry on any post. Thank you for reading, and have a blessed holiday season!




a Rafflecopter giveaway