Thrifty Finds and a Sale!

Linking up with Speech Room News today to show my thrifty finds!  I have to admit my local thrift store was a little underwhelming this time.  It really took some digging to even be able to come up with the things that I did purchase!  

Here were my fabulous items that I scored!

1.  Operation!  It's even the new version and it was only $2.  Great reinforcement for my kids.  Maybe I'll even stick tiny foam shapes in there with their artic words on them!  :)

2.  A magic hat set.  Also for $2.  I figured this would be fun to use by placing objects in the hat or under the cups for describing, identifying, artic, etc.  Cute!

3.  Lots of cheapo kids books!  Any SLP can always use more books, right?  It's what we do best!  I love them and am always on the lookout for good ones that are short enough for a therapy session yet appropriate for my kids.

These were some of my favorite finds.  I've also found some pretty decent pretend play toys in the past and books of course.  Since I'm not at work these days, I can't post pics of those.  ;)

Be sure and head over to Speech Room News to check out all of the other amazing finds!

Oh, and I'm participating in the SLP 4th of July Sale!  Be sure and visit my TPT store to get a head start on those things you'll need for next year!

2014-2015 Speech Therapy Planner Review

How do you like to keep track of your paperwork and keep your speechie self organized?  Do you use a computer-based calendar?  A fancy expensive planner?  A TPT product?  Your phone?  Post-it notes scattered all over your desk?  I think I've probably used all of the above in the past.  For some reason I keep going back to good old paper.  I just love pretty printables and designs and washi tape.

Now I do use my outlook calendar for appointment reminders, but for the million other things I have to organize and keep track of I'm just loving my planner!  A couple of you have asked how I set mine up and use it....so get excited because I made a little video to review it!  I wanted to go ahead and show it to you now before I started filling it out with a bunch of confidential info.  ;)  You can view it near the bottom of this post.

I've also added 2014-2015 calendar add-ons for those of you who don't want to sit and hand write in all of the months.  There are even a few additional covers included as well!  The calendar and covers match the rest of my newly updated planner and are available in both colors and black-and-white.

Here is a little preview of what's inside the TPT full planner packet!

All of these pages are available in both color and black-and-white as well!  Check out my full review from my video here:

Enter the contest on the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win both the Speech Therapy Planner and the 2014-15 Calendar Add-Ons!  Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

To-Do List Stickers!! {FREEBIE}

As SLPs I think it's safe to say that we are all familiar with the list.  We make list of kids, a list of reasons why, a list of supplies, or especially a to-do list.  Though actually doing the things on the list isn't always the most fun part of my day, it definitely helps if the list is bright and cutesie!

Maybe something like this??  ;)  I made these adorable list stickers that can be printed onto label paper or sticker paper and stuck right onto your planner or binder pages.  Here's what mine looks like on my planner:

You could also print them on regular paper and cut them out.  Stick them wherever you'd like with washi tape or double sided tape.  They come in both color and black and white designs.  

Grab this freebie from my TPT store HERE.  What do you think?  I might just use these in my new Erin Condren planner that I just ordered as well!

Summer = Reading Books on My List

I heart reading...no really.  It's one of my absolute favorite things to do, especially now that we keep getting these summer rain showers almost every other day.  There's something about rain that makes me want to curl up with a good book and cup of coffee and climb into someone else's world for a bit.

I thought I'd share a little peek at what's on my Kindle just in case you're a fellow book-lover.  Be sure and check out last year's book list post as well to get even more ideas!  A couple of disclaimers:  These books are not all speech related - just a good mix of what I'm wanting to read.  Also this post contains Amazon-affiliate links for your convenience.

1.  Bridge to Haven ~ Francine Rivers

I have been waiting for this one!  It's Francine Rivers's new book and I just know it's gonna be amazing like all of her other ones.  It tells the story of a small town girl in the 50s who's trying to be a movie star.  Of course it will have an underlying spiritual element with grace and redemption at the forefront.  Yay!




2. The Selection ~ Kiera Cass

This book is supposed to be something like The Bachelor meets The Hunger Games but much less violent.  It's a futuristic setting where 35 girls compete for the heart of the prince.  Just a fun easy read.






3. The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism ~ Naoki Higashida

This is the first book in the SLP book club hosted by [simply speech.].  It gives a glimpse into the mind of a 13 year old boy with autism and how he struggles and responds in different situations.  Sounds fascinating!





4. Crazy Busy: A (Mercifully) Short Book about a (Really) Big Problem ~ Kevin DeYoung

This one's a Christian book that helps to find a balance in our crazy busy world.  He gives lots of biblical principals to help us find the root of our busy problems.






5.  I Am in Here: The Journey of a Child with Autism Who Cannot Speak but Finds Her Voice ~ Elizabeth Bonker

This is another book about a child with autism.  This little girl learns to communicate by letter board then by typing and eventually begins to write amazing poetry.  Sounds right up my alley!






6. Defending Jacob: A Novel ~ William Landay

This one was recommended to me last year.  It tells the story of an attorney who ends up having to defend his son in a murder investigation.  Sounds like a thriller for sure!






7. Out of My Mind ~ Sharon Draper

Here's another one that was recommended to my by a fellow speechie.  I think it's geared toward young adults, but it tells the story of a young girl who can't walk, talk, or write.  I'm excited to give it a read.






8. Love Does: Discover a Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World ~ Bob Goff

This book tells Bob's story of impacting the world by a real, faith-based love.  It was recommended by a co-worker, so I was interested in checking it out.








I usually read at least 10 books, so I'll probably read the rest of the trilogy by Kiera Cass as well as whatever other books are in simply speech's reading club.

What books are on your list this summer??  I'd LOVE to hear from you!

Where Have You Been?

Well hello there.  Yes, I've been a little absent lately.  No, I haven't dropped off the face of the Earth.  :)  I just needed a few weeks to finish out my crazy school year, which felt like this:

Then, I took a little break to do this:

Plus, I went to training and have been prepping for a camp that I'm working at next week.  It's called Royal Family Kids Camp, where I get the chance to bring hope, smiles, and fun memories to local abused and neglected foster kids.  I'm beyond excited.  Please pray for us next week as we serve and share Christ with these kiddos.  It's a national organization so click the link to get involved in a camp near you!

Get excited because I'm back and ready to roll out lots of fun posts for you this summer.  I've got some app reviews, organization ideas, new products, lists, and lots more to show you.

One thing that makes organizing blog posts so much easier is my Erin Condren Planner.  And guess what?  The new 2014-2015 planner releases tomorrow!  WOOOHOOO!

Sign up using THIS LINK and save $10 on your first purchase!  I can't wait to see all of the new designs and fun updates.  Check out her website here.

Are you out of school yet?  What fun plans do you have for this summer?

Summer Worksheets with a Freebie! :)

Summer is right around the corner for me.  Only one more week of school left!  Woohoo!  If you've got longer, don't be too jealous.  I have to go back to work August 4th!!  Bleh so early.  But no worries.  I've got a new worksheet pack to get you through the craziness of  the rest of the year.

This one is similar to the rest of my homework packs.  It comes with 13 generic worksheets including do-a-dots, roll and color, tic-tac-toe, cut and glue activities, drawing, and more.

It also comes with 5 worksheets for /r/ and 5 for /s/ with the words already filled in for you.  :)

Cute right?  I've already used them with my kids and they loved it!  This pack is available in my TPT store HERE.

And for an extra special end-of-the-year treat, you can grab a couple of extra dot worksheets for FREE!  Just click here to access them!  

Happy end of school!  

Happy to Be an SLP Blog Hop

Welcome to the Better Hearing & Speech Month Blog Hop!  To celebrate BHSM, my bloggy friends and I created some informative and fun posts to increase awareness and chat about some of the topics in our fabulous field.  :)

So grab a cup of coffee (or tea, if that's your thing) and settle down to hop through the blogs and find out some good information to share with your friends, teachers, and parents.  At the end of the hop you'll be able to enter to win some A-Mazing prizes!  To participate just follow the picture links and grab a code letter.  The letters on each blog will spell out a secret code, which you'll need to use for the giveaway at the end.  

Now, I made a little video for my BHSM post!  I'll be talking a little about tips for teachers and parents when dealing with kids who exhibit language learning disorders.  Check it!

Well, I hope that was helpful to you!  Thanks so much for watching and enjoy the hop!  

Here's my letter code!

To go on to the next blog just click the following button. . .

Or if you'd like to start at the beginning click here. . .

Happy hopping!

If you're happy to be an SLP like we are, take a peek at our fabulous video thanks to thedabblingspeechie!!

An InLinkz Link-up