Blog Award, Sugar Cookies, and Hilarious Cloud Drawings

First, I'd like to start off by saying that I am so so so glad to be blogging regularly.  It's becoming quite the stress relief.  Anyway, I'd like to say a BIG "Thank You" to Jena over at Caught in the Middle for the Versatile Blogger Award.  I am honored, especially since it is my first blog award!  So, I have also read that you have to follow the rules of receiving the award too, so I will do that!

The rules of this award:

1. Thank the person who nominated you with a link back to them.  
2. Tell 7 things about yourself  
3. Pass this on to 15 newly discovered blogs and let them know they've received an award!  

So now that I did 1 already, I'm on to two: (drum roll)

7 Things About Me

1.) I am a second year teacher.  Last year I taught 7th grade Social Studies, so teaching 6th grade Science and ELA this year is out of my element (well, the Science part at least!) 

2.) I just applied for my 5th New York State teaching certification over the holiday break.  

3.) I love pizza.

4.) I miss taking college courses.  I'd take more right now but they are so darn expensive! 

5.) I used to run all the time and ran in a 5k twice.  I've been out of this for the past two years and really want (and need) to start up again.

6.) I've contemplated moving South to find a permanent teaching job.  My job is at risk again this year due to budget cuts.

7.) My pet fish just had babies.  They are so cute!!!

Step 3: I am passing this award on to as many blogs I follow/found at the Secondary Solutions Linky Party.  It;s not 15 and I am sorry! :(  I feel like my kids when I specifically say, "Explain with 3 details" and then they say, "Is one enough?"  So in advance, I apologize for acting like my 11 year olds.  Maybe they've just rubbed off on me.  On to the awards:

1.) One Reading Idea At A Time

2.) Science Gal

3.) Speech Room News

4.) Your Smarticles

Congrats!! :)

  So, on to the topics of sugar cookies and cloud drawings.

First, the sugar cookies.  I was out shopping at the store the day after Christmas and these bad boys were already marked down to only 75 cents!  Naturally, the first thing that comes to mind are my cute kiddos that would love these treats:

So I meant to bake them Monday for Tuesday's class.  But, remembering this panicked post I completely forgot.  Oops.  So I decided to make them for today.  So I was giving some short notes on Air Masses before we continue to break up into our fronts projects and the rest of the weather unit.  I figured I'd give these out as a little treat in the middle of the 15 minute notes session to break things up.  I was telling my students how air masses are the same throughout and so it's not like a chocolate chip cookie where there's chunks or pockets and how it's the same.  As I go to tell my students what their surprise is, one of my tweens calls out, "Regular cookies that are the same throughout like air masses!!!"  All I could do after quickly wiping the shock off of my face was say, "Yes!  Exactly!  That's why your surprise is a sugar cookie!"  Thank you, my crazy little 11 year old for clarifying the purpose of my lesson.  Perfect moment, I'd say.

My last item I will leave you with is this picture of one of my kid's cloud flip book in his lab journal.  I think the clouds are so stinkin' cute!