Teacher Appreciation Gifts and Ideas - Round Up

Hello all!!  Next week is my favorite week of the school year...Teacher Appreciation Week!!!!!  I now say this as a parent, and not a teacher....and it's STILL my favorite week :)  When I was in the classroom, I loved it just as much.   I loved when the kids would come in carrying their little handwritten letters, notes, and thank you cards.  They were always so excited to watch me read them and then hang them up in the classroom...just BEAMING with pride!!!!  Of course, I didn't mind the unexpected treats either, but it was always the handwritten notes and letters that made me most excited...I mean, you can't put a price on sincerity!!! 

All that to be said, now that I'm on the other side of things, I love Teacher Appreciation week for totally different reasons.  I try to give back all year, but this is the one week of the school year where I'm really intentional about it.  I love to be able to tangibly show our teachers how much I truly appreciate the love and time they give to my kids...all our kids...and I think it's so important to let them know how much they are valued.  I know the sacrifices they make....I know the work and time they put in...and I am so beyond grateful for what they do.  While gifts are never expected, I like to send little things throughout the week just to say "thanks".  I thought it would be fun to talk about some things and round-up some of my favorite ideas today.

Parents, just remember that it doesn't take money to show your teachers you appreciate them, so by no means am I suggesting you go out and buy, buy, buy! 

 Here are some ideas that don't cost a thing....

* Email a letter of appreciation to the principal of your child's school and CC your child's teacher.  Use the email as a way to "brag" on your child's teacher ...let his/her principal know how much you value the teacher.  You can't imagine how much this means to teachers!!!  

* Send a handwritten note of appreciation to your child's teacher.  Y'all...I have hung onto these handwritten notes from parents since my first year of teaching 13 years ago!!!!  They are GOLD!!!

* Spend a day volunteering in your child's classroom...an extra set of hands is ALWAYS appreciated.

* If you aren't able to physically volunteer at school, offer your time to volunteer at home...cutting, sorting, etc.  I loved when parents offered to do this for me!!!  

* Offer to cover your teacher's lunch duty for a day so that he/she can have a duty-free lunch!  I know this isn't something parents can do at every campus, but I do know it's possible at some!!!  It's worth a shot to check it out just in case :)  

* Pray for them.  Pray for them.  And pray for them some more.

Here are a few ideas that cost a little, but are guaranteed to put a smile on your teacher's face :)

* Provide lunch for your child's teacher for a day.  Make it yourself or pick something up from your teacher's favorite restaurant or fast food establishment.  Grab their order the day before you plan on bringing it to them so that they don't come with a lunch the following day.  There's nothing more glorious than knowing you don't have to pack a lunch in the morning :)

* Make dinner for your teacher and his/her family.  Pack it up and drop it off at school so that he/she can take it home that night.  More often than not, teachers work late and having a dinner already prepared is nothing short of amazing.

* Bring your child's teacher his/her favorite Sonic or Starbuck's drink...such a special treat!  Always puts a little pep in their step :)

* Bake a batch of your teacher's favorite cookies for him/her....this was always my personal favorite!

* Donate to a charity in their name.

* Pay it forward with random acts of kindness in their honor.

Last year I had my teachers fill out THIS QUESTIONNAIRE

 ...and then used the info to pack a little baggie filled with some of their favorite things (snacks, drinks, candy, magazines).  I printed the message on the baggies myself, but you could easily print out the gift tag below and attach it to a baggie instead.

 PRINTABLE GIFT TAG

And, of course, I've used a TON of  "pinspired" ideas to gift not just during teacher appreciation week, but  other times during the year as well.  Here's a round-up of some of my favorites!!!!

Hand soap and printable gift tag from the ladies at Eighteen25.  Teachers ALWAYS need hand soap or "hanitizer", LOL.

PRINTABLE GIFT TAG & pic via Eighteen 25

This Target gift card printable from Landeelu is, well, on target.  Ha.  Teachers love Target!

 GIFT CARD PRINTABLE & pic via Landeelu

Teachers haul A LOT of stuff back and forth from school to home and back again.  They can never have too many tote bags!  This tote tag from Delightfully Noted is adorable!

PRINTABLE TOTE TAG & pic via Delightfully Noted

Love the idea of a basket of sunshine from Nothing But Country!!!  Although this is listed as an end-of-year gift, this would be great for Teacher Appreciation Week as well!!!  

PRINTABLE GIFT TAG & pic via Nothing But Country

If you have a Nothing Bundt Cakes nearby, this would be perfect!  Of course, a homemade bundt cake would be just as amazing.  Just attach his sweet gift tag from Eighteen 25 to top it off!!

PRINTABLE GIFT TAG & pic via Eighteen 25

I absolutely LOVED getting potted plants from my parents.  They all knew about my "black thumb" condition, so I would typically get plants that didn't require a lot of sunlight, water, or care, hahaha.  I loved keeping plants in the classroom and some of them even came home with me to plant in our flower beds.  I have one that keeps blooming every summer!!!  

PRINTABLE GIFT TAG & pic via The Blackberry Vine

Of course, those are only a FEW ideas and some of my most favorite.  You can find TONS more on Pinterest.  SO many ideas...it'll kind of make your head hurt.  

All this to be said, just remember that teachers aren't waiting with bated breath to get gifts next week.  It's nothing we ever expect.  The best gifts are those that come from the heart.  Words of appreciation go a long, LONG way!!!!

The Snuggle Is Real Christmas Gift & Printable Tags

Looking for a easy and affordable gift to give to your co-workers, neighbors, or teachers?!  Something that doesn't break the bank, but it cute and useful?!  How about a blanket?!  Maybe I'm the only one who doesn't think there's such thing as too many :)  Right now Wal Mart has adorable leopard print blankets for $4.98 and Old Navy has their fleece selection of blankets on sale for $5.  A steal!!!  I personally think blankets make great gifts...especially this time of the year!  

DOWNLOAD PRINTABLE GIFT TAG

Halloween Treats

I know I've said it before, but it bears repeating again.  

I LOVE HALLOWEEN!!!!  

I love everything about it.  Not the gore and the horror {although scary movies are my most favorite to watch}, but everything else.  There will always be a little kid in me that just wants to trick-or-treat, veg out on candy, and watch as many scary movies as I can.  And let's be real.  I sorta still get to do that, but nowadays I send my kids door-to-door and when we come back home to check out our loot, I take their candy...y'know, only the pieces that look unsafe to eat {aka: my favorites...sour patch kids & kit kats}.  Once the boys come down from their sugar high, we send them to bed and then stay up late watching old scary movies, laughing at the parts that used to freak us out as kids, and enjoy every last bit of that "unsafe" candy I took away from the kids earlier.  Life is good.

Now I want to share a few last minute Halloween treats if you're in search of something to send to school with your kids this week.

If there's any day in the school year that teachers need a little pick-me-up, it's the day before...and after...Halloween.  And Valentine's Day.  And, well, any day that involves copious amounts of sugar.
And let's take a minute to say "thank you" to those teachers at school this week.  Between Red Ribbon week, the week preceding Halloween, and a FULL MOON (Dear LAWD!...the perfect storm!!!), they need all the support...and sweets...they can get!!!

 But seriously, teachers need to know you stand with them in solidarity on this crazy, crazy week.  So we're sending our teachers a batch of homemade cookies this year because teachers like sugar, too :)  And hey, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em ;)  

{cookie recipe HERE}

About a week ago, my youngest was begging to make Peanut Butter Blossoms.  I've never made them before, but he had some at a friend's house and he couldn't stop talking about them.  So I went on a hunt for a recipe and then stumbled upon this recipe and picture.

via Allrecipes.com

DARLING!!!!  

I wanted to try it.  I really did.  But I decided a batch of regular PB Blossoms would do the trick because ain't nobody got time for all that.  And then I went to Target and found these little Wilton eyes in the baking section.  And a little squeeze tube of icing.  And then I was all, "I'll make time for that" because sometimes I like to torture myself and do things completely unnecessary.  

And it was fun.

I do realize that these guys look a lot more like the worm from "Diary of a Worm" than spiders, but hey...they'll work.

I bought these darling cookie containers at Dillard's last year a few weeks after Halloween.  I wish I would've bought more.  I scored 'em for a whopping $3 a piece!!!!  I LOVE scouring the sale shelves at Dillard's after season.  You can find the best stuff for the cheapest prices!  Perfect for gift giving!!!   I pulled them out the other day and knew our little spider blossom cookies would be a perfect fit!  Unfortunately, I only had two, so I improvised and pulled out another cookie jar I've been holding onto for a few years and I'll be using that one to send to school also.  

We gave these little boxes to the boys' teachers last year.  I found the printable from My Sister's Suitcase HERE and stuffed the boxes with a cozy pair of socks and foot cream.  Simple and sweet!  The cups were a fun treat for their friends...I just cut out & glued on a mouth {drawing them took too long!}, googly eyes, and filled them with cheese balls!  Couldn't have been easier!

My oldest wanted me to make goodie bags for his class again this year and I was totally on board.  Then I saw this on Pinterest {for the love!!!!}

via Sugar, Spice, & Spilled Milk

I can't melt white chocolate without burning it every.single.time. so I wasn't really sold on the idea until I found these melts at Hobby Lobby.

SOLD.

So I made a class set of these for both boys to take to their friends tomorrow.  I mean, they'll get plenty of candy trick-or-treating, so this seemed like a pretty fun alternative and they really didn't take long at all to make! And they were SO easy!!!!! 

  I remember being in high school and still trick-or-treating.  {Confession:  I went trick-or-treating when I was a freshman in college.  I definitely dressed up as a cow and tagged along with my younger siblings and cousin.  Growing up at that point wasn't an option :)} I know "big kids" still like to trick-or-treat.  It's a tricky time because they wanna be all grown up, but they still want to do all the fun things kids get to do, too.  They don't want to let their childhood go.  I'm still trying to hold onto mine!  LOL.  My husband is an athletic trainer and works with the best kids.  They love fun treats and surprises.

I wanted to do something a little special for them to say 'thank you' for everything they do and hopefully make them smile.  Even big kids are still kids.  So they'll be getting these...

Of course, gauze would've been cuter, but all I had was crepe paper and it works just the same :)  I used a dollop of hot glue to adhere it in place then tied it all up with a little ribbon.  The paper inserts on the lid were printed and then cut out with a 2.5" circle cutter {found at Hobby Lobby}. It was the perfect size!  I didn't glue it down or anything...I just placed it on top of the lid then screwed down the rim to secure it in place.

The jars are filled to the brim with candy....good candy {there IS a difference! Ha!!!}  

Can't wait for Halloween!!  And if you're a teacher, God bless your sweet soul.

Last Minute Halloween Gifts

I know I've said it before, but it bears repeating again.  

I LOVE HALLOWEEN!!!!  

I love everything about it.  Not the gore and the horror {although scary movies are my most favorite to watch}, but everything else.  There will always be a little kid in me that just wants to trick-or-treat, veg out on candy, and watch as many scary movies as I can.  And let's be real.  I sorta still get to do that, but nowadays I send my kids door-to-door and when we come back home to check out our loot, I take their candy...y'know, only the pieces that look unsafe to eat {aka: my favorites...sour patch kids & kit kats}.  Once the boys come down from their sugar high, we send them to bed and then stay up late watching old scary movies, laughing at the parts that used to freak us out as kids, and enjoy every last bit of that "unsafe" candy I took away from the kids earlier.  Life is good.

Now I want to share a few last minute Halloween treats if you're in search of something to send to school with your kids tomorrow.

If there's any day in the school year that teachers need a little pick-me-up, it's Halloween.  And Valentine's Day.  And, well, any day that involves copious amounts of sugar.  But seriously, teachers need to know you stand with them in solidarity on this crazy, crazy day.  So we're sending our teachers a batch of homemade cookies this year because teachers like sugar, too :)  And hey, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em ;)  

{cookie recipe HERE}

About a week ago, my youngest was begging to make Peanut Butter Blossoms.  I've never made them before, but he had some at a friend's house and he couldn't stop talking about them.  So I went on a hunt for a recipe and then stumbled upon this recipe and picture.  

via Allrecipes.com

DARLING!!!!  

I wanted to try it.  I really did.  But I decided a batch of regular PB Blossoms would do the trick because ain't nobody got time for all that.  And then I went to Target and found these little Wilton eyes in the baking section.  And a little squeeze tube of icing.  And then I was all, "I'll make time for that" because sometimes I like to torture myself and do things completely unnecessary.  

And it was fun.

I do realize that these guys look a lot more like the worm from "Diary of a Worm" than spiders, but hey...they'll work.

I bought these darling cookie containers at Dillard's last year a few weeks after Halloween.  I wish I would've bought more.  I scored 'em for a whopping $3 a piece!!!!  I LOVE scouring the sale shelves at Dillard's after season.  You can find the best stuff for the cheapest prices!  Perfect for gift giving!!!   I pulled them out the other day and knew our little spider blossom cookies would be a perfect fit!  Unfortunately, I only had two, so I improvised and pulled out another cookie jar I've been holding onto for a few years and I'll be using that one to send to school also.  

We gave these little boxes to the boys' teachers last year.  I found the printable from My Sister's Suitcase HERE and stuffed the boxes with a cozy pair of socks and foot cream.  Simple and sweet!  The cups were a fun treat for their friends...I just cut out & glued on a mouth {drawing them took too long!}, googly eyes, and filled them with cheese balls!  Couldn't have been easier!

My oldest wanted me to make goodie bags for his class again this year and I was totally on board.  Then I saw this on Pinterest {for the love!!!!}

via Sugar, Spice, & Spilled Milk

I can't melt white chocolate without burning it every.single.time. so I wasn't really sold on the idea until I found these melts at Hobby Lobby.

SOLD.

So I made a class set of these for both boys to take to their friends tomorrow.  I mean, they'll get plenty of candy trick-or-treating, so this seemed like a pretty fun alternative and they really didn't take long at all to make! And they were SO easy!!!!! 

This will be the first year that Mr. Spouse won't be home to trick-or-treat.  SADSVILLE.  He has a game that night and we're thissad about it.  When he works {he's an athletic trainer} so do his kids.  I remember being in high school and still trick-or-treating.  {Confession:  I went trick-or-treating when I was a freshman in college.  I definitely dressed up as a cow and tagged along with my younger siblings and cousin.  Growing up at that point wasn't an option :)} Those big kids are bummed they'll be missing out on all the Halloween festivities this year and that makes me sad.  So we're bringing a little bit of Halloween to them.

I wanted to do something a little special for them to say 'thank you' for everything they do and hopefully make them smile.  Even big kids are still kids.  So they'll be getting these tomorrow...

Of course, gauze would've been cuter, but all I had was crepe paper and it works just the same :)  I used a dollop of hot glue to adhere it in place then tied it all up with a little ribbon.  The paper inserts on the lid were printed and then cut out with a 2.5" circle cutter {found at Hobby Lobby}. It was the perfect size!  I didn't glue it down or anything...I just placed it on top of the lid then screwed down the rim to secure it in place.

The jars are filled to the brim with candy....good candy {there IS a difference! Ha!!!}  

Can't wait 'til tomorrow!!!  And if you're a teacher, God bless your sweet soul.  I'm sure you wish you could press fast forward until Saturday {oh, sweet Saturday}.   Look on the bright side.  At least you're not dealing with a full moon, too ;)  

Orange You Glad?!

Remember last week when I told you how much I love my boys teachers?!  I wasn't kidding.  I know how hard and tiring that first week of school can be.  And to anyone who's ever taught before, you know EXACTLY what I'm talking about...

Can I get an amen?!

Needless to say, I really wanted the boys teachers to know how much I appreciate them and what they do for my kids.  I know the sacrifices they make.  The late nights.  The 18 hour days.  The missed dinners.  And bedtime prayers with the kids.  And the mind numbing exhaustion which doesn't seem to let up until sometime around June :)  I appreciate them more than they know.

I won't be sending little gift baskets to school every week.  I'm pretty sure I'm finished for a while.  But I will send them little things every now and then.  It's nice to feel appreciated and to know that what you do is acknowledged.  Especially that first week.  

After sending the teachers their survival kits on the first day, I decided to end the week with a small little basket of fun to wish them a happy weekend.  There's no better weekend than the weekend following the first week of school...especially when it's a 3-day weekend.  WELL DESERVED for sure!

This idea is nothing new.  I didn't create it.  I just borrowed it.  And you can find lots of them on Pinterest.  Here's my little take....

And here's what we put inside...

Orange basket, ribbon, and mini clip chalkboard were all found in the party section at Hobby Lobby.  

Of course, you could add your own perfect spin and put in anything orange you can find, too.  

I tucked all the goodies into a spare piece of burlap I had hanging around and then sent the boys off to school.  Uh...should've rethought that whole idea.  They had quite the time getting out of the car and carrying them inside.  Whoops!  

I went ahead and changed the printable to say "Have a great weekend!" instead of "Have a great 3-day weekend!" so that they can be used any time of the year :)  You can download a printable copy by clicking on the pic below.

Orange you glad it's Labor Day?!  I love time off to spend with my family....and I'm off to do just that!

Back to School

 For most schools here in Texas, yesterday was the first day of school.  This is an event my boys have been anticipating for the last month.  Once all of our summer travels were over, they would excitedly ask, "when do we go back to school??!?!?!?!?"    For the last few weeks ,the excitement has been building.  The boys met their teachers last week and they haven't been able to stop talking about school since they walked out of their brand new classrooms on "Meet the Teacher" night.  Excited would be an understatement...for all of us ;)

I decided to do a little something special for their first day back.  This was completely unnecessary and over the top.  Ridiculous and absurd.  {Insert your adjectives here}.  BUT...every now and then I like to do things that surprise even myself ;)  And it was an added bonus that I didn't have to buy ONE.DARN.THING for this little special back to school breakfast!  Being a teacher with lots of goodies on hand sure has it's perks ;)

Like I said, I had everything on hand.  I randomly collect globes, so yes...I had those, too.  The only thing I really had to do was print out those little subway prints and put them in a few extra frames I had in my closet.   I haven't done anything like this in forever and I forgot how much I really do enjoy it.  Lawd knows this may never happen again ;)

My youngest, Grant,  woke up in a terrible, horrible, no good mood {I'm blaming it on the nerves} and my oldest, Landon,  was FIRED.UP.  He was SO excited about his special back to school breakfast.  Grant pretty much told me it wasn't that cool and refused to eat the blueberry muffins and fruit I woke up early to make from scratch.  So honey buns it was....nothing like a big plate of processed food for breakfast.  No time for arguing on the first day.  At least he sat at the table to eat.  We'll call it a success :)

After breakfast, Grant was in much better spirits.   He was even willing to take our annual first day pics.  Landon has started to do this funky I'm-smiling-but-I'm-really-not-smiling kind of smile and that's always fun to look at after the fact.  Bless.  Gosh dang I love these boys.  Fake smiles and all ;)

I made their little first day prints in the frames.  If you have kids going back to school this week or next, you can make these, too!  I created a little power point file with grades Pre-K - 5th and all you have to do is insert your info.  Here's the fonts you'll need...

You can download the power point and insert all of your own info :)

I know I told you this before, but I absolutely LOVE the boys teachers.  They are so sweet and so precious.  I know it's going to be an AWESOME year!!!!  Because I love teachers so much, I REALLY love to treat the boys teachers to little unexpected goodies throughout the year. There are a MILLION of these floating around out there, but I went and recreated the wheel because these are the "favorites" I wanted to know from their teachers.  There are lots of other teacher questionnaires out there, but they didn't have all these exact "favorites" included.  If this is something you think you can use, just click the pic below to download your copy.  

Speaking of little treats, I made these for the teachers for their first day of school!

I LOVED putting this together!!  I got plain terra cotta pots {Michaels} and painted them with black acrylic paint.  They dry in about 2 minutes so this was a SUPER quick project.  Then I just took a white paint pen and wrote the teachers last names on the surface.  I found that great little leopard print burlap ribbon and Michaels and used that to tie around the rim.  I only needed one roll of the ribbon.  Our school colors are blue & white.  I found that polka dotted tissue paper in the party section at Target.  Then I just started piling all the goodies inside.

Here's what I included....

There are TONS of ideas for teacher survival kits on Pinterest if you're wanting to assemble your own!

I tied little tags around each item with a little "blurb" about what it was for.  I did this BEFORE I realized it would've been easier to just type up a little something to put in the basket.  

If you want to create a little survival kit for your child's teacher...or your teammates...just click on the pic below for your printable download.

Well that sure felt good to just dive right back in and start blogging after such a long hiatus!  I've been stockpiling recipes and randomness to share.  And I have a new blog design coming SOON!  Can't wait to get back on this train :)