Black Friday Edition of Five for Friday

It has taken me until now, 1:45 PM, to realize that today is Friday. A sure sign that we are not in school! 

Time to link up with Doodle Bugs Teaching!

Our break started off snowy and that was just fine by me. Hubby has the week off too, so we spent Wednesday watching more Grey's Anatomy. We just started a couple months ago and are now well into season 5! (Please, no judgements on how much of my time I've given up to this show..hehe!) 

There is still time to enter this fabulous giveaway!! You can click here to check it out! 

We got off to a healthy start this morning for breakfast...haha! It was bad, but oh so good... If you want the recipe you can click here. 

Do you have your wish list ready?? I'm having so much fun looking through mine and deciding what to buy! My store will be 20% off! 

I've joined in on the Instagram craze! I've always had a personal account, but this week I decided to change the name on the account to match my blog and I'm loving it!! There are so many great teachers to follow out there. 

I'm thinking you can click here to follow me. Can someone tell me if this works? I usually just do IG from my phone! I guess you could also just look me up: polkadotlessonplans

Do you instagram? Leave me a comment with your name so I can follow you!!

Christmas in November

As a huge thank you to all of my followers and fellow teachers, I'm joining in on a fantastic Christmas in November Giveaway.  I've teamed up with some AMAZING teachers to bring you a fantastic giveaway just in time for Christmas.

Giveaway ends on December 1st

I don't know about you, but this school year is flying by.  I feel like I was just prepping Thanksgiving centers and I'm already rushing to get December centers and activities ready.  Holy moly, is it vacation yet???

Here's what all 26 of us came up with!  You can click on the photo to see more.  All you have to do is enter the Rafflecopter below!  Ready, set, go!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Recipes and Holiday Helpers {Five for Friday}

Happy Friday, everyone! With the Thanksgiving Holiday quickly approaching I've got gifts, cooking, and relaxing with family on my mind, so this post is all about that and has nothing to do with school!!

I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching to share some essentials for enjoying the holiday week(end)! Who has the whole week off? We are off Wednesday - Friday!

I am certainly looking forward to some time with family and friends reflecting on all the many blessings God has given me. I hope these little tips and helpers will make your holiday more enjoyable! 

Food first, right? One of my all time favorite comfort foods is Mac and Cheese. I've experimented a lot over the years and have finally declared Paula Deen's Crockpot Mac and Cheese as the best ever - and super easy!! (I leave out the eggs.)

And dessert is the best part, right?! I always bring the chocolate to family get-togethers, so I wanted to share my To Die for Chocolate Cake with you. I don't have a picture of this cake, but you can click here to download the recipe. It is so easy and super moist!! (Using Baker's Joy spray on the bundt pan makes this a really quick cake!)  

Next up, a little book recommendation for any time you may have to relax. I love reading holiday books this time of year and this one was recommended by my sister. Wow!! Was I surprised at how good it was. Certainly not your run of the mill holiday love story...

I've started doing my Black Friday Shopping from the comfort of the couch! My year-round favorite site for deal hunting is SlickDeals. 

The front page deals are the best, but if you're looking for a specific item on Black Friday check out that red tab at the top. 

My latest find for online shopping is invisible hand. It is a browser add on that hides until you land on a product page. Then the little yellow bar pops up and tells you if the price you are seeing is the best one or where it can be found for a better price! There is also an app!

What are your "helpers" this holiday?