I'm "It"!

OK, so there is a rousing game of tag bouncing around the teacher blogging world. And apparently I'm now "it" according to Denise at:

So first, the boring stuff. Here are the "rules":

1. You must post the rules.
2. Post 12 fun facts about yourself on the blog post.
3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and then create 12 new questions for the people you tagged.
4. Tag 12 people and link them on your post.
5. Let them know you've tagged them!
12 Fun (well, to me anyway) Facts About Me1. I was a former journalist before changing careers to become a teacher.2. I have gotten to interview some famous people: Billy Bob Thornton, Dakota Fanning, and Jada Pinkett Smith.3. I have two beautiful children who are my world.4. The first movie I ever saw in a theater was Star Wars (guess I sort of revealed my age with that one).5. I have gotten to travel overseas twice for free... to Italy and Costa Rica.6. I am truly a cat person, but we own a cat, a dog, and a fish.7. I am clinically addicted to blogging, Facebook, and Pinterest. But I have a hard time getting into Twitter.8. My husband is also a teacher.9. I was a competitive gymnast until I went away to college.10. I was a cheerleader for my college.11. Even though I am female, I am a bigger sports fan than my husband. Go Spurs Go!12. I am really good at cutting and serving cake because in high school I worked birthday parties held at my gymnastic club.

Here are my answers to Denise's 12 questions:

1. What subject do you like to teach the most? Given my background, I seriously love to teach writing, and it is always my go-to time filler.

2. What is your favorite drink? Starbucks Peppermint Mocha

3. What is one piece of advice you have for a new teacher? It does get (a little) easier.

4. What is your favorite teaching website/or blog? I really cannot answer that question. There are so many fantastic ones out there.

5. What is your favorite type of music? I like a ton of music... anything from jazz to country to pop to dance depending on my mood.

6. What is one of your guilty pleasures? Watching TV shows like Glee, American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, and the Voice.

7. What type of books do you like to read? Definitely fiction for the most part, but other than that my taste in books varies a lot just like my taste in music. Some of my favorite recent reads are The Help, The Hunger Games trilogy, and The Book Thief.

8. What are some of your hobbies? Blogging, reading, camping, and hiking.

9. What is something you do to stay organized in terms of grading/lesson planning/copies for school/etc.? Lists, lists, lists! I make them for everything.

10. What is your favorite snack? I have a sweet tooth so anything sweet, especially if it is chocolate.

11. What was your favorite vacation? Last summer we took the fam to Washington, D.C. after my son had studied architecture and the White House. It was so much fun to see how much the kids got out of the trip.
12. How did your husband propose? It was written on a note inside a Winnie the Pooh picture frame.

And now here are my picks. Just use those same questions, guys. Tag! You're it:
Fun to Teach
Teaching with Style
Sharing Kindergarten
Nyla's Crafty Teaching
Journey of a Substitute Teacher
Second Grade Two-Step