Quick & Easy Recipes for Frenzied SLPs {Linky}

Big thank you to Speech2U & Speech Sprouts for doing all the work for the linky! And to Laura from All Y'all Need for whippin' up the graphic! These ladies are amaze-balls!
We've all had times when we're just too...well...frenzied to come up with a good meal plan. Being the mom of 3 boys, I've had my share of those days! Things don't get too frenzied around my house now that 2 of the boys are out of the house, but I still have some quick recipes up my sleeve!
1.  Get your son to cook for you.
2. Frozen chicken strips, mac & cheese (from a box), and salad. Of course I bake the strips, then put them on top of a salad, which is from a bag because I just don't have time to dice & slice.

3. This takes some thinking ahead, but it's well worth it! Get a pork roast and put it in the crockpot for 8 hours on low. (You don't have to put anything in the crockpot with it. Trust me.) When you get home from work, shred the roast, mix some barbecue sauce (we like Sweet Baby Ray's), put it in a pan covered with aluminum foil, and pop it in a 250° oven for about 30 minutes to an hour. Or, however long you need to keep it in there for it to heat up. Put on hamburger buns, fix a quick side, and you're all set.
One of the teachers at one of my schools & I used to change quick supper ideas all the time. She gave me the barbecue idea...I couldn't believe no one had ever told me about it before!
To meet some more amazing Frenzied SLPs, visit the SLPs listed below. To be notified of future Frenzied posts, like our Facebook Page by clicking here. Oh, and if you're an SLP Blogger, don't be shy! We'd love to have you link up with your favorite quick & easy recipes for those super frenzied days!
Oh, and don't forget to join the Facebook Group #SLPEats Recipe Swap!

SURPRISE!!!

TpT is having a surprise sale in honor of our friends "down under" who are just starting their school year.
Everything in Old School Speech will be 20% off. Use the code START16 for an additional 8%, bringing your savings to 28%!
Don't forget to make sure you have left feedback on previous purchases for even more savings!

Dollar Store Speech Ideas {Linky}

What SLP doesn't love a dollar store? Talkin' with Twang is hosting a linky with great ideas on how to use those dollar finds in therapy.
We never know about the weather this time of year, so I decided to not wait until the last minute to do anything with hearts.
I found these last year. I used all of these things to work on basic concepts. There are different sized hearts, so I can use them for multi-step directions, too. 
My preschool walk-in student put together a snowman last week using dollar store finds. (Well, except for the construction paper for the nose.) I found a pack of different color googly eyes, and buttons. My student is working on artic, but following directions and basic concepts could also be used with the materials.
I can't wait to see what innovative ideas other SLPs have with their dollar finds! Click here to see what everyone else is doing!

Favorite Organization Tips for SLPs: Frenzied SLP Linky

This subject is right up my alley: a couple of my SLP coworkers rib me a lot about being organized! I don't write on my students' work folders; I use labels so they'll look nicer. (Okay, maybe I should change "organized" to "OCD"!) My husband has a hard time believing it...I'm not so organized at home.

1. Organizing TpT Materials:
 At first, I put everything in binders. When I started spending money on binders that never held enough, I knew there had to be another way. I read that someone (sorry, I don't remember who!) put their materials in gallon zip-lock bags. Perfect! I will put print-outs in sheet protectors, then group the product together into a bag. I have a cabinet at school with bins for each month, as well as seasons. I put the materials in the bins, and all I have to do is pull one out and choose what I'm going to do for that week/month. Easy as pie!

2. Organizing IEP Meetings:
 I don't have a fancy planner. Personally, I don't want 1 more thing to have to carry around. Google Calendar is your friend. Believe me! I have my school & personal calendars linked on my phone, so (as long as it's on my calendar) I'm up to speed on everything. My husband & I share our personal calendars with each other so we know what our schedules are. 
At the beginning of the school year, I look through the list of when my students' IEPs & 3-years are due. Then, I look 1 month before that and pencil in a tentative date/time on my paper calendar. (It's a very simple monthly calendar.) I write a note to send Johnny's Invitation to the parent 2 weeks before the tentatively scheduled meeting. That way, I'm not worrying about a 10-day notice (because the parents have a 14 day notice), and if something should happen, I have a month before I'm out of compliance. 
At the beginning of the prior month, I look through the next month's tentative schedule and email an invitation to the teacher & the principal. (For example, I just sent February's meetings out.) We've switched to gmail, so I put the meeting on the calendar and invite them. 

3. Organizing my planned activities:
   I used to plan by the month and write down the activities on a calendar. Now, I pull out my bin (see picture in #1), pull out materials for the month, and put them in a basket on a table in my room. I guess I should let you know that I tag the materials I use with a little sticky note & the year so I don't use the same ones every year. (I just started doing that last year, and it's helped a lot!) I love using books in therapy, and I've started rotating the books from year to year so I don't have to hear, "We read that book last year" from my students. Hopefully, the artic kids will have graduated before the same books are read!

For more tips on organizing, click on a link below! Don't forget to visit and like  The Frenzied SLPs on Facebook!


I've Been Inspired!

The following is an app review. The views are my own. I received no compensation for expressing my opinions.  Links (in dark red) are provided for your convenience. Want to see larger pictures? Just click on one and scroll through!
 I had the Inspiration app on my iPad for a few weeks before I had a chance to look at it. Without any kind of instruction (and no time to look at the directions), I had trouble figuring it out.
Once I was given very brief instruction, I found how easy it was to manipulate. 
Appreciated Features:
You have the option of using a diagram that is already in the app, or creating your own. After you begin to create a diagram (or change the existing one), the app automatically saves your diagram.
You can customize the lines (color & width) and backgrounds for the shapes:

The font, color, and alignment can be modified, plus you can add hyperlinks & audio:

The diagram can also be modified to meet your needs.
Pictures can be added that are in the picture library. You have the option to add your own picture from your camera roll.
The students can take the diagram that they made, turn it into an outline, and write!
Additional Comments:
 I loved how easy this app was for my older elementary students to use! The first time I used it with a 4th Grader, I showed him the first bubble, then he did the rest himself. 
How I plan to use the app:
 I have used this app along with EET, changing the background of the bubbles to coordinate with the colors of the beads.
Some of my students described a stocking, then a Christmas Tree. We put the 2 together and discussed how the 2 objects are alike/different, making the lines around the boxes coordinate with the EET beads.

Inspriation is available for purchase for $9.99. To view in iTunes, click here.




I'll Try...Frenzied SLPs

If you haven't "liked" our Facebook page, click here.
Don't you love how we're starting out saying "I'll try" instead of "I will"? I'm not one that's big on resolutions, but I will definitely try my hardest to carry something out! It's kind of like when I'm walking the dog and I think to myself, "I'm going to do this every day." Yeah, right.
If you know anything about me, you know that I'm a bit of a control freak. I have a hard time with things not going as I thought they would. At the beginning of the school year, I said that I was going to try to keep quiet and "lay low" within my school system. I think I've done a pretty good job of it so far. My plan is to continue this by keeping silent when I need to and only speaking when asked a question or for my input. This was in my inbox on New Year's Day:
Like I said, I'm a bit of a control freak. When I don't have control over things, it gives me anxiety. Not the palms sweating, heart racing anxiety, but just a slight sense of anxiety. Now that my boys are grown, that control over them is all gone. So this year, I'm going to "let go & let God" handle it. My husband & I did the best job we could raising them. It's up to them to make the right choices. It's completely out of my control.
Do you make resolutions at the beginning of the year? If you're an SLP Blogger, we'd love to have you link up!


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