Surviving Until Summer

Does anybody else just feel like this cat right now? Maybe it's because I'm 33 weeks pregnant and relate to his Garfield-like stature. Or maybe it's because I'm scared it's how some of my students feel. They're jumping for the moon, but the stars aren't even close enough for them. Or maybe I just died laughing and had to find some way to include it. Yeah, that's the best reason!

But seriously, summer seems SO far away, and I just can't quite get there. So I need a little motivation to make it through. That's when I saw Katie's post and had to join in!

OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM:

• I would love to be decorating Caffrey's room (he'll be here in 6 weeks!), but our house is on the market, and I'm hoping that we will be moving soon after he arrives, so I don't see much point in decorating. We have the bed, though, and some of our sweet friends from church bought his sheets (aren't they cute?).  So I guess I can still say getting ready for Caffrey's arrival! Right now, I'm counting down to each doctor's appointment. Plus I don't have to wait quite as long until school is over because I'll miss the last two weeks!

• Reading. I've got one children's book and one book for me that I'm working through right now, and so far I really like both! The children's book is Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein. It's on our Virginia Reader's Choice list for next year, and I will be sharing it on Book Talk Thursday once I'm done. For me, I'm reading the second Veronica Mars book, Mr. Kiss and Tell. If you haven't ever seen the show, start there (it's my favorite ever and I kind of idolize Kristen Bell because of it) and then watch the movie that came out last year. You won't regret it!

          

• Spending time outside. The weather has been gorgeous, and I'm so excited that it's finally here! Plus it means that I can wear dresses, which are the best right now this far into my pregnancy. I hope to spend even more time outside in the next few weeks.

• Going to the gym. Yes, I'm still going! It makes me feel more accomplished and better about myself! My goal through the entire pregnancy has been to at least get in 400 minutes of exercise each month to meet the minimum for our school district's wellness incentive. Each month, they draw names to choose a winner at every school, and I've won the past three months in a row! I'm not sure if I'll be able to make it to any more BodyPump classes because the one this weekend is cancelled and I'm not sure about my May weekend schedules, but I hope to at least get in and do something when I can find the time!

IN THE CLASSROOM:

• I got smart before Spring Break and made my plans for three weeks after. Of course, we are halfway through week two of those plans, but I only have one more set to make before we start testing. Once testing starts, I help with that and no longer pull kids. So basically I just sit and watch them take tests. Boring, but kind of perfect for right before I go out on maternity leave! It helps to know that I don't have much planning left to do at all!

• Stations and games. I feel like the students start to get overloaded with "test prep" during this time of year, so I try to provide a variety when they come into my room. We've been doing a lot more board games to review skills, and I've pulled out some of my literacy centers for them to use, also. If you're looking for great Reading Comprehension games, I highly recommend these from Edupress! I probably have ten different games in my room alone!

• Brain breaks! I do them all year, but they are even more special at this point. The kids are crazy, and they really need a way to release some of that energy. I know a lot of people use GoNoodle, but I love my Pinterest board that I've created for it. When you click to follow me on Pinterest above, it's my very first board! I do have to go through and delete some every once in a while because the video disappears on me, but I try to update them with fun songs that don't drive me crazy and are still appropriate and fun for the kids. My fifth graders are currently obsessed with In the Summertime, and I'm loving it!

What are you doing to stay sane these last few weeks before school is out? And how many weeks/days do you have left?