Five for Friday

Today is the end of week two for us, and I'm slowly getting back into the groove of life and schedules. I mean, blogging two days in a row? That hasn't happened in almost a year!

I didn't end up decorating my door until last Friday because I was just too tired to bother with it. Then I saw this on Facebook and sent it to our librarian wishing we had doors on our library to do it. Yes, we have an open library. In fact, our classrooms didn't have doors until 8 years ago. True story. Apparently there weren't inner walls originally, but I digress...

Anyway, then I realized I could just get some white paper and do it on my door instead. So I looked through my Wimpy Kid books and found a page that I liked, and then I made it happen. I'm pretty proud of it (and praying it doesn't get messed up)!

I just started to work with a few kids Wednesday, so I don't have much in the way of teaching yet. However, I did work with my fourth grade students on context clues using Miss Rumphius. I just marked a few words in the book ahead of time (I actually did this lesson last year and left the marks in the book for later) and was ready to roll. We stopped at each word and discussed what it might me based on the pictures and other words on the page. You can do this with pretty much any book. Just be sure to look ahead and plan what words you use so the students can actually figure them out.

We had Back-to-School Night on Tuesday, which was pretty uneventful for me. Since I'm a Reading Specialist, I usually don't get any visitors. This year was no exception. I did, however, enjoy a yummy Barbecue dinner thanks to our PTO. And I may have also indulged on a brownie. Which leads to...

I've been having trouble kick-starting my weight loss after having Caffrey. Maybe it's because of how insanely busy life has been ever since then? Anyway, a lot of my coworkers did the 21 Day Fix and saw great results, so I decided to try it out. So far, I'm really just doing the diet part (sans shakes - I tried one and thought it was AWFUL. Fortunately I didn't buy them or I'd be out a lot of money), and today is day 11. I've lost 3 1/2 pounds and am feeling pretty good, but I have to admit I really miss my desserts!

How fitting that the state fair will be in town when my 21 days end! I'm just going to have to be really careful that I watch my portions and don't go crazy when this is over. And hopefully I can get on some kind of workout routine soon. If Caffrey will ever start sleeping through the night, it would help!

This weekend, the UCI Road World Championship is coming to Richmond. Apparently it's a big deal, especially if you're into biking. I'm not. What I do know is that it's shutting down parts of the city for two weeks and causing a lot of chaos.

We go to church in the city, and they actually have cancelled services for both weeks because of the race. One of the schools in the city is closed both weeks, and some others are closing on certain days when the routes affect them drastically. We won't be able to get out of our neighborhood this weekend until later in the afternoon, and we don't even live in the city. It's crazy.

But since the church BUILDING is closed for two weeks, all of the group leaders are hosting cook-outs at our houses and inviting friends. So if you live in the Richmond area and want to hang out this Sunday night, email me and I'll give you the info. We'd love to have you over!

Five for Friday: Memorial Day Weekend

I can't believe we are almost into June! Today marks my last Friday of the school year because next Friday begins my maternity leave. I may have been bragging to my co-workers about that (our school isn't out until June 12) once or twice today...

We have been in full testing mode here since last week, which means I have been a "little" bored. Good news is that I have been able to sit and relax a lot, though!

Another nice thing about testing is that it gives me a chance to read. I only test small group or individuals usually, so I've been reading the newest Veronica Mars book, Mr. Kiss and Tell. I loved it! Now I need to see if and when the next one will be out. This is the second, and I've really enjoyed them both!

This year is the first year that Virginia is allowing retests for elementary and middle school students who score close enough to passing. Only our 5th grade students have taken it yet (the others take it my first week out), so I will be working with a remedial group on Tuesday (assuming I'm here) to prep them. I'm thinking of having snacks and games at some point to make it more positive and upbeat. Then we'll of course focus on the strands that they seemed to struggle with the most. Have any of you done remediation for testing like this? We have one day of remediation, and then they retest on Wednesday.

By the way, I just realized this is probably the most boring post ever with all this testing talk. Here's one completely unrelated: we built a deck in our backyard last week, and I'm in love with it! I know, we're trying to sell our house, so it seems weird that we did it. But it was actually only $200 to build, and we're hoping it will draw more attention to our house. Besides, we have to take it off the market this weekend so we can actually adjust to having this baby, so we'll be able to enjoy the deck for most of the summer!

Can I just say that I'm SO excited for a three day weekend? And then to realize that I only have three more work days after that makes me even happier! This preggo is starting to get a little impatient. I'm ready to hold this baby on the outside and not feel like I have a bowling ball on my stomach anymore.

Good news is that I'm still not swollen and have managed to keep my weight under control this time. All things considering, I'm feeling pretty awesome for being just shy of 38 weeks. But every time I walk into school, someone comes up to me and says, "You're still here?!" Yes...three more days...

Five for Friday

It's May, and I'm so proud to actually be posting on time (and posting anything in general). I've been so exhausted lately, and we're getting to the uncomfortable phase of this pregnancy, so I won't have much to say here for a little while.

We started off the week with a sick little boy. Fortunately Steven was able to stay home with him on Monday (and again Wednesday after he relapsed). Then I stayed home with him yesterday. Poor thing had a rough week. He also scored his first black eye. Who knew you could get a black eye from those plastic kiddie tables? I guess anything works if you fall hard enough...

Wednesday was Title I Fun Night, and I'll just say that I'm glad it's over. Being 8 months pregnant and having 23 kids to keep up with and only 2 parent helpers was not enough. Especially with some of the personalities. It was a little chaotic. BUT no one was lost or injured in the process, and I haven't had any complaints yet. That's good!

We were supposed to have Field Day on Thursday and Friday, but they ended up moving it to next week due to rain. That made me happier because the weather is supposed to be really nice then. This preggo is in charge of the inflatables, so I plan on bringing my beach chair and taking it easy!

Since we didn't have field day today, I had to plan something quickly for my classes. I decided to use some Pixar short films to review plot with my 4th grade kids. They really enjoyed it! I reminded them that they could practice reading strategies while watching movies at home since we know they all love watching movies. I wonder if they will!

Anyway, this was our favorite. I love Agnes and the minions! We just watched a few videos and then came up with a SWBST (Somebody Wanted But So Then) for each short. We were able to easily get through two in less than 30 minutes. If the videos had all worked like they were supposed to, I was planning on doing three.

Since next week is Teacher Appreciation Week, the ladies at Adventures in Literacy Land have planned something special. Be sure to follow us so you don't miss anything!

Five for Friday: Spring Break Style

I haven't linked up in a while, but I figured this would be a great way to quickly document my Spring Break before I head back to work Monday (insert sad face).

First, did you notice my new look? Megan from A Bird in Hand Designs did my first design a few years ago, but I was ready for a little bit of a facelift. I also had her do my personal blog, and I'm in love with both designs! If you're in the market for a blog design, I highly recommend her. She's amazing!

It's rained most of the week, but we did have a beautiful weekend. Keagan decided he wanted to go fishing, so we headed out. He didn't catch a thing, but he had fun!

We had a busy, but fun Easter Sunday! Keagan really enjoyed his Easter Egg Hunt this year with the family, but we laughed because he was the first kid to just decide he was finished. We actually had to encourage him to keep looking by telling him there was candy in the eggs.

I made a mid-week trip to the gym for BodyPump. I love that class and am excited to be able to up my weights some and really shape back up after this baby gets here. I did snap a little gym selfie and was very proud to see that I really don't have all this extra "fat". It truly is just a big bump! This pregnancy has been a world of difference from my first, and I'm praying recovery is much easier because of it!

Of course, I haven't behaved all break. Some friends from work have been talking about going to this amazing dessert restaurant in Richmond for MONTHS, and we finally made a date of it Wednesday night. If you live anywhere near Richmond, go to Shyndigz. It's delicious! I was only able to finish half, so the rest is waiting patiently for me in the fridge. I wonder how long it will last, though...

We also met Steven's mom downtown for lunch yesterday at River City Diner. They always have great classics. Keagan was able to get pancakes while I enjoyed a huge beef hot dog. I love Richmond's restaurant scene, so it's probably a good thing I don't work downtown.

I'm bummed that break is almost over, especially since it was rainy and kind of yucky, but it's crazy to think that we're this close to the end of the year. And to think that in about eight weeks, I'll have my newest little bundle of joy with me! Time really is flying by!

Five for Friday before Thanksgiving

Well, I'm still sucking it up at this consistent blogging thing, but I'm still trying. Today I'm home with a sick little boy, so this was the perfect time to at least do a little Five for Friday. Although I'm not exactly sure what I've done that's actually worth sharing.

Last week, I went to a baby shower for one of my friends and co-workers. We've been having quite the baby boom at work since last April (7 babies born already and about 4 more on the way before the end of the school year). It's been so much fun! I should actually take a picture of our baby wall at work. Yes, wall. It's a little crazy!

I was ALMOST finished with my Thanksgiving on Thursday unit with my 3rd graders, but I guess we'll have to wait for chapter 10. That was going to be today. We have school Monday and Tuesday, but I'll be doing running records for a teacher who is out until Christmas unexpectedly. At least that means that my short week will be even easier (although possibly a little boring).

We read Balloons Over Broadway in fourth grade this week. Have you ever read that book? It's about the puppeteer who dreamed up the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. The illustrations are beautifully done, and it's a neat story about a man that most people don't know. The kids loved it, and it's a definite new favorite of mine!

I know Thanksgiving hasn't come yet, but I have a confession. Steven and I are both obsessed with Christmas and are early decorators. We haven't put everything up yet (and I still have my fall decorations outdoors and plan on fully honoring Thanksgiving), but it makes me smile to see the tree and other few decorations. Oh, and I may be teaching Keagan some Christmas songs already...

I decided to watch Catching Fire again during Keagan's nap because I'm going with some friends to see Mockingjay Part 1 tonight! A little bummed that they split it into two parts and I'll have to wait to see the end. Catching Fire is so well done, though. I forgot how much I enjoyed it! Hoping Mockingjay is half as good. Anyone else going to see it?

How many of you are off for break now and who still has a few days left like me?