My List for Summer

The last month of school was a tough one, totally wiped me out! I have been recovering by catching up on my sleep and taking care of my family. 
I know that other teachers totally understand where I am coming from. The end of the year to a teacher is not all about parties; throw in file reviews, test results, packing, cleaning, and finishing up all while trying to instruct kids who are ready to hit the road to vacation, and you get a small glimpse of the craziness.
School has been out for the kids for 1 week now and last Friday was my last full day. I allowed myself a few days of doing nothing, and have promised myself not to return to my classroom until mid-June when I take my son to a special math program. I also promised myself not to do any planning until I meet with my professional learning team in June.

While I take a break from the classroom, I will be working on tackling my summer top ten.    

First on my list is fun with the boys. During the school year, life is busy. This past year, my oldest 2 spent too much extra time with me in my classroom while I mentored a student teacher, took care of teacher responsibilities, and served as grade chair. Now it is time to give them all of my attention. Play, play, and play some more!

Spend lots of time swimming. My oldest are great swimmers and really love swimming and sliding at the pool. It is a great place to help them burn all of their boy energy.

One goal, is to help my 4 year old earn his sea legs. He loves all of the "mom attention" in the shallow end and it is a great time for us to bond and play. 

Work on my blog. I would like to do a facelift and plan some posts. I needed the break from the computer, but have really missed connecting with my blogging friends. 

Work on my core. 

I am reading this as part of professional development through my school. I will be teaching only math and language arts next year, so I plan to immerse myself in language arts strategies and planning. I am excited about working with the team that volunteered for this book study. 
I am also planning to work on my core with Jillian Michaels. I fell off of the workout bandwagon in March and want to get back on track. I ate horribly during May as a reaction to all of the extra stress and need to get my core strength back. I am determined to work hard on my core so that it is part of my routine when I return to school. 

I want to create more items for my classroom and my TPT store. I have a bunch of ideas swirling around in my head, and am really looking forward to taking some time to develop them. 
I finally uploaded a new item to my store today. 

This Fishing for Facts game was sitting in my "Products in Progress" folder on my computer and am thrilled to have moved it off the to-do list. It was inspired by my son and he loves playing it with me. It will be a great way for us to practice math skills over the summer.
I will celebrate my 1 year anniversary blogging and selling on TPT this summer, and plan to have some giveaways and post some products at reduced rates.   

I would love to take a small trip with the family. We are thinking about a trip with our dog, Bandit, to a dog-friendly beach and plan to stay in a dog-friendly hotel. My husband found this great website (Bring Fido) with links to dog friendly places. 

Sinking my toes in to the sand is the most relaxing activity! The boys will really enjoy playing with their best friend in the sand and water.Here is a picture of Bandit with my son and husband at the minor league baseball game this past weekend. 

From rescued dog to beloved and spoiled! 

Clean up and organize the house. I have some projects that really need to be finished and now is the time to do it! 

Make some trips to see my sister and her family. I am really lucky to have such a wonderful relationship with my sister. Summer is a great time to relax and reconnect.

Summertime is also a great time to take some day trips and explore our area with the boys. Museums, and parks are on the top of my list. It has been a while since we have been to some local museums and I think it is time to explore again. 

Fernbank Museum

One of our favorite annual traditions is to attend the $1 movies at Regal Cinemas. We have a theater down the street and it is an inexpensive way to take my boys to the movies to see their favorites on the big screen or see ones we missed when they first came out. Click here to see the list of movies in your area. 

So, what are your plans for the summer? Check out the other posts on Mrs Jump's class blog.