Waiting

It's been a long time since I have written.  I have mentally started a few blog posts and had it on various to do lists, but never got around to it.  There is really no excuse now as I am on maternity leave and am busy doing nothing!  So I have started writing this afternoon without any great agenda and I will see where I get.

This is day 3 of maternity leave.  I have been really surprised how tired I have been these three days.  I have a bunged up nose which I am blaming slightly for slowing me down.  I also believe in the situation that when you stop, that's when tiredness hits.  When you have to keep going, you have the energy for it and don't have time to realise you're tired.  Lots of people told me to make sure I rest in this time.  I was a little apprehensive about that as during half-term and snow days, being at home resting just made me realise how sick and heartburn-y I felt whereas being at school I was better distracted.  I have definitely been feeling heartburn-y but not as destructively as I feared.  John gave me a book to read on mat leave, and a lovely card that made me cry lots when I got home from school on Friday.  I started reading the book on Monday morning in bed and thoroughly enjoyed it.  I kept stopping during the day on Monday to sit on the sofa to read it for great chunks and by the end of the day had read 3/4 of it and finished it on Tuesday morning in bed.  Also on Monday morning I did a little sorting in the spare room and then took the bus into town, something I had been planning and looking forward to.  I went to the central library to see what had changed since the new shopping centre (not a lot that I could see!) and enjoyed reading in there for an hour.  Then I browsed the covered market and had a late lunch at Georgina's.  Tuesday I had a lazy morning and then picked up Mamma from the station.  We drove to Aston Pottery where we had a good lunch in the nice cafe and browsed the large shop.  We also drove on to Bampton to see the Downton sights.  Back at the flat we sorted through all the generous gifts I had been given at school, then I was exhausted!  Today has been mainly lazy again.  I drove Mum to the station then sorted through my hospital bag and then have been watching lots of episodes of friends while knitting. I am off to Malvern this evening to see family.

I had a nice end to teaching at school.  At the end of half term holiday, I was thinking that three more weeks sounded quite a lot of teaching.  So I was very pleasantly surprised that when I came back on the Monday morning, I discovered that my replacement was starting that day for a three week handover.  She was really nice and a great extra pair of hands to have in the classroom.  The first week she was mainly observing, then the second week started some teaching and then by the third week was doing most of the teaching.  She asked all the right questions and I felt confident handing my class over to her.  The final week was a little crazy with me covering another class for a few half days, but it was still nice.  Then I felt Friday was a lovely final day for me, and hopefully the class.  I had made some cakes the night before to take in for the staffroom.  I managed to do quite a bit of the final classroom sorting I had on my list of things to do before school. The day started with assembly and then I TA'd during English and also ran some errands.  After break in fruit time, I just about finished HP and the Philospher's Stone.  Then it was Big Write where all the class worked very hard which was lovely to see.  Lunch was nice and relaxed and also a few more jobs in classroom.  After lunch I had put up 'celebration' on the visual timetable.  That consisted of me opening the very generous gifts that many of the class had brought in which they were all excited by.  Then I read the final page of HP and then they loaded up their bags with home things.  We then went to the hall to do the Harry Potter Cosmic Yoga which they seemed to enjoy.  I carried on Cosmic Yoga during Golden Time then for the 15 mins before hometime, I gave the class a pep talk on carrying on being great and also gave them each a sherbet lemon and an Easter Lollipop.  I was just sitting down again after seeing the class out when head of KS1 and my pregnant buddy came to ask me to go to the spare classroom.  During the day lots of people had been asking how I was doing and I has always answered that I was fine and it wouldn't hit till at least Monday.  But walking into the spare classroom I was quite overwhelmed that they had set it up with pink and blue bunting and there was a whole spread of cakes and food and a room full of people. I made a short speech and mingled.    Then it was time to finished up in the classroom and make my departure.  I am planning on going back for Parent's Evening next week so I know I am not gone for good and have also promised my class that I will bring the baby in after Easter although they aren't impressed that I haven't given them an exact date!

Well I feel it is time to get off the sofa and to a little more sorting, just a little.  Hopefully I will be able to do another update before baby makes an arrival.