This Week's Five

NUMBER FIVE- I had a really great Monday (of all days)! Little known fact about me: Pretty much every Monday morning the song "Manic Monday" (by the Bangles) plays through my head as I am getting up to get ready for the day. It is like my internal Monday alarm clock. But, for some reason, this Monday, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the song just did not fit (even though I tried really hard to make it so). By the end of the day, I had such a great time at school I couldn't even believe it was my class (lately they've been a little on the CRAZY side). It ended up being a really relaxing and fun first day back from Spring Break. I even found myself asking the kids, "Why are you all behaving so well and being so awesome?" Their response, "We just really missed you Mrs. P.!" Well, isn't that sweet?

NUMBER FOUR- Howard did NOT have to meet his new teacher. Okay. Let me explain. So, the whole Monday thing must have been a "honeymoon" period the kids were putting me through, because by around lunch time on Tuesday, a HUGE case of Spring Fever broke out in my room. To make a long story short, by the end of the day Tuesday, I was soooo exhausted from the constant talking and down right bad manners that I told the kids I PHYSICALLY wasn't going to be able to keep coming to school to teach them if they could not buck up. Well, Howard (one of my students) showed up at school the next day with two parental figures in tow. He was there about twenty minutes early and I said, "Hi Howard! Why are you here so early?" His reply (which just about floored me. . .) "Oh, I came to meet my new teacher." What? Oh my goodness. I started to giggle and gave him a GIANT hug! He looked up at me so perplexed. "I was kidding Howard! It was a warning to try and show you guys that you had pushed me to my limit!" His parents just laughed and said, "Oh man, he was ALL SORTS of worried this morning!" He had honestly thought that I was going to have to be 'put in a home' (can you just picture what my exact words were. . ."you guys are going to put me in a home!"). Poor Howard. I feel like the most awful person on the planet for putting him through the torment. (Note to self. . .no matter how "lighthearted" or "jokingly" you discuss Spring Fever issues with the students, a five-year-old will always take you literally.) Needless to say, all of the students were pretty relieved to see me at the front of the room and NOT Miss Viola Swamp. What a relief! Definitely one of the top five happenings of the week!

NUMBER THREE- Both boys had a win for their first baseball game of the season! Not that we place importance on winning around here, but it is a plus when it happens. I am proud of the boys for being such contributing members of their teams and for giving it everything they've got! Lewis always seems to find it necessary to slide into his base just as the ball is about to be caught. It is a close call almost every time and one ref actually made a horrible call and said he was out when everyone else on the planet saw that he was safe. I was proud of the way Lewis handled it. He had slid into that base, accrued a slight injury from it, and just sucked it up even when he had been done wrong. He is really an outstanding little boy! So proud of him!

NUMBER TWO- The School Baby Shower. We have four expectant mothers at our school so to celebrate, we had a relaxing and fun after school baby shower which featured the always yummy "better-than-you-know-what" cake of which I helped myself to two servings! I think every work place should have a little party like this EVERYDAY after work. It made the rest of the evening so much more pleasant to have that event to look back on and to not be totally starving when we got home. Conner was so cute wanting to be a part of the games and the conversation. He was so thoughtful about his principal dad who was not able to make it into the party so he made up a little plate of goodies for him. He came over to me and asked if dad likes broccoli. I said yes. I saw him fill a little cup with broccoli and set it in on his dad's desk. My heart melted!

AND NUMBER ONE- Colbie Caillat Concert! I gotta say the highlight for me this week was hanging with my girls at the Colbie Caillat concert at the gorgeous Tuachaun Amphitheatre! It was sooo much fun and she is so amazingly talented. I am boggled by people's ability to write such beautiful and original songs. I mean, there are only so many "notes" yet people keep coming up with all these different and awesome songs! I was blown away by the music and her sweet, soothing voice. A great way to spend an evening! I am also thankful for my thoughtful friend Laura who thinks ahead to get tickets for things like this. Without her, I don't know how often the girlfriends would get together. She is our glue. Thanks Laura for a great girl's night!