Best Gift Ever

A few months ago, I came to school (work) to find a plastic grocery bag shoved into my mailbox. It had a single address label stuck to the outside with the name of parent of a student at school. "What is this?" I asked the office ladies. One of them responded with "I don't know, she just left it here for you." "Okay...." I reponded, grabbed the bag, and went to my room. I got distracted with a few things but finally remembered the bag. What this simple, plain grocery bag contained ended up being 1. the highlight of my year, 2. the best gift I have ever received from a family and 3. the most wondrous conversation-starter of all time.

I have received used lotion bottles before, or obvious re-gifts from students. I have gotten half-eaten snacks, homemade cupcakes with finger marks in them, and half empty bottles of perfume. This gift leaves these delights in its dust. This is the piece de resistance of awesome teacher gifts.

Upon opening the grocery bag, I found this lovely handbag with matching shoulder strap stuffed to the brim with delights:

The first item I pulled out was a handmade sewing design that I can only assume was a 3rd or 4th grade project. Getting this framed crossed my mind for a second, but then I realized I wouldn't be able to feel its lovely texture if it were permanently behind glass.

The next item was a child-sized winter hat. Charlotte is actually wearing it right now as I type.

After that, some useful blank note cards with envelopes and a stylish silver necklace (still in its box!)

And, really, what purse would be complete without some fishing twine, gauze tied with a hair elastic, and butterscotch candy? ("You eat it!" "No, you eat it!" and "How much would it take for you to eat that?" were frequently uttered in the teacher's lounge whenever we brought out the purse.)

Some of my favorite items have been lost since I received the purse (or used, thank you!) including: a half burned candle, half used matches (we used these for the fireworks!), CIA visitor badges, a photo wallet, empty badge holders, a mint, and a jean belt.

I will leave you with this. A jar of vaseline? Lip gloss? Body butter? There is no label, so your guess is as good as mine:

Our summer visitors

Char loves the school fishies!!! "Hi shissies!" She says this all the time, all day. Yesterday, on her own, she dragged a chair up to the fish tank and sat and watched, giving kisses every now and then.

(Hoping we can successfully fish-sit them the whole summer....you know how fish are!!!)

"Boppee Boppee" = "Bouncy Bouncy"!!

It’s almost April, which means Spring Break is coming soon. This also means that teachers all around are getting that much-needed boost to finish the school year strong. After Spring Break, summer is in sight, so teachers are more motivated and they actually start looking forward the changes they are going to make for the next school year. It’s the same every year. The slump begins in February and continues through March. I start looking at the job openings on Craigslist and Monster and make grand plans to change careers and make a difference in the world. Of course I am qualified to lead the ACLU! Yes I am prepared to work 80 hours a week counseling teen mothers! I can definitely become a foster parent to Haitian orphans while sewing reusable shopping bags out of recycled Deer Park water bottles and still maintain my weight loss and FEED MY FAMILY! YES I CAN.

This year has been no different. For the past few months I’ve been checking ads, considering how to beef up my resume so I actually sound qualified for something other than teaching music, house hunting for more space for my kids and my business and my dogs and my 15 foster children, and trying to decide which masters degree to get next!

Then I wake up one day (yesterday) and have one of my favorite phrases running through my head: You get what you get and you don’t pitch a fit. And that’s my life. And that’s not bad. My life is great. My kids are wonderful and I want to be with them all the time. I never want them to leave me. (I might be the Mom that goes to college with them.) But every once in a while it’s OK to feel a little sad about it, right? Last night I was feeling so sad because I will never have another baby. I mean, I CAN have another baby, but we are done with the three lovelies we have. And I will never get to snuggle a fresh, warm newborn and smell her skin and stare into her eyes and breastfeed her and buy sweet clothes and carry her around in that carseat carrier thing. Ever again! It is the end of something and that is very sad. With Charlotte almost 2 years I feel a little empty about not having any more babies.

(Is this a normal feeling? Do other women feel this way?)

So, while I weather my annual end-of-winter-teaching-funk and my end-of-birthing-babies-depression, I leave you with this video of Charlotte at the park. I call it “Gaga and Papa Should Totally Buy Me this Toy.”

Another confession....

I am addicted to.....

....making bulletin boards.

It's a problem.

But just look at my latest achievement:

Another one bites the dust!

down and out

Brought the kids to work this past weekend while we painted the staff lounge. The boys loved playing the instruments. I wish I could paint my classroom....then maybe I wouldnt feel so depressed about working.

A before and after shot of the lounge - isn't it nice?

Best Chorus Survey Responses

The 5th graders had to answer two questions about chorus this year. Here they are with my favorite answers.
1. What was your favorite thing about chorus this year?
"The funny way chorus is spelled."
"The play."
"Nothing."
2. If you could change one thing about chorus, what would it be?
"Not singing slow songs, only fast songs."
"Singing 'Let it Be'" (which we never sang....)
"The outfit I wore in the play."
"Maybe there should be not quite so many concerts and plays."
"We wouldn't have to sing." (Interesting.....it IS chorus.....)
"The music."
"No more substitutes."

the saga continues.....

So, after being expelled from daycare #1, we find ourselves at daycare #2 getting this comment: They cried for three hours. I think Mama just needs to quit her job.

Hm! Ya THINK? Maybe we wouldn't be NEEDING DAYCARE if I could just QUIT MY JOB!

So now we are finding ourselves back at daycare #1 until we find daycare #3 to be a perfect match.

Breathe.

it's a guiro, you sickos

One kid called it a missile.
Another said, "ummmmm....."
Then a third said, "What the heck is that?"

But it wasn't until the fourth kid said, "That looks like a weiner!" that I realized I need to be a bit more careful when drawing my instruments.

A real-life weiner:

music teacher top ten

Here are the ten things I have said most often in the first 2 weeks of school:

1. Put your shirt/skirt/dress down, we don't want to see your business!

2. Seriously?

3. HANDS TO SELF!

4. Do I come to your house and touch your xylophones?

5. Habla ingles?

6. Wait. Are you kidding me right now?

7. Don't talk while I am singing, please. I need everyone to hear the magic that is my voice.

8. Can we please pick an animal that actually makes a sound?

9. Um, it's a gong, not a bong.

10. Did I go to college for 4 years to become your babysitter/maid/mother/shoe tie-er??

I have issues.

I want to vent so bad about work. But man, so many people at work read my blog. (HI.) I'm gonna have to start a new blog. I think I'll call it "Being a teacher rocks, but dealing with adults is lame."

Definitely.

I've got some good bathing beauty pictures coming soon.

1 week down.

Finished the first week of work. Kids start on Tuesday. Here is my news, bulleted of course:

- I am slacking on pictures...sorry GaGa. I don't even know where the camera is right now. I will take some this weekend.

- My favorite student of all time transferred to another school. He was one of those people that was making my return to school bearable. Now I'm not so sure. At least I still have Clara's Mommy.

- After our bad interview, we hired this rockin' lady to be my music counterpart 2 days a week. After she walked out, I told my bosses that they should fire me and hire her. I will need to think of a nickname for her. I am leaning towards The Bomb.

- Owen and Henry's new favorite word is "no" and it is cracking me up. They say "no" to everything now. Everything.

- Got news that Tuesday got to ride in the wagon today with her sister and even got to make a trip outside. So great.

- That speech rocked. You know what I'm talkin' about.

Things not to say in an interview for a music teaching position

"If a kid is being really bad, I'd have to kick them out."

"I just took my praxis for the fifth time and am waiting for scores."

"I don't have a discipline plan."

"I just don't put up with kids being bad."

"I've only spent 45 minutes in an elementary classroom."

"Um...if you came into my classroom? Uh....we'd be singing, I guess. And moving."

Wordless Wednesday: Not TOO bad!