Everybody's Working For the Weekend
I honestly don't know what I'd do if the school week was longer than 5 days! It was a tough week for both me and the kids, slogging through a full 5 day week after having 2 1/2 days and then a 4 day weekend. I did my best - gave stars on behavior charts, taught each lesson to completion, put band-aids on little fingers and dried tears like a champ. But by Friday afternoon, when one of my lovely little friends started sobbing halfway through math because she missed her mommy, as I led her away from the other kids and pulled her in for a big hug I confess that I almost said, "Me, too!" 2 days of constant screaming from one of the other friends in our class had taken a toll on all of us.
Friday night, a few of the teachers went out to P.F. Chang's to celebrate surviving the week, and also to congratulate one of our gym teachers, Ronne, whose daughter was to be featured on TLC's Say Yes to the Dress that night! (In case you're curious, it was the episode called "That Special Someone" and Ronne's daughter is Jodee). Everyone scurried home early to watch, and her segment was just beautiful. Not that we're biased or anything. ;)
Then yesterday morning after getting up early to drive Joey to wrestling practice, I scurried around like a squirrel trying to get everything ready before noon. I was going to my friends Kat and Matt's house in RI - I had seen them barely once since their wedding in '08! Every year, they host a holiday cookie party, and everyone brings cookie dough for baking. I had everything I need to try my hand at my mom's recipe for loaf cookies (very, very similar to biscotti)...except anisette. So, I did what every good Italian woman does when Mom and Dad are in Maine at a college wrestling tournament for her younger brother - I called my Nonna. ;)
And of course, Nonna and Nonno had me sit down for a cup of coffee and eat a piece of the cheesecake that Mr. DiMare brought them when they found I hadn't eaten breakfast yet...and then we had to search for the extra bottle of anise extract she had in the basement...and 25 minutes later, I was back at home starting, lol.
Somehow, I managed to be ready by noon, and drove the 2 1/2 hours to their house. I came the farthest out of anyone, but it was so good to see those friends again, as well as Jenny and Jon. Even though I must say, it had been a while since I'd been in the company of that many hardcore nerds, haha! And I mean that in the best possible way, though - it is rare that you find a more inviting group of people. We baked and decorated cookies late into the night, and then played Apples to Apples until 3 am, over leftover pizza from before, cups and cups of SoCo punch, then coffee, then tea, and more cookies than I've ever seen at someone's house outside an Italian bridal shower.
Lazy morning and then the looong drive back...I might be finally ready to do my lesson plans for tomorrow. Maybe. ;)
Friday night, a few of the teachers went out to P.F. Chang's to celebrate surviving the week, and also to congratulate one of our gym teachers, Ronne, whose daughter was to be featured on TLC's Say Yes to the Dress that night! (In case you're curious, it was the episode called "That Special Someone" and Ronne's daughter is Jodee). Everyone scurried home early to watch, and her segment was just beautiful. Not that we're biased or anything. ;)
Then yesterday morning after getting up early to drive Joey to wrestling practice, I scurried around like a squirrel trying to get everything ready before noon. I was going to my friends Kat and Matt's house in RI - I had seen them barely once since their wedding in '08! Every year, they host a holiday cookie party, and everyone brings cookie dough for baking. I had everything I need to try my hand at my mom's recipe for loaf cookies (very, very similar to biscotti)...except anisette. So, I did what every good Italian woman does when Mom and Dad are in Maine at a college wrestling tournament for her younger brother - I called my Nonna. ;)
And of course, Nonna and Nonno had me sit down for a cup of coffee and eat a piece of the cheesecake that Mr. DiMare brought them when they found I hadn't eaten breakfast yet...and then we had to search for the extra bottle of anise extract she had in the basement...and 25 minutes later, I was back at home starting, lol.
Somehow, I managed to be ready by noon, and drove the 2 1/2 hours to their house. I came the farthest out of anyone, but it was so good to see those friends again, as well as Jenny and Jon. Even though I must say, it had been a while since I'd been in the company of that many hardcore nerds, haha! And I mean that in the best possible way, though - it is rare that you find a more inviting group of people. We baked and decorated cookies late into the night, and then played Apples to Apples until 3 am, over leftover pizza from before, cups and cups of SoCo punch, then coffee, then tea, and more cookies than I've ever seen at someone's house outside an Italian bridal shower.
Lazy morning and then the looong drive back...I might be finally ready to do my lesson plans for tomorrow. Maybe. ;)