School Lunch!

I had lunch with Ethan at school today and it was so fun! I sort of felt like a celebrity. I was waiting in the hallway as the kids quietly lined up and took turns entering their lunch code into the machine. Ethan's friend, Jackson, walked by me and said, "You're here to have lunch with Ethan!" Several other friends said hi, then Ethan came around the corner and his face lit up with a great big smile. He waved and in a shy yet excited voice he said, "Hi, Mommy!" I got in line and the lunch experience began!

We got our food (corn dog for Ethan, chef salad for me) and I embarassed myself when I said, "May I have a cookie?" and the nice lady said, "Those are chicken patties." Darn, they looked like yummy peanut butter cookies. Anyway, we sat down and I met a table full of new friends. One girl said her mom is having a baby today then without a breath moved on to a new topic. A boy said I should come for lunch on my birthday and he will give me a present. They were all eager to explain everything to me.

Next up: recess! It is a sunny almost-spring-like day and we all cheered as we felt the sun hit our faces. We got to the playground and the kids wanted to play tag. There were about 7 or 8 of us but it must have looked like fun because soon enough there were at least 20 kids. Every one of them tagged me so I was "it" every other time. (Ethan told me if I needed to take a break I should say "time out"). No way! Then playground troubles started happening with some other groups of kids and since I was a grown-up, kids thought I was the "Duty". Here's a summary:

#1 "Duty, someone threw rocks in her face!" (girl is sobbing, she calms down and goes back for more)

#2 "Duty, someone said I am a lazy butt! It was her!"

#3 "Duty, he punched her (girl #1) in the stomach!"

#4 "Duty, he said the "B" word to me!"

#5 "Duty, she's crying! Someone tripped her and she fell on her bottom!"

#6 "Duty, he threw rocks at me. Yes, my arm is okay but it has a little scratch!"

You're it! Let's play freeze tag! Let's play stuck in the mud! [Oh my gosh, WHEN WILL THE BELL RING?]

Then finally, the bell rang and we headed back to the building. Soon I had one girl (our sweet next-door neighbor) holding my left hand, then another holding my right hand and everyone saying, "Come to our class! Come to our class!"

It is great being a celebrity, especially since they could care less what my hair looks like or how I'm dressed! Seriously, though, it was amazing to see how excited the kids were for me to be there. They also had respect for me, as an adult. They trust us. That's important to remember.

It was a great experience and I can't wait to go again. Mental note for next time: wear sneakers, not clogs and go pee before playing tag.

Coffee Break

This morning as Ethan and I were walking out the door I grabbed my coffee cup and Ethan said, "Mommy, you drink a lot of coffee. Maybe you need to take a break from coffee. I mean, you drink it almost every day and haven't you been drinking it since I was a baby? That's six, almost seven years--that's a long time! And did you drink coffee before I was born?"

"Yes, I did."

"Well, I think maybe you should take a break from coffee! Why do drink it every day?"

"Because I like it." (I almost launched into an explanation about addiction, headaches and savoring my quiet time with my coffee in the morning. Since I hadn't drank any coffee yet I didn't have the energy for that much morning conversation!)

Here's to my delightful and VERY SATISFYING morning fix . . .

Do You Fondue?

We introduced the kids to the delicious indulgence of chocolate fondue. They quickly caught on to the skill of dipping then twirling and wholeheartedly agreed that this should be a family Valentine's Day tradition!

Our main course was going to be Mongolian Hot Pot but my other fondue pot is nowhere to be found. I didn't discover this until after buying all the ingredients so our meal consisted of frozen chicken sandwiches with a side of lobster and shrimp. Yum.

Love is a Wonderful Feeling

Ethan's project from school today was a cupid poster where he filled in the blanks. Here is what it says:

Love is a wonderful feeling when

your mom gets you a puppy.

your dad helps get balloons for your birthday party.

your friend comes over to your house.

Name: Ethan

Yes, it's a wonderful feeling, and I need a tissue . . .

Strolling Down Memory Lane

Valentine's Day is fun. This morning the kids were giddy about the fun day ahead - parties at school and most importantly, LOTS OF CANDY!

David and I don't go crazy over Valentine's Day but it is a fun time to express our love for each other and now it is especially fun with the kids.

Last weekend Ethan hid out in his room and made love bookmarks for David and me. They're perfect.

Here's a picture of my little munchkins from February 2006.

Happy Valentine's Day! xoxoxo

P.S. I'm experimenting with backgrounds . . . I like the background but not the overall look. It's like decorating a room . . . you know when it's right.

What Do You Do While You're Sleeping?

Besides the regular stuff like snoring, talking and stealing the covers there are apparently some people who try to curl their hair. "What?" you say. I know, but here are the IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS from my new curling iron:

Consider yourself warned!