I live in Canada, it’s Winter, there is snow, blablabla. I get it. I know. But really? Getting a massive snowfall at least once per week has officially gotten old now.
We have another storm going on right now and I am both surprised and disappointed that there were no school cancellations today because it would have been the perfect day to say “Yeah? Well %$#& this!” and go back to sleep. Alas, schools were open and Hayley had to go because she had to hand in her money and order for lunch on pizza day next Friday, it was the last day for the chocolate heart sale at lunch time in the cafeteria, and the deadline for returning the form they sent home to find out how many people would be interested in a school-provided breakfast program.
I said hell yes to the breakfast idea. It’s not because I don’t have time to give her breakfast or because I’m negligent enough to not care. However, and it took me a stupidly long time to figure this out, Hayley is not a fan of eating immediately upon waking up. I’m not sure why I didn’t realize it sooner since I’m the same way. The only times I’ve eaten breakfast within the first ten minutes of getting up was when I was pregnant (helped dull down morning sickness), or if I have to go out. Apparently Hayley does better with breakfast if she’s been up for at least an hour, and it only took me over five months of school to make that connection. Unfortunately, she already has to get up at 6:30 am so there’s no way in hell I’m getting her up at 5:30 so she can sit around for an hour before eating. If they do the breakfast program at the school, that will solve the problem. It is ridiculously cheap at only $12 four times per year, it’s something like 30 cents per breakfast and they have a choice of hot or cold things. Awesome! I hope it will start this year.
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Speaking of school, since tomorrow is Valentine’s day, last week they sent home a list with the names of all the students and asked that we send in a valentine for each one. During the week they all made a little post office box and decorated it and wrote their name, so that this week students could bring in cards and deliver them to the boxes. On the 14th they’ll get to open all their cards and theoretically, if everyone follows the instructions, they’ll each get 22 cards.
I like that they insist that students have to give one to EACH classmate. It helps to avoid having that one unpopular kid get three cards while someone else gets a ton. When they’re older they can go ahead and just give to their friends but it’s nice to teach them about not hurting someone’s feelings. As it is, in high school they used to sell carnations for two bucks and they’d be delivered during homeroom on the 14th and it was the worst to be sitting there, praying that someone, ANYONE had gotten you at least one because trust me, people looked to see who didn’t get one. More than once I sent an anonymous carnation to a couple of the unpopular loners just because I felt bad.
Hayley made me laugh though. We had gotten a few packs of mixed cards from the dollar store and she was going through her list yesterday, filling the cards out. She had picked one with two caterpillars hugging and it said, “You’re nice!” on the outside. She looked at it, then looked at the name of the little boy who was next on the list and she said, “I don’t think I want to use this one for so-and-so. He’s not actually very nice.” I said that although she had to give a card to everyone, she absolutely didn’t have to give a “you’re nice” card to someone who wasn’t nice. She picked a more generic card for him.
(Yes, she’s wearing a Halloween pumpkin costume in that picture. Don’t ask.)
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Another fun thing at the school happens on Friday. It’s the 100th day of school this year (already?!). The teacher sent home a letter about it, saying that they’ve been doing a lot of fun stuff about the number 100 like learning to count to 100 by fives and tens (which I didn’t know she could do until I mentioned it, at which point she started rattling the numbers off), and playing games based on the number. We were all asked to send in something for Friday. We could send in 100 buttons/paper clips/whatever, draw a picture and attach 100 things (they gave an example of drawing a big sheep and gluing on 100 cotton balls), or sending in 100 of some small treat. Usually they have a no junk policy so Hayley jumped on the idea of sending in a candy treat for a special occasion and so on Friday she’ll be taking in 100 gummy hearts to share.
That should make her popular with every kid in the class. Even the not-so-nice one.
Dude, I’m in full agreement. I mean, seriously, my house is disappearing.
I’m sick of winter too. It’s been snowing so much that I haven’t even been able to go ice skating consistently in the mornings because the ice is never cleared. And I really miss my daily walks (the sidewalks are too icy to walk anywhere).
Bring on spring! Do you think it will all be melted by this time next month? There’s a happy thought!!
And I wonder if anyone really wants to eat immediately after waking? I’m not hungry for at least two hours after I wake up.
It was pretty bad in Toronto before I left but now I’m in Quebec City on business and it is *insane* – crazily cold and snow just about every other day. I’m on the second floor of a hotel and I could walk out the window and step on a snowbank. The folks on the first floor now see only snow out their windows.
From my perspective (that of a daycare owner), the breakfast thing is an awesome idea. On days when we go into school late, (I do try to let my kids have at least one day a week to just lounge before we get moving), we still wait and eat breakfast at school. Not so much because they prefer to wait about eating (but I think they do), but because I know we will have hot meals there most days. And, with that, we only do cereal on Mondays because I figure anyone can throw a poptart at their kid in the car on the way to school but pancakes, muffins, biscuits and eggs are not so easy. And, considering I open at 6 AM, some folks would have to do that if we didn’t serve breakfast..a hot one at that.
About the Valentines, I am so psyched about it. One thing I wanted to do when we bought the daycare was make all holidays a big deal. And, I dropped the ball at Christmas because I had my head in a hole with paperwork for the end of the year and such. So, I’ve gone over-board with Valentines. I’ve been leaving treats for my teachers every morning and tomorrow I have planned for pink (strawberry) milk and heart shaped lunches and cupcakes at snack with big bags of candy and personalized fruit roll-ups…..Easter is gonna be a feakin’ blast!!
By the way, I live in Alabama and I hate snow and we never even get any of it…hate the stuff! I can’t imagine if I had to deal with it like you do……..
Ok, novel over!
“More than once I sent an anonymous carnation to a couple of the unpopular loners just because I felt bad.”
I can remember a girl in high school who sat in home room, trying to melt and disappear into the floor that day. All the other girls had received flowers, but not she. The sadness and embarrasment on her face was obvious.
It’s amazing how early kids will learn about social standing and the very real benefits or losses due to it.
Good for you in sending those carnations.