Thank U India, Thank U Terror

Today I volunteered in The Princess’s school – an activity that you know that I don’t adore. I have been feeling very tired lately and I woke up this morning brainstorming excuses for not showing up. All of those were vetoed when I realized what a schmuck that would make me, cancelling on my daughter’s teacher, cancelling on being there in her classroom helping out. I mean, Who does that?!

So, I got up and got the kids bundled up – sent The Princess outside to wait for the bus and as soon as the bus pulled up, I took Pumpkin to daycare. Upon leaving daycare, even though I was short on time I stopped to get some coffee (warm + caffeine = a very GOOD idea), and arrived about ten minutes late to the school. Already, I was feeling like a bit of a jerk and I hadn’t even bailed on them!

I had about fifteen minutes in the classroom until the kids all ventured out to PE. Usually the teacher doesn’t have anything for me to do while they’re gone – which is part of the reason I hate volunteering so much: the thirty minutes of twiddling my thumbs while the kids are at PE (I lie – I totally don’t twiddle my thumbs – I’m on my phone checking email, sending texts, and scoping Twitter – so, for those of you so inclined – every other Tuesday morning is a FANTASTIC time to send me mail! I’ll read it while I wait). Today, however, the teacher had a project for me. And that project involved TURKEYS.

Y’see, the kids brainstormed all kinds of pre-Thanksgiving ideas for things they were thankful for. The teacher put them all on these little leaves (see below), and then each kiddarooni made their own turkey. My job was to hang up all the individual turkeys. Fun times, right?
But it was interesting to read these as I hung them up. As you can see from the below – these kids have much of the religious angle covered – they are thankful for God, Jesus, Mary and Moses. They have the family angle covered: Mom, Dad, siblings. They’re thankful for water, houses, land, and heaven. It’s the other stuff that cracks me up. It’s the cats and bats and ladybugs. It’s the sharks and owls. Kids crack me up.

And it made me smile, because I was so close to missing the moment of hanging up turkeys and having my kid give me a big hug so happy to see me in her classroom. I walked into The Princess’s class today and she was upset because she’d worn her boots and had forgotten to pack regular shoes (despite me saying last night, “Did you put your other shoes in your bag?” and her responding, “Yup! I already did it!”). I said, “Looks like we’re wearing boots today, kiddo” and she said, “Why can’t you just go home and bring my shoes back?” I told her, that no, mom had stuff to do today and that maybe tomorrow she’ll remember how hot her feet feel and remember to pack her other shoes, and she smiled and said in her know-it-all-cuz-I’m-six voice, “I knooooooooooow.”

(I really hope that title isn’t wasted and someone catches the reference)