Moving on to Ten Things of Thankful:
1. We had a COMPLETELY UNEXPECTED snow day on Monday. Snow was in the forecast, but only a smidge of it was really expected. I happened to wake up before my alarm went off and was lying in bed, trying to organize my day in my head (a fruitless exercise, I might add, in spite of my good intentions), when the phone rang. My husband picked it up, held it for a few seconds, then started laughing and said, "Snow Day!" I jumped up and looked out the window, and, sure enough, the street was covered with a couple of inches of snow. I celebrated by doing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING PRODUCTIVE.
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| Picture of Pete with a photo bomb courtesy of Ruby. |
2. It was back to school on Tuesday, and I finally got to spend the morning with my Primary class. Both of their class days were canceled last week due to (say it with me) SNOW DAYS, so we hadn't seen each other in twelve whole days. We worked on coloring and cutting, and none of the kids cried, although I, myself, might have come close to it a few times. (Cutting and coloring are NOT innate activities, believe it or not.)
3. My assistant teacher Janet and I were TOTALLY on the ball for making a Valentine craft to go on the bulletin board outside our classroom. We started it the last week in January, and then (you guessed it!) Snow Days happened, and we didn't get to finish them until this week. Miss Janet found the craft on Pinterest, and since we are all about painting hands or feet in this class, we went for it. This project involved painting their feet red and making a heart with their footprints. Cute idea, but the only problem was the washing of their feet looked like we were trying to clean up a crime scene. Not kidding. You can see for yourself:
We had set them aside to dry, then had Snow Days. Cut them into hearts and then had Snow Days. By this time, we didn't have time to do an entire new bulletin board, so we hung them around the existing artwork on the January bulletin board and called it good.
4. Wednesday was our Valentine party in Pre-K. It was a crazy day, since we hadn't been in class on Monday (why? SNOW DAY!). We had valentine boxes, valentines, treats for the party and excited kiddos coming in the door, but we got it all sorted out, boxes set out and valentines delivered and all was good.
5. Not to brag or anything (okay, I'm bragging), but not only did we do a valentine project at the table when they came in, go to chapel, have Circle Time, have the kids deliver their valentines, AND have Center Time, but we also squeezed in an activity we hadn't had time to do when it was "P" week (and we are so mixed up about what week it is after this many snow days that it will be a miracle if any of them know the alphabet when we're done), which was to make pickle prints with purple paint on pink paper. The only bad thing is that I took the pictures on my real camera and not my phone, and I can't post them right now, since the camera is at preschool and I'm not. Smh!
6. Thursday was our Primary Valentine party. We did a little glue work with our glue sticks (again, not innate, and may I take this moment to say that I believe the genius who invented purple glue sticks should be hunted down and killed, or, better yet, forced to spend eternity in a roomful of 3 year olds who don't understand that the purple stuff is GLUE, and not an instrument for coloring). Our party was festive, the kids did an AMAZING job singing their valentine songs, and, BONUS, I received a bag of cinnamon lips from one pretty darn cute 3 year old boy! YUM!
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| Couldn't wait until I got home to break into the bag of cinnamon lips. |
7. You might possibly recall that I have been on a bread baking tear lately. I have PERFECTED the Italian bread loaf, if I do say so myself. Crispy crust, tender inside, delicate crumb. One of the secrets is using bread flour instead of all-purpose flour, BUT bread flour is more expensive, as in around $3.00 for a five pound bag. I went to Sam's Club this week and found a 25 pound bag of bread flour for only $7.76. HOW COULD I BE EXPECTED TO PASS THAT UP?! My husband's comment when he saw it was, "Holy shit." Gonna be some baking going on in my house, folks!
8. Monday was a Snow Day? Thursday, it was 50 degrees and sunny. I ran errands after school without wearing my coat AND IT WAS DIVINE!
9. Today at preschool, my Secret Sister gave me a gorgeous chocolate cupcake from Cupcakes by Liz, Everything about Valentine's Day isn't bad....
10. Tomorrow, my daughter has a show choir competition in my parents' home town, so she and I are spending the weekend there, and my mother is going with us to the competition. My daughter loves show choir more than any other activity she has ever done, and I'm thankful she gets this whole day to revel in it.
I may not love Valentine's Day, but I love a good link up! Join me, right here, and I PROMISE you will feel the love not only THIS weekend, but each and every week from the lovely participants of this hop. Try it and see!
Your hosts
A Fly on our (Chicken Coop)
Wall, Considerings, Finding Ninee, Getting Literal</
a>, I Want Backsies, Mother of Imperfection, Rewritten, Thankful Me, The Meaning of Me, The
Wakefield Doctrine
Wow, I can't believe how many links are up already! I feel like such a lame-ass loser this week!
ReplyDeleteI love the heart footprints - reminds me of the crafts Kidzilla's preschool teachers used to do - we have hand and footprint projects from her baby classroom all the way up to pre-K. Four years of hands and feet that I get to keep! Some are so cute!
Snow days...yeah, we have had so many I've actually lost count. Two more yesterday and today. Off Monday (not a makeup day...why? who cares!) and Tuesday looks questionable with an icy mix in the forecast at the moment. And you know what else? Sixteen weeks till summer vacation...
Have a wonderful week!
I love using their little hands and feet. Even though it's messy, messy, messy, it's always so cuuuute! I think we've now had 10 snow days, which means any more we have will be forgiven by the state. I haven't counted how long it is until summer vacation yet. Just get me to spring break first!
DeleteLoved that craft, but you made me glad I am not a pre-school teacher to have to clean up little kids feet for a craft like this. Not going to lie, as cute as it, too messy for me. We too had more snows days this week and have a feeling we will be seeing more before all is said and done this winter. Happy weekend and hope you have a great one Dyanne!! :)
ReplyDeleteIt was my idea to paint ONE foot white and make snowmen, and my assistant was very nice about being the foot washer. This one was her idea (well, hers and Pinterest - we aren't THAT creative), so she was totally cool about the bloodbath, I mean, washing of the red feet. The kids think it's hilarious fun to have their feet painted.
DeleteDyanne, how wonderful! Glad that you had a great Valentine's Day with the kiddos too!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Michelle!
DeleteI tip my hat off to you. I really do. It's hard to teach wee minds who are ready to start their academic path. Whew. My kid's first year was so traumatic. Cried every day for the first 3 months. His teacher had to push or pull him into class. But she nurtured him the whole time. We were blessed that she was his very first teacher. You all do amazing work...and you must share them hot lips. I haven't been able to find any around these parts!!! So I am jealous.
ReplyDeleteNot jealous of the feet though. Nope.
Aww, thank you! I had one in my primary class who cried every day when she was dropped off, but it was mostly for her mom's sake, because she was fine as soon as mom left, although I still had to peel her off her mom every. single. morning. Ever since Christmas, she walks in totally boss, and we're all happier about it!
DeleteThe cinnamon lips were purchased at Hobby Lobby. I almost went there the day after Valentine's Day to see if they had any of them on clearance, then figured that consuming two bags of them during the past couple of weeks was more than enough (although I wouldn't turn them down if someone else bought them for me...).
I am like Kimberly... I cannot find cinnamon lips this year... everything is cherry hearts... pee poor substitute let me tell you! Love the photo bomb... I agree with you about that ridiculous purple glue stick...my great niece cant seem to stop testing it to see if its grape... love the feet but man no way would I EVER venture to do that with a bunch of kids (or one for that matter)! You are a better woman than I. But we knew that!
ReplyDeleteEw, I don't like cherry flavoring. My son took one look at that picture of the photo bomb and asked if she jumped down there to pick a fight, and I said no, it was just a hit and run. Purple glue was a stupid idea. Would rather paint preschooler feet red than have to deal with purple gluesticks, and yet, I have to do both....
DeleteThose footsie valentines turned out absolutely adorable. I bet your classroom is a happy place!
ReplyDeleteThank you, May! We try to have a good time and make the most of the few hours a week I get to spend with them.
DeleteI love the little feet hearts! I bet the clean up was indeed fun! I have never had a cinnamon lip but I think I might like them. I'm glad you do and I'm really glad you got some.
ReplyDeleteThe ideof fresh home made bread makes my mouth water! And the smell...oh! I can only imagine!
I hope you and your daughter have a terrific weekend with your Mom and enjoy the show!
They kids all told Miss Janet they liked getting their feet washed. She felt like Jesus.
DeleteI would send you a loaf of bread if I thought it would get to you reasonably fresh.
We had a GREAT weekend!
I love the feet too! I have never thought about Valentines Day and whether I needed to take a stand on it. wow we have some really heavy thinkers in this group. ask me later how JEAN FEELS ABOUT MOTHER'S DAY however and watch the alien jump out of my insides!!! thanks, MOM! ,,,
ReplyDeleteI've never cared much for Valentine's Day, but I had no idea so many others agreed with me. I'm the same way about Mother's Day.
DeleteOh, I'm totally with you, we have a no-spending rule for Valentine's Day, but still try to do something cute. Would you share your recipe on the bread? Are you making it with a bread maker, or by hand? Love all the crafts you made with the little ones, and I hear you there; cutting, coloring, and gluing are definitely acquired skills. Enjoy your cinnamon mouths, Dyanne!
ReplyDeleteI did make chocolate covered strawberries for my daughter and husband, and chocolate chip cookies for my son and husband. And I took bread to my parents. I swear I'm going to do a post about the bread and put the recipe on here. Mmk?
DeleteOkay - I'm going to have to echo all the other comments about how awesome the footie hearts are. But I totally have the crime scene visual as well (hee hee!)
ReplyDeleteAnd I also smiled at catching up on the "P" projects. I have a newfound appreciation for how much thought going into activities for preschoolers now that my daughter's teacher sends home all sorts of song lists and vocab cards via email for us to use at home if we want. They certainly cover a lot in school!
The crime scene was all I could see when we were in the throes of making the hearts. "P" week is our busiest week, but thanks to snow days, we drug it out over about three weeks. We also made pizza and did a polar bear experiment. And not one boy said "penis begins with P," which usually happens every couple of years or so.
Deletethere are still only 7 days in the week out in middle-of-the-countryville, where you live, right?
ReplyDeleteI am feeling like I deserve a day off just reading the things you got done since the last TToT!
We're so laid back here in the flyover states that they gave us an extra day....
DeleteI love alliteration, so your sentence about "pickle prints with purple paint on pink paper" makes me smile!
ReplyDeleteI think your kids will learn the alphabet, but they will just think it has something to do with snow. :-)
The kids really giggle over that alliteration! And I always tell parents that what they do (or don't do) in preschool will not keep them out of Harvard.
DeleteSnow days are fabulous. What a perfect start for your thankful list. I love the feet hearts! That's a great V-day project. I can just see moms making their kids stand on them 10 years from now.
ReplyDeleteI do love a snow day. Or two. I PREFER them to be scattered over the course of the winter, however, and not happen all at once. I'd like to be able to order one a week.
DeleteWe used to make stepping stones by making footprints in concrete as a Mother's Day gift, but it was so hard to do that we finally gave it up.
I saw the picture you posted of that cupcake...it looked absolutely fabulous! I might have just drooled a little bit on my keyboard just now as I thought about it.
ReplyDeleteAnd I am bah-humbug on V-Day too...and you said it perfectly: If you can't show me you love me the other 364 days of the year, I don't need you on the 365th day.
Love the footprint hearts. I was all-about handprint and footprint crafts when I taught. So fun...and you know those are the things that the parents will keep. But yes, your clean-up did look like a crime scene. :)
Oh, cupcakes by liz are the BEST. When you eat one there, they make this big deal out of the presentation, with things like little designs of chocolate sauce on the plate and pearl sprinkles and the like. However, it would KILL you to spend that kind of money on a cupcake!
DeletePffft on Valentine's Day, unless you're giving me a delicious cupcake.
I try to limit our crafts to something the parents will actually keep. How could they throw away those little feet?!
I love those Valentine Feet! How creatively fun!
ReplyDeleteThank you! And thank you, Pinterest! And thank you to an assistant who is willing to wash red paint off of feet for the sake of a craft (do note that it was her idea to do this in the first place!).
DeleteI had to come here to get my Ruby-fix and I wasn't disappointed - great pic Ruby!
ReplyDeleteAnd the Valentine feet are awesome!
It was a blur of Ruby, but that's pretty much how we see her most of the time anyway!
DeleteOMG I cannot even tell you how "OVER" snow days that I am.
ReplyDeleteI'd take one more, on a Friday, preferably. And preferably called the night before, so I don't have to get that heart-stopping phone call at 5:30 in the morning.
DeleteHi - so glad I found your blog! I'll be back to read more, just spent the day bingewatching House of Cards (it's really, really good) and so am a little fried but I'll be back to read more again now that I've found you.
ReplyDeleteI, too, can not stand Valentine's Day. Such a commercial thing, and I agree that we should show each other love 365 days of the year, not just on Feb. 14th. Best, Claudia
Hi, Claudia! I'm glad we found each other! We can compare boobie stories!
DeleteI cannot believe you're having so many snow days!! We've had two here in Texas. Both in December.
ReplyDeleteWHAT are cinnamon lips and why don't I have some????? YUM.
You're such an amazing teacher, and I can't believe you took on a project so potentially disastrous! But it turned out precious!
We seldom have very many days. This is a bonus year!
DeleteCinnamon lips are like cinnamon bears. Ever have those? Like the inside of a Hot Tamale. Delish!
That project was fraught with peril, but it turned out, so that's all the matters!
My son's preschool teacher explicitly forbade us on the supply list from sending in purple glue sticks. It never occurred to me why, so thanks for explaining!
ReplyDeleteWell, now, there's an idea for the supply list for next year! I rarely have the kids use them anyway, since they (a) don't stick that well and (b) make the kids think IT'S PURPLE PAINT.
DeleteThe only thing dumber about Valentine's Day would be if it were made a Stat holiday. You know as opposed to "Family Day"! Haha!
ReplyDeleteI think you should record you're Pre-K's singing the alphabet song. :P
Hope you had a great weekend at your daughter's competition!!
I'm still jealous of your Family Day....
DeleteThe alphabet song would get kind of fuzzy once they got to "N."
The competition went fabulously well, thank you!
And then we had a snow day . . . I love that bit, made me giggle. My favorite part of your entire list is the hope that someday, somehow, I will be able to venture out of doors once again without a damn coat on!
ReplyDeleteRuby is fantastic. She is a Calico (which makes her a Queen Cat) and she photo bombs. Tell her I'm in love with her.
Do you think it's possible that we'll have a normal summer, or will winter go on and on...?
DeleteRuby is a hot mess. Maybe someday she'll settle down and become more "queenly." At the moment of this writing, she is busily untying all my husband's shoelaces.
I know some people are all about it, but I just have no use for Valentine's Day. Have pretty much the same feeling about Mother's Day as well.
ReplyDeleteWe painted 2 feet x 12 kids. At least none of the girls were wearing tights!
I know you won't appreciate the deliciousness of cinnamon lips,but as a Hot Tamale fan (and by fan I mean fanatic), they are right up my alley.
Sounds like a busy week. Wow, this post actually had the most Valentines Day festivities I've seen. The possum & the feet both made me cringe. Eek!
ReplyDeleteFor someone who hates Valentine's Day, I appear to have spent most of my week celebrating it!
DeleteI loved, loved that photo of your cat and the other rascal photo-bombing him. We had some snow days too and my husband didn't attempt to drive into Atlanta, so I was a blob. I slept late and didn't do anything. It was wonderful.
ReplyDeleteRuby's photo bomb was a hit and run. And I know I should use snow days to do things around the house that I have put off, but it's so much fun to be slovenly for an entire day (or 10, which is how many we've had so far this year).
DeleteThose Valentines projects are adorable! If I had seen them before V-Day, I would have done that w/my kids here. Too cute!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the crusty bread, nothing better. I can barely make easy cookies and cakes, with the word 'easy' in the recipe!
Let's hear it for WARM February days! It was barely 40 here today and we were dancing in the drippy driveway. Great list, so much goodness.
Now you have a project for next Valentine's Day. Word to the wise: change the water frequently.
DeleteThe bread is way too good. And pretty easy. I really need to do a post on it.
As delightful as it is to have a little warmth, what I really like are seasonable temperatures. While it's not right to have temperatures around zero in February, so is it wrong to have them in the 70s. Although, if I had to choose, I'd take the latter rather than the former.
I don't give a toot about Valentine's Day, but that foot heart is so cute it makes me want to do it over again so I can try it before my kids' feet get any bigger.
ReplyDeleteAs always, Amy, it is obvious we are friends for a reason. My assistant teacher thought it would be cute if I did MY feet, too, but as I have Sasquatch feet, I declined.
DeleteApart from the fact that we won't ever celebrate Valentine's Day because of religious reasons, I honestly agree with you wholeheartedly lol. It's so crazy how many snow days everyone is having. I hope you all won't have to make it up at the end. I remember we had to do that when I was in public school, but I don't remember ever having nearly as many days as you all have been having lately! eek!
ReplyDeleteCinnamon lips sound AWESOME. I love the footprint craft. Almost the only artwork I keep from my son's preschool is the stuff with hand prints, foot prints and things he obviously made himself. Sometimes, stuff comes home and I'm all "um yeah, you didn't do anything on this one did ya?"
ReplyDeleteThat's a really long way of saying that I think you're super cool for doing crime-scene-type clean-up to deliver a craft that mom and dad actually wanna keep. Oh and we had snow days on Thursday and Friday. Another four-day weekend. Bleh.