Who's Got Spirit?

Ok, so we are heading into my favorite week (fine, one of two weeks) of the year. It's SPIRIT WEEK at school. We have one in the fall, and have theme dress days and such, and it's awesome. If there was Halloween every month I would be thrilled. I love costumes and the like (no surprise as I worked as a costumer for more than a few years for a public school system and the renowned Weston Drama Workshop). I think it's so much fun to put on some crazy things and head off into the wild. If you know me in real life you are not at all surprised at this. My favorite part of high school was the musical matinee day, where we did the show for the elementary school kids (or old people- I can't remember) during our academic day. I got out of my classes, got to ride to school with hot rollers in, and putz about in stage makeup after we were done. A win-win. Fast forward three million years, to spirit week. It's a week in schools where we have silly dress days and what-not. Well, that wasn't enough for cuckoo bird me. I had to take it up a (more than one!) notch. It's now COLOR COMPETITION. Because the word "war" just has too much negativity for me. Yeah, we have theme days, field day, bake-offs, door decorating, and scavenger hunts (which include me getting glitter bombed. Oh, how sad. NOT).  I have been planning with a core group of students for MONTHS. Most of my co-workers are thankfully good sports, as our team names are sort of odd. We are pretty competitive, so I know my dear friend, Mrs. Math Teacher, was thrilled that her team chose "Sargeant Hatred and the Carnivorous Lizards" as their moniker. It's cool though, I am the captain of the "Pink Pegasisters and the FIVE GUYS" (there are five boys/men on my team, and then a whole lot o' teenage girls). Bottom line? I work in an alternative school where every kid is from a different sending district, and they have one foot in their local schools but most of their body in mine. That's hard. It's tough to build a sense of camaraderie, and ownership, with so many fragmented youth. Yes, I work with a marginalized population. I wouldn't actually want it any other way. I think my students rock. And I think my colleagues might just rock a little bit more. Work is tough, but SO rewarding. That being said, we work just a wee bit harder to unify our students and staff. That's why I have put so much effort and time into color competition. This week it's going to be a lot of fun too. Tomorrow is cartoon character day, and I could have just worn a shirt with Mickey on it (um, that's not hard I have a billion) but I have gone all out. Full Minnie costume, complete with scads of ruffles, and pink bows. I even made Minnie shoes. I spent HOURS on it. And I can't wait to go to work tomorrow looking foolish  awesome!

Even better? I have a dentist appointment right after school. There will be no changing.

Some Mother's Day Tips for the Daddies

Yay! This past Sunday was Mother's Day! My day was lovely, but in general, there are some daddies in the world that might need a little coaching. I know there are moms out there that logged onto Facebook Sunday and were mighty jealous of some of the pampering and awesomeness that their friends were experiencing. It's ok. It happens.

So in that vein-
ATTENTION ALL DADDIES!

Mother's Day is a big f'ing deal. Do not even TRY to do the following:

• Take your wife to any event that involves your mother. Spending time with the mother in law is lovely, but she's not your wife's mother. Got it? Spoil your mom. Send her flowers. Take her to dinner. SATURDAY. Not Sunday.
• Play it by ear. Nope. Sorry, plan ahead. Reservations, flowers, cards. These need to be evident immediately upon waking, especially if sleeping in and breakfast in bed are not on the docket. Got it?
• Pretend that you will take over all household & childcare duties for the entire day. It's just impossible, and if your wife is anything like me (a slight control freak, but just slightly) that would just make her insane, because you are probably doing it wrong. The kids would be fine, of course, but perhaps covered in glue.

Assume that the handmade gifts the children produced in school/daycare/Sunday School will suffice. Nope. You still have to have something at the ready. Get out your glue gun. You can do it.

Now, with gifts you need to be savvy. Jewelry is great (as long as it's not ass ugly) and flowers a super bonus.

GOOD: Flowers, card, breakfast in bed, and a gift certificate for a massage/manicure/pedicure
BETTER: All of the above plus precious gems. Preferably diamonds. Or the kids' birthstones. Mommies eat that up.
BEST: Collaborate with the other daddies, and rent your wife and her mama friends a limo and send them to a winery.

Mmmkay?

Teachers...

Yeah, it's national teacher appreciation week. Teachers rock. Enough said. I am a teacher, but I teach high school. By the time I get kids, the ship has partially sailed. They have skills, they know things, they can read, and write, and add up sums. Am I important? Of course. Working in the field of special education, I know that I make a difference each and every day. However, in my eyes, I'm a failure. As a mother, the most important teaching I SHOULD be doing is with my own boys. And I can't, because I go to work every day to work with other kids. I am fine with that at this point, because I love what I do. My kids get to benefit in many way- including having teachers of their own at a very young age. Criticize if you'd like, but M has been in daycare since he was six weeks old, and J since eight weeks of age. You know what? That's a-OK with me- because they are SMART. J can sign his wants and needs, and one of his first spoken words was one of his teachers' names. M can tell me about feelings, dinosaurs, the weather, and other such interesting tidbits- because of his dedicated, creative, loving teachers. It's not all sunshine and rainbows- M has his bad days, where he trashes the sand castles his friends have lovingly created; or moments where he sasses his teachers when faced with a lunch box of GASP! FISH STICKS (in our house we call them chicken sticks- whatever gets them in his belly!!!) but he also has a tremendous amount of good days, where he learns so much. He's proud of what he accomplishes, and excited to share it with me. J does amazing art and comes home regularly with blue feet because he's been painting. That's what I want my kids to do. I am thrilled at the experience they are getting, and know that EVERY teacher loves my boys. It feels wonderful to know they are so lucky.

My kids are curious. And that's why I love Curious Kids.