Grateful Friday

 My team and I had matching end of year t-shirts:

When I saw this picture I thought, "I'm a little teapot, short and stout."  I'm destined to be the short one in any group it seems.  Also my teammates have normal smiles and I'm just ecstatic apparently....

When I got home yesterday I texted Kim that I wasn't up for a walk.  I said, "I feel like I already took three walks."  I was SO tired.  

There was all kinds of bedlam.  I realized that Mark as a third grader was exactly like most of those boys.  I only had one of him--or two when Gavin was over.  A bakers dozen of Marks is a lot.  When we have unstructured time, things get crazy.  They love making paper airplanes so I put some origami videos on Google Classroom so they could pause the video as needed.  They made and flew so many paper airplanes!  One landed on top of the whiteboard and I said, "I'll get it," and started walking across the room.  One boy started hoisting another boy to reach it and I said, "I'll get it." The boy stood on a shelf and snapped the not all that strong shelf in two.  

A bakers dozen of Marks at age 9....

We cleaned out desks, including for the ones who weren't at school.  You never saw so much chaos.  We got it all accomplished.  I squirted shaving cream on their desks when they were done and they had a good time playing with it and then cleaning it all up.  

I made sure everyone took everything home with them.  By the end of the day I was exhausted!

And I still had miles to go.  

Mark came and brought me a soda from Maverik.  I met him in the office and I told all the ladies, "Sons are worth a lot."  They concurred, even the ones who don't have sons.

Mark and I consolidated everything and took stuff to the gym for surplus and sorted out what I was taking home for the summer and what was staying at school.  Then we covered everything (floor to ceiling in places) with plastic drop cloths.  I have fabric over some of my bulletin boards and I don't want dust from 1977 on my fabric coverings.  

I told Mark I had I-have-a-grown-son-helping-me survival guilt so we went to go help the 4th grade teachers who were working in their teammate's classroom while she is home on maternity leave.  Then I gave the rest of my drop cloths to my team and offered them help, but they said they were in good shape.

I got home and unloaded everything.

Then I. Sat. Down.

I am grateful for my sweet students.  Several of them brought me gifts and the homemade ones are the best.

I am grateful for my team.  Miriam brought pulled pork and homemade rolls for lunch.  Alissa gave me the shaving cream and ideas every time I asked her this last week. (She had the idea for origami and it was a winner!)

I am grateful for the helping spirit among teachers, because they are a pitch in and help group, always.

I am grateful Adam is home!

I am grateful for Mark.

Sons are worth a lot.