Weekend

Friday was a hard day at school.  They've all seemed really hard lately.

After school, an adult approached me.  She wondered about sending her child to the school.  Her first question was "Do you say the pledge?"

I said, "Um...yeah.  I forget sometimes, but we do."  (I'm terrible at remembering.  I love America as much as the next guy, but I get started with math and forget.)

She said, "My child has been going to a charter school where they say the pledge and sing the anthem."

(I am sure there are good charter schools around, but we get a lot of students from charter schools where the children aren't learning/progressing like they should.)

She told me her child was not progressing in school (surprise, surprise) and she was wondering about sending them to our school, but she had heard it wasn't a good school.

I said, "What do you mean?"  I was taken back.  I love our little school!

She said, "Well, I heard that the academics aren't good and the teachers are bad."

I said, "It is a good school and the teachers are good."  Then I ended the conversation.  

Sheesh.

Later is when I usually think of what I should have said.  "You should probably stay at your current school.  I mean, they say the pledge and sing the anthem after all."

In other news that makes me want to kick someone in the shins, my classroom has been in the upper 70s and Emily's classroom down the hall has been in the 50s.  We decided we should switch halfway through the day.  I was talking to Riley and he said that we were up for a new HVAC system because ours is shot, but since the bond didn't pass, never mind.

Thanks everyone who voted not to fund public education.  Now your tax dollars will keep my classroom a toasty 78 degrees.

So I was a cranky Thelma.  Adam and I went to the ward Christmas party even though I didn't want to (I was cranky).  We sat by some friends and saw people we love.  It was an ugly sweater party and awards were given and everyone laughed a lot.  Then they opened the curtains and on the stage there were about 30 different pictures of Christ.  A primary child, young woman, young man, lady and man all spoke briefly about the Savior.  

It changed my heart.  I saw my difficult students in a clearer way.  I always think that if Jesus came to my school, he would probably gravitate towards those hard cases.  It is my chance to practice being more like Him.

Saturday was Mark's twentieth birthday!  My little baby is twenty!

In my mind he will forever be my sidekick.

For twenty years, he has been melting my heart with his sweetness, stressing me out, being stubborn, and having opinions.

I heard recently that what parents become is the outcome of parenting, not what the children become.  If that is true, Mark has taught me to be patient (still trying), love wholeheartedly, and stay for the long hugs.

I'm grateful I am his mother.

We went to lunch with Emma (Via 313, they have good gluten free pizza).  We talked about things, including Mark's plans and future.  It is clear that I need to trust him more.  He comes up with good ideas. It's easy to think I'm in charge of my adult children, and I am really not.  It's freeing to realize that.

And stressful.

On repeat.

In the evening, Mark invited a bunch of his friends over.  We see a few of them often, but some friends came who hadn't been here before.  I opened the door several times because the group was in the basement and it was disarming how old they were.  One of them had a small beard!  I guess when your twenty year old son invites his friends over you don't need to preside over the gathering offering fruit snacks.

I stayed upstairs but their laughter made me happy.

Sunday was a busy one.  We had church like normal and then I hosted the Relief Society Kringle Mingle at our house.  We had cookies and hot chocolate and oranges and lots of chatting and laughing.  We pulled ladies aside and did ministering interviews.  We used both my office and Adam's office as interview spaces which was a good opportunity to tidy them up.

Both rooms needed a spruce.

I loved talking to my friends.  Some of them said encouraging words to me and I tried to say encouraging words as well.  We need each other.

Storm clouds were gathering and snow was predicted.  After the Kringle Mingle, we decided to drive to Salt Lake to get Mark's computer so he could work from home and they wouldn't have to battle the snarl that is traffic when it snows.  

I was ready for a quiet evening at home, but a quiet evening in the car was good too.  Being together is the thing.

When we got home, we had the birthday cake I had made earlier.  I am experimenting with gluten free cake and it was pretty good.  It was a busy weekend and in the baking aisle at the store, a tub of frosting had seemed like a good idea.

It wasn't.

It never is.

That stuff tastes terrible.

We sang happy birthday anyway.