Meet Martha Stewart...Or Not

I think that I have sort of earned a reputation around the school as a sort of a Grinch. It is no secret that I detest the way holidays are commercialized, that the school spends a ridiculous amount of money on decorations and wastes way too much precious learning time for parties, parades and assemblies. However, in all fairness, I have had a complaining spirit of late. I really wanted to make today better..and it was my big chance.

Today was the first ever learning-circle run family craft night. At Little Wound family craft-nights are a really big deal. School administrators set up tables where really nice crafts can be made (scarves, wreathes, etc.). Dinner is also provided. As you can imagine, the combination of the two really draws in the crowds. Well, they decided to try a craft night run by the elementary school staff. Each teacher, K-5, was responsible for doing a craft in their room. Now for those of you who know me at all, you know that crafting is the antithesis of what I am good at. I hate crafts and the idea of doing a craft night was appalling. Nevertheless, the teachers around me remained gleeful, despite my melancholy.

Yesterday, we found out that the craft kits we ordered from a catalog never were actually ordered. That meant that the night before craft night we had no crafts and no supplies. One of the third grade teachers left so it was up to P and I to dig rummage through the closets of other teacher's classrooms to find Christmas supplies. In the end, we threw together a hodge-podge of stuff for tonight.

If my day only got more hectic this morning. I woke up exhausted and was expecting a delay start because of the snow. There wasn't. I dragged myself to school and tried to pretend to be excited. A few hours into the day (seemed like decades), my college professor (and high school principal) came by and told me I needed to take my grad class semester final after school. I had expected to take it tomorrow after studying. So no studying...

I survived to the end of the day (miracle). The minute the kids were on the bus, I ran over to my professor's office and grabbed the test. I ran back to my class only to find that one of the cars didn't have a driver to run some kids home. As a result, I had about eight kids in my classroom while I was trying to finish my semester final. I was typing like a maniac while trying to keep an eye on the kids. I finished with enough time to grab some food from the cafeteria and literally wolf it down as I frantically tried to prepare for craft night.

The first family arrived thirty minutes early--of course. By the time 6:30 rolled around, the room was extremely hot and overcrowded. My family friends were there--the ones I had Thanksgiving with. That made things a lot better. I think most of the families enjoyed the craft. We made flower pens. I admit that I felt so foolish modeling how to make the craft. I looked ridiculous. My family would have died from laughter.

We had a drawing for gift cards. The minute--nay, the second--I finished drawing for winners, the entire classroom emptied like the rapture had come. I was left sitting with a classroom that looked like a tornado went through it and a child who needed a ride home. I currently sitting in the eye of the storm, wishing the cleaning fairy would come and clean my room for me. Lord preserve me!

P.S. Our flower pens were cooler because we used Christmas flowers.