Christmas Break

Did you hear that giant sigh of relief? That was me, sighing with contentment as I realized I can sleep in for the next 13 days!!! I get a respite from prying Tyler out of his warm bed at 6am for a couple weeks, and we get a break from multiplication flashcards and word-sorts. Hooray! Oh - the kids are glad it's Christmas break, too. :)

The kids had their Christmas parties today. Tyler's teacher decided to have a nacho bar for their party. I think that's pretty creative, and it was a BIG hit! Tyler, whose absolute favorite food is tortilla chips with nacho cheese, couldn't wait to get to school. In fact, I typically have a very difficult time getting him out of bed. Today, when I came out of my room to wake him up, he was already dressed, complete with shoes and socks, sitting in the chair, just waiting. I didn't think parents were invited to attend his party, but he said there were lots of parents there. Oops.

Christmas parties at the elementary school are almost painful. They have an all school singalong first, and it just drags on and on. I really didn't want to go, but I know it means a lot to Danielle, so I went. I arrived an hour early so I could get a parking spot (it was pouring), sat shoulder to shoulder with other parents on the uncomfortable bleachers, listened to taped children (because the volume on the tape was much louder than the actual kids' singing) singing a thousand different Christmas songs, including ALL 12 verses of the 12 Days of Christmas, and could only briefly see the back of my daughter's head. Ah, the extent of a mother's love. :) But Danielle knew I was there. I smiled and waved when she walked in. That's what she'll remember when she's a mom and it's her turn to sit on those uncomfortable bleachers.

Last week the 3rd graders started their timed multiplication tests. They have 60 seconds to complete multiplication facts for one number and cannot miss any problems. Each time they pass a test, they move on to the test for the next number the following day. I'm proud to say that Danielle passed each test on the first try and finished her tens today. Only 5 other people in her class passed them all on the first try. I will also add that Tyler did not finish them all on his first try (or even second try) when he was in 3rd grade. When we practiced at home, she could do all of them in 25 seconds or less. I'm proud of her for working so hard on those. She got a certificate and a rolo bar.

Ron and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary yesterday. That's a long time! His aunt and uncle watched the kids for us on Sunday so we could go out. I was feeling worn out from strep and a sinus infection, so I wasn't much of a date. Last night we had take out from BW3 and ate by candlelight - all 4 of us. The kids were loud, and there was nothing romantic about it, but that's our life right now. We'll have lots of years of quiet - too quiet - dinners someday, so a little chaos at the dinner table is ok with me. Thankfully Ron feels the same way. We are a good match for each other.