If you'd like to know who to thank...

for the snow this afternoon/evening,

well, you can thank us.

We got the car washed.

You're welcome.

New Calling

Shad was set apart as the 1st Counselor in our ward's bishopric Sunday. We're all excited for the opportunity to serve our church congregation more, and I'm truly grateful that this calling did not come until after I finished teaching.

Anyone want to play Ghostbusters?

Shad asked for the Ghostbusters Wii game for Christmas.

Several family members were happy to oblige.

Gingerbread Houses

The kids' piano teacher invited us over for a Gingerbread House party. Peter and Laura had been begging me to make gingerbread houses, and this gave them what they wanted, without my having to put forth a lot of effort. The kids had a blast making houses out of graham crackers and then covering them with candy.

Of course, we all know that the best thing about making gingerbread houses is eating all of the candy off of them!

I survived!

Today was my last teaching day. I just have a staff meeting to attend tomorrow and then my long-term substitute assignment is complete. I am glad to be done. I will still go in and help out each day until the winter break, but I won't be in charge and that will make all of the difference. No bringing home assignments to grade, no putting together lesson plans, no planning projects or assignments. From now on, "it's not my problem!"

I learned a lot through this experience. I don't think I'm cut out to be an elementary school teacher, certainly not for grades K through 3rd. I just don't have the patience for it. If educational assistants weren't paid less than substitutes, I'd happily do that. I'd love to work in a classroom without being in charge of that class, to walk in and have the teacher say "here, do this with that kid today" and then be able to leave without bringing home 2 to 3 hours of extra work in preparation for the next day. Actually, I didn't really mind the preparation. It was working with kids who don't follow directions, who talk when I'm talking even though I've already told them twice to stop, who forget to bring their homework to school, who look at me as if I'm speaking Greek when I explain what they're supposed to do - that's what I minded. And I imagine that I'd encounter that no matter what grade I taught, so I think I've learned that teaching isn't for me. Maybe I should just stick with homeschooling my 3 kids and leave the "real" teaching to the professionals who have patience.

Please, Thank a Police Officer Today!

The first call (incident) Shad had at work today was the fatal shooting of a 9 month-old baby. The baby's father was mad at his girlfriend, the baby's mother, because she was trying to leave him, so he went and killed their child. That's one of the calls Shad was actually willing to talk to me about. There have been much worse ones that he will not discuss with me, because they're so awful he doesn't want me to have to know about them.

I am so grateful for men and women who choose to protect us and shelter us from the horrors that are perpetrated in this crazy world. I wish people would understand how much the police do for all of us. I wish there was more gratitude and respect for police officers. I wish I lived in a city that was police-friendly. Hopefully the new mayor will help, but I'm not going to hold my breath.

So, if you have a minute, send a thank you note to your local police station or to an officer you might know. We can never thank the police enough for all that they do for us. Just remember that the next time you get pulled over for speeding.