21

I can't even tell you how torn I am that there are 21 days left in our school year.  On one hand, it's been a GREAT year.  Sunshine's teacher, Madame Fabulous, truly has been fabulous and Sunshine has had a wonderful time being in her class.

But, the next month is scaring me.  Here's the breakdown until school lets out in 30 days:

May 1:  Close out BOGO Book Fair online (financial report) at home, meeting after school for the 5th Grade Graduation Week. Senior Boards Night for my mentee (Super Bookatarian's niece--which reminds me, I need to pick up a graduation gift for her) in the evening.

2nd:  Hand out yearbooks at school & do bank deposits from BOGO if I don't get to them on the 1st.  Shop for goodies for upcoming Faculty/Staff Appreciation Week.  Make copies to send home of little things the kids can do for their teachers the following week (bring a flower from home, a little sweet treat, pens/notepads, etc)

3rd: Author/Illustrator David Catrow is visiting our school & doing a performance at 9am.

4th:  Non-school related but still:  Sunshine is in the children's fashion show at the Children's Book Festival in town.

6th-Faculty/Staff Appreciation Week begins.  Today is Sweet Treat & a giveaway for 3 lucky staff members.

7th:  Breakfast for Faculty/Staff.

8th  Lunch for Faculty/Staff (I'm actually in charge of this one).

9th:  HOME!!!  Nothing major going on that requires me to be at school.

10th:  Our big Giveaway Day.  We'll have 73 items to give away to our faculty/staff members after school lets out.

11th:  Drama Kids performance.

12th:  Mother's Day.  Note to self:  pick up your cards when you run to Target tomorrow (5/1).  Put it in your phone NOW.

13th:  Yearbook Distribution.  Maybe an hour at school---not too bad.

14th:  Early Release Day & PTA meeting in the evening.  This is THE meeting where we'll take a vote whether to go PTO next year or not.  We're anticipating the state PTA showing up & causing a stink.  Google it---they've done it before!  

15th-17th--Nothing major is scheduled other than picking up t shirt order for our school store & final yearbook distribution.    Maybe I can actually get some down time.

18th:  Science Team Competition.  Sunshine has agreed to wear khaki.  This is major.  My child does NOT own anything khaki, nor will she consider it.  I credit Mrs. T (the head advisor for the 3rd, 4th & 5th grade science teams) for this one.  "Of course, Sunshine, you can wear a khaki skirt!"

20th-24th:   AR Celebration Week starts, along with our final House Celebration (GO BLUE!).  This week has me doing a final balloon parade, Treasure Box, Million Words Club handprints on the ceiling tiles of the library, hosting a party for 150 kids with 4 bouncy houses/water slides.  We also have our Awards Ceremony (Go Sunshine!!!!) for 3rd grade on Thursday the 23rd.

27-31st:  Tying up any loose ends with teacher grants, 5th Grade Celebration Week (kickball tournament, graduation ceremony), & just being a parent of a kid at our school.  PHEW.

I feel like I'm forgetting something.  Hate that.
Is it June yet????

Nine

My baby turned nine on Saturday.  Nine, people!  NINE!   The last year of single digits, ever.  In the Baha'i 

faith, it symbolizes completeness.  In Hinduism, it's "considered a complete, perfected, and divine number because it represents the end of a cycle in the decimal system."*   It's the number of Red Sox baseball great Ted Williams & Montreal Canadiens star Maurice Richard (two of my Daddy's favorite players).  

I'm officially the mother of a 'tween.  

We had a party for Sunshine at a local yogurt shop.   The owner happens to be one of the founding partners of the accounting firm that our PTA uses to do our EOY books & taxes.  He has been very generous with our PTA in the way of cash donations due to our PTA President's attention to detail when it comes to Spirit Nights at his school.  As it turns out, he's also the great uncle of one of Sunshine's friends.  

So, the girls gathered the day before Sunshine's birthday to celebrate our sweet girl.  Sunshine decided that she wanted to do doll hair & offered a choice of 4 different styles.  It was great to have them comment on her ability to do braids & buns for their dolls.  Obviously it's been a long time since I was 9, but I thought all girls knew how to braid.  Turns out it's not true!  So hair was done, dancing took place,  frozen yogurt & cake were eaten (not together) & much merriment ensued.  On the way home she informed me that it was the "best birthday ever!"

We spent her actual birthday at home so she could enjoy her birthday goodies & play.  We went to American Girl  & the Lego store on Sunday to spend some birthday money & then to Cheesecake Factory for a birthday lunch.  

Our Spring Break has ended & we're in the final stretch of the school year.  CRCT's (criterion-referenced competency tests---big in GA.  And prone to scandal in ATL.)  start this week.  Sunshine is a little nervous but should fare well.  She's already taken the Science portion as it was the test given to them to determine whether they were Science Team members.  Sadly, this doesn't count toward taking the actual Science CRCT.  

Also, Easter has come & gone and I'm still Sweet-n-Low free.  Did you realize that toothpastes have artificial sweeteners in them?  Not all, obviously, but a good deal of them.  I'm off to find a new brand!

Spring Break

Spring has sprung and we're in the middle of Spring Break.  As I've mentioned in the past, Sunshine is obsessed with biographies of historical figures so we took advantage of a sunny Monday and headed up to Warm Springs, GA to The Little White House.  Last marking period, Sunshine studied about Eleanor Roosevelt and this marking period focuses in part on FDR so this trip was a no brainer.

Hunter and I went to the LWH not long after I moved to GA so some of it was familiar to us.  They've since built a different museum which holds various artifacts of FDR's.  The LWH is preserved as it was on April 12, 1945, which is the day FDR died.

Flags and stones from each of the 50 states.  We took pics of VA & VT.  Sunshine stopped at the GA flag to do the GA state pledge which was cute.

We had a nice Easter with friends but sadly I don't have any pictures of Sunshine's egg hunt in our back yard as she ran out the door before I was able to get out of bed & follow her!  Note to self:  next year tie her down!

We're having her birthday party this week as my baby turns NINE on Saturday.  I know, it's crazy.  She was 2 when I started blogging.  I'm having a really hard time with this birthday.  More on that later.