I'm tired, but in a good way. I've been trying to motivate myself; push myself a little. I've been doing the "FlyLady" thing. I was skeptical, but I'm disappointed to say that a clean sink does really make a difference. I worked on it last night while Hubband was at the ball game with his buds. I felt so good about it I didn't even feel compelled to do the little lookie-lookie dance when he got home. It made it nicer when he complimented me on it this morning.

One would think that having tasks to do first thing in the morning would be stressful, but it's not. It's the guilt over the wasted time that's stressful. I'm finding that if I get up and immediately make the bed, I tend to want to keep it all pretty looking. I don't cover it with dirty/clean clothes piles and I don't spend a lot of time sitting/lying on it. The last two mornings I've been up and dressed by 7am. Little Boy is confused. :)

We'll see how long this lasts.

So, yesterday's field trip was nice. Except for the part where Ms. Caribou was a big chicken and wouldn't go up the stairs to the bell tower. I'm okay with being a big chicken, thanks. The 300 stairs that they told us about were actually a spiral staircase. The "steps" were tiny wedges of metal surrounding a pole in a turret that could not have been more than 4 feet across. Since I'm afraid of both heights and small spaces, I didn't think it wise that I go. I imagined getting halfway up and then trampling several 4th graders in my panic to get back down.

It wouldn't have been pretty.

As is usually the case, I took lots of pictures and a handful turned out. It's my favorite thing about the digital camera. It has a delete button so I'm not printing a bunch of sucky pictures just to get the three I like.

My favorite part of the trip occurred during lunch.

The trip was organized by the art teacher as they've been studying gothic architecture all year. This art teacher is kind of new. Our beloved former art teacher became a permanent 3rd grade teacher last year (and has been nominated for a Disney Outstanding Teacher Award - that's how cool she is!). The new teacher is a little high maintenance, I think. She seemed rather flustered during the spring concert and I never see her smile much. She just doesn't fit in the laid back atmosphere of the school.

So we get there and she's passing out itineraries to all the 4th grade teachers. It's a very confusing schedule of events that's meant to allow each class time in the bell tower and still get everyone to the rectory for the music program. Lunch was scheduled for approximately 12:30.

Keeping in mind that these children usually eat at 11:35, and the heat/humidity combination of the day (both about 90!) I'm surprised one of the little peoples didn't pass out. ALL of them were cranky by the time we got our turn in the bell tower. Little Boy had to sit down because he got dizzy. The children started bugging out about 11:45, so our Fabulous Teacher arranged for lunch on the patio at Noon.

Halfway through her PBJ (after quickly assessing the day's first injury as "he's fine!"), New Art Teacher comes screaming around the corner, "Where have you been? You were SUPPOSED to be in the rectory! You shouldn't be eating now! Where is your schedule? Now everything is all messed up! How did this happen?" She looks like one could wring her out, she's so damp and she's screaming like my dad after a bender in front of two full classes of 4th graders.

Fabulous Teacher just looks at her and says, "Oh, I'm so sorry. There must have been a misunderstanding. We'll finish up here and be right there." And she goes right on munching her sandwich. No reaction. No speeding up. Nothing. "I cherish this time," she says, "No one rushes my lunch time."

Seriously a hoot and everything turned out great.

Whoo. Think I'm going to have to stop for coffee this morning. Can't seem to stay awake. Better get going then.