Ready For Summer

If you've seen the May-cember video floating around on social media, you know how crazy May is for most parents with the end of school.  This year, I discovered additional crazy from the staff side of things.  It's a lot.  I'm glad we're about done with it.  

Katie's solar system, which I helped her with.  All the middle schoolers made one, and it was interesting to see the variety of different materials and interpretations of the project.  

We're going inside the library more often these days, instead of just doing curbside pickup.  Although, I still contend that curbside pickup from the library is one of the very best things to come out of the pandemic.  

One of the May Events was the AWANA end of year awards ceremony.  Which meant I had to break out the ironing board to put Katie's patches on her shirt.  Grumman was helping.  

And when he got bored with the task, Fiona stepped in to help.  All ironing in this house happens with a side of cat hair.  Fi is so accommodating, her fur shows up on any color clothing.  

Mother's Day happened.  Katie made me the ladybug, which opens to a note.  Hannah did the painting.  

Since it was a holiday, I was permitted to take pictures.  

I'm liking the maxi dresses I found for the girls on Zulily recently.  It's nice they won't outgrow them length wise after a few wearings.  

And this guy?  Had "short timer's syndrome" like most high school seniors get.  

Zach sent me cookies from a local cookie shop.  They were delivered when we were at church.  

So yummy, and enough to share.  

The aforementioned AWANA ceremony.

"Can I go play with my friends now??"

I ended up subbing a couple more times in May.  I did half a day with the second graders.  I took beads left over from Brianna's childhood, and pipe cleaners and bubble solution in.  

We finished all our work early and the kids made bubble wands and we blew bubbles at recess.  One of the students declared it the Best Non Field Trip School Day Ever.  (I also let them write their spelling words in sidewalk chalk, which was a hit.)

The other class I subbed in was kindergarten.  It was a good growing experience for me.  When my kids were little, I had no patience for teaching K because I felt like there were 100 other things I could be doing in the time it took my 5 year old to sound out a simple sentence.  I discovered I've gotten over that (yeah!) but I also discovered multiple K students means drama and I don't have as much patience for that as I probably ought to (boo).    

My dad came for a visit, and we were hanging out in the front room, so Grumman wanted to be a part of things.  I caught him looking regal and majestic once he settled down.  

Had a nice visit with my dad and remembered to have Jack get a picture for me.  :) 

Fuel prices are just crazy right now.  :sigh:  

More books, including more "research" for my upcoming trip.  

Those of you who have watched my little school library take shape may appreciate this.  The biography bookcase was the very first section I set up when we got the room.  It was just a dozen or so books on each end of the first 4 shelves at first.  It has grown so much this year!  I'm really pleased with how many interesting people students have the opportunity to learn about.  (But the books on the top shelf don't actually fit into this bookcase, due to height.) 

Our Early Chapter Books section has grown a lot, too.  

I tried to do another collaborative art piece like the manger scene we did at Christmas, but the results were less impressive this time around.  I'm thinking it's a May thing.  Everyone was so done.  With everything.  

Our 5 reader buckets went from a couple inches in each to quite stuffed in a couple levels.  I may add another blue and another yellow next year, if needed.  I like the ones from Lakeshore, since they're very sturdy, and I prefer indestructible stuff when it comes to kids.  

My post-jab owie picture.  The things I do for France.  :sigh:  

After dropping Jack at one of his shoots, the girls and I stopped at a historic landmark just off the road we were on.  

Kind of fun to see what gold rush related things took place nearby.  

I showed Hannah that I had Mrs. Pollifax book on my ipad, and promptly lost my ipad for a couple of hours.  

I miss the older kids as they move out and begin their adult lives.  You know who I'm not going to miss?  Not Me.  Not Me broke the drawer tracks, and I had to hold the flashlight while an unhappy Paul repaired them.  Not Me has done a lot of nefarious deeds over the years.