Skipping Town

Are these kids ever in school? Winter is crazy. Just when it seems the new year gets underway, there are snow days and then a run of three half days for teacher conferences. Yesterday both girls had a friend over after the half day. I'd made cake pops, which the four girls then dipped in chocolate and decorated with sprinkles. Lots and lots of sprinkles. Today, they each had another friend over. I'd made a cake (from a box) and they each decorated a slice with frosting and sprinkles. Again, lots and lots of sprinkles. All I've done for the past two days is clean up the kitchen. I'm not a person who uses a phrase like "wine o'clock" but wow, was I waiting for that wine tonight. Tomorrow is another half-day, but Andrew and I have our conferences with the teachers and Mom and Dad will be here, so here's hoping for a sprinkle-free day. In other news, Greta gave her presentation today on Jane Goodall. All the kids in her class had to give a presentation...

In November, we had a freak, unforecasted snowstorm here in New Jersey that left our kids stranded at school--or, worse, on their school buses--for several hours. It was a mess. Children were without food, water, or bathrooms on the buses, and no one was able to locate the buses, and parents were setting out on foot to try to find their kids. The roads were so terrible that it was taking parents two or more hours to drive to our school--normally a seven-minute drive. Lucia goes to a school she can walk to, so she came home without a problem. Greta, however, was stuck at her school until 7:30pm. This was actually the best of a bad situation, since she was with her teacher, and there were food, water, and bathrooms, and the heroic teachers kept 100+ kids occupied with snacks, games, and movies until every one of them was taken home. Two neighbor dads drove 2+ hours to pick up all the kids at our bus stop. To put it mildly, it was awful. Our school district was--obviously--scared silly ...