Party day!

Valentine's day is tomorrow, but because it is a Saturday school parties are today! I put out sign ups for parents to bring goodies to school for the children, and I try hard to have a list of healthy foods, fruits and vegetable for the children along with a few chips and dip and "real" juice, not punch or soda. Maybe a couple others like cookies or a cupcake (did you notice single, not plural cupcake). The kids do not eat the cupcakes, they just lick off the frosting. Cupcakes seem to be what we always have the most of. I really wish parents would try and stick to the list when they bring in goodies. Why not bring in crackers and cheese, a trail mix or granola mix. Those really are a big hit! (no peanuts this year due to peanut allergies) I realize they are just trying to be helpful and I am grateful. At times I have told parents no cupcakes because they just don't eat them very well and I feel it is wasted money and I don't want them to spend their money needlessly.
When they do birthdays and a parents brings in cupcakes, and that is all besides juice~ the children do eat them and they are not wasted.

I had plenty of parent/grandparent help today, which make things go much smoother~ as a 4/5 year old in preschool really needs help in handing out valentines. I do not send home a class list with names. I have the children sign their names on their cards, and that's it. The kids sit in a circle and have their decorated bags in front of them on the floor. A few at a time, with an adult helping them they go around and drop a card in each bag. It is a fairly smooth process and much quicker and faster then if their were names on the cards. There are 24 in my class. All the kids were ready with their cards, except for the 2 kids that brought their cards in, not ready to put in bags. One child just handed out the suckers, the other needed help with his "Cars" valentines and the tiny tattoos that went in them. We cut, folded and passed out the cards. With 4 of us working on them, one separating, one cutting tattoos (me) one folding and one passing out ~ we got them done in a timely manner. Things were actually going along very smoothly.

I must say this first before I go on~ It was a very rainy and stormy morning!

While the children were passing out valentine cards, my other staff and parents were setting up their plates with food. (at least this way we have some control over the junk food). It is now 11:05, class is out at 11:30. Plenty of time to relax, and they can eat and 'talk' with their friends. Clean up should be easy and they go home. Well, at 11:15, we had a firedrill! Of all times and all days with the rain and party! It was rainy outside. The parents helped us get their jackets on, we had plenty of umbrellas ~ plus I have 2 golf sized ones at the school we got the children lined up,emergency cards, etc, etc, etc, that we needed and headed out to the field with the rest of the school. The field was wet and muddy. By the time we headed back the rain had stopped, fortunately. And at this time they won't have enough time to eat. As other parents came in to pick up their children we were covering their plates and explaining why they were taking their food home. Fortunately I had some parents stay and help us clean up in a timely manner.

As I read my school e-mail after class, the firedrill was an accident and should not have happened. Oh well, it is over now, and we got our practice in for the semester!