S is for Spring Break

     Ahhhh, it's Spring Break for me, FINALLY!  Our spring break is much later than everyone else's this year.  Next year it's supposed to go back to a traditional time period.  But, for this year, waiting for Spring Break has been excruciating.

     My Spring Break started out great.  I got to spend a girls' day out with a very good friend.  We went to the historic district here in town.  It encompases most of our Main Street.  There are all kinds of cool little shops and restaurants down there.

     We started out by wandering around the shops that were open.  Then, we had lunch at one of my very favorite places.  It's called Old Mill Stream Inn and they had loads of outdoor seating.  The weather was perfect for sitting outside, chatting and having lunch.  Plus, they have these things called mill fries that are amazing.  They are little new potatoes that have been seasoned and fried.

     After a long leisurely lunch, we strolled along Main Street some more.  Going in and out of shops and just having fun talking and oooing and ahhhing over the things we found that we liked.

     Then, it was time for ice cream!  Yum!  There is the most delicious ice cream shop on our Main Street and I got my favorite, mint chip in a cone.  I splurged and got two scoops, too!

      We sat on a bench outside the ice cream shop and ate our ice cream and talked and talked and talked some more.  It was an hour past the time I'd planned on being home before I checked the time.  It was such a great day.  I enjoyed it immensely 

     I did come home with a few inexpensive purchases.  I got this wooden box that is divided into four sections that I'm going to turn into a planter.  I also got a birthday gift for my daughter.  And, I found these really cool coasters that are made to fit inside the cupholders of a car.  I got all of that for under $20, so it was not an expensive day.

Gumtopia

Ok, so today when I was getting ready to have individual conversations with each of my students about their STAR Math test results from last week on of my darlings raised his hand.

Darling: "She got my stuff." as he's pointing to the little girl sitting across from him

Me: "Who's She?"

Darling: "Missy May"

Me: "What 'STUFF?'

Darling: refuses to answer

Me: What do yo expect me to do about it if you won't tell me what it is?

Darling: Mumbles something that sounds like "I don't know."

Me: "You don't know what it is?  She has your stuff, but you don't know what your stuff is?"

Darling: "I didn't say I don't know."

Me: taking a deep breath... "Ok, again, What stuff?"

Darling: "Tommy Joe Jason gave me...."

Me: interrupting him... "I didn't ask you who gave it to you, I asked you what stuff?"

Darling: "My gum"

Really?  This child has been in trouble for having gum numerous times over the last few weeks.  I've even called mom about it. 

The gum was confiscated and thrown away.  Come to find out he was pushing the gum onto Missy May's desk so she took it and put it in her pocket. 

Ten minutes later I was introducing the trash can to three more violators of our school wide no gum policy.

For some reason this happens EVERY year about this time.  We can go all first semester and only have one or two gum incidents.  Then we come back from winter break and all of the sudden it's Gumtopia. 

0_o