Everybody's Off....

I'm going to whine for just a minute. It seems that everyone I know is off work tomorrow...except for the teachers and kids who attend Sunshine School! I know the reasons why (our school only meets two days a week, and if we took off for every Monday holiday in public schools, we would be gone half the year!), but it still makes me want a day off. What is it about an official "day off" that makes it so much better than any other day you spend at home? My three sisters, two brothers-in-law, mom and dad are all off because they are part of the public school system in some way, along with some of my teaching friends. So, of course, as I listen to their plans for sleeping in, getting things done, going to lunch together, or just watching TV all day.....I'm a little jealous.

But, I really can't complain. First of all, I have a great class of kids, so tomorrow will be fun, despite the non-holiday for us. Plus, Mark and I had a weekend all to ourselves, while the girls spent time with their Gammy and Papa Ron, so we fit in alot of those fun things listed above already....got lots done around the house, watched a movie and a half, slept a little more than usual, and went to dinner TWICE without kiddos. So, I guess I already had my "day off"!

(Note: The movie and a half deserves some mentioning. The movie was "Glory Road" in theaters now. GREAT movie. Great reminder of how courageous many people were during the worst days of our prejudice and racism in America...and how cruel others were. Also, a true sports story always makes for a great movie. The "half" movie was "Must Love Dogs". Can't even tell you one good thing about that movie. We turned it off after 20 minutes, because it wasn't even worth staying up late for. Not one of my highest recommendations...)

On another note, Kendyll and Carlie had a blast while they were away and did all the fun things there are to do at "L&R Ranch"....rode horses, fed the goats, saw the newest baby calf born on Friday, rode the "Gator", made mud pies (literally), visited Otis the donkey, went on walks in "the forest", and played and played until they were worn out. It is always fun to hear about their adventures there, because it is so much more "outdoorsy" than anything they can do here with us. They love it there, and love their grandparents so much. (We love them too for taking them for a few days to give us a mommy/daddy break!) What I'm most impressed with is the way my mom teaches Kendyll and Carlie, with only a couple of days to work with.

This weekend, Kendyll learned all the different shapes of leaves (oak leaves, etc.), as well as the types of trees that they have on the ranch. She also now knows all "opposites". I quizzed her tonight because I really wasn't sure how much she had retained since leaving their house. My mom wasn't kidding....she taught her all of them. I need to send her there more often!

The neat thing about it is that my mom has an innate ability to teach without being "teacher-ish", and to do it "hands-on" through the child's experiences, which I believe is a skill that is perfected over years of being a mom and teacher for 30 years. All of these lessons occurred during a walk through the forest, and Kendyll probably didn't even know she was learning!

So, Mom, thank you for passing on your knowledge to my sweet children. And, for encouraging their curious nature in a place that will be such an experience for all of our kids as they grow...the "raynch"! Thank you also for a GREAT weekend with Mark. We now have a clean garage to park in and organized photos for soon-to-be-scrapbooks because of you!