Last week, I went out after work to socialize with my teacher-ly friends. Because I do that now. This was very exciting because I was able to be all grown up and I was not in charge of and/or responsible for any persons other than myself. This is the sort of the thing that excites me know. Eating food and talking to humans without having to use my stern voice.
When I came home to David and the children, a bit of chaos was ensuing. David seemed . . . stressed. Can I just say that it brings me a bit of satisfaction when I see that the children stress David out upon occasion? Because, my life. Anyways, I came home to the girls trying (not too successfully) to bake a cake and the house was a disaster. Backpacks! Lunch boxes! Papers! Socks! Everywhere! I was informed by my beloved that the boys were not allowed inside at all. They were to be outside picking up dog poop because they, and I quote, “had not been listening” to their father.
My boys? Not listening? Unheard of.
Oh! And did I forget to mention that David had brought home 30 chicks? Silly me.
I didn’t realize we were even in the market for chicks. Because we already have at least 40-50 chickens roaming about the property. But, ok.
So, there was also a brooder box, heat lamp, and 30 fuzzy friends in my living room as well. And all of these events will cause me to truly contemplate if I should go out with teacher friends again after work and eat delicious food in peace.
Handsome Dude has been working on a chick hatching project for the science fair. And two days after David brought home 30 chicks, HD hatched four more chicks.
He got third place at the science fair!
Then the boys talked us into letting them buy ducks. (They are very convincing. I am not sure how this all happened)
Meet Charlie and Marley.
But that’s not all, folks.
I got my Ms. Frizzle (of Magic School Bus Fame) on and hatched . . . wait for it . . . NINE chicks in my classroom. As if I could not be any cooler. The students were over the moon excited. Last year, when I hatched chicks in Kindergarten, my kiddos loved them, but were able to still function and learn. Not this group of second graders. They cannot combine academics with chirping chicks.
One of my students fell out of her chair three times on egg hatching day because she was so distracted.
Here are a few of them:
Oh, everyone thinks I am THE chicken expert at work. I impress them with my knowledge and fancy vocabulary by using words such as, but not limited to:
Black Copper Maran
Buff Orphington
Rhode Island Red
Egg tooth
Air Pocket
Chalaza
Albumen
And more!
I also impress them with my mad skills of removing chicks from incubators and the knowledge that you should not remove the chick from the incubator until it is all dried out, fluffy, and basically looks like a chick and not an alien (like it does when it is first born).
I tell David: “Everyone thinks I am so smart at work! I am THE FARM AND RANCH GURU!”
David: “That is very sad.”
I agree. But I am enjoying my moment.
My living room smells like a petting zoo. I had to eat my breakfast in my bedroom yesterday because the smell was too much.
What’s that? You don’t have a passel of chicks and ducks in YOUR living room? Well, not everyone can live such a glamorous life as I.
***
Spring break has now begun. I just finished up with parent teacher conferences. I never feel qualified enough to be doing a parent teacher conference. But I give it a good effort!
I had a new kiddo start a couple months ago. When I first met his parents, I wasn’t sure if they were going to like me. Because the dad said:
“At his last school, his teacher was a male. Our son really connected with him and prefers male teachers.”
Well, that’s just setting me up for failure. And I responded brilliantly by saying something like,
“Well! I am not a male teacher! But I am glad to have him in my class!”
Impressive, no?
Why do parents say such things? Parents! Focus!
But at his conference this week, they were all smiles and sunshine and seem to have come to peace with the fact that I am not a male teacher.
I also have a new ESL (English Second Language) student. I had a conference with her mama and an interpreter. And I heart this new kiddo so much. She is so hilarious and amazing and works her little hiney off to learn our confusing language.
I had a fun time trying to teach her the difference between a vowel and a consonant the other day. She humored me by pretending to understand what I was saying, but I am pretty sure I flopped it.
BUT I DID TEACH HER CONTRACTIONS. And I feel that is noteworthy.
She is precious to my heart.
***
Daisy Mae is 12 and Handsome Dude is 9. They had birthdays this week. I cannot believe how old my kids are getting, and, how old I am getting.
Me to HD: You need to rewrite that paragraph in your homework. It is too sloppy.
HD: WHY?!?!?!?!?!?
Me: Because God made me the mom.
HD: YOU DON’T EVEN LOOK LIKE A MOM! YOU LOOK LIKE A BIG TEENAGER GIRL!
Oh, he got in some trouble for his sass. But I secretly enjoyed the fact that he thinks I look like a teenager.
Happy Friday!
Here is another factoid you will need in the future……if ducks and chickens are together at mating age and you have male ducks………..your chickens will be deceased by the ducks trying to mate with them. Found that out the hard way.
You DO look like a teenager in the pictures I have seen . 🙂 Like the kids older sister.
Also, too, chicks in the house are big time dusty……seems you never get rid of it either.
You guys are having so much fun being farmer people. Especially with other full time jobs!
I wanted to hear more about how David was stressing about the children. I always like to hear how the husbands handle situations with children when the wives are gone.
Thank you for such a long post!! So many fun things happening in your life! Congratulations to the winner of a science fair ribbon!!