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It’s an April Fools Kind of Thing!

Throughout the years we’ve enjoyed playing pranks. My best ever was sewing my husbands underwear shut with tiny little stitches so he couldn’t tell! That was way back when Bboo was just a baby! As a matter of fact..it was her first April Fools!

And apparently, I’ve taught-her-well!

I manage a local charter school. One of my many job duties includes making sure we are staffed. When teachers call in sick, I arrange a sub for them thru a local sub service. If support staff is sick…we just do as best as we can to cover the shortages. Because we are a small charter school, missing anyone is tough. Missing several is …well…really tough.

Emails and text messages started coming in last night and continued early this morning. In the meantime, I only got a couple of hours of sleep because I was up half the night with a sick kid. And…I managed to get the flu myself. 🙁

By 5:30 am, I had seven people out. By the time I got to work at 6:50 am, I was up to ten people. And no subs. I was sick, I was grouchy, I was calling the sub service like crazy. I was appreciating Bboo who volunteered to make my lunch and buy me a coffee from Starbucks.

I thought perhaps someone was playing an evil April Fools Prank on me, but how could that be when a separate business was involved? Besides, other admin were just as worried as I was!

Finally, I sent  out  an email telling all staff I was quitting from the stress and this better be a bad joke.

No response.

And then, my Bboo smiled at me and said, “April Fool’s Mom. I love You!”

I wasn’t sure whether I should believer her or not…what about the subs?

Alas, my evil genius daughter had hacked my phone, (updated to correct: she did NOT hack my phone…she got the number from a fellow, now untrusted, co-worker) called the DM of our Sub Service and was in cahoots with her on this April Fool’s Day! She had arranged with her to call corporate and given them the names of the teachers who would be “calling in sick” and told them not to call for a sub.

The, “Are you the manager?” question rang back in my head. I thought it was weird that they had asked me that.

When the DM finally called me back, she was dying laughing. She applauded my extraordinary parenting skills in raising such a daughter who was willing to go to such lengths to pull off a prank on her mother. (She also now owes me a sushi lunch!)

She’s way ahead of me and my little pranks of taping poppers to the door that would explode when people opened them. She’s way past sewing underwear shut.

If I were you….I’d be very careful next April Fool’sDay if you are her friend…co-worker…family member.

And you all thought we were normal…..

Quotable Quote #22

Living with the Vivas’ is interesting to say the least. One never knows what is going to be said. For instance, when the tooth fairy didn’t show up as expected, the Princess decided to tell the Roni that the tooth fairy doesn’t really exist. In an effort to stop her, the Drama Queen blurted out that she had thrown a pickle at the tooth fairy and killed it. She felt that was better than having him believe that the tooth fairy never existed.

The Roni has been having hygiene issues lately. We have had to have the talk of the importance of wearing clean underwear every day. Last night after showering, as he went to put his dirty clothes away, I asked him where his dirty underwear was. Realizing he’d been caught again, he was quick to think up anything to keep him out of trouble.

His reply?

“It’s not my day to change my underwear. I only change it every other day.”

We can’t make this stuff up…

Working at a school can be fun…and interesting…and draining…and

FUNNY

And anyone that works at a school cannot possibly explain what a first day of the school year is like…because no one would believe us.

Honest…and you know what I’m talking about if you’re one of us….

We’re the ones that sign up year after year for this….because we love it.

And we’re dedicated.

Even when….

A parent tries to drop their child off in the middle of heavy traffic and wants to know if you are serious when you tell the child to get back in because it is too dangerous and for mom to proceed to the designated safe spot. (BTW – we’re serious about keeping your kids safe.)

Or, a parent is too impatient to wait for you to cross them, so they plunge ahead while you put your life at risk with flag and body to stop traffic from hitting them…because we’re just nice like that.

Then there’s Kindergartner who has never been away from mom  who tries to make a run for it. And then cries because his little heart is broken…and yet, with patience and determination…and a lot of kindness, he learns to relax and enjoy his first, first day of school.

And the many elementary students who forgot what the name of their teacher is…or how to find the bathroom…or….or

Then there’s the older secondary student who is supposed to be picked up by the bus…only a near …relative …decides to take him home…but both the relative and the student forget to let the school or mom know that the bus is no longer needed because they have taken the student home. Forget that you’ve ran around the campus in three digit weather looking for the child who really isn’t missing after all; not to mention needlessly worried a parent…

Most of all, there’s the exhaustion of hundreds of parents asking you hundreds of questions….

And what feels like hundreds of students against one of you….

And you go home at the end of the day completely exhausted….but content…because you made it through the first day of the school year.

And you’ll forever remember that one thing that stood out.

Like the 1st grader who is standing off by himself while everyone else is lining up..so you go and ask him what’s up? Why are you over here by yourself?

And you get a bewildered…”I just don’t know how it happened?”

And you hesitate to ask…because you never know what the answer is…but you ask anyway, “How what happened?”

To which he replies, “I don’t know how it happened…it just popped out?”

And you tentatively ask, “How what popped out?” (all the while praying he isn’t talking about a bone…)

And then he holds out his hand and replies, “My tooth.”

And with a great big sigh of relief, you take yet another child to the health office so he can put his tooth in a tiny little treasure box to take home to his mother…

Whose probably upset that she missed that moment when….her child’s tooth just….popped….out.

Camel Spiders

I’ve seen Bboo freak a little lately. I’m getting to know the *look.* Some of you may recall my very first ever blog. I was trying to figure out what to write about and then it happened; the scream…and My First Post!

Fourth of July, the Twin and the Talented One found a camel spider. They were deeply saddened when it was hit by a car. Bboo was thrilled, I’m sure, as they made sure to bring it over and show it off.

Last week, the Smart One, Bboo and the Twin came to help with some labor at my work. She walked in, gave the *look* and started yelling, “Kill it!”

Yup, another camel spider.

Last night, it showed up again. She was walking out the front door and quickly backed her way back into the house. Once again, the *look* and refusal to step outside the door.

I’ve heard she is pretty. I think the camel spiders, all spiders, must know it. That’s why they keep coming after her.

Lovin’ It!

I just love days like today! It started out kind of hectic, with trying to get the two little ones up and ready for school while trying to get B-boo and I out of the house first thing this morning. She had an evaluation today that would take up most of the day at the university, so I knew I'd be waiting for quite a while. I grabbed my Bible and study book, looking forward to some serious study time.

Once we got her settled in, I headed to the library. May I just say that I really liked it! I had a nice, big comfy chair, a little table all to myself, and complete and total me time. I can't remember ever being able to read or study anything without being interrupted. I spent two whole hours reading and studying about faith under pressure. It was awesome!

But the best part was the unexpected part. I just love it when that happens! My oldest son happened to have to be there today, so we got to have lunch with him. And then, after B-boo went back to finish, the Good-Looking One and I got to spend another 1 1/2 hours together, mostly just talking and enjoying a PomBlueberry thingie from the Coffee Bean. It was pretty good, but not near as good as spending half a day with my son.

B-boo and I finally made it home in just enough time to grab a quick "ah" moment, and then head over to youth swim night. Which was way cool…because I got to spend time with my friends, sitting around a table and talking and eating some amazing lasagna.

And then…we headed home. And not five minutes into the door, I was asked the following question:

"Mom! Who put the lizard in the freezer and why is his head split open?"

Well, it was nice while it lasted anyway….