Coffee Elves

Last month I received an email for Teacher Appreciation Week. It listed a bunch of items or services requested for each day of the week. I thought baking a banana bread or something for the teachers would be a fun project for Lulu and me. But I wanted to ask Lulu first what she'd like to do. I waited too long---a day!---and then there were only three items left on the list: get coffee, get coffee, get coffee. Well, I'm not a coffee drinker. I like tea. But, gamely, I signed up. Little did I know the coffee had to be delivered to the school before 7:30 a.m. (Aha! That's why it was last on the list!)

Way too early this morning, I had a nightmare that it was 3:15 p.m. and I had forgotten to bring the morning coffee.

Believe me, Lulu and I were ready to roll as soon as the 6:30 a.m. alarm went off. You might even say we were early. We drove to Starbucks, picked up our two boxes of Joe, and headed to school. There were only three cars in the parking lot when we arrived, but the lights were on and music(!) was playing. The teachers' lounge looked so nice, with blue tablecloths and flowers, a side table spread with delicious morning treats.

We were so happy to deliver the coffee and to be a part of showing our appreciation to all the wonderful teachers. On our way out, we saw three teachers arriving. I don't know, it was exciting, like surprising someone with a gift, but not telling them you did it! I'm so glad we had the opportunity to participate.

Thank you, teachers everywhere!

The Sound of Music

Last Friday, my daughter Lulu came home from school all excited about something new. In her weekly music class, the first graders have been studying Mozart, the Beatles, and now Broadway shows and movie musicals. So these little kids watched part of the 1955 movie version of Oklahoma! (starring Shirley Jones from The Partridge Family!). I'm so impressed. When I was in first grade, the only music education I recall is when a woman showed up once or twice with a lap harp.

At home, my parents totally missed the Beatles craze. They listened to show tunes, so I can sing a smattering of songs from Cabaret, The Sound of Music, Fiddler on the Roof, and music by George M. Cohan. And, thanks to an old chorus director in junior high, I know most of the words to Oklahoma! songs. (However, he must have been partially deaf because my singing voice is off and I'm tone deaf to boot!) So I warbled away, a slightly off-key version of "Surrey with the Fringe on the Top." Lulu was impressed.

Finding a common interest, we rushed to the library to get the Oklahoma! video. We were too late. It was gone. However, we found the 1998 London Stage Revival starring Hugh Jackman. Oh my! He can sing, he can dance, and he sets all the hearts aflutter. Three hours later---yes, the video is three hours long---Lulu declared that Oklahoma! was her favorite movie, better than Shrek. And, the songs were better than Hannah Montana. Now that's what I call a classic.

Finding My Balance

It's day 10, my coach tells me. She's glad to see me again. Maybe she's thinking, "so soon?" After all, I created my profile on Day 1, weighed in, had my BMI calculated, did a couple of balance tests, and walked away...for seven days. But lately, it's become routine to check in, do some training, and get the date stamped as proof I'd been doing something fit. Wii Fit, that is.

When I first heard of Wii Fit, I was intrigued. Now I love my Wednesday night yoga class and look forward to it all week. I call it my ahhh moment. But the idea of doing yoga on a balance board sounded good because I'd have a fitness coach 24/7, not just for 75 minutes a week, excluding holidays and school vacations.

I sign in, do a few ski jumps, ski the slalom course, knock some soccer balls (and a few other flying objects) with my head, and call it a day. I've done my 15 minutes of exercise and, oddly enough, I feel the burn. No joke. Two days ago, I could feel it in my shins. Yesterday, I felt it in my hips. Today, I feel it in my core muscles as well. (If you haven't done pilates, that's where you "zip it up!")

I'm amazed.

The Tooth Fairy Arrives...finally!

With a big grin, Lulu ran off the school bus yesterday. She was so excited. Her tooth finally came out during literacy group, just popped right out with a blob of blood. The nurse put the baby tooth in a little plastic treasure chest for the tooth fairy. Lulu left the treasure chest open on her night stand, thinking the tooth fairy couldn't possibly open it to get the treasure inside. But the little sprite took the container and all, and left an even heavier gold coin behind.

Now that we've experienced this major milestone, I have two tips to offer:

Tip #1 (for teachers): Please do not keep a chart recording when children lose their baby teeth. Sure, it sounds nice to acknowledge a turning point in a child's life but it's tough on the kids whose baby teeth want to hang around a little longer. Lulu was almost seven yet some of her friends lost first teeth at age 4. Talk about peer pressure over something you cannot control!

This, in turn, leads to Tip #2 (for parents): Watch what you say about cavities and dental hygiene. I said if Lulu didn't brush her teeth, her teeth would fall out. Oops! That's what she wanted to happen, so she didn't brush her teeth for a few days. My mistake!

Listmania!

These days I cannot function without a list. I've got my shopping list (for groceries and everything else) and my to-do list stuffed inside a used envelope on which I wrote highlights of my lists. And as soon as I get out of my car at the parking lot at Target (third item on list 2), I accidentally drop my lists...in the melting snow...and, to add insult to injury, I then proceed to step on them. Drat! I might as well go home....

Crafty Projects

Earlier this year, my daughter's first grade teacher recommended the magazine FamilyFun. It's filled with lots of craft projects, perfect for various age groups. This weekend, Lulu and I made snowflake T-shirts, two types of felt doves and cardinals, and a bedazzling snowflake made of pipe cleaners and clear beads. We even bought more craft supplies to make a felt-covered gingerbread house and Christmas trees too.

Another kid-friendly magazine is Living Crafts. Last year for a Christmas gift, Lulu gave her best friend the directions and all the supplies needed to make a beautiful angel from this magazine. The homemade kit was a hit, especially with the mom!

Sometimes we like to save one or two craft projects for the following year, so we gather together all the materials needed and the instructions, put them in a ziplock bag, and place them inside the Christmas decorations boxes.

Calling All Holiday Shoppers

These days I have a carefully drawn out map, otherwise known as a to-do list, that tells me where I need to go and what I need to do there.

My plan is to head north with my Christmas shopping list in hand. I decide, first, to "let my fingers do the walking" and call one of the craft stores, only to be told they do not carry the Crayola Overwriters Markers that Lulu uses in art class. That place is immediately crossed off my list, but luckily, my second planned stop is at yet another craft store. No luck there either. I am standing in line with my three picture frames and some other do-dad when I remember I should look at my shopping list. Wait, I forgot to look for mini clothespins. (I thought I'd be so clever to use them to hang up my holiday cards.) The salesperson already rang up my purchases, but I leave my bag there and venture to the back of the store again. A sales clerk takes me over to the stuff-a-bear section for clothespins. Nope, none there. I figure I'd look around anyway, and 10 minutes later find mini clothespins.

I'm at Target, all excited that I found the John Lennon album Legend for sale at $9.99. No, Lulu didn't ask for it, but since she loves the Beatles One, I put it on her list. Then I see ABBA's greatest hits but two different compilations so I walk around the store with them for, oh, 20 minutes, before I decide I shouldn't be buying a present for myself, even at the sale price. I should put it on MY list and worry about which one later. I find the Kung Fu Panda DVD my daughter wants, but do I buy fullscreen or widescreen? I have to call my husband at work to ask. He tells me the princess alarm clock should be in stock, because he just checked online. I find it, and I leave those two CDs on the shelf. I feel bad, but the store is relatively quiet and I don't have time to return to the music section.

I browse through the toy aisles. How come there are hundreds of variations of Barbie dolls, and only one Ken? It's no wonder he's sold out. If I buy a game, can I sit through endless games of it? The answer is no. I move on. I contemplate buying a plastic sled, but which one is the aerodynamic answer for a 48-pound kid? Maybe the answer is the model that's out of stock. I continue on.

I get excited in the girls' underwear section because finally, yes, finally, winter tights are in stock and I end up with eight pairs and a few lightweights for good measure. After all, won't size 7-10 last for two years or at least for two wears?

I finally find the Christmas section and hover over a shelf with snowglobes. I failed last year to get one, so it's still on the list. Would Lulu like the old-fashioned Santa? Five minutes later, I put it in my cart and find a few more 10 feet away, but I stick with the original. Down another row, I come across the Disney snowglobes but they require batteries and none of them strike my fancy. Five aisles up, on the endcap, I find the motherlode of snowglobes. Ah, this is why my friend mentioned snowglobes at Target.

I like the Rudolph one, but there aren't the requisite number of reindeer. (It should be 8 + 1!) Santa catches my eye a few times. So do a few snowmen. I shake. I twist the music crank. I shake again. At one point, I have three snowglobes in my cart. I give up on the old Santa and go with the snowmen. But, hey, this glitter is stuck to the side and I can't shake it out. Please tell me it isn't the only one? I find a duplicate and carefully extract it. I see broken glass on the bottom shelf from someone who's tried the same trick without moving seven globes to get to that perfect one. I realize I've already spent 20 minutes in front of this snowglobe display and I'm hoping the video cameras don't think I'm stealing. I do, however, remove the price sticker from the stuck-glitter globe to my chosen one because I don't want to hear "price check on aisle 17."

I take a quick glance through my shopping list. Unfortunately, I only have a few things checked off. Oh, I need two bags of red and green gumdrops for the Cookies & Cocoa class party. Down the candy lanes I go, with no success. I decide it's time to bring in help. After all, it's getting late. The clerk says no red and green gumdrops, but a passing shopper hears me. She bought hers at the grocery store down the street. I add a stop to my to-do list.

As I walk into the grocery store, I see the holiday goodies section right away. No gumdrops. What? I walk around it again. Nope. I spend 15 minutes checking the candy aisle and any other section that looks festive. I finally ask the clerk. He digs out two packages hidden underneath other sugary treats. Finally, I can go home. I'm exhausted and I'm not even done.

I'm sitting in my favorite chair reading Real Simple magazine. It says that Consumer Reports claims the average person spends 10 hours shopping for holiday gifts. What? Are they joking?