Winter break

A is off from school all this week for something called Winter Break. My first reaction when hearing about it was "WTF?" Now that I have had some time to get used to it, I now think "WTF?" It hasn't been that long since he was out for the holidays and he will be out for Spring Break in early April. What comes to mind is part of the explanation of why Georgia is far from tops in education.

With a whole week off from school, A and I will take the time to visit my mother for a few days. We will drive up to Knoxville tomorrow, then come back here on Saturday. Grandma is thrilled to have A's company; oh, yes, she will be pleased to see me, too. We have no big plans scheduled for our time there, just plenty of us time.

Today I am scurrying around the house trying to pack for us both, leave J with plenty of clean clothes and some food to eat, and clean a bit, too. Busy, busy, busy!

My funny valentine

What else am I going to title a blog post the day after Valentine's Day?

A had a great time yesterday. When he popped off the bus wearing his heart headband, I had to laugh. He was so excited to show me all the valentines he received and to tell me all about their party. The best part about the party? "My daddy came and we made ice cream sandwiches." I have not yet told J that he is ranked right up there with ice cream.

I did not go to the party. I came home after tutoring and baked Valentine cookies using a recipe I saw in last week's AJC, Catherine Antles Brubaker's Sugar Cookies. They are a simple, traditional sugar cookie and turned out very good, but I was reminded of why I don't like making cut-out cookies: it's so tedious! It took me almost two hours to bake all of the dough. But, wow, they are tasty.

For dinner last night, we had the menu that A suggested when I asked what we should have for Valentine's Day: waffles. I sliced strawberries and J made whipped cream, so it was a special dinner all around. We exchanged our cards; we also gave A a book and a little heart-shaped box of chocolates that contained three pieces of candy. Much to our surprise, he insisted on sharing his chocolate so we each had one. How sweet!

I tend not to be the sentimental type of parent that mourns "how fast they grow", but I will miss this very sweet, tender age when he enjoys everything without being jaded or sarcastic.

Happy Valentine's Day, dear boy!