Stratton’s Christmas party at school was on Thursday the 18th. His party was at 10:00. Nothing like jacking kids up on sugar in the mornings!! We were asked to bring a snack mix. So I made Christmas Crack (Thanks, pinterest) it was just popcorn, pretzels & m&ms drizzled with white chocolate and sprinkles. It was pretty good! I let Stratton do the sprinkles. At his party I made him take the bowl around to each student and ask them if they would like any snack mix and serve them. It was good for my shy guy. The other kids’s moms were doing all the work, and I wanted Stratton to help with his and take some ownership. He really likes confidence sometimes and nothing boosts your confidence in groups like serving a purpose and helping others. He did such a great job and was so polite and very careful when putting it on their plates! There was a low point at the party where, while he was up handing out snack mix another mom skipped him with some goody bags she was handing out. He just came up to be tears pouring but he was very quiet (not to draw attention) and told me they skipped him. . .I didn’t understand what he was saying, other than they skipped him. When I asked him with what he This happens every so often with adults he doesn’t know well, he won’t tell them what the issue is because he’s scared, but he is hurt that he was left out so he gets really really upset and we can’t figure out what’s wrong. FINALLY, Mrs. Rankin, his teacher figured it out. And the mom didn’t have any bags left, she had made just enough so THEN we had to go through every kid’s take home bag and sure enough one kid had two of the goodies bags that Stratton was missing. But is was traumatic. The mom apologized, and I felt like my lesson on serving was shadowed by the fact that he was away from his seat so he missed out. So much for teaching him about serving!! We left soon after. They played some games, but by then he was embarrassed about what happened and didn’t want to play. We were having Soup Day at my office (On Monday I send out a soup recipe to everyone in the office and on Thursday we all bring ingredients and have soup for lunch) So we ran to Wal-Mart to get some disposable bowls we needed for lunch and grabbed him a lunchable (his favorite) and a juice drink. Soon after lunch he laid down in my floor on a beach towel, watching Netflix and he crashed! He slept in my floor for almost 2 hours!
Here are the only 2 pictures I got. They were busy!!
They did several games and activities and it kept them moving and that was better than them just sitting around eating and watching a movie . But, why, WHY, would you have them paint reindeer antlers when you KNOW the paint won’t dry before they leave and they will have to take them home with WET PAINT. Seriously. The mom that planned this particular craft should have had to take them all home with her to dry and then delivered them to each kid’s house on Christmas eve. Or shot?? Either would work. (Just kidding. . .sort of. ) That might {might-but highly, unlikely} have made up for the fact that I got glitter paint-not washable- on my favorite black leggings and in the back of my vehicle! I tried to get Stratton to leave his there, actually I tried to leave without him noticing that we left it. . . but thank YOU, Mrs. Rankin for noticing it and bringing it to my attention, and his. I would have been devastated if we had gotten home and realized we left those realistic looking red and green felt antlers adorned with blobs of glitter paint and jingle bells, I will forever be in your debt. . . . said no one ever. So, I’ve never “loved” his teacher. She’s older and very unorganized and scatter-brained and I question her teaching methods, they don’t seem to jive well with Stratton’s style of learning. . .I don’t know that an active 5 year old boy need to be doing sitting at a table doing 10 worksheets a day, and told he needs to sit learn to focus and sit still. . .but I’m not a teacher so maybe I’m wrong. . .anyway this is the same teacher that came up to me at the party and asked me when the baby was due. Yep. And I wasn’t feeling too bad about myself! The holiday pounds haven’t even been packed on yet!! Well, upon learning that I wasn’t in fact expecting she realized she had me and another mom confused. The only upside is the mother she had me confused with is teeny-tiny. Even at 5 months pregnant you can’t tell it, she’s so skinny. So, I wasn’t AS offended. Plus, honestly you never know what Stratton is going to say, so I wasn’t that surprised. He can be rather convincing with his “story telling”.
