Easily Excitable

It’s the second week of March, and the spring fever has set in. 

The crazies are out in full bloom in the classroom, and that’s a situation that can leave you asking yourself the following question: 

ARE WE GOING TO MAKE IT TO SPRING BREAK?!

Here’s some of the evidence that’s spurred this question:

Exhibit A

Earlier this week, I asked what a contraction was, as they are strictly prohibited in our formal essays. 

One girl answered, “It’s what you get when you have a baby!” She yelled this out with much fervor and fearlessness, as only an incorrect teenager can. 

Exhibit B

When I asked my 11th graders what the word sojourn (one of their vocab words they have had for a week) meant, one responded by cranking that SOULJA boy. 

This dance was not ironic: it was his REAL answer.

He almost won effort points in that moment. 

Almost.

Exhibit C

When I said the word rebuttal the other day in class, some of my students giggled because the root word there is ‘butt.’ 

SOMEONE SEDATE ME. WE ARE FIFTEEN YEARS OLD, NOT FIVE. 

I would like to blame this on spring fever. 

But, truly? I believe these children might just be a little crazy.

The only one more psychotic than them is their teacher who makes the decision to come back year after year. 

The children are feral, and there is absolutely nothing you or I can do about it.

I’m having a ball, but every day when I get home, I feel as though I’ve run a marathon. 

Have you ever had the experience of driving without really thinking, only to find yourself at the intended location with no memory of getting there?

That’s pretty much what EVERY day is like as a teacher.

I’m in first period, and all of a sudden, I find myself in my car, headed home. 

I’m not sure what happened during the day, but I arrived at my intended location, and I have all of my limbs still intact. 

Teaching means that we take this as a win, and we thank God for it.

WE GET WHAT WE GET, AND WE DON’T PITCH A FIT!

This weekend, as we batten down the hatches in expectation for the antics that will accompany time change-

(Because, really, can’t we always blame their behavior on a full moon or the time change??)

It does a body good to look forward to the excitement-inducing and exuberance-worthy parts of spring. 

Take the small wins. 

Here’s what I’m looking forward to this spring, in the year of our Lord 2025:

Longer days

Will tomorrow throw my sleep schedule off? Absolutely. 

Will the children be wilder than ever before? Most likely. 

Will there be a sleep price to pay for this losing an hour? Totally. 

And yet? Longer days? Please come to me. I’ve missed you. 

There’s just something delightful about knowing it won’t get dark until 10:00 at night. I can’t wait to see what time change with a puppy is like! 

Surely it will be an adventure! 

Wearing shorts

I find wearing britches tiresome.

It matters not what kind of britches: blue jeans, joggers, sweats, dress pants… Sure, there is a hierarchy there, but they all have this in common: 

These pants are exhausting.

Was snow cool? Sure. BUT! Have you ever felt the perfect 78 degree day wherein your calves are kissing sunlight? 

HAVE YOU?!

That’s what I’m seeking out and waiting expectantly for.

Shorts and boots, boots and shorts: it’s the working woman’s attire, and this one here is mighty ready for it. 

The aforementioned outfit is decidedly not fashionable, but it IS the perfect outfit to transition from the garden to the Wal-Mart. 

Planting, planting, planting

We got some plants in the ground last weekend: potatoes and sweet peas were the first ones in the line-up this year. 

If you know anything about sweet peas, you will be aware that we should have planted them by Valentine’s Day.

I’m aware. This error is my own- the schedule has been busy, folks, and the garden is always the first victim.

The rain this past week was no fun to walk a dog in, but all the same, it was a good thing to have for the garden. 

My hope is that, this upcoming week(ish), I’ll have time to plant some herbs in the newly-cleared-out and ready-to-go planter in the backyard. 

Strawberry everything

I have a favorite fruit for each season. 

While winter is pretty hopeless for fresh fruit, summertime is saved for the peaches (duh), and the fall favorite is muscadines.  

The spring favorite fruit is an easy answer: strawberries. 

There is nothing I love more than picking and eating strawberries. I think this love affair began when my siblings and I were younger, and Momma would make a delicacy called strawberry-banana combo. 

It was a time-intensive, labor-of-love kind of dish made up of strawberries, bananas, and lots and lots of sugar. 

I was obsessed from the get-go.

That love for strawberries has carried on to my adulthood- hasn’t waned a bit. If anything, it’s only intensified and spread to other variations of strawberry dishes. 

Strawberry pretzel salad. 

Strawberry milk.

Strawberry ice cream. 

Strawberry cake. 

Strawberries scream springtime. My ears are open. 

Target’s spring/ Easter line-up

Just something about a Target in springtime. I love the bright colors, the clothes, the decorations: I’m a fan.

But perhaps the best addition to the Target spring set-up is a little-known product called Bunny Bait. Target is the spot for all of your trail mix needs, but they knocked it out of the park with this seasonal delight. 

Target’s Bunny Bait is the best kind of trail mix, which is to say, it’s a mix you would never take on a trail with you unless you were hunting a sugar coma like you’ve never seen. 

Sugared peanuts, M&Ms, yogurt covered raisins, and yogurt covered pretzel balls make this trail mix try-hard one for the century. 

One of the best parts about this kind, too, is that it’s parked right in the seasonal section, so you get to see all the fun Easter decor this fine marketplace has to offer. 

Springtime for the pup

Our golden retriever Boone-y boy is living his goodest life as the goodest pup ever. 

This has not changed. 

But what has changed is the fact that I’m seeing a plethora of fun outfits for him to wear this  Easter. 

I didn’t think I would ever be a dress-up-the-boy dog mom, but lo, how the mighty have fallen. 

I saw a carrot outfit that was quite becoming: it had Boone written all over it. 

The Meadows Family Reunion

That’s right: we are back for the fourth (I think??) year running. 

Back and better than ever, some might say. 

This year, the reunion will be replete with RVs so that some of the family can stay on site. 

What more could you ask for?!

The farm will be crawling with kiddies and adults alike in a few weeks. 

We have games galore, an Easter egg hunt, and more visiting than you can imagine on the docket. 

I can’t wait!

The bright colors

Pastels and bright colors. It just looks happy and feels happy. 

Gone are the dark colors of winter: so long, suckers! We’ll see all that drabness far faster than we’re ready to! 

Even the outdoors seems to be showing off its joy that the winter days are behind us.

At this point, all you have to do to survive the spring fever antics of your kids is drive past an orchard of peach trees. 

It’s in full bloom out there. 

I’m starting to see some real nice colors of flowers out and about, and I for one am here for it. 

Even the grass looks like it’s in a better mood in its bright green attire. 

Sure, we will have to deal with that yellow pollen, but at this point, that’s small potatoes for how much better the whole earth looks. 

Could we just reframe it as nature’s pastel confetti??

Spring break

Because of the aforementioned student antics, I am here to say that I am READY to see spring break come to us. 

Normally, Trey and I have a trip planned, but that’s not the case this year. Rather, we have no plans, and I’m pretty dadgum excited for that, too. 

I already have down that I will be doing spring cleaning that week, and I am here to say that this will be quite interesting with a puppy who has a love-hate relationship with the vacuum cleaner. 

He is equal parts scared and fascinated by it.

What on earth will this pup do when he gets a load of the floor steamer?!

We’re going to make it to spring break. 

We might be limping into it, but we’ll make it nonetheless. 

Happy almost spring, folks! I’m ecstatic!