Let it snow, let it snow, let it ... STOP!

I'm going to come right out and say that I have a love/hate relationship with winter. I love sitting in a warm house, sipping hot chocolate and watching the flakes fall gracefully down and covering the world in a pure, blissful blanket of sparkling white.

THAT IS A FANTASY - most of the time. I HATE driving in it, scraping it off my car, filling my boots with it on my way in to work, and attempting to teach while it is distracting my little ones.

This last week nearly sent me over the edge. As a teacher, I've learned to brace myself for the last week before Christmas break. I plan fun activities that don't require a lot of stress on my or the kids' part. We sing songs, we do art, we play games. That's how you get through the week of "insanity" when their brains fall out and all they can think about is PRESENTS!

But an entire week of WICKED snow storms added a new little twist to their craziness. The town where I teach is up on a mountain with no real development around it. So, not only does it snow, but the wind tears down the hill leaving frozen bodies and huge snow drifts in its path. So we didn't send the kids out for one recess break in the entire week. Not one. I love my students, but I also need a break. I feel exactly like the poor animal at the top of this post.

Help... help... help...

Luckily, we made it through and I have TWO WEEKS OFF!!! Just enough time to find my sanity.