This has been SUCH a week! We have had fog, fog, and more fog. It is the dickens to drive through (and I had to every day) and more than a little spooky (especially in the wee hours of the morning when I am heading to work). The beautiful offshoot of freezing fog is hoar frost - which is absolutely beautiful. This is Idaho at its most magical! I was sorely disappointed when I woke up this morning to find ... a sunny day. It's brutally cold at 3 degrees, and without the hoar frost it is just that. Brutally cold. Nothing more. I miss the hoar frost. It's like fairy icing on the world.

School this week was a trial. There was SO much to do! We made a list of all the different things we have to deal with (in addition to JUST teaching school) during our weekly collaboration meeting as a fifth grade because we were all feeling so swamped ... when we reached thirty, we gave it up out of sheer despair. From computer programs we have to make sure the children are involved in doing each week to fifth grade ski school to PTO fund raisers to lesson plans to committee meetings to ... well, you can start to get the idea. When one looks back on the education field (even during my career) the differences are staggering! It is shocking how much everything has changed.

In the midst of trying to get all these tasks completed, my students seemed to have met and decided that this was a great week to stage a LEECH WEEK. Awww, guys - was that fair? A Leech Week is a week when they are super needy, whine, and cling to me in about a dozen different ways. It's heck to endure without "taking one of them out," and leaves you drained to within an inch of your life. Phew! I hope I don't see another Leech Week for a LOOOOOONG time. I feel like a dried out husk.

Mom is ill with a severe kidney infection. The second this month. She is miserable, but we did get her in to the doctor yesterday and she is on a stronger medication. I certainly hope it helps. Diana is also ill, but she has a virus - basically a cold. She is also on meds and is miserable. Bailee and I are in the "coming down with it" stage. We're not exactly sick, but we don't feel good either. I just hope that we can hold out for one more day, so we can sing at church without sounding like the frog chorus.

Bailee and her buddy, Paige had a great time together last night. I love to watch the two of them interact. They're a hoot. Part of the evening was devoted to being Ninja Princesses. They can do some wicked moves with fans! We're SO lucky that Bailee has such wonderful friends. We love Paige.

Next week is the big Parent Meeting at Studio One to discuss the performance of Peter and the Wolf. We'll find out what parts the children will be doing AND how much school they will be missing (since we're taking this performance on tour to the area schools). I imagine we will also be discussing costumes. Hmmmm. Suddenly I feel like I want to run away for the coming three months. :)