Benjamin, Bingo, and Bleachers, Oh My!

This evening, the kiddos and I attended a PTA-sponsored Bingo Night at Ravenwood Elementary (the building where I formerly taught). It was so good to see old friends and colleagues, including my former building principal! There is something so comforting to me about walking into an elementary school building...the art on the walls, the laughter of children echoing down the hallways, that "school" smell of waxed floors and art supplies. I love it and I didn't realize how much I missed it!

I think Mary misses it too! Don't get me wrong; I realize staying at home is what is best for my kids and that we will never get these few precious years back, but you must understand that since I worked until Mary was age 4, she always "came to school" with me. Mary was a great classroom partner! When she was a baby, I would take her up to school on Saturdays and she would lay on her blanket and play with a tummy-time toy. Once she was mobile, she was always crawling to my book boxes and "reading" the materials I made available for silent read time. But my absolute favorite thing to do would be to get out all of my art supplies and let her create to her little heart's content as I prepared my weekly lesson plans. ANYWAY, as we turned into the subdivision where the school is located my little job partner said, "Mom, I'm thinking that this is looking very familiary to me." It was so sweet!

Bingo Night was not quite as much fun as I had hoped. I had envisioned mother and daughter sitting side-by-side, identifying numbers on our bingo boards as we readied ourselves to shout out BINGO! But apparently Benjamin had other plans. I should have known better than to think that a 2-year old BOY would cooperate with playing bingo! Instead, Benjamin chased after other 2-year old boys, climbing bleachers and falling down. Typical boy. Oh well, at least it wore him out for the night!

The pictures posted are neither of Benjamin or playing bingo. I have been having camera trouble of late and neither camera had a charged battery...aaargh! Then, after searching through hundreds of photos I could not find the cute ones my mom took of Mary in my classroom. So I posted a couple of photos of Mary at a PAT event (Parents as Teachers event, not to be confused with the PTA, Parent Teacher Association event LOL).