Goodbye February

Today is the first day of March, and I am thankful. February was a short month, and although less days made for a sooner monthly paycheck, the month was a whirlwind of busyness. First of all, it was a cold month with temperatures routinely below average. It seemed like snow was on the ground for most of the month. This weekend was the first time I'd seen the sun peek out from behind it's permanent gloomy cloud in the sky. The beach cupcakes pictured below are to give us all hope for warmer weather. I made them as part of our New Year's trip to Florida. O.K., maybe this month wasn't that bad. The good news is that I haven't been sick since before the new year. This is a big deal for a teacher who just made it through the stress of grade cards and parent/teacher conferences. I sent many kids home for sore throats, earaches, stomachaches, and other aliments while I doused my hands in "Germ-X" hand sanitizer. Maybe it was due to the increase in vegetables and fruits I've been taking in, but I'm hoping to keep the healthy streak going. While staying healthy this month I realized the multitude of events that occur in February. Being a teacher, I relish in opportunities to celebrate holidays and special events. The month started with Groundhog’s Day (he saw his shadow, of course), Valentine’s Day, and President’s Day. We honored Black History Month and stuffed ourselves with food at Superbowl parties. The Grammy's and Golden Globes were awarded and Oscar buzz began. Then, the event that left me slightly sleep deprived for two weeks began-the Olympics (see previous post). Somewhere in there my students and I celebrated the hundredth day of school and slept with our lucky pajamas on backwards which payed off with 2.5 snow days. Somewhere in the middle of all that we layered on the Mardi Gras beads and cheered on college basketball teams. The month was sealed with Columbia's "True/False" film festival. Thank goodness this year wasn't a leap year, since that would be just one more thing to document for the month of February. For goodness sake, please tell me St. Patrick's Day the only event in March.