Bon/ne Anniversaire a moi!

I love where my birthday falls in the calendar. Typically I have p-t conferences, then my bday (sometimes during conferences which is okay because then I celebrate @ work), and then Tgiving, and then D's bday, & then p's anniversary, & the C-mas! I'm not trying to take the Christ out of Christmas, just feeling the abbreviation instead.

P-t's went very well. It's nice to have parents who actually take responsibility for their children's behavior/learning rather than blaming peers/teachers for the students' deficits/misbehvior. It's not... "What are YOU going to do about it...." Rather... "How can I help my child at home?". This year's classes' parents don't treat me like the cleaning lady, they treat me with respect. And do you know why??? Because they are all FOREIGN!!! And I LOVE it!!! Now this is going to sound REALLY racist, but the downside to have ELL parents is that you end up with some VERY INTERESTING holiday gifts.... Sigh.

A side note... ever since I starting teaching in BG, I use the phrase "knock on wood" ALL the time. I'm not superstitious... it's just habit!!

Anyway... back to MY bday...
I was able to go downtown to see the lights & window's at the former Marshall Fields. (I cannot bear to use that other M-word... as the girl I tutor calls it, "Stupid, Macy's!)Martha Stewart decorated the tree this year, & she did a really nice job. It was different layers of color all the way up the tree. Of course we ate in the Walnut Room, and had the traditional lunch & dessert: chicken pot pie, Mrs. Field's Special sandwich, snowman sundae, & FRANGO mint pie. I went with my cousin T & her 3 kids... and the kids were so funny while we were waiting in line... they were going around from Frango box to Frango box, sniffing them all! Cute.

Well, it's off to Jamesons' Steakhouse for bday dinner! 32 is great!