Not Me Monday

New Year's Resolution #248: Post a "Not Me" blog on the first Monday of 2009.

Well, I really didn't make that many resolutions, but I will tell you some things I did not do this past week.

After putting away some Christmas stuff, I did not find a pile of Christmas cards that accidentally didn't get mailed. Nope, my Christmas cards were out November 1st, so I definitely wouldn't have some still sitting around. And if I did find a pile of unmailed Christmas cards, I would not stop to consider the pros and cons of peeling off the stamps to reuse them. How much time would that take? Waste of money if I don't. I could reuse them. Who writes "real" letters anymore? Could I save the cards for next year? Won't postage go up by then anyway? After weighing my options, I did not put them back in a pile to decide later what to do with them.

As my sister was packing to return to Kansas City, I most certainly did not hide a stinky candle in one of her boxes. This is a fun thing we do when we visit each other's houses. We try to hide the candle someplace where the other won't find it until after we're apart, yet somewhere that we know they'll find it eventually. So I would never think to put this awful, make-you-want-to-gag candle in a Christmas present, would I? No, I'm not that mean! (Did you find it yet, Erin?)

After all the family was gone on Friday, I did not go to Wal-Mart and Target to check out their Christmas clearance, and I most definitely did not buy more gift labels. (Hey, at 25 cents a pack, who can resist?) And why would anyone spend money on clearance lights? I wouldn't be so dumb as to do that, especially if I have no need for them now. No, it would be foolish to buy 10 boxes of 60 cent lights for no reason, so you can be assured that is something I definitely did not do this past week.

Since I was still on "vacation," I certainly did not spend a good chunk of Saturday at school, planning for the coming week's activities. And part of that "non-planning" did not include a trip to the pet store to replace a most-beloved classroom fish Dyson before class on Monday, so the students wouldn't know that Dyson II died. (It's pretty obvious when you see a skeleton floating in the fish tank that something HAS to be done about it.)

After not spending most of Saturday at school, I did not secretly pray that the huge amount of snow falling would perhaps cancel school for Monday. I've just had two weeks of vacation. I'm refreshed, rested, and ready to get back in the classroom. Why on earth would I hope for a snow day? No, that's definitely not something that crossed my mind.

Since the snow day didn't happen, I arrived back at school today actually ready to see the little darlings again--my preschoolers, not the junior-senior high class. They don't like to be called "darlings." Since we're on letter "L" this week, I would never think of making my preschoolers taste lemons and limes, would I? That would probably be considered cruel and unusual punishment. No, that is something I would never do. And if I did make them try lemons and limes, I for sure wouldn't laugh at the contorted faces they made as they tasted the sour fruit. Absolutely not. I'm a NICE teacher! (Just so you know, I tried them along with the kids and they were laughing at the faces I made also!)

So there you have it. A few things I did not do this past week. But here's what I did do. I kept New Year's Resoltion #248!