Hot Cup of Cocoa

My sixteen-hour work week working at Navigator Pointe Academy (a charter school in West Jordan) includes running an after-school show choir for 2nd and 3rd graders.  I was initially excited by the prospect, then worried once I met my 2nd and 3rd grade students, then apprehensive when only 16 students signed up.  "What am I going to do with sixteen inexperienced kids who routinely struggle to pay attention during their 25 minutes of in-school music?" I thought to myself.  "How am I going to put together any sort of performance I can be proud of, and with only eight rehearsals?"

Well, the answer was to keep the performance short, the songs relatively easy, and the dance moves "cute" instead of precise.  I have to start somewhere, and hopefully as the program grows, so can my expectations.

The good news is that I really didn't need to worry.  My kids are doing great, and they are only two rehearsals away from singing their little hearts out, "With a h-h-h-h-hot c-c-c-c-cup of c-c-c-c-c-c-c-c-co-co-coa!"

And speaking of hot cocoa, I made a less-than-wise decision two Friday's ago in promising the kids we could go for a ride down by the river if they were awesome at Grandma's while I was trying to get my work done.  They were awesome, but I didn't finish my stuff until about 4:30 pm.  The sun was still up (barely) so we quickly bundled and headed down the street to the trailhead.  Smiles lasted long enough for one family-on-wheels picture but quickly faded along with the sunlight.

We took a quick peek at the river, turned promptly around, and headed back to Grandma's with frozen hands in much need of warming.  Cocoa to the rescue!  This was Dylan's first experience with the stuff.  His questioning look quickly turned to one of pleasure, and he was the first to drain his cup.

So, after the recent snow storms I decided it was maybe time to start planning more seasonally appropriate activities.  We invited some neighbors out to our practically-next-door park for some snowy fun.  I wanted to build snowmen and forts, but the snow got too old too quickly.  Luckily, the neighbors brought some sleds, and I ran home to get the never-before-used snow tubes Grandma Tess gave us two years ago.  In the past, sledding has been a major source of anxiety and whining for my all-too-cautious oldest child, but the hill at the park is just perfect for the munchkin-sized sledders.  There was no whining about dragging sleds back up, no tears about going too fast, and thanks to the lighting, no problems with the fact that the daddies are only home when it is dark.

We all gathered at my house for - you guessed it - more hot cocoa and some yummy brownies brought by the Mechams.  Note: if you like a really dark tasting cocoa, buy the hot chocolate mix in bulk at Winco.  If you don't (and most didn't), I don't recommend it!  Luckily Alicia loved it, so I sent the rest home with her.

Oh, and this was supposed to be cool.  Pretend it was: