Helping parent

The only good thing about the 1-9 p.m. evening shift I have to work every 15 weeks is that I get lots of QT with the kids in the morning. Last week Lincoln and I rode the train for a few stops into NYC, then got off and rode it back home. Today I got to be "Helping Parent" at Greta's school. Free play for 30 minutes, then 18 kids in a circle say the Pledge of Allegiance (Greta knows it by heart and really belts it out!) before sitting down to talk about the day of the week, the month, the weather -- each item assigned to a kid who stands up before the class and points dutifully at the visual aids when prompted. Then we busted out into two groups -- one finger painting orange "pumpkins" on paper, the other cutting out pictures of things that start with the letter E (elephant, eggs, elk, envelope, earth) and gluing them to a piece of paper. Greta colored each item except the envelope, which she told me is pretty much always white. The two tasks were followed by snack, lovingly distributed by the Helping Parent's kid. Saltines and cheese sticks were Greta's gourmet treats. She carried a basket around to each child and told them, "Please only take two." Two was not enough for most of the boys, of course, who asked for more within minutes, their cheeks bulging with crumbs. After snack it's free play in the gym -- tricycles, volleyball with a large rubber sphere, cozy coupes, and lots and lots of running. I took a few photos and will post them tonight when I get home. Just wanted to get something up now because some readers begin to worry about my health if I go more than a couple days without an update.