Mud + boys = chaos

The rain poured down relentlessly for most of yesterday evening and all through the night. I silently hoped for some sort of disaster (power outage, flooding) that would result in my school closing, and hence the cancellation of a midterm that I endured this morning. No such luck. The rain stopped before sunrise and I swished off to work. Usually only 1 or 2 of the kids come very early and most of the kids arrive later, closer to the time school starts. Today I had 5 or 6 boys within the first 15 minutes. Not only had the rain caused delightful canyons and riverbeds it also caused wonderful mud sinkholes. Once the boys discovered the latter (I had prayed they wouldn't) I knew it was all over. I bravely battled against them, but in the end, I resigned. Boots and shoes were muddied, Jonathan stuck one foot in and fell over, Shaun dug one hole deeper and deeper so it collected more water and then lost his shovel in the bottom of it (which he cheerfully retrieved), Josh tested all ground with his boots and showed people the best places to jump in, Jack and Jordan (who didn't bring boots) searched for rocks and pinecones to drop in and then push down until they couldn't see them anymore (after they had drenched their shoes and socks by puddle-stomping), and Blaise was the out-of-control energy boy who delighted in trying to do everything at once. Even the girls, who have been known to run away screaming from the boys past threats of mudballs, were sucked into the mess. Doreen's boot sank so far in she had to take her foot out and got her sock all muddy and Monique ruined her new Sketcher shoes with a liberal coating of mud. "We're being Ramona," the girls told me. I guess SO! I know how fun mud is and I really would have loved to encourage them in their discovery of mud-related properties, but I felt I had a higher calling to keep them as clean as possible for the sakes of their teachers. When I have children I do not wish to have them 8 at a time. Current mood: wistful Current music: something by Amy Grant GTOTD: my dead giveaway is no longer taking up space in the front yard!