One More Blog About Valentine's Stuff (Sorry, Haters)

I know a lot of my friends absolutely HATE Valentine's Day, but I think it’s fine, a little commercial and silly, but fine.

If I taught any age group older than elementary, I might feel differently with all of those out-of-control hormones floating around. But at the elementary school level, we emphasize friendship and kindness on Valentine's, and that's a nice sentiment.

And chocolate. The kids are still at an age where it's cool to bring chocolate to your teachers on Valentine's Day. I get lots of sweets from my students. My husband, Dan, appreciates being married to an elementary school teacher when this holiday rolls around.

This year, Valentine's Day was pretty tame. After sixteen years of marriage and no children, this is to be expected. It happened to fall on a Friday and on Presidents' Day weekend. Perfect timing, if you ask me.

My annual bouquet of roses were delivered to my classroom. Another teacher friend of mine also gets a bouquet every year from her husband. We always ask each other while passing in the hall, "Did you get your flowers?"

The answer is always, "Yes!"

One year, Dan had a terrible time with a local florist not getting the flowers to the school on time. I didn't receive them until the next day.

Now, he goes through one of the online services, and they come to me in a box. I like to joke that I get a box for Valentine's Day. In reality, it's easier for me to drive them home when they aren't arranged in a vase anyway.

We had dinner at a local Italian restaurant. When Dan made the reservations, they asked if we wanted a high top table or a low table. He said either was fine. I don’t love high top tables if the chairs are stools without backs because #middleaged. Of course, this ended up being the case. Plus, we were seated at a “common table,” meaning a couple was dining next to us at the same table. But a few sips into my glass of wine, and everything was fine with me.

We were also right by the wine bar where I learned that people in their 50's and 60’s have a much more lively nightlife than I do.

After dinner, we went to Downhill, the new Will Ferrell/Julia-Louis Dreyfus movie. It was more comedy drama than romantic comedy, but it was still good with lots of fun skiing shots. We could only get front row seats, but we saw it at the new Luxe Cinema, the theater with the reclining chairs. That made it worth it. We finished our evening at the local ice cream shop next to the theater.

Conclusion: Valentine's Day would be much more difficult for me if I were on a diet. Thank goodness that's not the case.

Life lesson #451: Don't go on a diet.

Happy Valentines Day from Boise's Cutest Child-Free Couple!

For the latest blog updates, visit and "like" Rebecca Turner-Duggan.

Notes From the Music Room

I'm back! More funny school stuff coming your way! You may think the title of this blog post alludes to the existentialist novel by Dostoevsky. Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't. You decide!

Milk and Cookies
The other day, a second grader tried to smuggle milk into the music room via his front sweatshirt pocket today. It wasn't very subtle. He looked like he had a carton-shaped food baby. The teacher made him take it back to the classroom.

A little later, we were making "ta's" and "ti-ti's" with sticks.

"These remind me of cookies and chocolate chips," he announced.

The sticks we use are yellow and skinny. We call them "chopsticks" even though you would never want to eat with them. They don't look anything like cookies or chocolate chips.

"You’re hungry today, aren’t you?" I said.

Meme Master
One of my choir students walked through the door and told me he was a Meme Master.

"Is that a thing?" I asked. "Or are you just saying you make a lot of memes?"

"Yeah, Meme Masters are real!" a couple of other kids chimed.

"But what does it mean? That you just make a lot of memes?"

I couldn't get a straight answer from them, so I did some research.

Also known as a Meme Lord, a Meme Master is a person known for creating or distributing memes (usually humorous material copied and circulated online).

In other words, someone who makes a lot of memes.

Musical Rehearsals: Being a Plant and Traumatizing Kindergartners
My 5th and 6th graders are currently rehearsing for our spring musical, The Little Mermaid.

At the end of "Under the Sea," I asked my 5th graders raise their arms in a V with "blade fingers."

One of the boys said, "Stand like a cactus!"

A couple of minutes later we were practicing the ending again, and I reminded them to make a V with their arms.

"Or . . . stand like a cactus!" he added.

One of my lunchtime practices was running behind, and I asked the kindergarten teacher to seat her kids in the back of my room to watch the end of rehearsal.

We finished up by chopping off the "Les Poissons" fish head.

After the 6th graders left, the kindergartners were in a tizzy.

"Why did you chop that fish head off? That was terrifying!" one of the little boys said.

I Know What Boys Like
One morning, before choir started, I heard one of female students ask the boy she was sitting next to, "Do you like strawberries and sour things?"

The boy nodded, as if he got asked that all the time.

"Why are you asking him that?" I asked the girl.

"It’s good to know what boys like,” she said.

You do you, girl . . .

Betty Boop?
"You look cute today," one of my sixth graders told me. "You look like Betty Boop."

I didn't.

But I was kind of impressed she knew who/what Betty Boop was.

 

For the latest blog updates, visit and "like" Rebecca Turner-Duggan.