With a portion of my family down with the flu this week was a lesson in juggling work duties with home needs.

Thankfully Middle G is back on her feet and ready to tackle the three day week we have on the horizon.

Here's what I learned:

Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name: When my co-worker's second grader went down with the flu and she went home, it was a sight for sore eyes to see my former boss, who popped in to have lunch with us. She slipped back into a hairnet and helped us serve. It was a win-win.

Mac & cheese took a right hook this week. The thing about lunch count is we desperately need them to stay pretty high. I mean, with school districts cutting everything, it's not uncommon to have the cafeteria staff outsourced. I really don't want that to happen and as of this writing it doesn't seem to be a discussion item. That being said, I can't figure out how the minds of our customer base works? Mac & cheese used to be one of our most popular meals....this week not so much.

Everybody likes s'mores... We had a campfire themed lunch on Friday of hot dogs, baked beans and a low fat s'more. The key to increasing lunch count, may simply be adding chocolate. We had a lot of new faces in line.

Where's the sub? One of the days I had to leave early, the sub filing in would complete her work and then sort of shadow one of the other girls until they told her what else to do, It was similar to the game we have all played with our toddlers. You know the one...(insert high pitched voice) Where's little G? Even though you know he's right in front of you, he thinks you can't see him because his hands are over his face and he can't see you.

Reason #3,546 why the flu virus loves elementary school. Kindergarten student to another kindergartener: "what does your cheeseburger taste like?" Other student, "I don't know what does your cheeseburger taste like. You try." They then proceeded to swap cheeseburger and try a bite of each others. Afterwards the first boy said, "Wow, my cheeseburger tastes just like your cheeseburger."

What did you learn this week?



photo credit source

My gynecologist makes me laugh.

She's easy to talk to and answers all my questions.  She never rushes me along.

Today I learned that your blood pressure can be 114/68 and you can still be alive.  Seems really low to me but as discussed previously I am not a doctor

I learned that it's much easier to speak at career day if you are a lunchlady and not a gynecologist.

I verified that sadly your breasts do stop growing and I can finally put to rest that dream of a slightly larger cup size.

I learned that like the post office when they ask you if you are mailing anything hazardous, harmful or potentially dangerous, my doctor asks if there is anything else she should know about before she begins the exam.  Um...like??  Any new tattoos or piercings?  Seriously?  Does that happen a lot?

I learned that the chances of getting the handicap exam room are one out of three yet I've never been in any other room.  Coincidence or intentional?

I learned that doctor coats intentially have big holes in the sides of them so you can put your hands in your pants pockets.  Wouldn't it just be easier to put pockets in the coat?

I learned that I can personalize the above picture and give it as a gift.  Anyone else find that odd?  I mean they have a gynecologist and not a lunchlady.  You know you want to click the source link.

I laughed through the entire visit and just like at the pediatrician's office I left with a price--a pink slip for my very first mammogram.

Just imagine what I'll learn there!

Everyone else is making the list of the Best of 2011 so why can't I?  I hope you'll take some time to click back and chuckle along with me at some of my favorite post of 2011.  If you like  me, why not share me with your FaceBook buddies.  You can tell them I'm funny , sincere and a little crazy...

In January



We went snow tubing and survived, we kept the house from burning down while Daddy was in Asia for the MONTH and we spent time in North Carolina.  I blogged about finding out my son is Jewish, I shared a disturbing furniture commercial and I wrote an open letter to the worst mail carrier in the world.


In February


We celebrated Oldest G's birthday by spending the night at a local water park.  It was a lot of fun!  We also spent A LOT of hours at a Blue and White banquet and were dumped on by Mother Nature.  I asked about your inner circle, I wrote an open letter to my 12 year old, and I shared another amazing lesson in this Lessons from the Lunchlady post.

In March


We traveled to North Carolina for the Juvenile Diabetes Walk, we partied like it was 1972 and we attended our middle daughter's spring concert.  I blogged about odd things people find offensive, and I shared  my thoughts on the new car seat regulations and I found out that I'm not not smarter than a 1st grader

In April


We focused on Easter.  We colored some eggs, we had an egg hunt and we spent countless hours at a Pine Wood Derby.  I blogged about all the things I love about each of my jobs.  I wrote this about Lunch Lady Land, as well as this.  Then I wrote about all the things I like about reporting.  But my favorite post has to be about becoming intimately involved with the bus driver

In May



We took pictures with the Mother's Day tree, we went to a ciriculum fair and we played tball and a few of us lost teeth.  Some of those teeth are yet to come in...  I blogged about teacher appreciation day and I shared my fifteen minutes of fame and I wrote a disertation about the reasons why I'm not yet a doctor

In June


We all got groovy at Middle Gs birthday party, Little G became a pirate, I survived our camping trip and we went to Hershey in the rain.  I wrote a story about how an inflatable bounce house kicked my ass, I shared an open letter to my middle daughter and I shared the many reasons why I failed my parenting class

I hope at least a few of these made you chuckle, perhaps shed a tear and, of course, truly laugh out loud.  Come back Thursday for the second half.

Thanks for visiting!