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Thursday, July 05, 2007

Thursday Thirteen #27: What Mom Did On Her Summer Vacation

It's almost over. On Tuesday, Mom will have to go back to work and start another school year.

It's this time of year when she REALLY wishes that she didn't work at a year-'round high school and still got the whole of July and August off like the traditional sites. Sigh.

On the last day of classes, her colleagues always ask her what she's gonna do and where she's gonna go during her time off.

She always tells them that she's not planning to go anywhere except home and that she's gonna SLEEP IN! Her big plan is always to get some sleep.

Mom tries to pack lots of stuff into her vacations from school: She becomes more of a "human doing" than a "human being". Sure, she doesn’t GO anywhere, but she does manage to have a life during her three-week breaks.

During school time, Mom often puts in twelve hour days. She only gets paid for seven and a half hours, so she really does work for free an awful lot ... Dumb Mom. There’s no such thing as “overtime” for teachers. Those extra hours are just part of life, so she has to save much of her own stuff for when she’s off on "vacation". Ask any teacher and s/he will tell you that they post-pone lots of regular “life” things ‘cuz school just takes too much work.

So, this week’s Thursday Thirteen is dedicated to ...

How Mom Spent Her “Summer” Vacation

1. Built a shed an’ then filled it with stuff

2. Went to the dentist for six-month check-up (no cavities!), colored hair, got haircut

3. Had car maintenance: $2,260 for new timing belt, new radiator, four new tires, and other necessary work

4. Watched “Ratatouille” and “Shrek the Third” ... and ordered tons of AMC discount tickets to give to fambly/friends

5. Celebrated Charmee’s and Sparky’s “gotchaversaries,” and the grandparents’ anniversary

6. Shopped for, packed, and mailed FIVE Secret Paws packages, two cousins’ packages, and one Tara Princess Meezer package ... plus packages to fambly

7. Shopped for, packed, and mailed one 500th Post Contest prize package to Junior Babee

8. Read some books from her Summer Reading List ... and waited patiently for Harry Potter #7

9. Painted squillions of squillions

10. Blogged with us so we could visit our furriends and leave comments

11. Bought stuff on eBay and left feedback ... Temptations® coupons!!!

12. Ate lunch at restaurants and MAYBE brought home something(s) for us

13. Played game after game: Cards with Grandma, “Marble Drop” on the internet, and BUBBLES (or catfish or Whirly-Bird or throw-the-Eeek!-and-then-go-fetch-it-yourself) with us

And she even had time to watch most of the stuff she’d taped on her DVR plus sleep in furry late efurry day!

17 comments:

Marcia (MeeAugraphie) said...

Please, tell your Mom I had forgotten to add the link for the poetry, it is Poetrythursday.org

Thanks for stopping by.

Your mom's vacation was awfully short.

Christine and FAZ said...

My humans say that being a teacher is a vocation and good teachers should be beatified (not sure what that means but it sounds scary). Tell your human to keep up the good work! FAZ

Unknown said...

Year-round-school???? Yuck!!!! We are feeling for your Mama!

The Cat Realm said...

That sounds like a good summer but tell your Mom that we are really sorry that she can not have the year-round-vacation....

Daisy said...

Your mom sure was busy! I am very impressed. I hope she got some relaxing time, too. Teachers are heroes :)

Mr. Chen and Ollie said...

Your mommy sure was a busy relaxing, huh? Sounds like a good vacation and lots accomplished, too.
Purrs,
Mr. Chen & Ollie

Tyler said...

You know my mommas a teacher too and she feels for you. She's at the beginning of her vacation, but she envies your year round schedule. She's so so sorry that you're time is just about up. So far she hasn't done anything! But today she leaves for one night's stay at her sister's. Her sister wants help picking out two kittens from the shelter. I'm not happy that we all have to sleep without her one night, but I like that my auntie is going to have kitties again. Well remember that you're work is very important. I hopes the break was long enough to refresh her so she doesn't burn out. Toodles,
Tyler

Zoey and the furballs said...

Wow that was a very busy "break." Mommy's off until Monday. She didn't think she was going to get her "mini-break" but managed to get the "pleadings" done so they could filed in time.

MaoMao said...

Wowie, your momma sounds like a really busy bean, and so sweet and nice! Give her a big ol' snuggly snuggle from me.

Kittyhugs and purrs from MaoMao!

Anonymous said...

I enjoyed reading about your mom! She sounds like such a special lady. And how wonderful that she is a teacher. I bet she's a great one!

Purrs and snuggles to all you kitties and your wonderful Mom!

Mark's Mews (Marley, Lori, Loki, and Binq) said...

We read your Thursday Thirteen an didny understand most of it, so we asked The Big Thing. He unnerstood it!

He said the shed was a good thing, the dentist an the timing belt was painful, the movies are ones he wants to go see, reading books are good and playing games are good. We have to trust him on that stuff.

We know about secret paw packages, blogging, Temptation coupons, contest prizes, and getting food brought home, so that all sounded good!

So we think your Mom did really good!!!

Two Paws UP!

Unknown said...

Your Mum was very, very busy! I don't like it when my Mum is busy, I like her to nap and play with me when she has time off - what could be more important than napping and chasing fuzzy mices?

Parker said...

We salute your Mommy. Teachers are the best! I hope she has a little me and the kitties time scheduled before she has to go back!

lordjaders said...

Cat Chat Girl, my lady bean works at a year round school too. She is a little crrranky because she is going trrraditional next yearrr and they arrre taking away herrr vacation without compensation. So she worrrks forrr frrree an awful lot too.

Purrrs to You,

Jade

Gretchen said...

You're bean is very busy. I'm glad you had some extra time with her.

Jake and Bathsheba said...

We remember that your Mom had about a month off in April (or some time in the spring) and our Mom thought, "Oh, she must have year round school." We guess it's nice to have vacations spread around the year, but that long summer vacation would be fabulous. We're glad that our Mom doesn't have TOO long for vacation, or she might go traveling and leaving us for a LONG time.

Thanks for all you do as teachers. Special ones really do make a difference in the lives of so many students.

~J&B

Kimo and Sabi said...

Yep - mommakitty is furry aware of yer life...both her parents were educators their whole careers! Mommakitty hasn't had a realy vacation in 3 yrs! (which means neither have we!)