It Was All Candy (And a Pencil)

My daughter came home from school, opening the front door saying, “I have bubble gum but I’m going to spit it out because it doesn’t have flavor anymore”.  I had forgotten it was Valentine’s Day at that point.   My daughter was excited about all the cards she’d gotten from her friends at school that were in a white bag she had put on the counter.   But there wasn’t time to show me right then because friends had come over and she wanted to go outside to play with them.

We went to dinner with my husband and son who afterwards went to free running while my daughter and I returned home.   She did some math work with me at lightning speed and then some reading work, which is getting more impressive as she starts to be more proficient at reading braille.    And then it was time to go through the valentines cards.

And when I say, “cards” I mean it in the loosest sense of the word.   Because I think there were only three cards in the bag, including what came from her teachers.   It was all candy.   She and one other student had cards with nothing in them other than a message.   Everything else was candy of some sort, some also including a tattoo.   Oh, and there was one with a pencil (“that has to be sharpened,” my daughter told me).

Was the candy accompanied by a card?  No.  My guess is in years past bought sets of card with included candy had an issue of the card and candy being separated.   So to save time and trouble, the card was eliminated and a spot to write on was added to the wrapper of the candy.   Now all you need to do is write your name on the candy pouch or sucker or gummy bag and your valentines are all done.

For my kindergarten-aged child, that would have been fun work.  I can tell you she was most enthusiastic about all the candy she received from her classmates.    But I like what she did.  I like her cards she helped color on and seal.   Tomorrow her brother’s Montessori class celebrates Valentine’s day (they had a school conflict today).   I wonder what he’ll get by way of Valentine’s cards?

The Big Boy Update:  This morning my son was sitting quietly eating his breakfast.  Everyone had gotten up, gotten dressed, there were no complaints about breakfast and no one was whining or complaining.   When my husband walked into the kitchen my son confirmed the quiet morning by announcing, “we’ve gotten off to a good start today.”

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  My daughter discovered the wonder of the Blow Pop today.   She excitedly told me about this round lollipop that had bubble gum in the middle.   She loved it.   She was a sticky mess.   The bag she put the finished stick into was also a sticky mess.   I loved Blow Pops as a child and still do today.