St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick is the patron saint of the school and church that I work at and attend. Naturally, we plan a low key feast day for our patron saint, low key because we are in the season of lent and this should be a penitential time. When I taught first grade, I do not recall us celebrating St. Patrick's Day. On one of the years, St. Patrick's Day fell during holy week and if you did not know this, holy week trumps St. Patrick's Day and therefore that year we only attended Mass. When I moved up to fourth grade, I knew that the third grade teacher brought in bagels and cream cheese for the kids while they watched a movie on St. Patrick. I decided that I would borrow the same idea for fourth grade.

Last night, I went to the store to pick up bagels and cream cheese for the kids. Recently, I have started going on a healthy food kick. I have started hitting running season, and like last year I have changed my diet, I even stopped drinking diet coke. So, far I'm having some great runs, which I'm contributing to my change in diet. When I went to the store I found plain bagels, but they are thin, which is less calories, because I read that one bagel is equivalent to five slices of bread. When you think about it, that is a lot of bread for an adult, let alone a child in one serving. Please don't think I get crazy on calorie counting, I actually eat all day long and am trying to build up to a 3,000 calorie diet.

When I got to school today, I started unpacking the items for later in the day and Ralph sees the bagels and realizes they are thin. Gwen then says, "Ms. J. why do you have to go all healthy on us?"

"Isn't this great!" I said.

"No, Ms. J., only you," Gwen replies. (This is a common response from Gwen, only Ms. J. would do that. For example, only Ms. J. would bring in a small wedge of Laughing Cow cheese to put on organic crackers that smell like pizza.)

Before Mass more and more children realize that I got the thin bagels, which like Gwen, they wanted to know why. Apparently last year they got the good bagels, with cinnamon and sugar. So, I tell them, "you guys are lucky, I almost bought you the whole wheat bagels, but then I figured you wouldn't want to eat them." This kind of changed their minds on the thin bagels.

In the afternoon when it was time for the movie, I started pouring drinks of green lime fruit punch, that was generously purchased by a parent in the class. As a class we said a blessing over the food, I put on the movie, and children patiently waited as I colored the cream cheese green and served bagels. Well here is the thing, I thought the third grade teacher colored the cream cheese green, that is the only reason why I did that. As soon as I did this the children were oohing and aahing over the green cream cheese. I decided to ask the children if they had green cream cheese last year, no they tell me it was just plain. Okay have you even tried to color cream cheese with a plastic spoon and knife? SERIOUSLY!