Baby Chicks
Ok, so I should have done this post four months ago, but time has gotten away from me. Again. With finishing school for me- finals and the ACT tests, the four kids finishing school, emptying out my classroom, and then getting everyone home for summer, I just didn't have time. However, as of today, everyone is back at school at least part time and I feel like I can breathe at least for a moment.
SO, on top of all the stuff I needed to do for work, the kids, the dog, cat, husband, and house, I thought it would be fun (well, actually, I felt obligated) to babysit the baby chicks being raised in Scarlett's class. Her teacher took on the project of hatching and raising these babies. She asked that everyone take a turn with taking them home at night and also the weekends. I waited as long as I could, then finally signed up. Thank goodness we didn't get stuck with a weekend.
The momentous day finally arrived; I finished my classes, and as usual raced down the halls to pick up my girls. Here is a mental picture: Me, dressed up and in heels, my four year old who claims her feet aren't working and she cannot possibly walk the length of the school to my car AND carry her backpack, which incidentally has nothing in it and her coat. My six year old with her backpack and coat. One large tote box with eight chicks in it, a heat lamp, water dish, and food. Back to the high school wing we go. I lock up my classroom and add to the totals 65 essay's, laptop, and purse. We head to the car.
If anyone knows Colorado, you know we have beautiful weather. Perfect. Except for the wind. The wind is terrible. Really really horrible sometimes. I would take a blizzard, thunderstorm, or monsoon, before the wind. This, of course, is one of those times. We step out of the school into gale force winds. I'm not kidding. It was gusting up to 65 mph that afternoon. The chicks little feathers were getting ruffled literally, and mine were getting ruffled figuratively. As they hopped around, I hoped they couldn't fly. That would make this super fun scene even more fun.
I finally get to my car, with the girls, their bags, my bag, eight chicks, heat lamp, food, and the dish for the water, because the water is all over the cage by this point....I get the girls in and manage to squeeze the tote into the front seat. Off we go....
When we arrived home, we did everything in reverse. There was one small detail that I had forgotten about. I was bringing small birds into my home. A home that I share with a blind/deaf dog and a most decidedly NOT blind/deaf CAT. Who would like nothing better than to stalk, kill, and eat Scarlett's classroom pets. There was only one place that I could foresee them being safe. The powder room. We double checked it for the hairball, and set the babies up in there.
The evening passed uneventfully. My kids loved having them, the cat was intrigued by the sounds and smells coming from that room, the dog didn't know anything, and Josh and I decided we NEVER want to raise chickens. In the morning, we loaded up the car, this time with four children rather than two and made our way back to school to return the complete and still living set of baby chicks to the next babysitter.



