I wouldn't have visited the GP on Thursday had I not made a commitment to the school that I will be one of the parent volunteer. Was hoping I will get better by Wednesday but the throat was still sore and the whole nose was stuffy and I couldn't think of anything else except to crawl back into bed.
So I had to see the Dr the day before the zoo trip, for a course of antibiotic and ta-dah! The nose and brain cloud cleared up after the first dose, no jelly legs and I only had a cough left to deal with.
I was a parent volunteer when Aidan went to the zoo so it was nice to experience it again and subconsciously , noticed some changes. Strangely, no kids commented about wanting to ride on the tram when we walked past it - although a girl mentioned that she has $12 on her to buy snacks. How odd, why would you not let your kid pack snacks from home? $12 - that can get two KFC meals which I doubt the kid can finish one meal alone!
The teacher in charge of Ammi's class was very thoughtful. She bought each of us volunteers a McD muffin for snacks. I had brought along a yogurt bar but Ammi hijacked it and shared it with five of her other friends. She also finished her bag of Caramel Corn and gummies. Also a few mouths of my muffin!
Since I wasn't completely well, I didn't want to shout or scream instructions this time. Where the teacher in charge yelled directions that needed to be followed (e.g. Find and partners and get in line!"), I simply tugged the kids by their sleeves to guide them back into line. For toilet breaks, I got one girl and one boy at each time to block the passage so that none 'escape' while I was still inside the toilets.
Most kids wanted to visit the panda enclosure but that wasn't part of the route so again, my short and sweet reply was "Go home and ask your Daddy to bring (you again)."
As the kids learn along this Learning Journey trip, I learnt new things too! The Mountain Lion is actually the Puma and the Cougar. All zebras have their unique stripe patterns (this was more of a refresh) and the Naked Mole Rat is resistant to cancer and is immune to pain! What great genes they have ... on the inside... For they really look ugly on the outside!
Sent my two kids home from school that day and Ammi remarked for the umpteenth time that she had a great trip - and if I agree with her? Makes it all worthwhile to wake up early and starve till 1pm and hunting down the toilets around the zoo. Aidan wasn't too happy as I didn't volunteer for his class outing the week before so I gave him a blank card and told him he can volunteer me for his next school event, even before asking me!
