My kids are on spring vacation, this week and - in light of the fact that my husband has also taken time off from work - I was looking forward to a nice, quiet time at home with my family and enjoying a well-deserved break from the daily grind of school and work.

Until.

"Teacher sent this note home."

Raising four children attending three different schools, I've found only a few instances where five simple little words could strike such fear into my heart, like...

• This is an at-home project.
• Parents' participation is strongly encouraged.
• An emergency early dismissal, today.
• Only evening conferences are available.

...and basically anything ending with the word "fundraiser," but this time, my five-year-old's kindergarten teacher managed to put me into a sheer panic.

Dear ThompsonClanMom:

Mini-me cannot find her journal and I was wondering if you could please help her look for it, at home."

Thanks,

Mrs. I.M. Obviously-Giving-You-Too-Much-Credit-Here

Really, she is.

I mean, six people living in a seven room house, I could understand how a person would think that I should be very organized and, you know, prepared to find something, at anytime and at a moment's noice - not to mention, the fact that there perhaps weren't too many places, in which to look.

"It's probably in the closet!"

GASP!

We have this tiny little closet - in the corner of the dining room and is directly under the stairs - where I keep, well, everything and most likely where you'd think I'd find my five-year-old daughter's journal, yes?

[takes another look at picture, above]

After about a half an hour of crawling in, around and out of the closet, it is still a scary wreck and - though, I hadn't found Mini-me's journal - the experience was enough to convince me that, sometimes, teachers give parents way too much credit.

Dear Mrs. I.M. Etc...

Mini-me's journal is still missing and we will buy her a new one, as I've seemed to have lost my mind, in the meantime!

Best wishes for a lovely spring vacation,

I.M. Amess!

Yep, it's been a long, hard winter and I'll be darned if I'm going to spend the rest of the week, cleaning!

[blows bangs out of eyes and picks dust kitties off sweater]

Enjoy your spring holidays and if  anyone's looking for us - don't bother checking in the closet - I'll be out and/or in the garden, all week!