Lunch date with MacDaddy

One of my disappointments about Canada is school recess and lunch. The Mac kids begin school at 8:45 am , lunch at 11:45 and are dismissed at 3:45 pm. There are 2- 15 minutes recesses (one in the morning and one in the afternoon) in addition to their 40 minute lunch recess. Recess takes place for the whole school at the same time on a black top behind the school bldg. There is an invisible line drawn across the black top and grades 1-3 are banished to one side and grades 4-8 on the other. I am not excited that 9 year old Lil' Lefty can't cross this line to play with 8 year old MacDaddy. Also, imagine some of the conversations and language Lil' Lefty overhears during recess because she is on the side of 12-14 year old 7th and 8th graders. Mind you all this time spent on the playground as they call it--there is not a playground nor equipment. A few basketball hoops and a hopscotch. Don't forget to bring in your own basketball from home if you want to play hoops. They do provide 4 mini hockey nets and the kids play foot hockey with tennis balls or wall ball--throwing the tennis balls against the brick wall of the school building. You got it...bring your own tennis ball. MacDaddy probably goes through 3 dozen tennis balls in a school year. He and his friends end up "roofin" the balls. MacDaddy tells me that means they threw the balls up to high and on the school roof they landed and stay. Oh, wait till the snow falls and they are told that there is no throwing snow balls on the playground. Good luck with that! Guaranteed, MacDaddy will be in trouble on the day of the first snow fall.

Next, school does not provide a hot lunch nor do they have a cafeteria. The Mac kids eat a packed lunch everyday at their desk in their classroom. The contents of their lunch cannot contain peanut butter or any kid of nut. The school is a nut free environment due to peanut allergies of some students. Poor MacDaddy lives on peanut butter. A-mac, Lil' Lefty and MacDaddy usually end up coming home for lunch 1-2 times per week. OK ...enough complaining!

Today, MacDaddy and I had a lunch date. We headed for the McDonald's drive thru for a double cheeseburger ketchup only, fries and a chocolate milk. Then, went to the playground located about 100 yards away from his school.

Upon dropping him off at school, he said with a big grin showing off his loose "Nanny McPhee" tooth , "Thanks Mom! That was fun! Let's do it again. "