Big hit.

Thursday evening, after two thirds of the evening pickups were complete and the dogs had been walked after a long day home alone, I realized that the following day we had a staff developer visiting our school. I always try to bake for these days, to make them feel special. To let people know I’m glad they’re there. Plus, I’ve learned that small treats sometimes go a long way. It’s been a doozy of a week coming back from vacation. I knew adding a little baking to the evening chaos would be well worth the effort.

“You made cookie bars?” Adi asked as I pulled the tray out of the oven.

“They’re for work,” I explained. “I’ll save a few for you too.”

The next day, I placed the large container of cookie bars in the center of the table I had already sat around that week for more hours than I care to count. I placed some leftover “Totally Jawsome” shark birthday napkins on top. Our work during the day was fast, furious, and intense. It was just the right amount of push that left me with plenty of follow up work and ideas to keep moving us forward. Many teachers took a cookie bar for the road as they headed back to their classes, so their coverage could move on to the next group of teachers who would circle the table.

By the end of the day, a few people came back for more cookie bars. I loaded up a few passers by with extras to take home. I had overestimated how many cookie bars we might need. As I carried the cookie container back out, I shared more cookies in the parking lot and then even more at preschool pickup.

Later that night, as my family prepared to settle in for some quiet Friday night relaxing, Adi joined me in the kitchen. ” I thought you were bringing those cookie bars to school with you,” she said, eyeing the container, now back on our counter. “They weren’t a big hit?” she asked.