I loved my job today.

After many days of feeling that things were not working with my easily-tantrumed, extremely loud, stubborn and often-incompatable group, things finally clicked. For two days in a row.

Today we talked about the five senses - smell, in particular. We read My Five Senses, and the girl in the book smelled a horse (who writes this stuff?) I looked at the kids and asked, "What do you think a horse smells like?" One boy said, with total confidence, "grass."

Later I let them smell all sorts of things in little Dixie cups: honey, basil, lemon juice, soy sauce, onion powder, marjoram, crushed black pepper. Although they were brimming with excitement over such a hands-on activity, after each sniff, each child laughed, "eeew, yucky!"

My new shy boy, who is the youngest and smallest of the group, and who has spent the last four weeks on the sidelines watching cautiously, opened up this week. Not only did he let a boy hug him, but he leaned into him a little, and smiled. He ran after the other kids with glee as they ran through the house. He walked up to me and, when I was looking elsewhere, poked my thigh, then smiled slyly as if to tell me he liked me.

Even "Lucy," the passionate, tempermental, future high-paying executive finally responded to my conditioning. When she started to tantrum over silly stuff and I said, "Oh, we aren't going to cry about that," she put her shoulders back, stuck her lower lip back in where it belonged, sniffed, and then went about her day, happily.

And Will, my baby. Today was the first day he was part of the daycare. Not just a passive baby who sat on the outskirts. He sat in the little chair that attaches to the daycare table and watched the kids with total fascination as they stabbed and pressed their papers with crayons. He looked truly happy.

Dude, we were on a roll today. Dare I hope this is permanent?