Anticipation....

As so many of you who read this blog know by now, I am slowly venturing into the work force beginning this fall. I will be teaching a preschool class made up of precious 2 and 3 year olds at the same school my kids attend. This is a blessing from above, because I have long prayed about what to do once my children began going to school. Should I work? Should I continue to stay home full time? What would I fill my days with if I didn't work and they were at school all day? I must admit, I am totally in love with my job as a stay at home (but work your butt off) Mom. While it's a challenging job in many ways, its also the only thing I've ever wanted to do...have a family and fill my days taking care of them. I am so fortunate that the Lord has allowed me to stay home with our children and he has taken care of our many needs over the last 6 years despite our lack of income. A little more than a year ago, I made a request to the principle of the school, that I would be interested in teaching a class if there were ever to be an opening. While it didn't work out for last school year as I had hoped, I still made sure everyone knew of my interest, and I volunteered up at the school as room mom, sub teacher, office assistant...anything I could get into. I developed a good relationship with many of the teachers, and then finally one day, the principle called me into her office...but that was a good thing! (haha) Unbeknown to me at the time, I had several little "angels" cheering for me at the school in the form of those sweet new friends I had made. The teachers all kept dropping my name, and the principle prayed about it and VOILA! I have the job I'd prayed about!

So now....I have to get my classroom ready! I am planning on waiting until after next week or so to start inquiring about it, but I am ready to begin planning my days out, decorating the classroom, and just jump in! I think I will only have 8 students in class, but their day will include lunch time and nap since the class will be until 2pm those two days during the week.

I am already praying for my students, and for the roll I will have in their families lives this school year. Sometimes, it excites me when I think about the job I have, and many other times, it reminds me that it's a big job! It's more than just "babysitting" a kid for a few hours! I am investing into the lives of those kids, and their families when I teach the ABC's, the Bible verses, the songs, etc. This class is laying a foundation for all of their learning abilities, and if I can make this fun for them, then hopefully the will carry it with them and always love learning!

This is exactly what happened for my sweet precious baby girl, and I see it happening with my darling son too. There was never a doubt in all the times I left my kids at school that they would be loved. I believe those teachers were hand picked by God for my children, and I am ever so grateful that He chose the ladies He did! I just pray that the same will be for the children I teach this fall!

Well, that's all for now! That seems to be on my mind a lot lately, as the first month of our summer vacation is over, and we are itching ever so closer to the school bell ringing again!

FUN WITH AIDAN

It's been a fun week so far around here. Our little friend Aidan came to stay with us for a few days while his parents were at work, and the kids had a blast together. They entertained each other so well, that they were completely worn out by the time the afternoon came around and we ALL took a great nap! (Yes, Me included!) While Megan went on an overnight trip with her dad on Monday and Tuesday, me and the boys had a great time playing in the backyard, and we went to play at Chick Fil A (or "chick-a-lay" if you them) on Tuesday.
Today, the backyard started getting a little more boring, so I dug out the little "baby wading pool" from the back of the barn, and despite the drought, they had fun splashing away. We put the slide into the pool and they had more fun doing that than at a water park!!!! Little by little, they got more and more brave, and started going down the slide BACKWARDS! Aidan was supposed to come back tomorrow and Friday, but his Mimi didn't have jury duty the rest of the week, so he's going to hang out with her. But the good news is, he's coming back next week! I know the kids (especially his best bud, Ryan) will be so excited to have him over again! They all get along so well, and Aidan is so good, we love having him around!
I've included a slide show of all the fun we had, and I'm experimenting with a new kind of program, so let me know what you think. This one is like a virtual scrapbook and it's interactive. You'll need to click the "book page" or a picture to be able to enlarge it to see them better. Hope you enjoy...

Click to play | Make your own Smilebox

HAPPY 35TH BIRTHDAY JONATHAN

Yesterday was Jonathan's 35th birthday. Of course he was up and out the door before anyone in our house was awake yesterday, so we didn't get to shower him with a "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" song until later. The kids and I made him a birthday banner and hung it up in the kitchen so he would see it when he came home from work. I drew the lettering, and the kids colored it up with crayons, and drew pictures, etc. Dad nearly ruined it by coming home early, but luckily he had his sunglasses on when he came through the door and didn't see it immediately, and we yelled at him to "CLOSE YOUR EYES!!!!!"
As soon as we could get ready, the 3 of us stood in front of the sign and sang Happy Birthday to him as we allowed him back into the room! (phew!, moment saved!)
We joined his Mom and Step Dad for dinner at O'Charleys and some yummy cake afterwards. Perhaps it wasn't the most spectacular birthday, but Jon says he doesn't really care for much. He says he's 35 years old and doesn't need a big deal. But Ryan says Daddy needs a "DEAL OR NO DEAL" party (after the popular game show that we all watch frequently).
Maybe we chose "NO BIG DEAL" as his party theme! hahaha
Here is a few pics...enjoy

Mercy VS Compassion

Here's a funny little story that's been happening as of late...

During the school year, my kids were learning different stories from the Bible. The story of Moses was one of their favorites and they covered it extensively. Ryan loved talking about baby Moses in the basket, and when the teacher announced to all the classes that they were going to watch the movie "The Prince Of Egypt", Megan was so excited. I'm not sure what made her so excited, except the fact that we already have the movie and she had watched it dozens of times as one of her favorites. But of all the stories both of the kids learned about, nothing has taught us as a family more than the story of Jonah and the Whale. Mrs. Lea is obviously a great Bible teacher, because both of the kids would come home talking about what they had learned with great excitement. When I commented to their teacher how much they were enjoying learning from her during their Bible class, she told me that they were going to be watching the Veggie Tales Movie by the same name. Since Ryan had latched onto this story so emphatically, Jonathan and I decided we would buy the movie to add to our family collection here at home. The kids have watched it incessantly. It is absolutely one of Ryan's favorite movies ever! The movie chronicles the story of Jonah, and highlights two elements in the story that my daughter latched onto very quickly: Mercy and Compassion.

One day, after watching the movie, we were eating lunch, and Megan proudly informed me that she knew the difference between compassion and Mercy.

"Really?" I asked, "Why don't you tell me?"

"Well, COMPASSION is when you see someone that is hurting, and you feel bad for them and want to help them out" Megan stated. "And MERCY is when you give someone a second chance, even when they don't deserve it".

I was so proud of her, she'd learned it from an animated tomato and cucumber, but it had seemed to grasp her heart and she had learned an important lesson in life!

Or so I thought.

Her next statement has had me in stitches laughing every since.

"So, Mom, that means that when you get mad at me, you just need to show me more MERCY and give me a second chance!"

Jonathan and I have heard this statement from her right in the middle of discipline numerous times! It seemed for a while that she was using it as a means of getting out of trouble...or at least trying to. She'd get the "talk" after getting into trouble about doing something wrong, and under her breath she is whispering, "You just need to show me a little mercy and give me another chance". As of recent days, I think she is finally getting it, but we've had to explain to her that showing mercy to her does not give her a reason to behave badly to begin with...she must still obey the rules, use her manners, and be kind to others.

I've even gone as far as telling her that I've shown her enough mercy every time I warned her to stop doing something (a sassy mouth, talking back, etc.), and by the time I have come to the point of punishing her, it's too late!

But still, she reminds me, she needs compassion and mercy from me.

How often do I act like this to my Heavenly Father? How often to I disobey him, and go my own way. And when my own way leads to disaster, it's always HIM that I beg to show me mercy and compassion and "get me out of this!"

I'm so glad, that I have a God who loves me that much, because it is never a question, he readily gives me mercy. It's the reason I'm HIS CHILD. It's the reason I have an eternal home. It's the reason I am where I am today.

So, it's also the gentle, loving, probe of the Lord that turns my thoughts to that fact every time I'm in a position to disciple one of my children. As I hear myself saying "It's because I love you and want the best for you that I have to teach you this lesson", I also hear a whisper in my heart from God saying the same thing to me.

Praise the Lord for COMPASSION AND MERCY!

BARRETT BEACH VACATION

So, as it turns out, we got a last minute beach vacation from this past Sunday to Wednesday. Well, it was half vacation half work for Jonathan, we just tagged along. The kids were so excited to learn that our hotel had bunk beds for them to sleep in...they struck GOLD! The hotel was just the right size for us, and it had 1 and 1/2 baths, and a full kitchen. We did our best, lubing the kids up with Sunscreen, but for poor Megan, we didn't reapply soon enough and the tops of her ears got burned pretty bad. By Tuesday, we had to go find her a big hat so she could stay outside. They aren't bothering her now, but they sure look painful. Anyway, we were able to spend some time with Jon's parents since they've moved down to Foley, and it was great to be able to see their new house. They had us over and cooked shrimp for us, and it was delicious. I think the kids would have lived down there if we'd left them, because they certainly didn't want to come home! Megan had big tears pooling up in her eyes Wednesday morning as we left, and I wasn't sure we'd make it outta Orange Beach without some serious protests happening. Ryan didn't understand what was going on until we pulled into the driveway at home to which he immediately began crying as if someone just killed puppies in front of him! He kept screaming "NO, I WANNA GO TO THE HOTEL". It was really sad and broke my heart. Jon says there will be another opportunity to go down because when the job progresses a bit, he'll be needed again. I'm just hoping that it happens before the middle of August when Megan has to start school! Below is a slide show and you can see just how much fun it was!

RYAN FINALLY GOT HIS PARTY!

Since we were out of town camping on Ryan's actual birthday, we weren't able to hold his party on the same weekend. Then, life gets in the way, as it often does, and between weddings, parties, beach trips, etc, it was already the month of May and we finally were able to schedule the party. He'd been looking forward to his "SuperMan" party for months. It was a little hard to find SuperMan stuff in all the stores since the release of the new SpiderMan 3 movie has all the toys stocked with SpiderMan and no Superman...and the thought crossed my mind to have a Spiderman party instead, but I just had to give Ryan what he really wanted. After all, SuperMan is his guy!

All in all, it was a great party. We held the party at home. I played it smart and bought all the supplies at the dollar store and saved the money on the SuperMan themed plates this go round. I did get him a SuperMan pinata, and luckily it stayed in tact and survived the game, thus providing a nice decoration for his bedroom! I came up with a couple of crafts, & games, since I didn't have anything to distract the kids. As the guests arrived, I let them all make their own "SuperHero capes". It was great! I found flower sack napkins at the dollar store, and set them out with some markers and let the kids decorate them. Tie them on, and UP, UP, AND AWAY! Then, a friend let me borrow their mini moon walk (aka "jumpy thing"), and we labeled that as the "leap small buildings in a single bound" stop of the party. And we had a "USE YOUR X-RAY VISION" game where there were objects placed in paper sacks labeled "RYAN'S SUPERMAN PARTY" and each object started with the letter on the bag. Each kid reached their hand in and felt the object and then tried to guess (use their x-ray vision to see) the object. It was a great game for the older kids, but the younger ones lost interest (as I thought they would) The party games ended with the pinata, which was a blast for the kids and no one got hurt, so no video's to send in to America's Funniest Home Video's this year! The cake was PHENOMENAL, a la Cassandra. It looked as wonderful as it tasted! Then Ryan opened his gifts and made out like a SUPER HERO! He got a lot of cool toys. It was a wonderful party, and I'm glad we were finally able to "clear our schedules" to have it! hahaha

Here's a slide:

Megan Graduates Kindergarten!

On May 17, 15 years to the day after I graduated High School, my baby girl graduated kindergarten from HillDale. For weeks leading up to the graduation ceremony, the classes rehearsed continuously and the teachers were able to convince the kids that the songs they were learning were a "secret". Whenever I would ask Megan about it, she absolutely refused to talk about it "because the teacher said not to!" I was amazed at how well my 6 year old was able to keep a secret, because up until the actual ceremony, I had absolutely no idea what they were singing! Both of the K5 classes were so adorable, and I can't wait until my DVD of the graduation ceremony comes in!!! I am so proud of Megan. She got straight A's on her last report card, and was one of the top in her class. I sure hope that she continues to love learning, because I am afraid that one day in the VERY near future, she will have more book smarts than her father and I and we won't be able to help her with her homework!!
After the ceremony, we stuck around to take several pictures, and then went out to eat with Jon's parents (Granny & Big Daddy) to Red Robin. It was a great night!
Here is a slide of graduation night:

LOOK, IT'S "JEANU"!

HAHA! I'm dying laughing at this pic posted below! My longest and dearest friend, Kellye, knows that I have always had a "thing" for Keanu Reeves. To me, he's just a nice, handsome, fine speciman of a man to look at. Well, she put her photo shop program to good use, and LOOK! I'M WITH MY HOTTIE! HAHAHA!

THANK YOU KELLYE! I LOVE IT!

FUN IN THE SUN DAY AT HCS!

This post is all about RYAN!

His class had "Fun In The Sun" day at school yesterday, and they were able to use the big water slide that HillDale Church had purchased. Yep, if you've seen the big one from Sam's as you walk in the store, THAT'S IT! It was so much fun, and the kids had a blast! No surprise, Ryan was a little scared to go up the big slide at first. But in his defense, it was a bit of a steep climb! He was perfectly content with going down the smaller slide that was a little more his size. Once he got used to that, he was ready to try conquering the big one...and after a few slips, and a few more times of "getting stuck at the top", he finally did it! Once he went down the big slide that first time, THERE WAS NO STOPPING HIM!
I'm seriously trying to find a way to earn a few extra hundred $$$, because this thing would be a BLAST to have at our house all summer! My kids would take wonderful naps everyday! I think it's time to clean out the attic, and sell all the baby stuff to fund the slide...what do you think????

BEACH BABES BASH 2007

I had the most amazing weekend! I was feeling really, really guilty when it came time to leave last Thursday. Megan had come down with a Stomach bug on Wednesday and got sick at school! JUST MY LUCK! She ended up having to stay home from school on Thursday when we left, and thanks to some lucky timing that her Granny happened to be on vacation this week, Regina came over to keep her for me so I could leave as planned! (BIG HUGE THANKS!)
So despite a little "mommy guilt" for leaving (which I would have anyway, but it was heightened since I had a sick kid), off I went and had a great time.
There lots of memories I could share, but as was stated in an oath before leaving Birmingham "What happens at the beach STAYS at the beach"! Ha!
Here's a few pics of our awesome weekend! A BIG THANKS TO RHONDA FOR PLANNING IT ALL FOR US! I truly hope that it becomes a yearly tradition, and one day we are some hip old ladies partying at the VIP MARTINI BAR! (insert laughter here)
I LOVE YOUGIRLS!
Kodakgirl

Daniel & Cynthia's Wedding

Jonathan was a groomsman in Daniel Isom's wedding on April 21st. We had the Rehearsal dinner the night before, and I dieted all day in preparation for it! By the time dinner arrived, I WAS FAMISHED! Everything was great! Saturday, Jon had to be at the church by 2:30 pm to begin pictures, so we decided to take a drive out to the Odenville/Ashville/Branchville area just to look around and see what kind of housing developments are coming along out there. We feel like the Odenville/Moody area is the place we'd like to move out to one day, but who knows where the Lord will have us. It was a nice drive, and at one point I told Jon that I felt like I was on vacation because we seem so far out in the country and I didn't know where we were at! I dropped Jon off at the church at 2:30 and took the kids home for a nap, so we could be rested up and ready to party at the reception. The kids were dressed in their Easter clothes, so look closely and you can see what they wore on Easter since I didn't even take pics that day!
Daniel and Cynthia had a beautiful wedding, a phenomenal reception, and the food and dancing was absolutely fantastic! The kids had a great time, and even though it was 10pm before we made it home, we were so honored and proud to be a part of it all!
Here is a slide of a few pics from that weekend as well:

McWane Center & Easter

After we got home from our amazing camping/scenic drive trip, We decided that we were still on family vacation, and skipped church on Sunday to go to the McWane Center. After all, it was a rainy day, and we needed some indoor fun. The kids love going here, and thanks to a wonderful Christmas present, we have a yearly pass that will allow us to go as much as we want! This time we took in an IMAX movie called Hurricane On The Bayou. Ryan did better than I expected, but he fell asleep mid way through it. Megan was bored with it. I found it very interesting, as it recounted the events leading up to Hurrican Katrina, and reasons why there was so much damage. The premise of the movie is to restore and save the Louisianna "WetLands" that usually provide a buffer to strong storms, thus saving the cities above it from taking a brutal hit. Unfortunatly, the wetlands are diminishing, thus the reason Katrina was so catastrophic.
OK. Enough environmental lessons. It was an interesting film. We enjoyed our day, as we always do. This was a wonderful Family Day/Weekend!
A few weeks later, it was EASTER! And my silly-headed self didn't even take pics! It was once again, a cold, rainy Easter sunday, and I didn't get any pics of us at church with the kids dressed in their Easter best, and standing in front of the flowered cross. It was a crazy day! But, it was still a good day. We ate lunch at my Mom and Dad's house, and all my family, Mamaw, aunts, uncles, cousins, and siblings, all came at some point during the day. It's nice to get together with family.
Here is another slide show of pics from these two events:

Camping at Guntersville For Ryan's Birthday

Ok, so I'm finally getting around to posting a few things....

On the weekend of Ryan's Birthday (March 30), we took another Camping trip up to Guntersville State Park. Guntersville is our absolute favorite place to go! We like the layout of the campgrounds, we love the fact that the deer come out at night and walk around the campsites looking for food, and it's nice and quiet. We had planned to stay Friday through Sunday, but after watching the weather forecasts, Saturday night had storms predicted, and 100% chance of rain on Sunday....just our luck! We got to camp around lunch time on Friday, and had a full day of fun. Megan and Ryan both caught their first fish, we played at the playground, went into the nature hut where Megan made a new friend, Bella, the cat of the lady that worked in the nature hunt. We grilled hot dogs Friday night, S'mores for dessert, and Jon cooked an awesome breakfast Saturday morning. After another fishing trip to the pier, we decided to pack up and take the long, scenic route home to save us from a repeat of our last camping trip! We drove up to Buck's Pocket after leaving the campgrounds, and there were lots of pretty mountains to look at. Ryan and Dad nearly stepped on a snack that scurried across the path that led back, so after that we were all looking for snakes with every step we took! We drove up to DeSoto State Park, and found lots of scenery there, then we went to Little River Canyon, where tons of people were milling through the water and even swimming in the river below the falls. The kids loved walking among the rocks and watching the Water Fall. And to end our scenic trip, we stopped at Noccolula Falls. I had never been there before and always wanted to go. I found it surprising to learn that the falls are named after an Indian Princess who jumped to her death on the day of her arranged wedding because she was in love with someone else and her father was forcing her to marry into another tribe as a peace offering. CRAZY! Since it was so late in the day, we didn't stay long, and only walked around on the upper half, but it was really nice. We fed the ducks swimming around, and shielded the kids eyes from the "duck love" we witnessed...after all it is spring time!
All in all, we had a great time. We are trying to plan another camping trip for the end of May, and hopefully it won't be RAINY! We'll see!
Here's a slide show:

I'm a busy little BEE these days!

Much has been going on in the Barrett Household these days! Although I could, I will spare you of too many lengthy details, but here is as small a breakdown as I can do!
FAMILY CAMPING TRIP!
On the weekend of Ryan's birthday, we decided to take a family Camping trip to our favorite place, Guntersville State Park. The kids (and mom and dad) were very excited! Megan was out of school that Friday so we packed up and left by 10am. It's not a true family vacation unless Ryan and Megan are asking "Are we almost there?" every few minutes. We arrived, set up camp and took a walk down to the water to scope out the fishing options. Ryan had gotten a Superman fishing pole for his birthday, and he was eager to use it. Megan had her Princess fishing rod ready, and she was the first to catch a fish! She and her daddy had a great time! One more milestone happened for Megan...SHE LEARNED TO TAKE A SHOWER! Haha! It was quite a feat to get her into the bath house and get a shower, since she's never taken one by herself! For some reason she has always been afraid of the shower, but I had no choice but to force her in there after she played in the ashes of the fire pits in the vacant campsites next to us! Once it was over, I was proclaiming her to be such a "BIG KID" and at first, she didn't want to talk about it, but let's just say that for the last 2 weeks, she only takes showers, and regularly informs us that she is a "Grown Up" now! After watching the rain predictions, we saw there was a good chance we'd get rained out again, so we wanted to avoid a repeat of our last camping trip! We decided to pack up and go home early, but we made a day of it. We drove up to Buck Pocket, Desoto State Park, and Little River Canyon, and stopped at Noccolulla Falls before heading home. All in all, the kids were great, and we all had a wonderful time.
EASTER WEEKEND

The next weekend was Easter Weekend, and it was awesome! It started with my WONDERFUL sister in law, Mary, offering to not only keep BOTH of my kids for the night so that Jonathan and I could go see an Easter Drama at a friends church, but she also came and got them around 11am that morning so that we could have the whole day together! WOW! What a wonderful treat! Jon and I attended the Good Friday service at our church and it was great. It made me very hungry to get to Easter Sunday and Celebrate what my Savior has done for me! After the service, we went to a movie! Yeah, we don't get to see movies at the theatre much, unless it's one we're taking the kids to. We saw the movie "Wild Hogs" with Tim Allen, John Travolta, William H. Macy, and Martin Lawrence. It was hilarious! As a matter of fact, I don't think I've laughed quite that loud in a movie theatre before. We really enjoyed it. After the movie, Jon and I kept asking ourselves..."What do we do when we don't have kids...all day or all night????" Well, I'd love to tell you we did something fun, but we only went to the Grocery Store! HA! We walked around Publix, looking at their fine selection of produce, made small talk with the Seafood guy about how to cook different types of fish, bought a few items and went home! Sad, huh! Oh well, we still spent time together! At around 5:30 we picked up our friends Kellye and Matt and drove up to Hanceville to visit a friend's church because they were performing an Easter Pageant Drama. Her husband played the part of Jesus, and he did a spectacular job. We really enjoyed it, and once again, it made me hunger for Sunday to get here so I could truly celebrate! After the Drama, the four of us drove back into town (because there is nothing to eat in Hanceville!!!), and ate at a Mexican restaurant. Good food, Great Margarita's! It was nice to be out, and not have a curfew to get home and relieve the baby sitter! By Saturday, I was very ready for my babies to come home! Aunt Mary brought them home around 10 am and as I went to the door, I heard Ryan crying "MOMMY! MOMMY!" When I opened the door, he had big tears in his eyes and an even bigger smile on his face! He was so happy to see me, and I was overjoyed too! How sweet! Easter Sunday was spent at Mom's. We had a great time eating, visiting with family, eating, laughing with the family as we watch old home movies, eating, and hanging out. ...did I mention eating??? Yea, I ate a lot that day. Later that afternoon, Jason and Mary were able to get there, and Mary had one of the best games on earth! KARAOKE REVOLUTION....AMERICAN IDOL VERSION! It is the bomb! I'm begging Jonathan for a PlayStation 2 for my birthday next week so I can get one of the other versions of Karaoke Revolution. My whole family laughed all night long as we played this game, singing our hearts out and getting critiqued by the likes of RANDY, PAULA, AND SIMON!!! It's awesome!

My biggest fault of Easter weekend....NO PICTURES! I had a camera with me the whole time, but we just kept forgetting to take pics! TERRIBLE! It was really too cold to stand outside and get pics by the flowered cross at church, because Megan's dress was sleeveless and we were all chilly anyway!
So this weekend, we were scheduled to go camping again, but the 100% chance of rain has changed those plans. Right now, we're just planning on relaxing at home for once. This week is Spring Break week for the kids, and we're looking forward to the break. The busy weekends begin again next week as a good friend of ours gets married, and Jon's in the wedding, so we'll have Rehearsal dinner Friday, Wedding on Saturday and my birthday on Sunday....I'm tired already.
So there's your update! I'll try to find time to post some more later on! Thanks for reading!

Do You Know God???

Yesterday, I picked Megan up from school and she promptly reminded me that it was "MOMMY-MEGAN DAY". We named Thursday's this because she goes to K5 everyday until 12pm, and on Thursday, my son is in his preschool class until 2pm (taking a nap), so we have a couple of hours to kill before having to go back up to the school to pick him up. We usually go get a bite to eat, and walk around WalMart, or go to the park, or something along those lines. Yesterday was no different. Megan wanted to go to Burger King, but with me trying to diet and exercise, I wanted something light to eat, so I talked her into going to Chick Fil A (again). When we pulled into the parking lot, there were absolutely NO parking places and the drive thru was backed up around the building....SPRING BREAK WEEK WAS DEFINITELY IN FORCE!!!
So, as soon as I could maneuver my way out of the parking lot, I DID. I hate going to a crowded restaurant. Especially with the chaos of a playground that is overflowing with kids. She was disappointed, but we went a couple of doors down and decided to eat at Ruby Tuesdays. I was thinking that it would be a good idea, because she usually likes their menu, and I could get the awesome salad bar. That may have been a big mistake financially because it ended up costing me much more than I really care to spend on lunch for the both of us. It was a good and healthy meal, but I forgot that even though my meal was $7.99, and hers was $3.99, they were going to charge me an arm and leg for my diet soda!! Why do restaurants do that??? It's like O'Charleys has the whole "kids eat free" mantra, but NO THEY DON'T! If you buy your kid a drink they charge you $2.50 for that tiny little kids cup! I know it's still a cheap meal for $2.50, but it totally IRKS ME that they lie to you. Well, we work around that because if I know that we are going to O Charleys, I stock a diaper bag full of juice box's and bottle water and that's what the kids get! Or, I'll take an empty sippy cup and fill theirs up with sweet tea, and make the waiter refill my cup! Ha! GOTCHA! The waiter always looks funny at me when I say "nothing to drink for the kids" but I dare them to tell me I can't bring it in!

Anyway, back to the subject! (I will get off that soap box).

We go inside to eat and the waiter is trying to be nice and talk to Megan. He asks her if she is a SuperStar and in her boldness, she informs him that she is a Movie Star AND a Super Star. (Where did she get that?) He then asks her "Well have you been in any movies that I have seen?" She totally doesn't get it and just starts telling him her favorite movies. I guess she thinks she is a movie star because she really loves movies, I dunno. So anyhoo-I order the salad bar, she wants her grilled cheese. I go get my mountain of salad and return to the seat and Megan begins to pray the blessing over the meal as she always does. Well, I had my head bowed and eyes closed and when I look up, the waiter is patiently waiting on us to finish the blessing before setting our drinks down. When I notice, I say thank you, and then he's still trying to "connect" with Megan and he begins to tease her saying "You didn't have your eyes closed". She looked up at him and very quickly retorted:

"DO YOU KNOW GOD?"

I wish you could have heard her tone. It wasn't disrespectful. It wasn't shy, or invasive. I guess you could say it was instinct for her to ask. I love that. So often, I would feel the prompting of the Holy Spirit to ask someone if they "Know God" and I wouldn't ask. Megan never questioned it. She just did it. I love that she is so young and innocent and hasn't lived enough to know that the world sometimes looks down on that and that is partly what keeps some (namely me) from spreading the word as believers should do! I have a great job ahead of me to help my daughter understand that while there are circumstances where you have to be careful when presenting the gospel or simply asking someone "DO YOU KNOW GOD?", there is never a reason to loose that boldness, and genuine desire to tell others about Jesus. That's a hard thing to teach, and I'm reminded now, probably by the prompting of the Holy Spirit, that she's only going to learn that from example. My example. If she sees me, and her father openly discussing God to others, whether it be in restaurants, at a playground meeting, at the grocery store, or in an elevator making small talk in the 10 seconds it takes to ride up a few floors, then hopefully, and just possibly she might not loose her gumph! Her bull-dog tenacity. Her boldness. I'm taking a lesson from my 6 year old..

DO YOU KNOW GOD???

J

PS...the waiter quickly informed us that he does indeed know God.

WHY WHY WHYYYYYY???

My son is the pickiest eater. He literally has a handful of foods that he will eat regularly. He loves junk food...chips, french fries, cookies, goldfish crackers. When it comes to meal time, it's always a toss up as to whether he is in the mood to eat anything other than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. (I should really take stock in Jiff!) So why is it that today, of all things, he eats the little red berries off bush in our backyard! Well, I say "eat" but I'm really not sure he did. I think he probably just tasted them and spit the berry on the ground. Every time I ask him if he ate the berries, he says "I dunno" and "I sowwy Mommie" (too afraid to admit his wrong I'm sure). All I can think at this point is, "The berries are poisonous! What do I do???" I call Dad at work to ask him if he knows anything about the bush, which was silly, because I really already knew the answer to that..."I dunno!". Hmm, I'm seeing a male related pattern here...He throws responsibility to his Mom...the nurse, and a walking encyclopedia of all plant life. She can tell you the name of anything! After describing the plant to her, she thinks she knows the name but is not certain of the toxicity of the berries....so now, we need to call Poison Control. I have a new friend down there! Dianne was very sweet, took all the information down and asked me to go pick a branch from the shrub and call a local nursery to describe it to them and ask if the berries are poisonous. That is when my "waste of time" meter began. I called a local plant nursery, and described the leaves of the bush and berries...at this point, I can't remember what it was that my knowledgeable Mother In Law has named the plant, but I'm racking my brain trying to since the lady on the other end of this phone conversation is virtually no help. She puts me on hold for about 2 minutes and her solution when she returns is "go to Children's ER...take the branch with you. There are too many poisonous berries in bloom this time of year". She didn't want to put her "word" on the line, which I guess in essence I do understand. But like I said before, that was a total waste of time. Children's Hospital ER? Are you kidding me? I call Poison Control back and tell her what the lady at the Plant Nursery said, and she tells me NOT to go to the ER...yet. We'll just watch, give him fluids, no food, and look for tummy aches. Dianne at Poison Control will call back in an hour. In the mean time, my little darling is in the playroom with his sister eating a box of Nerds candy. So much for the "don't give him anything to eat" advice from Dianne! "But Mom, I was just sharing" says Megan. Yes, I know and I should be so grateful, but things are not going my way right now! I locked him in his highchair (yep, still have the highchair, and I'm so glad too!), and give him a sippy cup of tea. Put on a movie and he sits still for a minute! (slight sigh of relief) Then, I got the bright idea (if I do say so myself) to take a picture of the branch with the berries, and I emailed it to my ever so knowledgeable source of info (Thank you Regina!). She indeed confirms the name of the shrub,"A NANDINA" and I am thrilled to tell Dianne at Poison Control when she calls moments later. Dianne looks up the information and says that unless he had eaten 20 berries, there is not much cause for concern. She informs me to continue the watch for tummy aches, and call back if I need her. THANK YOU DIANNE AT CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL POISON CONTROL! The little man has now been released from the confines of his highchair and I am about to collapse from exhaustion!
My little angel with horns has worn me out!

Beach Babes Bash!!!

I'm getting pretty excited. In just a matter of 5 or 6 weeks, I am going to the beach on my first EVER trip away from the hubby and kids. Away from the daily grind, no mommy duties, no wifely duties, just relax and being a girl! Sometimes, being a mom kinda makes you forget that you are a GIRL and you need to be a girl! Hang out with friends, laugh, talk girl stuff, and make memories! When Megan was younger, I would have never even entertained the IDEA of going anywhere without her. She was all I had. I wasn't too busy, even though I worked a somewhat part time job at the time, and full time mom and wife. And even after I had Ryan, I wouldn't feel comfy leaving them. He's about to be 3 years old and the transformation is already happening. I can see it. He's naturally starting to lean more towards DADDY! He's still his Mamma's boy, but I can tell he's really taking more interest in his Dad and wanting to be with him. It's just little things, like wanting to sit with him to watch a movie instead of me. When he cries about something, he starts to go to Dad for comfort now before coming to me. I think it is sweet. I look forward to seeing their Father/Son relationship progress and develop. It's an amazing thing. So with that progression of their life coming to fruition, I am suddenly feeling a little more free. When the opportunity to go to the beach on a "girls only" vacation first began being discussed, I was all on board, but didn't really put much hope into it. I guess I didn't think there would be an actual opportunity. Well, as it turns out, LOTS OF US MOM'S NEED A GET-A-WAY WEEKEND! Several gals from my Bible Study class are all going...I think around 8 ladies all together! It's going to be a blast~!! I'm not sure what I'll do with no mommy duties for nearly 4 days straight, but I'm sure I'll figure it out.

Hubby is all for it too. He gets to go out of town (on business yes, but it's still out of town and away from the daily grind), all the time! Eats at nice restaurants while I'm at home cooking frozen fish sticks. He'll get to go take in the local scene while I'm stuck going to the grocery store, or doing crafts up at the school for Ryan's preschool class. When the idea of this trip first started getting serious (a reservation had been made), he teased me a little about leaving him to deal with the kids. Even begged (half jokingly too) me to take the kids with me so I'd "have more fun"....HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I'M SORRY, DID I JUST LAUGH???? NO I CACKLED AT HIM! He even would stop some of the girls in the hall at church and, with a very serious look on his face, beg them to "CONSIDER TAKING THE CHILDREN" on this trip....and each lady would respond the same: "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

He really is just kidding. When I dropped him off on Saturday morning to go to Atlanta for the night with the guys (a bachelor party for a friend who's getting married next month), he was sweet. He told me that while he gets alot of fun from just teasing me, he really doesn't mind that I'm going to the beach for a weekend alone with the girls. He even checked in with me a few times (by email) to make sure I was OK, and hoping the kids were being good. I told him that I don't want to feel bad for going....the guilt always sets in around the time that I have to go to my Bunco night, or a girls night out...I don't know why, but I do always have a tinge of guilt about leaving them. Perhaps it's a Mom thing, or a Woman thing, or just a "ME" thing. I dunno. But I believe he really does appreciate me. (And He's going to realize just how much when I go and he's Mr. Mom for a whole weekend....haha) And I really appreciate him. Not alot of husbands out there would be so nice about their wives taking off on a vacation without them. He's worked very hard to earn a little extra money for me to be able to go. He even brought back extra money from his trip! He did without so I could have my time. He's so good to me. He trusts me. I trust him. We're good.

J

A MUCH NEEDED FAMILY FUN DAY!

Today was a really great day! Since Jon's been working soooo much since the first of the year, we've had to take notice at the fact that every time he walks out the door, even if it's just to take out the garbage, my son immediatly starts telling him "Bye Bye Daddy", because he thinks he's leaving for work again. Well, a Family Fun Day is just what the doctor ordered! Today we started off going to our dear friends Birthday Celebration for their 2 year old. Mason's party was at a local park and the kids had a blast. There was HotDogs, Chips, Cake, (of which I did and OK job of resisting since I am trying to diet!), Presents and and an Elmo Pinata!!! (a pinata with pull strings...we got the safety thing covered! No footage of a mishap will be appearing on American's Funniest Home Video's). We were already exhausted when the party ended, but Family Fun Day MUST GO ON! So after a quick trip home to clean up a bit, off we went to the Zoo. The kids were so excited, the day was clear and beautiful! So as we were approaching the zoo, we noticed Birmingham's Iconic Iron Man so boldly standing on his perch at Red Mountain, and decided to take a quick detour and let the kids check him out. They didn't know who he was really, and the last time Jonathan and I were there was when our daughter was less than a year old. They had taken the Iron Man down and disassembled him with the intent of sending him off to be restored. Back then, they opened up the park for a once in a lifetime chance to get up close and personal! We have a sweet picture of Megan sitting on his foot, and of she and I standing next to his famous "back side"! (I'll have to find that pic and post it later...)
After a small stay at Vulcan Park, we finally made it to the Birmingham Zoo, courtesy of an awesome Christmas gift from Jonathan's parents...SEASON PASSES FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY! That is definately one gift we will use over and over! (wink wink Regina! hahaha)
The kids had a great time at the zoo...even though it was really crowded and we BARELY found a place to park. We were there for nearly 3 hours, and we saw it all. Ryan really seemed to enjoy everything much better than in times past. He was excited to see all the animals. Although, MY FAVORITE PART OF THE DAY was when Jonathan decided we needed to go into the "Parakeet Paradise", which is an exhibit were you can walk around an open atrium with the birds flying all around you. Mind you, I'm not an animal lover in the least. I hate birds more than any other animal, unless they are in a cage! Us in the cage with the birds, not my favorite thing. But I couldn't let Jon go in with both kids by himself, because Ryan was already freaking out. Yep, we weren't in there long when one bird decided to "drop" a little present on Jonathan's shirt. At that very moment, he announced (and I'm quoting here...) "I'M OUTTA HERE!" THEN~ HE BOLTED AND LEFT ME IN THE BIRD CAGE WITH BOTH OF THE KIDS BY MYSELF! Well, then the little teenage nerd dude guarding the door, refused to let me and the kids out because there was a parakeet hanging out on the door and he had to be sure that the birds were safe! GREAT! NOW I'M STUCK! Once we were all finally out of the cage safely, my dear husband started warning others not to go in and stand under the awning "if you know what I mean". Well, all in all it was a GREAT DAY! We were totally worn out by the end, and the kids didn't put up much of a fight for bed time! Maybe we need more days like this...
Here's a little slide show of a few of the pics we took from our FAMILY FUN DAY...

American Idol Shock and AWWWW & My Predictions

OK!!! Would someone please explain to me, WHAT ON EARTH IS HAPPENING ON AMERICAN IDOL????? I'll be the first to admit that my jaw dropped several times at last night's results show of who would be the top 12 contestants. Several Times! Sundance didn't garner as many votes as SANJAYA???? What the crap? (excuse me!) I didn't care so much for Sabrina, but she was definitely more powerful a singer than Hayley! And I think the fact that Hayley is so cutsie and was so often attacked by Simon's opinion is probably what catapulted her into the Top 12! The only good thing that came out of last night's show is the dismissal of Antonella....yep, it was time to go...like weeks ago! I don't' even think she was shocked, what with all the controversy surrounding the show because of a little modeling job she did. She probably should have been kicked off the show by producers several weeks ago when the racy photo's emerged, but I guess they were erring on the side of caution with all the controversy it has stirred up in the past....(insert violin song here)..."yes, Frenchie from Season 2, we know, you were such a victim in the matter!!!"

But back to the subject at hand...last night proved that it's NOT only a singing competition. There is far more at the end of the phone lines than fans of true vocal talent. There's the sympathy vote (aww, Simon made me cry when he was so mean just now), the teeny-bopper vote (i.e. all the little kids that latch onto a contestant because they think he's cute or she's such a good role model, blah blah blah), the defiant vote (perhaps the judges were a little cruel and "I'm gonna phone it a couple of votes in support"), the non-existent vote (people who watch the show, but don't care enough to sit on the couch for 2 hours after the conclusion to phone in a vote for their favorites, yet we'll complain and harp about it in the days to come), the personality vote ("...but he's soooo sweet! I know he can't really sing the best, but he's got such a good attitude and I like him!!!"), and of course the LIFE STYLE vote (give it up for the gay guy, the christian, or the kid that was living in his car til now....). Yes, I have found myself in a couple of these voting situations, as I too get wrapped up in the phenomenon call "IDOL MANIA", but I guess the true test is record sales, and success's outside the show. Past idol contestants have either soared or sputtered when released out of the bubble...but they had their time on the show, that's for sure.

So, here is my thoughts and predictions of the so called TOP 12 VOTE GETTER'S of Season 6:

Hayley Scarnato: Former Wedding Singer, recently engaged, and often battered by the judges for song choice. I really think she's a good singer, but as Simon would say, "overpowered by the stronger voices around her in the competition". She beat Sabrina out for the TOP 12, which was a mega shocker in and of itself, but I would give her another week or 2 on the show if she began coming into her own and picked a song like Bonnie Raitt's "Lets give them Something To Talk About". I think ballads are her thing, and it's going to be pretty interesting to see how she does when they throw out the different challenges of "Theme Night" to her. All in all, even if she doesn't make it another week on the show (which I think she's going to be one of the first 2 to go home) she has a career on her hands. She's got the look, a decent voice to go with the cute personality, and gosh darn it, people liker her!

Jordin Sparks: Well, lets just say, that after Hayley is booted off, this girl could definitely stick around for a while if the afore mentioned "teenybopper vote" has a say in the matter. The young 17 year old has alot of experience yet to gain, but she definitely has a powerhouse voice. I was pretty impressed with this last weeks song choice of "Heart Breaker" which was a surprising choice and definitely a move up from last weeks "Reflection" which was good, but not great. She needs to find something that will set her apart. I would say it's her curly locks, but lets face it, Chris Sligh gets the trophy in that department, and I give it a week before they straighten them out like they did to Lisa in last years competition. I don't have alot of opinion on her, other than I like her and look forward to hearing more. I don't think she will make it past the top 6 unless she starts making some noise soon.

Phil Stacey: Well, who wouldn't like a guy named Phil?? Missed the birth of his child to audition for the show (and has a very understanding wife, let me say, because I wouldn't if it were me!). He has a great voice for ballads, but I am still shaking my head as to why he chose the LeeAnn Rimes song. Yes Phil, it is a great song, but not for a guy!!!!!!!!! I loved his rendition of "I Ain't Missing You" by John Waites, and would like to see him stick to the Daryl Hall and John Oats kinda thing. He's got a fan base, that's for sure, and has alot to live up to and prove after being highlighted for missing his kid's arrival. I give him kudos because my mom really likes him. (But even she had to wonder what he was thinking on this weeks song choice). If he wants to stick around a little longer, he better take a note from the strategy of Clay Aiken...pick ballads with big notes and nail it! I worry about any song that will take him outta his element...like last year's "Queen" nite....chilling to think what he'd do there! Unless he screws up big, he's in it to the TOP5 at least.

Brandon Rogers: I'm sorry WHO? I forget from week to week that he is a contestant on this show. Yes, he can sing. Yes, pretty well. But I have no idea who he is. After searching him up on the IDOL website, I remember now that he sang "Rock With You" one week. Interesting choice, but to me, his voice didn't fit. I think he was highlighted in this weeks video of "People would be surprised to know" as a talented pianist. Perhaps that is where his future lies, unless he steps it up in the next week, I say he's out by TOP 8week.

Sanjaya Malakar: Seriously, is he still here???? I think they missed the mark when the judges put him through and not his sister. Do you think that Simon, Paula and Randy a kicking themselves today? Well, metaphorically WE ARE! I don't know what it is about this guy, and just who his fan base really is, but #1 Don't tell we'd be surprised to know you can actually "HULA" when you're not even shaking your skinny hips!!!! #2 He was right to be shocked last week when he was put through another round, and should've been stunned to be named TOP 12! I give him one more week to "thrill us" and I plead with America DON'T CALL HIS NUMBERS! This guy makes Kevin Covais from last season look really really really good.

Chris Richardson: Ahh, yes, the Justin Timberlake clone. I know the judges have been all but falling all over him, but I seriously don't see it. Maybe I'm just out of touch with what is "HOT DAWG" as Randy would say with his gangsta fingers in place.... (and I really probably am outta the know on most things related to musical culture), but I think his voice is a bit to whinny. I haven't been blown away by any of his song choices, and I'm sorry, but the Keith Urban song was terrible. I do think he has enough appeal to hang around for a while. I'll be looking for him to stay until at least until TOP 7.



Blake Lewis: ORIGINAL WITH A BIG FAT "O"!!! Not one contestant on the shows history has been like him. I really appreciated the fact that during the first week of competition, despite being known as the "bee boxer", he chose to showcase his voice and prove that he could sing. I thought his song choice was great, and I didn't even know what the song was! I remember telling my dear husband that he sounded like "Sting" to me. Of course the judges love him and encouraged him to bring back the bee boxing, which he has. I'm not a fan of that music, but I could get used to it listening to him. I'm making him my pick for TOP 3....the only reason he won't go above the #3 spot is because La Keisha and Melinda are just too strong, providing there is not a dejavu moment like the season Jennifer Hudson went home way early!

Chris Sligh: Dude is great! I was a fan at his audition when he walked into the room and the judges asked him "Why do you want to be the next American Idol" and he replied with "I wanna make David Hasselhoff cry"! That was priceless! He is already a stand out with his look, I mean, not many people other than he and Jack Osborne can wear that kind of hair do! He has a voice that is smooth and soothing. I liked that he picked a song this week that the judges didn't know (perhaps because they don't listen to Christian Music), and the judges still liked it. Sometimes, that may be the secret to the competition, because if they don't know the original artist, then the contestant can't be compared. Great card to play, Chris! I am a fan of his....but I'm not going to predict him to stay beyond TOP 4, heck he could go home far sooner. If that is the case, I see him starring in a sitcom of his own in the near future!

Gina Glocksen: Idol's first true Rocker GIRL! Move over Pink! You can totally see her rockin out on the stage now that she has figured out who she is musically and will be sticking to that. As a big fan of Heart in the late 80's and early 90's I thought she did a great job on the song a few weeks ago, but totally agreed with Simon about her choice of dress. It looked more "glam" than "rocker rebel chick". She has come into her own in the last weeks, so I think I will have to move Phil Stacy down one from his NUMBER 5 spot....which pushes Jordin Sparks to 7, Chris Richardson to 8, and Brandon ("Who?") Rogers is closer to going home at number 9.

Rock On Gina!

Stephanie Edwards: Well, like Chris Richardson' s pining after Justin Timberlake, I look at her as a "Beyonce" wannabe. She has done nothing to make herself seem different, or original. I personally thing she has a fantastic voice, but she sounds too much like the current stars, and not enough of an original artist. I am sure she will last a bit longer than I am going to give her credit for, but I would send her home by week 9 or 10, fighting that spot with Brandon Rogers. I'm not overly impressed.....we'll see how it pans out.

And Here You Go! One of these two ladies is the Next American Idol! Melinda Dolittle and LaKeisha. Melinda has quickly become a crowd favorite not only for her powerful, confident, and outrageous voice, but for the genuine grace she presents on stage. She actually looks surprised when the judges give her good remarks for her performance! She is a force to be reckoned with! And LaKeisha is emerging as a strong competitor with her powerhouse voice! She has in common with Season 3 winner Fantasia, the fact that she is a single mother and is striving to do right by her daughter ( a story America loves to latch onto!). It 's going to be one heck of a finale, I believe that!

So, there is my ramblings about the show that makes my weeks go round! I am the self proclaimed "AMERICAN IDOL FREAK" with it as my number one recording choice on the Tivo, and the theme song as my ring tone on my phone. I have been known to save an entire season on the Tivo (not so much this year, since I'm not enjoying it half as much as other seasons). I know this is a long post, but be glad this is not Season 5....

She listened to the "Bad Angel"

Kindergarten is a fun, wonderful thing for my 6 year old. She is learning so much. She attends a private school that is nearby and has been at that school since she was 2 years old. She loves school so much and literally hates to miss it. They are on such a structured schedule that she can tell me exactly what she's missing out on if she happens to fall ill during the week. Her favorite is Friday, when the class plays "bingo". She hates missing bingo on Fridays. Even if it means going on a vacation! I guess one could say that speaks volumes to the nurturing, loving, atmosphere her teacher has provided. I however, discovered another example just this week.

My daughter gets in the car on Thursday amid looming black clouds and tornado threats among us. I usually start our car conversations off with "How was your day?", but I was distracted this particular day with impending doom set by weather forecasts. Halfway into our very short drive home, my daughter informs me that her apple went to the teacher's desk. (The apple is a form of behavior management in the classroom. One warning, the apple falls from the tree top to the trunk, then it would fall to the doggie bowl by the tree, and then to the basket on the teachers desk, who then sends home a note asking for help in discipline). I must say that I was quite surprised and taken aback when she told me this. I asked her why and she immediately began crying and whining. We decided to talk about it when we got home, mainly because I couldn't understand a word she was saying and it's hard to concentrate on driving when there is that distraction in the car! After arriving home, I looked in her book bag and found the note from the teacher which was attached to a green piece of fabric. The fabric turned out to be the slip covered "chair pocket" that holds their book at school. For some reason, her 6 year old brain used 2 year old reasoning and she took out a crayon or marker and drew on the back of it. The teacher asked in the note that she be the one to spray the "shout" on the stain and wash the drawing out. I, the Mom, talked with her, the daughter in the most loving and calm manner possible, because I knew I'd loose her to the crying and whining again if we moved directly into punishment. Here is our conversation:

"What made you decide to draw on that?" Mom asks

"I don't know" Child responds

"What is the rule we have about using crayons, markers, pens and pencils?" Mom pursues

"Draw only on paper" Child answers (HA! I HAVE HER NOW, SHE KNOWS THE RULE!!!)

"So why did you break the rule?" Mom probes again.

"I think my brain just wasn't working and I listened to the bad angel" My child honestly and very matter-of-factly responds.


I just about lost it. It is those moments that I have the hardest time keeping a straight face. I have to be stern....stoic....solemn. Don't break. Don't crack! This is a serious moment that I could totally loose if I smile, or laugh even the least little bit!

I regain composure quickly.

"Honey, you made a bad choice"

"I know, it was the bad angel"

"There is a consequence for making bad choices, do you know what that means?"

"No"

"It means you get into trouble, and loose privileges when you decide to do the wrong thing"

Immediately, she envisions loosing all of her prized possessions as if being thrown into a prison cell!

"I'm sorry Mom, don't take my toys away, PLEASE!" She begs.

Well, suffice it to say, she did loose the privilege of her crayons, markers, pens and pencils here at home for the day. I told her she had to "earn" them back. The punishment did take place in school when the apple fell (which broke her heart, and struck her with a fierce blade of fear because she knew Mom would find out), and a note came home and she was made to clean and wash the chair pocket. But Mom added one more bit to her punishment. She wrote an apology letter to the teacher explaining that she was sorry for writing on the pocket and she wouldn't do it again. The next day when I asked her if she gave her letter to the teacher, she smiled so big and said "Yes! And my teacher hugged me and said "It's OK, all is forgiven!" and then told me she loved me!" Her teacher DOES love her, I believe that. My 6 year old knew she'd made a bad choice (by listening to the bad angel), and through love, her teacher helped her realize that!

Today, my child came home and told me that she listened to the good angel today and she didn't get her apple moved! BOY AM I GRATEFUL!
J