School Prayer

Good Wednesday morning!

The Gallery Pics are from our FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL. Since we had our Back-to-School Dinner last Saturday night, today was very non-traditional for our family. Roxie wanted to meet some friends at the Chick. Josh needed an extra hour of sleep because he stayed up a little late finishing his last book and writing assignment. Mikie had a 7:00 a.m. meeting. If it had not been for our OFFICIAL Dinner, I would have been beside myself, but it worked out very well.

RANDOMNESS #1 - For those of you wondering, Roxie did not find the perfect First-Day-of-School Outfit. However, she came home with a lovely bracelet to wear with her Plan B outfit. She looked lovely.

RANDOMNESS #2 - I am always fascinated by calendars. Not just mine, but other people's calendars, too. Surprisingly, I do not like a full calendar. I love a calendar which has complete empty spaces during the week. If my own calendar is too full, I feel anxious, overwhelmed and a bit grumpy. Sometimes it cannot be avoided. School, sports and church obligations are added. Sometimes it is impossible to say no to an activity or event.

Yesterday, I received my September issue of Martha Stewart Living. The first page I turn to in her magazine is her Calendar Page. I love reading about her highly-organized month. Martha's calendar isn't horribly full, but it is terribly interesting. Let's take a moment and compare Martha's calendar with my own, shall we?

Martha - September 1

Take dogs to groomer
Vacuum and rotate all mattresses

Belinda - September 1

Complete chore "to-do" list by 1:00 p.m.
Floss
Feed volleyball team
Take volleyball team to Irondale for game
Watch volleyball team trounce Irondale
Bring volleyball team home

Martha - September 2

Refill bird feeders
Pick plums
Make a plum tart for dessert

Belinda - September 2

Complete chore "to-do" list by 1:00 p.m.
Eat four containers of yogurt before they expire
Using only a toothbrush, consider cleaning grout in shower
Re-consider grout cleaning
Fix delicious dinner
Find candles so family will not notice "iffy" presentation

Martha - September 3

Harvest honey
Store in jars

Belinda - September 3

Complete chore "to-do" list by 1:00 p.m.
Floss (AGAIN)
Walk around outside of house spraying poison on wasp nests
(Martha's honey harvesting reminded me of my non-honey producing wasps.)

Martha - September 4

Arrive in Stockholm
Visit Ostermalms Saluhall (Food Hall)

Belinda - September 4

Arrive at Mississippi State for first JSU game
Visit stadium bathrooms (just checking)
Dinner with The Boy after the game

The differences are pretty profound, aren't they? I think I'm going to try to schedule something a little "different" on my calendar each month. I may not go to Stockholm, but surely I can make it a little more... interesting!

Wednesday Wisdom - Yes. It is that time again. The FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL. Here are a few noteworthy words of wisdom regarding the subject.

"As long as there are tests, there will be prayer in schools." Author Unknown

"But there are advantages to being elected President. The day after I was elected, I had my high school grades classified Top Secret." Ronald Reagan

"Smartness runs in my family. When I went to school I was so smart my teacher was in my class for five years." Gracie Allen

"There are three good reasons to be a teacher - June, July, and August." Author Unknown

"What's another word for thesaurus?" Steven Wright.

"Schoolteachers are not fully appreciated by parents until it rains all day Saturday." E. C. McKenzie

Have a great first day back to school!

School Prayer

School Prayer is the most inexpensive, yet valuable, tradition you'll ever start in your home. When the kids were small, we prayed on the way to school.

We prayed for good grades on tests. We prayed for the mean little girl who made fun of our clothes. We prayed we would win the kickball game in P.E. We prayed the kitchen staff would fix crispitos even though the menu clearly said "Meat Surprise." We prayed kind words would flow out of our mouths that day. We prayed for our teachers who were sick. We prayed for our teachers who had been grumpy the day before. We prayed for our teachers... period.

And we still do.

Last year when Austin was in college and Josh was driving, Roxie, Josh and I would have school prayer in the foyer before we left for school. Austin would call and let us know if he had a test or a problem so we could add his specific needs to our School Prayer.

Sometimes I pray. Sometimes one of the kids lead the prayer. I love the last sentence of all of Josh's prayers. "And protect us from all harms." Since I'm a glass-half empty kind of gal, I assume there will be many "harms" during the day, and not just one "harm," so I like this extra protection. And Josh is one of those guys who likes to cover all the bases... and I think his prayer does just that.

Everyone may already do this, but in the event you don't, it is one of the best traditions our family has ever adopted. I highly recommend it!

Have a wonderful Wednesday. I already have a really, really good link for you to read AND a fun date to try with your guy or gal on Thursday's A Simple Life.

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda