Has this ever happened to you?

Dear Lady Who Sat at the Table Next to Us at The Cotton Patch,

I hope you enjoyed your lunch today. You probably didn’t notice the well-behaved preschoolers who were sitting at the table next to you. You didn’t notice them because they demonstrated fairly atypical preschool manners. They colored politely while waiting for their food. They said please, thank you, and yes ma’am to the server. They properly used their utensils and napkins to eat every last bite of their macaroni, green beans, and orange slices. As their mommy, I was extremely proud of them.

Let me explain why a 4 year old and a 2 year old can be enjoyable in a public place. It’s called discipline. When my husband or I (or any adult) give directions, they are expected to follow them. If they disobey, there are consequences. They are not always well-behaved in public, and they are punished on these occasions. Let me again say to you this is why you were able to eat without children running amuck. Sure, we probably were a little lucky today (and I recall a candy shop bribe), but I have to believe that part of their kindness was a result of the lessons we constantly try to teach in our family.

So the next time you see a mother firmly speaking to her daughter, feel free to mind your own business. When a 4 year old who has been told 3 times to sit on her bottom stands up on the stroller and falls and hurts herself, you can keep your mouth shut. I do not need you to give me condescending looks and comments. If I am scolding my crying child for not doing what she was told, I do not need you to inform me that she “just fell and hurt herself.” Logic tells us that if she had obeyed her mother, she would not have fallen. Therefore, she would not be hurt and crying. I chose to use this moment not to nurse her wounded pride but to ensure that she learned a lesson.

I realize that you must think it is cruel that my husband and I do not throw a pity party every time one of our children injures herself/himself as a result of their disobedience. I, however, believe that it would be a thousand times more cruel if we chose to indulge them every time they cry.

Sincerely,

Melissa
The Mean Mommy

p.s. Two minutes after we left Cotton Patch, my “injured” daughter was skipping happily to the candy shop!

Smell the Roses!

I was teaching or should I say getting ready to show a video to my 5th period class on Friday (day after TAKS) when someone knocks at my door. Annoyed, I walked across the room to answer it. It was my husband which didn't surprise me. But he wouldn't come inside. In fact, he seemed to be hiding something, so I stepped outside, and he presented me with a HUGE bouquet of roses. I thought the colors (lavender and light green) were an odd choice, and I also wondered how much money he had spent since the bouquet was almost too large for me to carry. But I was still excited to receive them. Since it was not our anniversary or my birthday, I assumed this gift was part of the Love Dare Bible Study that we are participating in at church.

My students asked me to count the roses, and I lost track at 32. I couldn't remember which roses had been counted already! So when I got home, I began the task of finding a place for these flowers. As it turns out, there were 50. So what's a girl to do with 50 roses? Scroll on down and see!

Of course, I had to start with the kitchen table. This has kept me motivated to keep my kitchen clean this weekend. Pretty flowers look much prettier in a clean kitchen!





I try to keep fresh flowers in my red vase, and it's usually carnations because I'm cheap. But not this week!



I also spruced up my mantle with a few... (Wave "Hi" to me!)



Even the kids' bathroom got some love (placed out of reach,of course).



And since my Love Dare for the day was to clean our bathroom (we were supposed to do something out of the ordinary for our spouse, and yes, cleaning our bathroom is out of the ordinary for me--I always make Dee do it), I finished it off with the last of the roses.





So I later found out that a wedding had cancelled at the last minute--that explained the interesting color choice. The florist is the mother of one of the coaches, and she was selling the roses for a super deal. Dee figured he'd get me 50 roses since that's something truly out of the ordinary that we'd normally not have extra money to do. Way to go, Dee, thanks!!!

Who knows when I'll post again with the end of the school year coming. The AP Calculus exam is this Wednesday morning, so pray that my kids do well!