Wow!

It's been a while since I posted! Fun stuff has started up now that skool is in for the kiddies. We started AWANA again this year, and we actually might get more helpers for Sparks Club. We have a lady now that is doing our paperwork/bookwork for us (yay! usually I left it for the following Sunday between services and do it then); one of the teenagers is no longer in Youth, she is in the College & Career Sunday School, so she is helping us this year. For a couple years, it was only me and my oldest daughter...then one of the ladies that was helping with the older girls came to work with Sparks (k-2nd grade) and my youngest worked with us - we have another girl that is no longer in the Youth, and she helps too. The kids get hard to work with when there's 20 of them, 3 of you, and you have to try to teach the non-readers their Bible verses, plus listen to others say their verses to get the sections in their handbook completed.

New this year! I am NO LONGER PAYING FOR EVERYONE ELSES KIDS. Hah! It feels so good to type that. I've sent home a letter saying that buying the child their handbook (if they don't already have one that they did not complete from last year) AND their uniform vest, plus dues for Sparks Club is NOT optional. Took a few hours of working on it, with the help of two online friends that tempered my bluntness and stuff. That was last week. This past Wednesdau night, I sent home another letter, and had help again this time - THANK YOU Sean & Savage!

This week's letter is what we do during our time at Sparks (I keep using Sparks Club so they will GET IT THRU THEIR HEADS *parents*) that it is indeed a club, with dues, uniform and a handbook and not just church like on Sunday. Two of the children (brother and sister) did come with their dues, 2 others have dues, and most just look at me blankly. I did talk to a mother later that evening and found out her child was given money for dues.. but she thinks he spent it at the store being he didn't have it later for Club. She was not too happy about that.

I spent 15 minutes last night just trying to get the children to stop screaming and yelling at each other in the van - the older kids are the ones that are so ...dare I say it? Out of control. If this is how these kids act in skools, its no wonder that teachers are sick of it. I find the behavior reprehensible, and when some babymama gets cheesed off that I happened to yell SHUT UP after 15 minutes of yelling sit down, be quiet, stop hitting him, stop screaming at her... I tell ya, if I heard of my kids acting that way for an adult that is in charge of them for a bit, I'd be MAD. Not at the adult...the ones doing the bad behavior. Last night I got back up out of bed, because my brain was just going and going...I now have a letter to parents for each of the kids that ride the van. I can't play cop AND drive the van at the same time.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT VAN RULES

1. Keep your hands and feet to yourself. No hitting, kicking, etc.

2. Use an indoor voice. Do not yell and scream at each other.

3. No swearing or threatening each other.

4. No fighting.

Not following the above rules will result in your suspension for two weeks from riding the van on Wednesday night. Repeat offenses will be permanent suspension from the van on Wednesday night.

I know that a few will get mad about this (kids) when they get ejected from the van, or drop the other kids off at the church except them, turn the van around and bring them right back home. Plus it will be a pain for whoever has to drive the van to their apartment - as I have to get stuff ready for Sparks and don't have the time to mess around when the kids are not behaving.

Is this too much to ask - for people to pay for their own kids' stuff for Club, dues, and for their kids to behave on the van? It really isn't fair to the parents that pay for their kids when the others feel they don't have to - I notice the kids will play football, soccer, baseball, softball, tball... plus money for beer & smokes.. but not have it for this. *facepalm*

Anyway...back to your regularly scheduled program...

There is a pretty big hurricane in the Caribbean, Igor (pronounced eye-gor hah!).. was watching the news - they said it was over 1000 miles across, and tropical storm winds were as far out as 300 miles from the eye. Channel 13 weather said on the news last night that we may get some rain out of it. Makes me wonder how big across Ike was, when it filled the Gulf of Mexico. Check out the tropical stuff (and your local weather & radar) at Wunderground.