caught being good & cotton candy

Gracie's school is having their Fall Festival this evening. We will miss it because we're going on our church retreat. However, I wanted to help with it if there was anything I could do beforehand. I got drafted to provide a cake for the Cake Walk. I also "volunteered" to help make cotton candy. Apparently, they ran out last year, so this year they wanted to make a bunch to have ready. The PTA president wanted 500 bags of cotton candy. I got to the school around 7:20, but the lady with the machine wasn't there so we didn't end up starting until around 8:45. From 8:45-10:45, we made 300 bags! (There were 3 of us working and 4 of us for a little while.) At that point, I needed to leave to come home and continue packing for our retreat (and wash my hair because of all of the sticky cotton candy in it!) Have you ever made cotton candy? It's a mess!

I had a good time though. We were in the Kindergarten workroom and it began filling up with baked goods for the Cake Walk and drinks, candy and games for the festival. Teachers were coming in & out commenting on how messy we were with cotton candy sticking out of our hair and how "smokey" it looked because of the cotton candy machine. It was really fun. I know I've complained before about the low parent participation at things like PTA meetings & Title I meetings. However, there seem to be alot of parents up at the school during the day working with students, tearing out workbook pages, speaking to classes, and doing things for the festival. I think that's so wonderful!

One of the most precious things was that I got to see Gracie in the hallway with her "Caught Being Good" ribbon! She had told us earlier (maybe last week?) that she had been "caught being good." I wasn't sure, but I thought the principal called out the names of these students on the morning news or something. I kept asking her if her name had been called and she said, "not yet." I didn't really want to keep pushing her about it because I didn't want her to think she should do something good just to get the recognition.

While we were waiting for the lady with the cotton candy machine, I walked out into the hall. One of the teacher aides (who I'd just been talking to) was out there with Gracie and 2 other little girls. She said, "Did you get to hear the announcements?" I said no (which I was disappointed that I hadn't been somewhere to hear them) but Gracie had the proudest look on her face and showed me her ribbon & Chick Fil A coupon. Yea for Gracie! (By the way, she got "caught being good" for picking up trash.)

I'm so happy that I was there to see her with her 2 other little classmates and I'm so thankful that the teacher aide made a point of letting me know about this. I had only just met this lady although I've seen her working with kids alot.

I am a proud mommy!