I offended Turkey today, quoting this dialogue from Friends, (no, he didn’t think I was talking about him–he just really likes turkeys!), but I still think it’s hilarious…and true!
Phoebe: Turkeys are beautiful, intelligent animals.
Joey: No, they’re not. They’re ugly and stupid and delicious.
While St. Charles, MO, may not technically be a small town, this is an image they like to project, especially when it comes to their yearly, old-fashioned Christmas Traditions festival. The small-mindedness their mayor and city council have shown in regards to the “Sugar Plum Fairy incident” certainly do provide evidence that they are smaller (at least in brain power) than people think.
First of all, the code of conduct is ridiculous. “Christmas characters don’t know naughty words?!?” Everyone knows naughty words. Yes, common sense tells us that there is a time and a place to use them, (if we must–I know I do occasionally), but sometimes, in a moment of frustration, one slips out despite our best intentions. And Laura Coppinger wasn’t even in character when she was at the drug-testing facility, she was just a prospective employee.
Second of all, people who think she’s somehow setting a bad example for children, or reflecting poorly on the city of St. Charles or the Christmas Traditions festival are crazy enough that I think they should be going in for a drug test! They do realize, I assume, that no one would have known that any “naughty words” had been used if they hadn’t made such a big deal out of it? My children certainly wouldn’t have known a profanity had been uttered, and neither would I, (not that I particularly care). But the city had to blow the whole situation out of proportion and make it into something news-worthy, just drawing attention to a momentary lapse in judgement, (on the part of Laura Coppinger), and their own asininity. USA Today even picked up the story–way to make your town look like a bunch of fools!
I had hoped that cooler heads would prevail; that the city would realize that they could accept the actress’s apology, re-hire her, and move on. Apparently, however, they are unable to show the same grace and humility she has shown throughout this ordeal, and instead only defended their dubious decision. While Laura has truly embodied the traits of the Sugar Plum Fairy, the city of St. Charles seems to only take its lessons on Christmas spirit and graciousness from Ebenezer Scrooge! While our family will still support the merchants and the Christmas Traditions festival this year, the experience just won’t be the same for any of us.
I know I mentioned most of these books in my third grade reading list earlier this year, but there have been some additions, and I thought it would be helpful to have our Thanksgiving selections listed together in one place!
“A child… a moron… a failure… and a psychopath. Quite a little team you’ve put together.” Jeffrey Combs as Brunt on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (“The Magnificent Ferengi”)
Every November, we make the journey to St. Paul Lutheran Church in Hamel, IL to partake of their sausage supper. It’s quite an event, and something we look forward to all year long.
We got there right as they started serving, and we still had to wait a bit. This is not a problem for us, though, as the wait is always in one of the school’s classrooms. The children, especially, like looking around at what the students there are working on, and this year, we got to wait in the third and fourth grade room, which was especially interesting to Turkey and Bunny.
When they finally called our numbers to go in for the supper, the first thing we did is select our desserts. This is my kind of place! There is always a fantastic assortment of homemade pies, cakes, and cupcakes.
After we chose our desserts, (I got something chocolate-y and delicious!), we were seated at a table in the gym. From there, everything moved very quickly and efficiently. Drinks were poured–milk, water, or coffee. The food was brought out quickly–applesauce, cranberry sauce, sauerkraut, mashed potatoes and gravy, bread, green beans, and of course, the main attraction, pork sausage. All of the food was amazing, and we could eat as much as we wanted, (which is always good news to a pregnant woman!).
When it’s all said and done, we all left extraordinarily full, and with 20 pounds of fresh sausage to take home, (at only $2.25 a pound, too, for what is hands-down the best sausage I’ve ever eaten!). It’s a great event, full of community spirit, some of the best food I’ve ever eaten, and a great chance to support one of our Lutheran churches to boot!
This story is just unbelievable to me. Unless what the “Sugar Plum Fairy” did is wildly different from what was reported in the newspaper, I think it’s a wild overreaction, and gross abuse of power on the part of the city of St. Charles. Laura Coppinger has truly given a voice and a personality to a character in a story who never actually utters a word, and she completely embodies the spirit of the Sugar Plum Fairy. I speak from experience–we’ve been enjoying her performances for many years!
If she was cursing in costume in front of children? Sure, a reprimand is in order. But at a drug-testing facility, off the clock, with no costume? Give me a break. Everyone makes mistakes. It’s a good thing no one’s keeping track of when I use foul language when I’m upset with myself. I’d also really like to know what employee got their panties in a bunch and reported her–again, a gross abuse of power.
I hope the city of St. Charles rethinks this decision. If they don’t, I know two little girls who will be heartbroken if they don’t get to see their favorite Christmas character!
This is a story about how the Sugar Plum Fairy got fired.
Laura Coppinger played the holiday sprite for six years during the Christmas Traditions festival in St. Charles. By all accounts, the 29-year-old was a popular character at the monthlong festival along historic Main Street.
“The spin that I gave to her was that I was a fairy on a sugar high,” she said. “I was really loud and really over the top, and that’s probably why I was the Pied Piper of children,”
Her trouble started with a drug test. Festival hiring came under the control of the city of St. Charles this year, and all city employees are required to take the test. Coppinger was told to report to a local testing facility to give a urine sample.
After she filled the cup she accidentally flushed the toilet, a no-no. Apparently, some people try to dilute their samples with the incoming water.
“I don’t have to take drug tests too often,” she said, ‘so out of habit I flushed the toilet, and as soon as I did it I was like, oh, no.”
Coppinger said the woman working at the facility dumped her sample and told her she would have to go back to the waiting room until she could supply another one.
Coppinger, who also works as a substitute teacher in the St. Louis Public Schools, said that meant she was going to miss a job interview.
“Out of frustration with myself and frustration with the fact that I was going to have to sit another hour, I cursed,” she said.
Coppinger said she didn’t direct her words at anyone, but she was visibly angry, and she stomped back to the waiting room and started slurping down soda and water. A short time later, the woman working the counter told her that she should go home.
“I asked her why and she said, ‘I think you should call St. Charles HR about that,’ ” Coppinger said.
When she called the city, special events coordinator Karen Godfrey told her she had broken the Christmas Traditions code of conduct, specifically a section titled: “Christmas Characters Don’t Know Naughty Words.”
via St. Charles festival clips Sugar Plum Fairy’s wings after she violates anti-cursing rule.
This week, we got to start on one of the most unique aspects of Adventures in My Father’s World–the state study.
The states are studied in order of admittance to the union. While we did four states this week, the number of states learned about at any given time varies. The pattern is the same for each of the fifty states. We start by looking for the state on the U.S. map, and then color in the state on a smaller version of the map. We identify the state bird and flower, and color them in on the state sheet. After that, it’s time to label the state capital, and find and write down the postal abbreviation for the state. There is also a sticker sheet of the state flags, and after the correct sticker is found it’s added to the state sheet. We also look at the state’s nickname and motto.
After we’re done with the front side of the sheet, we look over the information on the back. There is both state trivia and history on the back. Of course, we learn the date of statehood, as well as other things, like notable residents, how the state was originally chartered, important exports, and other interesting items of history. We also get a chance to look at things such as the state tree, bug, and fish, where applicable.
Each state also comes with a flashcard with pictures of the bird and flower. Although these don’t have a lot of practical purpose, other than letting us know what color the birds and flowers are supposed to be, they’re a huge hit with the children. Even though they don’t need to memorize the information on the cards, they love collecting them and looking through them.
Being part of the My Father’s World curriculum, the state study also has corresponding book basket books. These can range from simple picture books about or set in a particular state, to full-length fiction or non-fiction works about residents of the state. This is one area, in particular, where I’ve learned of many books with which I hadn’t been familiar previously.
I know that a lot of people get bored with these sheets, and the seemingly endless state information, and perhaps by the end of the year, I will, as well. But right now, I’m only impressed. There’s no pressure to memorize the state information, but it comes naturally, anyway, just because of the activities provided. And it’s fun to learn interesting trivia about different places around the country. In my opinion, this is one of the biggest advantages of this program!
“Please remember the moral of tonight’s show: Put your troubles away till tomorrow. If you’re lucky, someone’ll break into your house tonight and steal ’em!” Dean Martin
So, unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard that the notorious Duggar family is expecting child number 20.
As always happens when the Duggars have an announcement, people seem to have very strong opinions, on both ends of the spectrum. There are those who think it’s disgusting that any family would have that many children, and the Duggars should be ashamed of themselves, and probably carted away by the zero population growth folks.
Then there are those who seem to think Michelle Duggar should be next in line for sainthood, that they’re the perfect example of a loving Christian family, and that they’re providing more for their children than most families with many fewer children do.
I don’t get either of these viewpoints. Who cares? It would be one thing if the Duggars were on the news for neglecting their children, beating them, or living off the government to support them. But they’re not, so why the vitriol? Why do people have to mock, just because the Duggars make choices different from mainstream society? I know that there are people out there with only one child, (or even no children), that think our family is a similar type of crazy, because we’re going to have five children–different strokes for different folks, right?
On the other hand, given how unconventional they are in pretty much every way, I don’t see why they’re held up as fantastic role models. I’m pretty sure that regardless of what their TV show and specials have portrayed, they’re still sinners like you and me. And while their family size and style seems to work for them, it certainly wouldn’t for most other families–certainly not for ours! I don’t have the patience or resources for that kind of family, and I doubt that most people do.
I guess that the whole Duggar “brand” thing is working for them, anyway. It seems that everybody knows who they are, and has an opinion about them, (and wants to share it!). And many people who hate them watch the show anyway, just to complain about it. If you put yourself in the spotlight, that’s the risk you run.
I still don’t get why people take someone else’s family size so personally, though–what’s it to anyone else how many, (or few), children someone else has?