Cute idea...

We have a good friend that is amazing with making blinkies, shirts, signatures with all kinds of sparkles and whatever you want. Well she made up a bunch of sayings and made a few blinkies for them and will be making a shirts once its decided what saying to use. I will post a link where to get them once its made. Melissa has been getting mail and email from all over the country about this. One of the things she got in the mail was from an art student in a college in Main, he sent her a bunch of stickers with the blue and white saying below. That's the one she would like to use on the shirt, but is waiting to hear back from him on if its ok or not!

*****Edited to add that the link to the shirts is http://www.cafepress.com/keephugslegal the proceeds will go to JDFR Melissa's youngest daughter and her 18 year old son both have Diabetes. If the first item you pick does not work find that same item and click on that one. Some links are working but others are. *********

Times...

Ok so I guess our times given were wrong. I just saw it on the Today show at 8:10 centeral time. And then I never did see it on Fox and Friends. I taped it from 6-8 and sped through with the DVR but never saw it. I will find out from Melissa what happened.

Show times tomorrow..

For those of you that wanted to know Megan will be on at 6:30am (central time) on Fox and Friends on the Fox news network. And then on the Today Show at 7:09 am (Central time). She was just on Anderson Coopper 360 and did a great job. They messed up why she was a 2nd time offender in their story but other than that they did a great job!! Mr. McGowen even spoke on camera which I thought was great of him. He had refused the local press. Which I guess is understandable I'm sure he was taken by suprise with all of this. I know I would have been shocked at all the press.

The Yahoo homepage has it on it http://www.yahoo.com/?rs=1 As does MSN homepage, http://www.msn.com/ scroll down to video highlights. Its her interview on KSDK channel 5 here in the St. Louis Metro area. All seem to be the same interview and same pictures. Its just amazing how fast this thing blew up and how fast it spread!

I think this all just has gotten so out of hand and blown up so much! I know Melissa is hoping things will calm down after tomorrow and they can get back to a normal life. She only wants to have the policy re looked at and possibly reworded or more specifics put into the handbook. Nothing more.

We love our small town and for the most part our School District is great. Thats why allot of people move to our town or within our school dist. because its such a good one. The teachers are great and I personally have never had real trouble with anyone. Kristopher has had some wonderful teachers in the past that he still speaks highly of today.

Well on a personal note I am off to California tomorrow and will be back Sunday. I can't wait to be able to relax and enjoy the company of friends!! :-) We are going to the spa on Saturday!! YEAH!!!

Have great rest of the week and weekend everyone!!

Hugging update...

Well each day gets crazier and crazier with how many people are interested in this story. Nobody can believe it. So since I last posted I will try and remember everything that has happened.

Megan and family had their picture and story on the front page of the Belleville News Democrat http://www.bnd.com/homepage/story/171432.html that is the link to yesterdays front page story, she as on the front page again today you can get to today's link from that one I believe. She is in the St. Louis Post dispatch I don't think its posted online yet because I couldn't find it, but it should be there soon. Anderson Coopers show sent a reporter and camera man to interview the family today. They filmed her getting ready for school and getting on the bus and then went to the school (and got kicked off the property) and filmed her getting off the bus. They will interview them today after school and it will air tonight at 9pm on CNN Anderson Cooper 360. She was on two local radio shows this morning. She did a wonderful job and spoke very well and didn't sound nervous at all. She was great!! The TODAY show called and wants to fly them all out first class and put them up in a 5 star hotel and have them on the show in the morning. Unfortunately they can't fly out there. We have parent teacher conferences tomorrow, they have already committed to FOX and Friends for a broadcast in the morning, and Melissa has nursing school. So they said they will send a satellite truck out and do a live feed from their home in the morning. I don't know what time it will be on but I will try and hop back on here and let you know so check back later.

I just can't believe how this has blown up from a simple hug. Melissa never expected all this. One thing I have to mention that I didn't realize before was that Megan's warning that she got for hugging a couple weeks ago was at a FOOTBALL game our Varsity boys are playing in the playoffs, and when they won Megan hugged another friend and Mr. Blakley was there and saw her and gave her a warning. Now tell me that is not CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How insane is that!!! Totally uncalled for if you ask me!!!

The 8th grade kids (at least Kristophers bunch of friends and from what I understand allot more) have all texted and emailed/imed each other and before Homeroom tonight which is the last class of the day are going to hug random people in the hallway. I laughed when he told me. I should really encourage him not to do this, but I really think its funny and they are showing support to their fellow student and friend. So I just told him to be careful, and what are they going to do give every single person in 8th grade an after school detention? And if they do big deal! Its something I would have done if I were in school and this happened.

Oh and Melissa has gotten calls from all over the country saying they heard the story on their local news or in their local paper or on the local radio stations. Some have even said they are going to call the school district on their behalf. Isn't that just crazy!! So even though you aren't local here you may still here the story in your local news!! :-)

Let me know if you do!! We are interested to see how far its reaching and what people are saying. Like I said Melissa had no idea this would happen. Her goal was just to get the rule changed and when Mr. Blakley refused to budge and Dr. McGowan the Superintendent didn't call back, this is what she decided she would do. (of course he did call once the reporters started calling him, but only with threats of more serious action if Megan did not serve the detention). Melissa never expected this. Its all just so insane!! If you google hugging in mascoutah, IL look at all the info that pops up!! CRAZY!!!!!

Mascoutah made the big time....

Those of you that know us, know we live in a very small town in the Midwest. We are surrounded by corn fields and pretty much nothing else. Well when something happens in Mascoutah, its exciting. I am going to try and make a long story short if thats possible.

Friday after school I got a call from my good friend Melissa she called to tell me she had just gotten off the phone with Mr. Blakley our VP at our kids middle school. She had called him because Megan came home and told her she got TWO after school detentions for hugging two of her friends on their way to the bus. She was so mad, as I would be too, how stupid a reason to give detention. You would think there are bigger things to worry about than 2 kids say goodbye to each other after school. Our school is very fond of giving out detentions, especially in the 8th grade. I work at the school and see the kids that get detentions and its ridiculous! Anyway back to the story, Melissa told the VP Megan would not be serving those detentions. He said he would talk to Mr. Stone about this the Principal. She hung up and called Dr. McGowan the Super of the school district. He never returned her call. She was so upset about it all that she decided to call all the news stations in the St. Louis area. Monday she called me to tell me that they all called her and were coming to interview her. So sure enough here comes Fox, ABC, and NBC. They interviewed her at her home (and her husband). While one of the channels was there she finally got a call from the Super (only because the news channels were calling him wanting comments which he refused to give, as did the principal at the Middle School) and he said that if Megan didn't serve the after schools she would get in school suspension and if she didn't serve those she would get out of school suspension. Which would mean all zeros in her classes. Melissa couldn't let Megan do that so she served the detentions. Or she is she served one last night and will serve one today. The news channels set up across the street from the school and captured Melissa picking up Megan from detention, as well as interviewing kids after they left school that day. Thats where the exciting part comes in for us. :-) I was not home yet from shopping so Kristopher had to walk home. Well he was walking with a bunch of his friends and the reporter stopped them and interviewed some of them. Kristopher was the only one they showed on camera of him and his friends. They also showed a few girl friends of his, and the girl that Megan hugged. The clip is below if you would like to watch it.

After all the news channels called the radio stations started calling Melissa, the major news paper in the next town over is doing a front page story on it and GOOD MORNING AMERICA called and interviewed your Megan on the phone. Not sure when and if it will be on there but I have it recording just in case!! :-)

So thats the exciting new of our big town!!! LOL
http://www.kmov.com/video/topvideo-index.html?nvid=190040&shu=1

Halloween 2007

Well my big boy doesn't trick or treat so I got my niece and nephew their costumes and my nephew went with me to the church where we have a big Harvest Festival. There are all kinds of games, food and face painting. The kids always have a blast. Kristopher took him around to all the games while I worked in the kitchen making and serving hotdogs and soda. Kaitlyn came a little later with her mom and dad and we got her all dressed in her costume for a few pictures. Dillon was ready to go after that he wanted to go door to door and get some more candy although his bag was FULL already. :-) Here are a few pictures. They were so cute. I did dillys make up for him. He loved it!! :-) Sister didn't like the head thing, but kept it on for pictures at least!! :-)