This sweet little girl could use all of our prayers.

And thanks, April, for the heads up.

Sweet Holly emailed me a few days ago to tell me about the Busy Moms Book Club that Lisa Whelchel has started over at her website. The first selection is Liz Curtis Higgs’ Slightly Bad Girls of the Bible, and you can find all the info here.

I would write more, but I need to get back to napping.

Happy Sunday, y’all.

You can imagine my delight when I walked through the kitchen earlier tonight and caught a glimpse of the playroom.

And as you can tell, the little man, who was hanging out with his daddy in the den, was terribly bothered by the mess.

But guess what?

Earlier this week his teacher sent home a chart that says “The Happy Way Is To Obey,” and it has four categories on it: goes to bed, comes when called, recites memory verses and picks up toys. And then out to the side of each category there are little boxes where you can put a sticker or make a check mark when that task is accomplished. Once the entire chart is filled in, Alex is supposed to take the chart back to school so that he can claim a special prize from the treasure box.

I didn’t think too much of the whole chart thing, honestly, because some form of gold star system has always motivated me about as much as a potential trip to an amusement part would motivate a fish.

Which is to say: not at all.

But the boy? On the other hand? ALL OVER IT.

We discovered his love for the chart the other day after he said his memory verses and started screaming “I GET A CHECK NOW! I GET A CHECK NOW! MAMA, PUT A CHECK ON THE PAPER FOR ME!”

And so, as I silently wondered HOW IN THE WORLD I HAD A CHILD WHO RESPONDS TO POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT, I put an orange check on Alex’s little obedience chart and watched his face light up like a fancy pre-lit Christmas tree.

You would’ve thought that I’d given him a bucket of fried chicken or something.

Anyway, tonight after I saw the playroom I decided that I’d see if I could put the chart to work again, so I said, “Hey, buddy - could you please pick up your toys? I can give you a check on your chart if you work quickly.”

And then I witnessed two incredible events:

1) Alex hopped up off of the couch and ran to the playroom.

2) Within ten minutes, the playroom looked like this:

People! It’s magic!

And now I’m more convinced than ever that I need to add some additional categories.

I’m open to suggestions, but I’m pretty sure that “brings Mama a diet Coke at least twice a day” and “naps for at least two hours each afternoon” are going to the top of the list.

A child needs goals, y’all.

Oh yes.

A child needs goals.

Well, I guess I didn’t have to be afraid to tell the internet that I’ve been struggling a little bit, especially given that your responses to yesterday’s post were every possible combination of awesome. I appreciate your prayers and your emails more than you know.

I actually didn’t realize how much NOT writing about all the STUFF RELATED TO SOME THINGS has been weighing on me until I finally hit “publish post” yesterday afternoon – and I’m telling you, as soon as that post went up, the tears started to fall, and I cried all the way from Panera to Alex’s school.

By the way, I would not recommend listening to Watermark’s “The Purest Place” when one is in a highly-charged emotional state.

Because it will send you straight into the ugly cry.

Which can be somewhat awkward and unsafe while driving.

And all that to say: I just love y’all to pieces.

We’re going to lay low around here this weekend: plant some mums, wash some clothes, watch our beloved Bulldogs play South Carolina (not to mention Auburn vs. Florida and Alabama vs. Florida State), have some sweet friends over for dinner, and gear up for the fact that Sunday is my day to help with the three year-olds at church.

I may need me a special anointing for that last thing.

I’d love to go all-out this weekend and decorate the outside of the house for fall (seriously, HOW CUTE IS THIS?), but I know my personality. I would start off with the perfectly innocent intention of buying a few pumpkins to make some topiaries, and before you know it I’d be all up in the Michael’s trying to find pumpkin lights and fake fall foliage, only not the fake stuff that looks fake, because I would be very particular about wanting the fake stuff that looks REAL, and sometime around 4 o’clock Sunday morning D would have to physically remove me from the front porch because I would still be out there trying to artfully place some dried gourds along the steps.

I’m not very good with the HAPPY MEDIUM, you know.

Have a great weekend, everybody.

If you too are trying to figure out how you can get a Schrute Farms Beets t-shirt, then we may need to chat in the comments.

Because in all honesty I was a little worried about a season premiere let-down, but oh, tonight’s hour-long episode of The Office did not disappoint.

I’ll put my favorite moments in the comments - and I’d love for those of you who watched to chime in.

If you’re not too busy trying to raise money for rabies awareness, that is.