Bible Thumped in Oklahoma

I just got finished writing a query to a very popular advice column. I doubt if I'll get any kind of a response from that venue, but I'd like to share my letter here and see what advice you all might have to offer.


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Neither my husband or I are religious, and we decided before having children that we would give our kids a well rounded religious education once they were old enough to understand that they have a choice in their beliefs.

That being said, our oldest daughter is 6 years old and is in kindergarten. A few weeks ago, she came home from school and told me that she'd asked her teacher about her cross necklace and her teacher responded that the cross reminds her of Jesus and how he died on the cross to be the one true lord and savior. While I disagreed with the fact that her teacher shared that with her, I understood that my daughter asked the question to begin with, inviting that answer.

Today, on Good Friday, my daughter came home from school and told me all about Easter and how Jesus died to absolve our sins and how we should praise God for sending us his only begotten son, etc. etc. etc. Her teacher told the entire class the story of Easter with her own religious belief embellishments added in. (I'd like to note that my daughter goes to public school.)

I'm angry and upset that such an authority figure would take time out of class to push her own religious agenda upon a group of impressionable 5 and 6 year olds, none of whom are old enough to realize that they can question her authority. I would like to take this issue up with the school, but I am not sure what exactly I should do.

Some friends have suggested obeying the chain of command and talking directly with the teacher first. I am afraid that if I do this, my daughter will be singled out as the kid with Hellbound parents. Other friends have suggested going directly to the principal or even the school board, but I don't want to get the teacher fired. Aside from this incident, we've never had any issue with the teacher and my daughter loves her.

I'm afraid that no matter what I do, the situation may not be resolved, as I live in the buckle of the Bible Belt and most people around here take complaints against their public religious beliefs as a personal offense or something to be shrugged off and laughed at.

So what do I do?

Beatnik's Beat on Feet Giveaway Winner

Congratulations, Marci J! You've won a custom pair of fuzzy flip flops! Keep an eye on your inbox to claim your prize! :)

Thanks so much to everyone who participated in my giveaway! It was my first one ever and while it didn't go as well as I'd hoped, I was able to reach my goal and come up with a reasonable pricing system for selling my flip flops.

I've decided to sell adult pairs for $10 and childrens pairs for $7 with exceptions made for more difficult or expensive customs.

Again, if you'd like to place an order with me send an email to baby.beatnik (at) att (dot) net!

Introducing: A Beatnik's Beat on Feet

Okay, okay. I realize that my giveaway should probably be considered the introduction of my new project, "A Beatnik's Beat on Feet,"  but now that I've made my first actual sale, I feel like it's more official, and thus deserves a more official introduction.

I am making and selling custom fuzzy and/or furry flip flops, sizes ranging from children's small (3-4 year olds) to women's large (10.5), colors ranging from one side of the rainbow to the other in any combination you can think up.

Here are a few examples:

Tinsel Town

Bubble Gum

Red Shoe Society

Soft Rainbow

Vivid Rainbow

Ice Ice Baby

Summer Sherbert

School Spirit: OU

School Spirit: OSU

If you'd like to place an order, please email me at baby.beatnik (at) att (dot) net and let me know what size and color flip flop you'd like and what color and style of yarn.

Pricing is tentatively set at $10 per adult pair, $7 per child pair, and may change based on results from the name your price giveaway I am currently holding.

So, if you'd like to win a free pair of these custom flip flops, click the link above and comment there to enter!

A Beatnik's Beat on Feet: Giveaway!

I am SO excited to announce that I am starting a small business of sorts! I am making custom fuzzy flip flops - and just in time for spring and summer! I've just started, but here's what I've got so far:

Soft Rainbow

Grape Crush (child size)

School Spirit: OU

Tinsel Town

School Spirit: OSU

Bubble Gum

Red Shoe Society

Vivid Rainbow

I'm still working on some different colored flip flops and will have lots of varying styles coming up, so definitely keep your eyes open for that. 

In the meantime, I could use some help. I'm not sure how to price these things! I've come up with a few prices, but I'm getting varying opinions - some think I'll charge too little, some say there's no way they'd pay that much for a pair of flip flops. 

So, I am giving away one pair of custom flip flops - your choice of color and style. 

Here are the ways you can  enter:

• Comment telling me how much you could realistically see yourself paying for a pair of these shoes. This entry is mandatory - the rest are optional extra entries. 
• Go Like my Facebook page!
• Follow me on Twitter!

Rules of participation:

• Must live within the continental US. 
• Leave your name and email address in each entry comment. 
• A winner will be chosen at random via random.org in one week. (April 15, 2011) The winner will have 2 days to respond once contacted. If I receive no response from the winner, I will choose another.