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When I was 6, I killed my sea monkeys, by accident. I fed them too much. I remember standing in the bathroom in our Norton home as we said our final goodbyes before we flushed them to the afterlife. It was near Christmas and I was petrified that I’d made it on the naughty list.

In third grade, I was standing in line as our teacher was leading us to gym class. On either side of the hallway, there were first-graders sitting against the wall waiting for art class to begin. Their teacher was conducting a math quiz. I was smart. After all, I was a third-grader, so naturally when the teacher asked what 2 + 2 was I held up four fingers. My teacher was not impressed that I was showing off and supplying the answers. In fact, I got scolded. Again, this happened in December.

Speaking of cheating….

In kindergarten, I was stuck on the word pin. How do you spell it? Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye…there it was, P-I-N, neatly spelled out on Jenny’s paper. I copied it. Surprise…happened in December.

Why do these rare/unusual/atypical behavioral mishaps remain so vivid even into adulthood? They were a matter of life and death back then.

It makes me wonder, though. How committed am I to staying on the nice list now? I’d even propose that it’s harder to do as an adult.

There’s the stress of the holidays; the gift buying; the busy schedules that could make any sane person head straight to naughty-ville. Well, as my first act of niceness (today), I’m offering you some help:

In our Advice section, read some quick stressbuster tips to help you remain nice.

In on Features section, find a review of some fantastic toys that will delight your children and make shopping much less of a chore. An added bonus: All of the products are from local toy stores so you’ll be supporting your community.

In our Family Fun section, we’ll help you plan the ultimate family bonding experience. After all, the true essence of the season is spending time together.

Naughty or nice? You decide.

Happy holidays from all of us at P&K,

Heather

I had the pleasure of serving as a guest judge for the Junior King and Queen contest at the Topsfield Fair this past Saturday. Children ages 5 - 8 were eligible to compete for the crown.  One by one, they walked onto the stage and answered a few questions from the host Mrs. Essex County LuAnn Bonanno. Tough decision! Congratulations to all the participants - absolutely adorable and well-spoken.

Check out the Topsfield Fair going on through Oct. 12. Daily events for the family!

Me with fellow judes: Miss Hampton Beach is Kristen Crossland from Seabrook NH and George Knight from WKLB & Radio 92.9

Last year's winners. They presented the Jr. King and Queen with crowns during the ceremony.

And the winners are: Standing with Mrs. Essex County (LuAnn Bonanno) The Jr. Queen is Meaghan Shea, 5, from Salisbury. The Jr. King is Lee Dalzell, 8, from Rowley. The Jr. Queen Runner-up is Lana Crosson, 5, from Topsfield. The Jr. King Runner-up is Brendon Spencer, 5, from Byfield.

I'm the only girl without a crown

Tune into NECN on Thursday at 8:45 a.m. I’ll be sharing some of my favorite back to school snacks, some great books for the younger set and general idea on getting back into the school mode!

- Heather