OMG this post was awesome! I don't have an Elf on the Shelf. I've never heard of Elf on the Shelf before this year. I don't think I would have gotten one when the kids were younger even if I knew about them. I can't keep up with myself, let alone an elf. I'd have to do the coma thing like she suggested, which would actually be just fine because it would work in nicely with my plan.
Yes, my plan. I figure when the kids grow up they will end up in therapy for one reason or another, right? And it will somehow be all "mom's" fault, right? So why not deserve the blame if I'm going to get it anyway, right?!' Seriously, that's my plan. No, I mean it, seriously, that's my plan!
I think I'm going to get an Elf on the Shelf after all... MWAHAHAHA! > : ~>
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Bah Humbug Santa - You Big Miser!!!
I recently read an article about how awful it is that Santa is having to lower the expectations of the kids who are visiting him this year as the economy continues to lay dormant. I wanted to smack the author right in the forehead. Gah, seriously? The article actually starts off with the line "Now this is just sad." and ends with the line "America will have a blue Christmas, indeed." [Click here to read it for yourself.]
Oh, PUH-LEASE!!! We've been living in an era of such extreme overindulgence! Is it really a bad thing for kids to "lower" their material expectations? Why do we give gifts at Christmas time anyway? For some it’s about celebrating the Christian Holy Day and the gifts of the Magi and all. For some it’s a special time to let family and friends know we care. For others it's a time to show off how much money we have to spend on THINGS... material THINGS!
What happened to the spirit of the holiday anyway? How much does a parent have to spend to "love" their kid enough? Love doesn't come from a store. Whatever happened to giving gifts from the heart? Some of my favorite things are those that people have taken the time to make for me: chocolate chip cookies baked by my mother-in-law, fun desserts created my neighbor like ding-dong cake, clay pinch pots made at school, the oven pad hand-stitched by my sister-in-law that I have on display rather than use for fear of staining it, the wreath crafted by my sister that I hang on my front door year after year, my cute snowman hand-knit by my daughter, the adorable miniature BBQ my son made a few years ago out of an altoid tin, nuts, bolts and other odds and ends. Those gifts are much more meaningful and memorable.
Though I relish no family struggling in these dire economic times, it is long overdue for all of us to re-evaluate our materialism and the reasons we give. I say 'Go Santa,' don't promise the kiddies everything they want, but rather what they need: love, happiness, and appreciation for family and friends, along with a reasonable dose of store bought treasures. I mean, even I have to admit I'd really "love" a Kindle ; ), but gift-giving should be meaningful, not a retail-driven competition.
When do you think it's too much?
Oh, PUH-LEASE!!! We've been living in an era of such extreme overindulgence! Is it really a bad thing for kids to "lower" their material expectations? Why do we give gifts at Christmas time anyway? For some it’s about celebrating the Christian Holy Day and the gifts of the Magi and all. For some it’s a special time to let family and friends know we care. For others it's a time to show off how much money we have to spend on THINGS... material THINGS!
What happened to the spirit of the holiday anyway? How much does a parent have to spend to "love" their kid enough? Love doesn't come from a store. Whatever happened to giving gifts from the heart? Some of my favorite things are those that people have taken the time to make for me: chocolate chip cookies baked by my mother-in-law, fun desserts created my neighbor like ding-dong cake, clay pinch pots made at school, the oven pad hand-stitched by my sister-in-law that I have on display rather than use for fear of staining it, the wreath crafted by my sister that I hang on my front door year after year, my cute snowman hand-knit by my daughter, the adorable miniature BBQ my son made a few years ago out of an altoid tin, nuts, bolts and other odds and ends. Those gifts are much more meaningful and memorable.
Though I relish no family struggling in these dire economic times, it is long overdue for all of us to re-evaluate our materialism and the reasons we give. I say 'Go Santa,' don't promise the kiddies everything they want, but rather what they need: love, happiness, and appreciation for family and friends, along with a reasonable dose of store bought treasures. I mean, even I have to admit I'd really "love" a Kindle ; ), but gift-giving should be meaningful, not a retail-driven competition.
When do you think it's too much?
Parking on a Dime
ORIGINALLY POSTED 11/08/11
Nope, this is not a review about some fancy car with fancy whistles and bells that pulls into a parallel parking space for you and parks on a dime in one seamless manuever!
So this guy walks into a police station in Nebraska and leaves an old parking ticket issued back in 1954 along with a dime to pay the 10 cent fine! He didn't leave his name, but did say he found it among his mother's things. I'm guessing he was worried about the interest and late fees that might be piled on top of the original fine. If the IRS had anything to do with it, the guy would end being sued for millions, LOL!
What I find most striking about the ticket is the wording. Perhaps if we were return to this type of general civility toward one another there might not be so much rage in the world. In fact, isn't there an entire cable show dedicated to the outrageous behavior of people who receive parking tickets? "Parking Wars" or something? Of course, to be fair, television show producers of today certainly do add fuel to the fire in order to create a sensationalistic reaction... good ratings are more important than civility, right?
I think it would definetely take the sting out of paying your parking ticket, however, if you were asked so nicely to help out!
To Eat or Not To Eat?
ORIGINALLY POSTED: 11/06/11
That is the question, but first a little background before my impending rant.
Recently a woman (30 weeks pregnant) and her husband were arrested in Honolulu after not paying for a sandwich the woman ate while shopping at her local Safeway. The couple, with their 2-year old daughter in tow, walked to the store to do their shopping. Mom began to feel faint so she grabbed a sandwich, ate it while continuing to shop, and forgot to present the wrapper to the cashier at checkout. Both mom and dad were then arrested and their daughter was taken away. The separation lasted 18 hours. Okay, wow... seems a bit of an over-the-top reaction right there, IMHO, but that isn't what's 'gnawing' at me today. Rather it's this whole concept of whether or not it's okay to eat food in the grocery store before you've paid for it.
Is it really that difficult to fight the urge to munch on the groceries in the cart before you pay for them? What other items do we use or consume BEFORE paying? Hospitality and some services come to mind; hotels, restaurants, medical care, just to name a few, but a grocery store does not fall into any of those categories. We don't pick out a new pair of pants and wear them to the register expecting the clerk to ring "us" up, literally. We don't grab a new CD and start listening to it on the way to checkout and expect the clerk to scan the empty case. We don't put on a fresh coat of nail-polish at the local drugstore and expect the clerk to total the sale while our nails dry. So why do we eat food in the grocery store as we shop? Poor planning? Bad etiquette? Indulgence?
I know, I know, busy schedules and all of that, but really? When I see an adult open up a bag of chips for themselves in the store I shake my head and wonder why they can't simply wait until they get home or, at the very least, out to their car. When I see an adult open a box of crackers for a child, I really have to wonder again why a child can't also learn to wait. What are we teaching our children when we squelch them with food?
I can't say I never held snack time during car rides, in fact, I'm certain I did, especially when running around after the older ones with the younger in tow. However, I know for a fact we never had snack time in the grocery store, or any store for that matter, with food brought from home or plucked from the shelf. We planned accordingly or simply waited. I'm sure that exceptions could be argued, such as an emergency or other intervening/extenuating circumstances, but generally speaking, I think it's in poor taste (pun intended), unless, of course, the grocery store is providing samples. In that case Bon Appétit!
That is the question, but first a little background before my impending rant.
Recently a woman (30 weeks pregnant) and her husband were arrested in Honolulu after not paying for a sandwich the woman ate while shopping at her local Safeway. The couple, with their 2-year old daughter in tow, walked to the store to do their shopping. Mom began to feel faint so she grabbed a sandwich, ate it while continuing to shop, and forgot to present the wrapper to the cashier at checkout. Both mom and dad were then arrested and their daughter was taken away. The separation lasted 18 hours. Okay, wow... seems a bit of an over-the-top reaction right there, IMHO, but that isn't what's 'gnawing' at me today. Rather it's this whole concept of whether or not it's okay to eat food in the grocery store before you've paid for it.
Is it really that difficult to fight the urge to munch on the groceries in the cart before you pay for them? What other items do we use or consume BEFORE paying? Hospitality and some services come to mind; hotels, restaurants, medical care, just to name a few, but a grocery store does not fall into any of those categories. We don't pick out a new pair of pants and wear them to the register expecting the clerk to ring "us" up, literally. We don't grab a new CD and start listening to it on the way to checkout and expect the clerk to scan the empty case. We don't put on a fresh coat of nail-polish at the local drugstore and expect the clerk to total the sale while our nails dry. So why do we eat food in the grocery store as we shop? Poor planning? Bad etiquette? Indulgence?
I know, I know, busy schedules and all of that, but really? When I see an adult open up a bag of chips for themselves in the store I shake my head and wonder why they can't simply wait until they get home or, at the very least, out to their car. When I see an adult open a box of crackers for a child, I really have to wonder again why a child can't also learn to wait. What are we teaching our children when we squelch them with food?
I can't say I never held snack time during car rides, in fact, I'm certain I did, especially when running around after the older ones with the younger in tow. However, I know for a fact we never had snack time in the grocery store, or any store for that matter, with food brought from home or plucked from the shelf. We planned accordingly or simply waited. I'm sure that exceptions could be argued, such as an emergency or other intervening/extenuating circumstances, but generally speaking, I think it's in poor taste (pun intended), unless, of course, the grocery store is providing samples. In that case Bon Appétit!
Life Is Not Fare ; )
ORIGINALLY POSTED: 11/04/11
I say 'good for you' to the Church of God in Christ Holy Convocation Convention running in St. Louis this week. The convention, which will bring approximately 35,000 people downtown to the America's Center, is using its own system of volunteers to drive shuttlebuses, vans, mini-vans and private cars to shuttle convention-goers.
I say 'good for you' for being resourceful, and I would also argue environmentally friendly. The St. Louis region does not have a very well developed public transportation system, making us car-dependent; such a shame. So if this church community can rally its own volunteers from within to provide its own mass transportation thus cutting down on traffic and oil-consumption, why not? Well, the taxi-cab drivers aren't happy about it. They seem to think they should be ENTITLED to the fares for those needing transportation.
They aren't ENTITLED to anything, so go put that in your tailpipe and smoke it!!!
I say 'good for you' to the Church of God in Christ Holy Convocation Convention running in St. Louis this week. The convention, which will bring approximately 35,000 people downtown to the America's Center, is using its own system of volunteers to drive shuttlebuses, vans, mini-vans and private cars to shuttle convention-goers.
I say 'good for you' for being resourceful, and I would also argue environmentally friendly. The St. Louis region does not have a very well developed public transportation system, making us car-dependent; such a shame. So if this church community can rally its own volunteers from within to provide its own mass transportation thus cutting down on traffic and oil-consumption, why not? Well, the taxi-cab drivers aren't happy about it. They seem to think they should be ENTITLED to the fares for those needing transportation.
They aren't ENTITLED to anything, so go put that in your tailpipe and smoke it!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)