must be KARMAH

Pool Time

Ahhh... The first dip, or shall I say wade of the season was made today. Does that mean summer is officially here? This little wading pool is a few years old, but the girls still use love to use it. Although the soon-to-be teenager le Artiste is beginning to make grumbling noises about how uncool it would be for others to see her in a kiddie pool.

I guess it is somewhat appropriate that this Memorial Day weekend the girls are getting good use out of something that was actually made in the USA (be it a few years ago). It seems to be getting harder and harder to find that label on anything. Not that I am eschewing the manufacturing capabilities of any other country, but it would be nice to see it more often.

Mumsy

Celebrating this day as a mother makes me appreciate my mother (and father) all that much more. It's only now, as an adult, that I can truly appreciate what they have sacrificed in order to raise me and my siblings. The things they did without. The attitudes that they had to put up with. The discipline that they had to mete out to teach us right from wrong. All of it... the good, the bad and the tough love.

Parenting is not an easy job. It is one of the toughest ones anyone can undertake. It may drive one crazy at times. But the kids, they're worth it. For the love that they bring into your life and for the love that you bring into theirs.

Thanks Mom. Thanks Dad. I love you both.

Happy Mother's Day!

Postage Due

Have I ever mentioned how card obsessed my in-laws are? I think that they are the reason that Hallmark is rolling in millions (if not more). They send a card for every known occasion on the planet. If there is a card for it, they have sent it. And whoa is the person who does not reciprocate in kind.

Late birthday, Christmas, hey you got your lawn mowed, etc. cards are not tolerated. They have my husband so conditioned that if he even thinks that a card will arrive late in the mail he freaks out. Then he does the outrages and pays to make sure something arrives on the appointed day by ordering flowers, etc. (Which means that we are the ones making FTD rich.)

Recently we have had two fiascos when trying to send my MIL her cards. Once for Easter and now for Mother's Day as well. Her Easter card was returned by the post office in an envelope with an apology from them. Yeah, their automatic machines ate half the card and the only thing still legible on it? Our return address of course. (This was given in person to MIL when she visited. Just so my husband could prove that it had been sent and we were not thoughtless neglectful mother-hating people.)

The Mother's Day card made it's return to us in the mail, several days after it was sent out. Why? Postage due. Apparently sending a flat card that is a teensy bit bigger than 6" x 9" costs 97 cents. Silly me thinking that two first class stamps (twice the normal size card rate) would be enough. You would think that having destroyed the previous card they would have cut me a break. Too much to hope for eh?

Now in order to prove that the Post Office once again let us down on the card delivery, said card was resent. This time in an 8.5" x 10" manilla envelope with four first class stamps on it. (That sucker better not come back.) Why not just add the postage to the front of the card and resend it? Hubby has to send the "evidence" in the original returned state. Otherwise MIL may not believe that one of her cards was once again struck down in transit by the USPS.

Oh, yeah, we had to make another contribution to the FTD coffers. No way is that card going to make it there by Sunday.