So - I'm curious if anyone has thoughts on this story. One morning about two weeks ago, Allison colored in a library book. I almost posted something about that morning - it was a morning sans ritalin and filled with many of the *poor choice* behaviors that seem to be less frequent these days. Another post for another day.... and I'm not suggesting that lack of aligned brain chemistry excuses the poor choices.... as is evidenced by the rest of the story.
So, anyway, Allison had colored in the Lola character in the Charlie and Lola book blue on three pages (of a 24 page book). Brian and I talked to her about how you have to treat books with respect - particularly library books because other kids will use them to. To reinforce this lesson, we (I?) decided she should tell the librarian what had happened. So we took the library book back to return it and notified the desk librarian. We told him it was colored in, and he made a comment to the effect of "I'm sure it wasn't *you*, right?" and we said "no - it was." He seemed a bit taken aback that we were admitting to the offense. He made a note, said that if there was going to be a fine it would show up on her account, and said that it based on the coloring (3 blue heads on 3 pages) he didn't really expect any fine at all.
Well, there was a fine - $17. The library had decided the book needed to be replaced at a cost of $17. This also effectively froze her account. Because we had gone this far with it, I had her take the $17 out of her piggy bank and today we went to the library. I checked to make sure the $17 was really for replacement of the book and the librarian (different one) very gravely told me that the blue color could not be erased and therefore the book must be replaced.
Additionally, since her account had been frozen (preventing me from renewing things before vacation) and the library had the wrong e-mail account information in it (so I was not receiving any notifications on her account) she had also accumulated another $7.50 in fines. So Allison paid her $17 and I paid the $7.50 in fines. For this $24.50 - Allison got to keep the original book she colored in. This made Allison very happy and me annoyed. I was annoyed anyway and then to have a very positive reward for her at the end of the tunnel that was supposed to teach her that if she couldn't respect library property then there was going to be a LOSS of privileges....... Ugh.
We COULD have returned it and it would have staying in circulation - probably without any complaints from other patrons. One part of me knows that it is important to be honest and face the appropriate consequences. But another part of me (the part that is trying to teach an important lesson to a 7-yr old) wishes that there was a more moderate fine (maybe $5-$10) that wouldn't have resulted with her getting to take home the book. But now that we've paid $24.50 for it - what do we do?
Monday, July 26, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
Playdate RIP
I am almost ready to officially call a close to our "playdate" lives. One, I think that the kids are a little old and tend simply to say "I have a friend coming over" rather than "I have a playdate." More though, our summer has been filled with a much more fluid type of friend play.
The neighbors hired a babysitter to stay home with their kids (8,6,5) this summer - and so almost every day the kids are playing together. Until this week, our mornings have been filled with summer school - but immediately after lunch either Allison and Jacob are knocking on the neighbor's door or Grace and Lucas are knocking on ours. (unfortunately - we have no counterpart to their oldest son, Ben, though Allison once helpfully offered to let him play with Astro).
It's odd that (generally speaking) having 4 kids in the house is less work than two. Typically, the girls are off doing one thing and the boys another - happy to play with someone to whom they are not related. And today - Allison and Grace cleaned and organized Allison room (closet included) so they could set up a play shop and then they took turns alternatively being shopkeeper and shopper. They even emptied the coins out of Allison's piggy bank and got a notebook to keep track of sales.
It took me a little while to get used to, and my biggest gripe may be that Allison and Jacob always offer to provide the snacks, but overall I think I like "playdate"-less world a bit better.
The neighbors hired a babysitter to stay home with their kids (8,6,5) this summer - and so almost every day the kids are playing together. Until this week, our mornings have been filled with summer school - but immediately after lunch either Allison and Jacob are knocking on the neighbor's door or Grace and Lucas are knocking on ours. (unfortunately - we have no counterpart to their oldest son, Ben, though Allison once helpfully offered to let him play with Astro).
It's odd that (generally speaking) having 4 kids in the house is less work than two. Typically, the girls are off doing one thing and the boys another - happy to play with someone to whom they are not related. And today - Allison and Grace cleaned and organized Allison room (closet included) so they could set up a play shop and then they took turns alternatively being shopkeeper and shopper. They even emptied the coins out of Allison's piggy bank and got a notebook to keep track of sales.
It took me a little while to get used to, and my biggest gripe may be that Allison and Jacob always offer to provide the snacks, but overall I think I like "playdate"-less world a bit better.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Wanna join us in bed too?
I think we're going to refinance (thanks for the heads up on low rates Bruce and Sue). I called our current lender and his quote was so-so: probably worth doing but not wonderful. So I called a few other local lenders and found a great rate with a nearby credit union. So, the mortgage lady sent me a checklist of information they need with our application.
I'm looking over this list thinking - really?? Brian says that in the post-housing bubble / stock market tumble / mortgage scam world the banks are getting more picky. I think it's a little excessive for a refinance. They want two years of taxes, 2 years of W-2, bank statements, current pay stubs, IRA and all retirement statements, homeowners insurance information, current mortgage statement, property tax bill, and an application form listing all other assets and liabilities. It's going to be one big-a** pdf.
I'm looking over this list thinking - really?? Brian says that in the post-housing bubble / stock market tumble / mortgage scam world the banks are getting more picky. I think it's a little excessive for a refinance. They want two years of taxes, 2 years of W-2, bank statements, current pay stubs, IRA and all retirement statements, homeowners insurance information, current mortgage statement, property tax bill, and an application form listing all other assets and liabilities. It's going to be one big-a** pdf.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
BOGO
One of our summer activities has been the reading program at the Appleton Public Library. The kids get these sheets and they color in a square every time they read for 15 minutes. Every 7 squares you can earn a prize. The kids love it - Jacob even asks "Can we do 15-minute reading?"
We did this program last year too - and the prizes ranged from pencils, to small notepads, to a coupon for a free kids meal at Texas Road House. Unfortunately - this year - the prizes seem to be much more of the latter and much less of the former. So far (and the kids are on week 7-8 because Allison is one week ahead of Jacob), they've gotten a coupon for a free kids meal at Fazoli's, a free kids meal at Texas Roadhouse, and a free pretzel from Auntie Annie's. Nevermind that to "cash in" these coupons, you have to buy an adult meal at Fazoli's, Tezas Roadhouse, and a second pretzel at Auntie Annie's.
Should we really be encouraging our kids to eat out at Fast Food establishments? And what kind of prize is it when it ends up costing you money to redeem it? (We still have last year's Texas Roadhouse coupons too because it's very low on my list of places to eat out should we ever get the opportunity to eat out). I know that the library probably takes whatever local businesses will give them, but it's too bad this is all they could wrangle up this year.
If we add the week that the kids got a free day pass to the state park (which I'm not fundamentally opposed to - it's just that we have a yearly pass already and the kids - who are usually very excited to get their prizes - were like "what's this?") that makes half of the weeks so far where the prizes were coupons of some variety.
Allison and Jacob would probably be more than happy to show up each week and get a sticker for their efforts (week 3's prize). Their favorite so far - week 1's little bouncy ball.
We did this program last year too - and the prizes ranged from pencils, to small notepads, to a coupon for a free kids meal at Texas Road House. Unfortunately - this year - the prizes seem to be much more of the latter and much less of the former. So far (and the kids are on week 7-8 because Allison is one week ahead of Jacob), they've gotten a coupon for a free kids meal at Fazoli's, a free kids meal at Texas Roadhouse, and a free pretzel from Auntie Annie's. Nevermind that to "cash in" these coupons, you have to buy an adult meal at Fazoli's, Tezas Roadhouse, and a second pretzel at Auntie Annie's.
Should we really be encouraging our kids to eat out at Fast Food establishments? And what kind of prize is it when it ends up costing you money to redeem it? (We still have last year's Texas Roadhouse coupons too because it's very low on my list of places to eat out should we ever get the opportunity to eat out). I know that the library probably takes whatever local businesses will give them, but it's too bad this is all they could wrangle up this year.
If we add the week that the kids got a free day pass to the state park (which I'm not fundamentally opposed to - it's just that we have a yearly pass already and the kids - who are usually very excited to get their prizes - were like "what's this?") that makes half of the weeks so far where the prizes were coupons of some variety.
Allison and Jacob would probably be more than happy to show up each week and get a sticker for their efforts (week 3's prize). Their favorite so far - week 1's little bouncy ball.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Where, oh where
has my little dog gone, oh where, oh where can he be?
Astro had an adventure. After being accidentally (and unknowingly) being let out of the back deck gate - he went missing. I looked via car. We looked via bike (we being me, Allison, Jacob, neighbors Ben, Grace, and Lucas). And then we looked again via car. No Astro.
Astro gets let out accidentally more than he should. We could call this an accident waiting to happen. I had a bad feeling about this time - don't know why - most of the time I simply wait for him to wander home. But none of the neighbors had seen him, it was hot out, and his permanent dog tag still has a Fondy phone #.
Finally, around 5pm, I call the Humane Society. No dog, but they helpfully took a lost dog report and suggested I call the police department to check on dog reports. So my next call was to the police. Yes, we did pick up a dog matching that description from your neighborhood about an hour and a half ago. Meanwhile, the Humane Society is calling me back - presumably to say "hey - we found your dog!"
So - hurray - let's go pick him up. But wait.... to pick up the dog you need two things (1) a current rabies shot (which I think is no problem) and (2) a current city license, which we don't have. But, luckily, I can pick up a license from the police department on my way to pick up the dog - provided I can prove a current rabies vaccination. Ok - I dig out the rabies sheet and - viola - it expired on June 26th. This is why I had "Make Dog Vet Appointment" on my "To do" list. Ok - so now I have neither a license or a current rabies shot. Crap.
Another phone call to the police department, silently I'm thankful that Appleton is kindof like a big, small town and the police department has nothing to do but answer questions from irresponsible pet owners like me. I can still get a license if I prepay for a rabies shot at my vet. This is about when two other things happen - Brian calls, and Allison decides to squirt purple lotion all over the upstairs hallway carpet in an attempt to thwart whatever evil plot Jacob had concocted to get in her room. So Brian goes to pay the vet for a rabies shot - it's now 5:40pm and the vet closes at 6 and the humane society at 7. Astro is getting closer to a night in the slammer.
With prepaid receipt in hand, I go to the police station (good to now know where that is), then to the humane society to pick up the dog. I fill out numerous forms, which probably puts me on some "you will never be able to adopt a pet from the humane society you irresponsible pet owner you" list, pay my $96, and take Astro home. A costly adventure.
Astro had an adventure. After being accidentally (and unknowingly) being let out of the back deck gate - he went missing. I looked via car. We looked via bike (we being me, Allison, Jacob, neighbors Ben, Grace, and Lucas). And then we looked again via car. No Astro.
Astro gets let out accidentally more than he should. We could call this an accident waiting to happen. I had a bad feeling about this time - don't know why - most of the time I simply wait for him to wander home. But none of the neighbors had seen him, it was hot out, and his permanent dog tag still has a Fondy phone #.
Finally, around 5pm, I call the Humane Society. No dog, but they helpfully took a lost dog report and suggested I call the police department to check on dog reports. So my next call was to the police. Yes, we did pick up a dog matching that description from your neighborhood about an hour and a half ago. Meanwhile, the Humane Society is calling me back - presumably to say "hey - we found your dog!"
So - hurray - let's go pick him up. But wait.... to pick up the dog you need two things (1) a current rabies shot (which I think is no problem) and (2) a current city license, which we don't have. But, luckily, I can pick up a license from the police department on my way to pick up the dog - provided I can prove a current rabies vaccination. Ok - I dig out the rabies sheet and - viola - it expired on June 26th. This is why I had "Make Dog Vet Appointment" on my "To do" list. Ok - so now I have neither a license or a current rabies shot. Crap.
Another phone call to the police department, silently I'm thankful that Appleton is kindof like a big, small town and the police department has nothing to do but answer questions from irresponsible pet owners like me. I can still get a license if I prepay for a rabies shot at my vet. This is about when two other things happen - Brian calls, and Allison decides to squirt purple lotion all over the upstairs hallway carpet in an attempt to thwart whatever evil plot Jacob had concocted to get in her room. So Brian goes to pay the vet for a rabies shot - it's now 5:40pm and the vet closes at 6 and the humane society at 7. Astro is getting closer to a night in the slammer.
With prepaid receipt in hand, I go to the police station (good to now know where that is), then to the humane society to pick up the dog. I fill out numerous forms, which probably puts me on some "you will never be able to adopt a pet from the humane society you irresponsible pet owner you" list, pay my $96, and take Astro home. A costly adventure.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Fireworks
The kids finally got a chance to "do what adults do" which is Allison and Jacob speak for staying up late. We went with friends to see the Neenah community fireworks last night. We typically don't do 4th of July fireworks - so we were unprepared. Lucky for us, our friends were prepared.
Things we didn't think of that they (fortunately) did:
1) laying out tarp in advance for good seating
2) bringing snacks
3) bringing water
4) bringing glow necklaces to avoid a $5 charge for buying them there
The fireworks were good. There was also a "boat parade" beforehand that reminded me a little too much of the Motor Boat Club 4th of July boat parade. The kids went to bed when we got home without much fuss. They slept in to the ripe old time of 7:00am.
Things we didn't think of that they (fortunately) did:
1) laying out tarp in advance for good seating
2) bringing snacks
3) bringing water
4) bringing glow necklaces to avoid a $5 charge for buying them there
The fireworks were good. There was also a "boat parade" beforehand that reminded me a little too much of the Motor Boat Club 4th of July boat parade. The kids went to bed when we got home without much fuss. They slept in to the ripe old time of 7:00am.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Happy 4th of July!
Hope everyone is having a happy 4th of July. Our weekend has been pretty good so far. Yesterday, we started off our morning at some friends' house watching World Cup and drinking vodka way too early in the am. Then we were invited to the Jellystone Park to swim, play mini golf, and cookout with Jacob's friend Dominic and his family.
Today we cleared bunches of branches and baby trees from the cottonwood stand and shoveled much of the mulch we ordered. One more major yard area to tackle - the apple and pine corner. We're just about to head over to another friend's house for a cookout and possibly to watch some fireworks. Happy, busy, and productive weekend!
Today we cleared bunches of branches and baby trees from the cottonwood stand and shoveled much of the mulch we ordered. One more major yard area to tackle - the apple and pine corner. We're just about to head over to another friend's house for a cookout and possibly to watch some fireworks. Happy, busy, and productive weekend!
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