Never Say Never

Dave and I have learned the hard way to never say never. Before we were parents, there were lots of things we said we'd never do. Never leave a huge mess at our table when eating out. Never give in to a crying child. Never use candy as a bribe. Never let the baby sleep in our bed. Needless to say, we are careful about what we say now because we will likely be proven hypocrites given enough time and the right circumstance.

This morning was a prime example of this. For thirty-four years I have managed to avoid the marketing ploy called "Black Friday". The idea of giving up sleep and a warm bed to wait in line during the coldest part of the morning had no appeal to me. There wasn't a big enough T.V, hot enough video game system, or cheap enough appliance that would see me out and about at that ungodly hour...until this morning.

Yes, I was one of the hoardes who stumbled out of bed at an insane time, fumbling around in the dark for my clothes and car keys. And what was this item that had turned me into a hypocrite yet again? It wasn't a million inch LCD TV for $300 dollars, or a washer dryer duet for 50% off...no it was this:

What had turned me into a hypocrite was a small, fake hamster called a Zhu Zhu pet. Retail price: $9.00, black market price: $56.37, the loss of my integrity yet again: priceless.

The Grass is Always Greener

Alison's attends preschool three days a week from 9am until noon. Up until recently, all the kids needed to be picked up at noon. Due to parental demand, however, the school started offering extended care from noon until 2pm. Since I stay home with the girls, Dave and I did not sign her up for extended care. We've always felt like no one could care for our children the way I could, and so we have sacrificed so that I could stay home with them during their formative years.

As we left school today at noon, Alison looked back at the friends that were staying and asked me why they weren't going home. I responded that they were staying for lunch because their mommies were too busy to pick them up right now. Alison looked at me for a minute and asked, "Mommy, can you be busy too tomorrow?"

Nice to know that our sacrifices for the greater good are so well appreciated!