Fads

I beheld a sight last night that few people ever get to witness. The beauty of it nearly brought tears to my eyes. The DQ had two friends stay over last night. I pondered all day how I was going to entertain three 9-10 year olds. They solved the problem for me by asking me to take them to Fazoli's. Fazoli's is a chain that serves spaghetti, salads, pizza that kind of thing.

So we went to Fazoli's where I spent an ungodly amount of money to feed five people. We went by the toy store to look for Webkinz after that. They were closed(Thank God). We went home and Sissy got out her Ipod and was teaching the younger girls some dance moves. She is really good by the way. I don't know where she gets that from. The beauty part comes in here. How many 16 year old girls would take the time to teach younger girls how to dance? It was so sweet. The younger girls looked at her with adoration in their young eyes.

Younger kids are so enthralled with teenagers. They are older, wiser, and can drive. I don't know how I got so lucky to have such a sweet teenager. Being their mother really is a fantastic voyage. Of course I realize having said this, that tomorrow Sissy will announce that she is quiting school and The DQ will run off with a band of gypsies. That's how it always goes.

Let's talk about Webkinz now. I should be an official stockholder for all the money I have spent on Webkinz. They are all the rage with the younger kids. First you purchase the stuffed animal which ranges anywhere from 10-13 bucks. Not bad I guess. The animals come with a tag that has a secret code on it. Then you log on to their website with your code and then your child can play games, buy furniture and clothing, food, add rooms and all kinds of stuff. They also have a pretty good selection of games that the kids can play. I will say that the games are very G rated and anyone can play them. They are not violent.

I just always thought of myself as the kind of person and parent that doesn't get all caught up in the fads of the world. For example, when shows like Friends and Seinfield were so popular and that's all people talked about, I refused to watch them. Not because of any notion that they were not good shows, I think it's just a rebellious streak I have. I am the same way about American Idol. I like to watch the first couple of shows of the season, then I am done. I have nothing else to do with it. I don't talk about. I don't think about it. I don't pick any favorite person that I hope wins. I could care less.

When I was pregnant with The DQ, Pooh was all the rage. So I bought Looney Tunes baby stuff for her. (I didn't know whether she was going to be a boy or girl) Yet here I am forking over my hard earned money for flippin' Webkinz. Where are my principals I ask you? What has happened to me? Am I slipping? This year will I be glued to my TV watching American Idol along with all the other followers in America? I shudder at the thought.

We still have our regular TV from ten years ago. Not a big flat screen. Our computer still has a regular bulky monitor. We don't have a home theater system or any of that fancy stuff. Frankly I don't care anything about it. Our DVD players are so cheap they are practically disposable. I used to care about having what every one else has. I think age and maybe a little wisdom has cured me of keeping up with the Jones' so to speak. Although I really wouldn't mind to have one of those LG Chocolate phones like Sissy just got. Her contract renewed and we got a great deal on a new phone for her.

I found out today that the IRS is restricting anyone with tuition credits, child care expenses and a few other tax credits from filing until Feb. 11th. So if you know anyone with any of these credits to claim, they wont be able to file. This is because of some kind of upgrade to the IRS system. Which means I will continue to drive Sissy's car until the end of Feb. I am so bummed. So......If anyone wants to loan me 3 grand until the end of February, contact me at your earliest convenience to discuss the matter.