Redemption & WTF?

OK. So last time I went on and on about how I am "the.worst.wife.ever." I have managed to redeem myself somewhat. Last week, I secured a babysitter and bought tickets to the opening show of "Star Trek" without Bart knowing. This - it should be noted - was really hard for me, as I am terrible at 1) lying, and 2) keeping secrets. I had his sister call claiming a broken-down car, and ask for his assistance. Then I met him where she was supposed to be. SURPRISE! He had no idea. He's a huge Star Trek fan, and he was almost literally smiling ear-to-ear the whole movie. So to my husband: "Happy Two-Weeks-After-St.-George's-Day-Day!"

The movie, by the way, was stellar (excuse the pun.) I am a lightweight Star Trek fan. I think the original TV series was hokey, but liked some of the movies. Loved the "Next Generation" TV series, and liked the "Enterprise" one with Scott Bakula too. I know enough to not be totally lost. This movie was fun, had great action, good jokes, and spectacular casting. Karl Urban, in particular, in the role of Dr. "Bones" McCoy, was dead-on. I really liked it. I liked it so much, I would go see it again (if it didn't cost is $60 to go to the movies thanks to the whole babysitter thing.)

Now onto a little rant I'm calling "WTF?" Last week was Teacher Appreciation Week. Teachers work really, really hard, and take a lot of abuse for not a lot of pay on a regular basis. Most of them are really good teachers, too. I'm all for appreciating them. But you have got to be kidding me sometimes. At my daughter's school, the principal has said that "collections" are not allowed. We cannot ask for donations of any kind and then go use that money to buy a good gift card. I am a real fan of donations. Every family gives what they can, and the teacher gets something she can actually use and enjoy. No one has to know that family A gave $40,but family B could only give $5. Instead, we get a list of things we are supposed to send in each day. One day was a hand-made card from the student. One day was a book fro the class library. One day was a cut flower. This is the day that got me. The instructions VERY CLEARLY stated a "cut flower." It could be from a store, or from your backyard - didn't matter. So - as instructed - I cut a few little plumbago flowers and a vinca, tied them together into a tiny little bouquet, and sent it in with Karlin. (This "bouquet" was hardly that - it was so small it fit in my petite 7-year old's hand.) I went in to the classroom later that day to volunteer, and what it all over the teacher's desk? Bouquets. Roses. Carnations. There were also 3 potted plants too. Great. That's just great. Way to make my daughter look crappy and make me look like a cheapy just because we did what I was supposed to do. The one-upmanship in our part of Tampa is unreal. I heard that at one area school (not ours) last Christmas, they asked each family to provide a gift card of at least a certain amount, and then they tied the little cards to a tree. The teacher walked off with something like $400 in gift cards. Are you kidding me? Not that they don't deserve it or earn it, but holy crap. What happened to making Christmas ornaments? Or giving a potted Christmas Cactus? And then there's the sheer volume of things you have to do for Christmas, Teacher Appreciation Week, and End-Of-The-Year. You have the main teacher. In pre-K, you have an assistant teacher. You have the gifted teacher. The music teacher. The art teacher. The PE Coach. The piano instructor. The riding instructor. And then you're supposed to do something nice for the admin staff too - the Principal & Asst. Principal, the Preschool Directors (there are 3 of them), the secretaries. Last week I got a note asking for a donation for the janitorial staff. So - let's say hypothetically speaking, I either donated $5 for each of those people, or I purchased something that cost $5 for each of those people. That would - with both kids at both schools - add up to a total of $85. That is a lot to fork out. And let's be realistic: you can't really buy much for $5. And most of the donation requests ask for $10 or $20. I did appreciate that this year, there seemed to be a bit more emphasis on hand-made gifts instead of hugely expensive ones. But still.

So my Teacher Appreciation gift was sub-par. WTF indeed.