Pretty Ruffles

Beautiful Glowing Rhododendron in warm colors

Spring Blossoms

Restaurant Tipping!

The tipping system in restaurants needs revising!


Just because I spend a large amount of money on a meal at an expensive restaurant the server shouldn't automatically assume they are going to get a 20% tip. The tip should be based on the service and the overall treatment of the patron. If the service isn't good, food crappy or generally your life is not made pleasant then the tip should reflect that.

I have had great service from people at lunch time on a $10 meal and wanted to leave them a 100% tip (and have :). My Hubby thinks I am crazy because he feels that is extravagant but he doesn't think twice about tipping an idiot with lousy service and no people skills $30 on a dinner tab of $200+

Everyone is so conditioned to this expectation and I, for one, am tired of it.

Seriously people if you suck and the restaurant sucks then the tip will reflect that and if you are a kick ass server and the food is great I will tip you well!

Stainless Steel Appliances.

I am so over stainless steel appliances. I have been waiting for them to go out of fashion since their popularity began over 15 years ago. Don’t get me wrong, I think they are ok, they have a place in the market but to dominate it for so long and with barely any other options leaves me cold. They are incredibly expensive too. I have seen, in the past few years, in Kitchen and Home decorating magazines ads for colourful kitchen appliances but try finding a place locally to buy them or talk to a builder who has any clue they exist, seriously!
Please! Please! Let's get some colour back in the kitchen! Bright coloured appliances that are cost effective, not out of the everyday consumer’s price margin.
OK, Vent over! :)

My Son's Graduation.

Well, it is an amazingly emotional event for a Mom, I think so anyway, a child graduating from high school; it means they are all grown up and ready to fly the nest. Some, it seems, are ready way earlier than others. My Son is just about ready to leave but he is planning to go half way around the world to college. I am not too thrilled about that but I was adventurous at his age too. He has earned this privilege, I believe, by attaining a great grade point average and being an honor grad. and a N.H.S. grad., along with being a good person and a great Son. So, when they had their senior assembly recently, they forgot to give my son his N.H.S. cord to wear at graduation. He was told to go to the secretary the following week; no she didn't have them, go to the N.H.S. teacher and get one from her. Pretty typical of the run around students in high school seem to get. He eventually asked her for a N.H.S. cord and seriously she asked him did he really need it. I was stunned when he told me this, he has worked hard to achieve this honor why wouldn't he be proud to wear this cord of distinction and shouldn't she be encouraging him rather than being so apathetic.
This is when, as a Mother wanting to support her “Cub”, I want to put all protocol aside, march up to the school and give the teacher a piece of my mind but sanity, just barely, prevails and I let it slid. Thankfully, she came to her senses before Graduation and found a N.H.S. cord for my Son to proudly wear on Grad. Night.
Which, of course, was a very happy moment for the proud parents.

Temper Tantrums

Recently I was watching our local morning show on TV and a discipline expert from a local nanny school was commenting on a video clip portraying a mother picking up a tantrum riddled toddler and dragging the kid to try and get him up on his feet, all in the middle of a store. Anyone who has endured the tantrum years can relate to this all too easily. The expert said this mom did everything wrong, that she should have just walked away and left the child behind. I have to strongly disagree not in a store. No kid wants to be abandoned, so doing this at a time when the child most needs you, is plain stupidity and could lead to the child distrusting you.
I truly would not want a nanny in my house trained by this woman, if that is what she instigates. I would be furious if the person caring for my child was taught to walk away while my kid was distressed on the floor of a store. A little bit of paranoia here, but who knows who could be lurking around the corner to pick the child up.
So my solution, which has worked on my 3 children and on all the 30 other children I have nannied over the years is; Firstly, you really have to know your child. All kids will throw tantrums if they are tired and expected to do things they are incapable of doing or dealing with. So, depending on the kid or the situation there are many options, you just have to learn which one to apply to what situation and know that what worked last time may not work this time. Be flexible and open to making the best of the situation. Always remember you are the adult here and even though you would like to roll around on the floor kicking and screaming along with your child in frustration, your child is looking to you to make them feel safe and set boundaries. Remember you have options. Your child may feel they do not. You have to guide them and coax them. All too often I have been in a store where the mother is yelling at their kid to "quit it". That wouldn't work. I believe it is O.K. to pick up your child, regardless of whether it looks like man handling to others. Hold your child tightly and gently across their arms and legs so they are restrained in a loving way and can do the least damage to themselves and you and then remove them from the situation, all the time talking to them gently and lovingly. Not yelling "cut it out", of course that is what you want to do, but keep reassuring them that you are leaving the situation and life is O.K. Keep telling yourself that too, it helps. Remember most toddlers are not the evil devil child (Although a tantrum can make you question this!). They are still incredibly immature humans who need your guidance on how to proceed. Once away from the situation you can then place them in the car or go to a park or even home, once they have calmed down (it may seem like ever, but they usually do calm down relatively quickly) discuss with them how they feel and why they think this happened and you voice how you feel too. I am not suggesting a major debate but a conversation on the toddler level, they do have various ways of communicating. Of course you make the decisions but even though your child is very little they have a voice and should be heard and if they feel you respect them and their voice they may not act out half as much.
Always tell a child where you are taking them and the expectation you have of them and what they can expect to happen when you get there, who you might be meeting for coffee etc., this will reassure them and everything will not be as foreign. Just think if somebody put you on a plane and didn't tell you anything about where you were going, where you would be staying, what you would be eating, who you would be meeting, no luggage and nothing familiar etc. you'd soon throw a tizzy fit. so remember your child deserves the same consideration.

Are Magazines getting to you?

What's with all the fold out advertisng pages in magazines? The thick cardstock advertising which makes it impossible to turn a page and stay there? All those millions of subscription postcards? More ads. for things I wouldn't even think of or consider buying. Stinky scented pages?
For sanity sake let's get a grip, literally on this overbombardment of crappy advertising. By the time I have finished ripping out the cardstock ads., the stinky scented pages, shaking out the postcards and refolding the fold out ads, I have no time to read the magazine. My recycling bin is never hungry.
Please please, stop! I have already stopped subscribing to magazines than are filled with lots of scented ads. I can't be alone in my abhorrance or annyance with all this crap. Doesn't anyone have anything valuable to put in a magazine.I would be prepared to pay more for a magazine that had well placed ads. I know ads. are the bread and butter of any publication but when you kowtow to your advertisers and ignore your readership you are missing the point of your existence.

U.S. Aid

While watching news broadcasts I noticed an inordinate amount of banners on supplies, trucks and shipments etc., stating"U.S. Aid" in the Tsunami ravaged area. This seemed amazing to me that in the midst of a World disaster somebody had authorised the creation of these and made sure they were prominenetly displayed. Was it necessary for them to be so big? This is not a competition. Still the world just has to be informed and constantly reminded that the Americans are doing their bit, right? At this point, it seems all about who is seen to be doing the most. Everything seems to be a competition for Americans. Why?

No legal age to leave kids home alone.

I am shocked that there is no legal age set for kids to be home alone. A lot of States have guidelines but it is at the discretion or desperation of the parents to choose. In our state the guideline is 10. That to me is too young. I hear some people have kids as young as 5 coming home to empty houses. That should not be allowed.
I am tired of hearing people bitching about not having a choice but to leave their kids home alone because they have to work or run errands. They say they can't afford daycare or find someone kind enough to help them out. Get real people! You chose to have these kids and it is your responsibility to take care of them. Just because you have kids you can't assume that anyone else is going to provide for them. Step up and take responsibility for your choice to have kids. Society is not responsible and no, believe it or not, nobody owes you anything.

Men Behaving Badly. (Surprise, Surprise!)

As a Mother raising two teenage sons, I have to say, I am appalled by the behaviour of these men at the N.B.A. game last week. Ron Artest seems to be getting all the press coverage but there were so many N.B.A. players suspended (am I surprised?). Let's not forget the disgusting behaviour exhibited by the so called fans, who should be banned from any sporting event ever again.
My sons participate in sports at a competitive level. They understand playing passionately and competitively is intense on the court but also know where to draw the sportsmanship line. They also watch a considerable amount of sports on T.V. They want to emulate and hopefully, follow in these "sportsmens" footsteps, one day, but more and more they are exposed to these crazy outbursts of bad behaviour by some athletes. What messages does this constant bad behavior tell my sons? That because you are a hero worshipped, overpaid, immature athlete you are above reproach? Does the word "Professional" not mean anything to these players?
Whether they like it or not, whether they want it or not, these players are Role Models. They have a responsibility to exhibit professional sportsmanlike behaviour.
If the suspension puts a dent in their egos or their earning potential that would be great but I have a feeling that more attention and more sponsorship may come out of this. I believe more people now know who Ron Artest is than ever before. Isn't it ironic, that with this suspension Ron Artest is going to have all the time he needs to go out and promote his record company?
There are too many players in the N.B.A. that seem to have over zealous egos. Yes, they may be talented but there are many talented people who do not have behavioural problems that could replace them. Why are the consequences not more extreme? It almost encourages these male egos to behave badly because nobody is man enough to hold them truly accountable for their actions. I do however, commend Mr. Stern for taking action swiftly, but should these young men still have futures in the N.B.A. when their suspensions are over? I am hoping some serious anger management is part of the deal for these players to continue playing in the N.B.A.
I hope all these players have time to reflect on their behavioural choices and remember that it is not a given but a privilege to be a professional athlete, they are replaceable.