Strollerderby : cards

Save Your Money: Don't Get Mom a Card

JeanneSager — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 20:27:00 GMT

I was hardly surprised to hear spending for Mother's Day is expected to be way down this year. Hellllo, it's called a recession.

But I've got to tell you, news that eighty-five percent of Americans will still be cashing in on a card leaves me kind of disappointed in humanity. Because if you REALLY want to save money on us this year, you can skip the card.

The folks at Hallmark and Bouton's have done a bang up job of convincing us we need them (hence the derisively-dubbed "Hallmark holidays"), but do any of us NEED an extra piece of cardstock to sit in that growing pile of mail on the corner table?

But it's the sentiment inside, you say? Yup, a card tells someone you cared enough to go out and spend $4.99 on a picture of two polar bears kissing. The polar bears are cute, but the real "sentiment" comes through in the fact that someone sent one, right? So why not just send an old-fashioned letter, on plain white ruled paper? You don't have to say much. Maybe a "Hey ma, I love you," or a "Thanks for being my mommy." If you want to wax poetic, be my guest, but you won't have to loop your letters around a big goofy sparkly heart on plain old notebook paper.

Since I already sound like the grinch who stole Mother's Day, I'm not exactly crying over the news that electronics purchases for Mom are expected to dip by twenty-nine percent this year. Nothing says "I love you" like getting Mom a cell phone . . . which she now has to pay for montly. And clothing purchases are dipping by twelve percent? Goodie, no more freaky appliqued sweaters that little kids insist Mom is going to love.

Sure, it's the thought that counts, but I've got tell you, I'm still a sucker for the little handprints and the hand-picked daisies. I'd rather they save their money for something they want - and that he save it for groceries.

What about you, Moms, think Mother's Day should still be getting top billing this year?

Image: NBC

Do You Let Your Kids Cheat?

JeanneSager — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 20:55:00 GMT

My in-laws came to town for the requisite weekend of spoiling, and left as always, some new habits with my daughter.

The artificial southern accent will go away soon enough (to my displaced southern husband's chagrin). It's the cheating I'm worried about.

Because, in true grandparenting style, my father-in-law let our daughter win at every game of Go Fish. But he didn't just bumble his play. He let her reach over and pick cards out of his hand. He let her shift through the "fishing" pile. He let her run right over him.

I've been asking around, and most people tell me to just ignore it. She's three; it will go away. It's cute.

Yes, she's three, and I don't expect that one game of cards is going to ruin her for the rest of her life. But shouldn't I be breaking this bad habit now? Maybe I'm reading a little too much into a pile of cards covered in different kinds of fish, but I can already see a life's obsession with having her way and always getting to win. She's already an only child, and we're aware of that slippery "spoiled only child" slope that we have to navigate. Letting her get away with cheating at cards seems like it would put at least one foot on the sandy edge of that slope.

Is it really OK to encourage a three-year-old to cheat because "it's cute?" What happens at five or six, when it stops being cute and starts becoming obnoxious?

Image: Kelly's Kindergarten

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Are Email Holiday Cards Tacky?

Brett Singer — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 19:00:00 GMT

You know the drill. The holidays are coming and you need to get the family card ready. In my house, my wife takes the lead on this, mostly because I'm not inclined to do it. Some people are tremendously organized and take the whole process very seriously — photos taken by a professional no later than the 1st of November, cards printed by Thanksgiving, in the mail by December 1. Most people (our family included) use Shutterfly or another online photo service to get their cards made, which is a little boring but very easy.

Even easier, though, and certainly cheaper since there's no printing or postage, is the email card. I've received many from acquaintances and merchants, but I've only gotten a couple so far from family types. I'm not knocking anyone for doing it, especially if the reason is financial. At some point its fair to call The Annual Holiday Card a luxury item, even if it doesn't cost that much. I haven't priced them out so I don't know how much the cards will set you back. But they certainly aren't free, nor are the stamps. So if someone chooses to go this route, whatever the reason, that's your choice. (That's a disclaimer meant to make up for what I'm going to say next.)

Still, it's not the same, is it? The email card? Maybe I'm just old-fashioned but I still like to get regular mail (when it isn't a bill, catalog, or junk), and I enjoy hanging the holiday cards I receive on my door for everyone to see. I suppose you could print out the email card, but that seems a little silly.

So what do you think? Are the email cards tacky? (The Obamas did one in 2006 [see image at right], but I imagine that was for general supporters, rather than family and close friends.) And have you gotten/sent one yet?

image: respublica

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White House Sends Chanukah Card With Christmas Tree On It

Brett Singer — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:00:00 GMT

The Bush family really can't win these days.

Not only is the sitting President receiving blame for Republican losses on Election Day, but first lady Laura is getting flak for a farkakteh (pronounced "fuh-kahk-tuh") Chanukah card that had a picture of a Christmas tree on it.

While its fun to make fun of this kind of thing, I have to admit that I don't really care. It certainly is a mistake and shows certain cluelessness on the part of the First Lady's staff, or at least a lack of organizing skills (shouldn't someone have looked at the card first?). But this isn't exactly Hunter Gibson (Mel's dad) denying that the Holocaust actually happened. Also, the card didn't have a picture of the Baby Jesus on it. It was just a tree. (For the record, apologies were quickly offered. Faces, already covered with egg, were red. Feet were in mouths.)

So was it a bit dense for the White House to send a Chanukah card that didn't have a Chanukah image on it? Sure. But is it really that offensive? I don't think so. I'm Jewish, and I happen to like Christmas trees. That's a topic for another post, but for now, I'm not ready to add CardGate to the list of Bush Administration screw-ups.

Source: NY Post via HuffPo

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Father's Day Cards That Don't Suck

Amy Kuras — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 20:25:00 GMT

As Father's Day looms, the annual search for a card begins. One would think this would not be such a challenge, given that there are rows upon rows of them.

However, this makes me nuts every year. Every card refers to 1) dad's fixing things 2) dad's love for tools, golf, fishing and sports 3) his bonding with his recliner and remote 4) general ineptitude 5) strong, silent nature.

Now, both men I buy Father's Day cards for (my father and my husband) are handyperson-challenged, golf and fish infrequently, are competent human beings and quite articulate. They are also excellent fathers who give (or gave) real, geniune care to their kids, and I'd like to find a card that reflects that instead of putting them down or poking fun at their foibles ('cause the remote thing, for both of them? Totally accurate).

Some retailers are rising to the challenge, offering cards that show some degree of appreciation or sentimentality. Even funny ones are trending more positive, like this one featuring Chris Rock:

"Nobody ever says, 'Hey, Daddy, thanks for knocking out the rent. I sure love this hot water. It's easy to read with all this light.' " The inside of the card says "Once a year, maybe. Happy Father's Day."

So it doesn’t work for all the stay-at-home dads out there, but it's better than the "Happy Father's Day, you incompetent boob – now have a beer" type cards.

Go Fish Solves Crime, Could Help Parents

Kelly Mills — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 22:09:00 GMT

This idea is so smart and easy, I think a parent must have come up with it. Florida gives inmates playing cards. (Are they part of a kit that includes a harmonica and a picture of woman to cry over? Gawd, I've been watching too many old movies.) Anyhow, the decks aren't just everyday playing cards--they highlight 104 unsolved cases, with details about crimes and so on. Okay, so last week some of the inmates were playing Go Fish (Really? "Do you have any stabbing victims?" "Go fish.") and one of the guys paid attention to the card that had info about the 2004 murder of James Foote. He gave authorities a tip that resulted in the arrest of Derrick L. Hamilton for the crime. See how teaching your kids to play simple card games now could someday help them win earlier parole.

I think this idea could be applicable for parents. Make up a deck with some key unsolved mysteries of the house, like who left the refrigerator door open all day, and which sibling beheaded Elmo, and who ate the entire box of Newman-O chocolate cookies in one sitting? Let the kids play Texas Hold 'Em or Go Fish and wait for the tips to come pouring in. Now that's crime fighting.

Custom Photo Cards For Babies: DIY for less?

Melissa Summers — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 18:33:00 GMT

I'm thinking there are some other fun ways to use these cards. My husband has a hatred of pickles which burns with the heat of a thousand suns. It would be funny to take a picture of a pickle and have it printed with "Daddy Loves Pickles". Or maybe slap a picture of this guy on a card and have "President" printed on it. Mommy says it's never too early for brainwashing.