A postcard came in the mail – addressed to the seven year old – offering "pre-planning" at a nearby cemetery. Yeah, like she’s going to buy a "clean, dry, above ground crypt" anytime soon. The card included a proactive disclaimer: If this information reaches you at a time of sickness or loss, please accept our apology. All well and good, but where’s the apology for making the seven year old’s mother apoplectic about the state of direct mail lists and the attendant waste of natural resources?
Bubble, bubble
Also in the mail, the same seven year old got a thank you note, for a birthday present, from a friend. It was a homemade fill-in-the-blank card, dear _________, thank you for the _________. At the bottom, though, the friend had written in big letters: FREEZE THE TOURIST. I scratched my head, my husband scratched his head, we were both completely baffled. The girl child read it a couple of times, and then lit up: FREEZATORUS! It is, of course, their rendition of the freezing charm from Harry Potter, which the girl and her friends are all presently obsessed with.
Dollar, dollar
A couple of weeks ago, in a fit of trying to raise money to buy a new American Girl doll, the seven year old asked "Mama, if I read all seven Harry Potter books this summer, will you give me a dollar a book?" I'm not really in favor of paying kids to read books, but a dollar a book for all seven rather long and complicated Harry Potter books? Yes, indeed. She's midway through book two. She was supposed to be getting cash for cleaning the cats' litter boxes too, but has been somewhat less diligent about that. Funny that. I'd rather read a book than scoop poop too.
Kitten, kitten
i remember being 7 and saving up for an American girl doll :) i got felicity when she was brand new and she's one of the few toys i've kept 20 years later so well worth the cost
ReplyDeleteI just started reading KayTar HP and the Sorcerer's Stone last week. She's fully capable of reading it to herself, but I find myself a bit sad it is all coming to an end and it is a good excuse to reread them all. She told me she likes me to read it to her, so she can just imagine things instead of thinking about the words, but she STILL corrects me every time I misread something...so I think she's paying more attention to the words than she thinks!
ReplyDeleteHey, at least her friends are sending thank you notes at all (though I hate the fill-in-the-blank format). Son #2 went to a party over a month ago, bearing gifts, and still has not received a thank you...
ReplyDeleteI'd definitely reward her. Those are some hefty books. :P
ReplyDeleteWe are working our way through all the Harry Potters on CD. And so for quite some time, my daughter thought that Draco's last name was "Mouthboy."
ReplyDeletewhat is with those marketers? grumble grumble.
ReplyDeletethose kittens are adorable! i always had poor luck getting other people to do litter boxes, too, whether they fervently promised in order to get something or whether i offered to pay. sigh.
such an ambitious reading project for the summer!
I love that the friend put in their special word. Thank you cards are so hard, but that made it fun!
ReplyDeleteShe's going to have to read a lot of long, complicated books to buy that doll. Good luck to her. Perhaps the crypt is cheaper?
ReplyDeleteA reader and an entrepreneur--what's not to love?!
ReplyDeleteGreat pic of the mirror image kitties! And yes, I'd be abhorred if any of my kids received a solicitation from a cemetery. Good grief!
ReplyDeleteShhh... I don't want my son to find out that some kids might get paid to read those books. He's already read the first 4. He's just waiting on me to finish book 5 so that he can continue. I hadn't read the series before, but now I'm hooked. I'm not accomplishing much else in the evenings.
ReplyDeleteYour daughter is smart and she's getting wise.
ReplyDelete;-)