Fundraisers and tears.

I don’t know if you’ve heard, but the US economy sucks right now.  I’m going to assume that you don’t need a link to a current news article to know that things are bad all over. Even if you don't feel it yourself, you may know a few dozen people that do feel it everyday or maybe they just don't know better.

My family is one of the semi-lucky ones. Scott has a great job and was hired directly by a national company when they saw they would most likely not have him as a contracted employee anymore. We are making by day to day with a house in Minnesota and our rental place in TN. We see houses around here being foreclosed, short sold or their occupants evicted daily. I just came across a parking lot filled with automobiles that were being loaded due to repossession. 

At the same time, the public school systems are suffering. Badly. Everywhere. The fact that Tennessee has no state income tax doesn't help matters much, I am sure.

Owen just began his first year in school this fall. It has been 10 weeks since his first day of school, and 10 weeks from the start of fundraisers and donations. It only took that long to get frustrated and feel like I have been pumped dry.

Coupon books, spirit wear, year books, plastic wrist bands for sale.  Please send in gift wrapping items, M&M, snacks, more hand sanitizer. We need $4.50 for this special presentation on Monday and the puppet show costs $2.50 on Thursday. Every week it seems my son’s primary school is encouraging me to buy yet another frivolous item or send in money for an activity with a reminder that a portion of proceeds will go to your child’s school that is desperate for money. Oh, and your child has a chance to win some ridiculous plastic trinket as a reward for selling stuff.

I’m frustrated because many of these fundraisers are based around items I wouldn't buy in a good economy and things I’ve definitely eliminated in a crap economy.  But most importantly, I know how little of my money will actually end up going to support the school itself.

For starters, those plastic trinkets or coupons for a free meal (1 meal) that I’ll find in the bottom of my son’s bookbag after the last day of the sale?  Completely unnecessary.  I’d rather see my money going towards supplies for his classroom. And really, I just bought $30 of coupons...now I need to take my whole family out to eat for my son can have his fundraiser reward of a free meal while we spend another $30+ and wouldn't have gone anyway? Or do I let him sit and eat his free meal while we watch. Heartbreaking.

And what about the majority of money going to the fundraising company?  While I want to do what I can to keep manufacturers open and jobs available, my first priority when writing that particular check is to help fund my son’s education.  I hate the idea that $45 of that $50 box of chocolates is going to some company that I have no loyalty to and have a hunch that the plastic trinket I find in Owen's bag is made in China anyway.

Scott grew up in a house that had NO money. Many days he and his brother had to steal food from the local grocery store because there was none to be had in the house. He has told me stories of how anxious he got every time he had a note from school requesting anything. School fundraising doesn't generate warm fuzzy feelings in any way.

Of course, we don’t feel like I can explain that to our son.  By the time he comes home with the note in hand, he’s already been told that he’s helping to raise money for his school and concluded that if your parents don’t buy this it means they don’t love you or care about your education. It’s not easy explaining things like “overhead” and “waste” and "we did what we could" to a five year old boy.

I try to teach my children every time we walk by the Boy Scouts selling popcorn (which is every store this time of year). I support the Boy Scout organization 100%, but when solicited by a young man this fall and was told it was $18 to buy popcorn...I had to decline. I decided on the spot to give a donation instead. Not a large one, but what I had in my pocket. Now, every time we walk by their campaign set up in front of the stores we frequent, the kids ask not for the product but if I have any change to donate. I hope that the kids will continue to ask me when the Salvation Army sets up their kettles in a few weeks. 

I’d prefer if my school districts would simply NOT solicit donations through fundraisers.  Or maybe there’s some pact we can sign that says “in exchange for not participating in any of this year’s frivolous fundraisers, I will send you a check one time for XX amount of dollars.”  Surely there’s a way to turn that into a tax deduction, right?

Tonight, I listened to Owen cry himself to sleep because he did not sell 10 coupon books. We did what we could to get that stupid plastic trinket and free meal. Because he didn't sell 10, he will not be on the morning televised announcements. Tears flowed. He stated he hated school. He never wants to go back.

So, why should a child hate school or hate boy scouts or hate church or hate anything if they aren't able to sell the most during a fundraiser. After a long discussion, we aren't sure what the answer is or how we will proceed. Will they give the sale credit to kids who find 10 donations instead of 10 sales....likely not. We chose to live in an affluent neighborhood minus the affluent house or income. However, will the competition between the rich and poor kids consume us? 

Tomorrow we will have to go shopping for more hand sanitizer, grapes and cheese. Thursday evening, the kids and I will be putting grapes and cheese on skewers. I picked skewers to perfectly coordinate with the plates the room mom picked out for the party so I wouldn't offend her. Scott laughs and says I should get seeded grapes and processed cheese food to offend the other moms. 

The first Saturday in November, we will be selling tickets at the school Fall Harvest Festival and handing out money to let our kids play games above their ability and fun level to raise money for the school. I have attended parent planning meetings and have been in email contact with the class mom. Our week for school drop off duty is in November. Even though I have never drove my child to school, I will have to sit and open doors for other families that do not ride on the bus, while my two youngest will sit strapped in a stroller hours before they usually awake and what ever weather conditions arise. It is not like we don't try.  We are involved. 

I hope the classroom does not make a big presentation about sending home spirit wear or yearbook, because I have not purchased it. The over priced t-shirt would be too small to soon and out of style before the next child enters school. The year book would be ripped apart or tucked in an attic or basement never to be seen again. 

Any suggestions out there? What do you do with fundraisers? I would like to know.

Game day and Nap day

Scott announced late last night that he was *still* considering taking Owen to Chattanooga tomorrow. The second part didn't shock me. The first part was a surprise. He was STILL considering...like I knew that was in play? I had not heard mention of him planning anything, but couldn't argue at the prospect. After a long week of all 3 children being sick, a missed school day, and an empty fridge, I was ok with that idea.


Today Owen and Scott went to Chattanooga. I found my head filled with songs of trains and trolleys all day. Why is it that Chattanooga brings to mind the sounds of trains? I have never even been there. After their departure we were faced with decisions of what we could do all day. HMMM....


First stop. Breakfast. I quickly learned that there isn't many places for breakfast in Farragut or far west Knoxville if you aren't eating fast food. Those that do exist in a reasonable driving range were BUSY. People stacked on the sidewalk outside of the restaurant all wearing UT Orange clothing. It is a crazy thing to see. There must be a city ordinance about wearing Orange on game day, because you don't see many in noncompliance. Luckily, I haven't been arrested and I was just without breakfast. Maybe I should reconsider reasonable driving distance next time.


2nd stop. Grocery store. Although UT game day makes people dress head to toe in Orange, it does provide us newcomers with little social life for tailgating or money for games wonderful opportunities if you avoid downtown. Last Saturday, I needed to go to Target. Parking was insane. Traffic was schizophrenic. I don't mind parking in the last row of a lot, but that wasn't even available. I have been warned that within a couple weeks as the holidays approach, getting anywhere near here will be close to impossible. Today, lots were empty. The only ones there were pushing out carts filled with cases of beer and snack food for the game. Perfect. Quiet store. Minimal traffic. 


3rd stop. Naps. This is where the day gets interesting to me. After eating lunch, Megan and Aidan went upstairs without me saying a word. We layed down for nap and slept. I didn't have any anxiety of Owen raiding cupboards, burning the house down or leaving the house unannounced, so I slept. When we woke up, I laughed. It was 5 pm. There went the possibility of completing any of the household chores that were on my list. 


4th stop. Dinner. Why is it when I go grocery shopping, the last thing I really want to do is prepare food? I had a coupon. Because "the game" was in progress and all people wearing Orange were doing other things, our pizza arrived very quickly. 


Meanwhile, I get this picture  

Mom is not here...ice cream for dinner.

Gone went the guilt of ordering a pizza. Sure I could have removed the soccer sized hornets nest in the basement, fixed the upstairs toilet that decided to imitate Niagara Falls last night at 2 am, put away the laundry or wipe down the years of black grime on the white woodwork in our rental house today. That doesn't matter and will wait for another day, because we must have needed that nap. 

Another state(ment)

Owen has a habit. He wakes up in the middle of the night or very early in the morning and raids the kitchen. Not only raids, but eats weird stuff along his way. Gone is a bottle of syrup, even though only one meal of waffles was served since we moved here. One bottle of honey recently discovered in the bathroom. Several chip bags, left over dumplings, cream cheese, bananas, and lemons. Gone. 


Scott tried to put a carrot out with reward that he would take him on a special outing if he didn't eat the family out of their monthly grocery budget for four mornings. It worked. Kind of. He showed me all the loop holes in the deal. If a chip bag is left on the stove, it is fair game. Or is honey is left in the cupboard with the coffee and tea, fair again. I swear, I will never win. 


With the fall break from school in full force, I made another deal. Stay upstairs in the morning. Don't even think about setting foot down those stairs without waking me up. If you do this, we will go to the top of the mountains. I wasn't sure if we would go or not. 


We did. We all fell in love.


First stop was a roadside harvest festival in Townsend. Although we did not photograph the biggest pumpkins and gourds I have ever seen, here is a few shots of out time there.

Next up, a drive through Pigeon Forge. Ummm. Wow. I still don't have the right words to describe the Las Vegas strip minus the gambling with the addition all all things amusement, comedy shows, music, westerns, not including all the carnival type parks and rides for kids. Here I was looking for a quiet day in the mountains, but I came unprepared and without a map. Because traffic was slow I was able to take a couple shots.

It was miles of stuff. Owen almost had an anxiety attack with all the carnival type attractions. Yet, I have to admit, there was many intriguing attractions if one had 3 weeks and 3 million dollars to explore. Sorry, Mom for my wrong information. Dolly Splash country is closed now, but Dollywood remains open. Tried to change lanes to get our pic on Dollywood Ln for you, but it was proved impossible.


So, off we go. To Gatlinburg visitor center. Candy apple break.

Aidan had a hard time choosing leaving the pumpkin nestled in the seat of the van or eating his candy apple. He did not want to loose track of that pumpkin. We visited the center. Owen spent all his money on an adventure tool kit. I was equipped with maps. Off we go. To the peak.

At 6,643 feet, Clingmans Dome is Great Smoky Mountains National Park's highest point. It is the highest point in Tennessee, and the second highest point east of the Mississippi. Only North Carolina's Mt. Mitchell (6,684 feet) rises higher. Here we are at the peak sitting in the tower after our steep climb to the top. 

Our descent was easier than the climb. We even stopped for a few photographs along the way.

Too bad Megan was camera shy. 

It is not every day Mom gets to be in a picture with her kids.

HoLa Festival

Last weekend the family traveled into downtown Knoxville's newly renovated arts district for Hola Festival! While Scott and Megan danced to music, Owen, Aidan and I traveled the streets to all the booths featuring different countries and their customs they celebrate. Owen filled out a passport after talking with each representative, and we looked at all the displays they set out to show us about their heritage. It was a wonderful event and nice to experience such diversity and celebration. As a family we vote, for the the food from Honduras! Yummy. Second in line was the "genuine" tacos from Mexico. You don't even get that at the roadside stands in Mexico. Real. Scott and the kids enjoyed tamales, too.

Megan with Scott giving her a boost to see young dancers in traditional dress. 

Owen's upset about something. What is new?

Owen trying to figure out what this is.

Street view of the HoLa festival on Gay Street, Knoxville.

Megan studying every move of the dancers and musicians with dad.

I can see this celebration to become an annual event for out family. It was fun. We love the diversity of our new home. I was able to meet a co-worker of Scott who was traveling booth to booth trying a food from every country. Wow! That is a nice plan.