Defined Management

We just got an email from one of our children's teachers for next year. The email contained a list of supplies needed for Back to School. I told Dear Hubby that I appreciated the advance notice, but wondered why I needed to send supplies like a ream of copy paper for general school use. His whitty remark was something to the effect of, "Well, that is why the United Order won't work, is because of whiny people like you, har, har."

I continued to vent that I wouldn't have such an issue with sending supplies if it were not for the abuse of the donations that I see. There is no respect or care given to the supplies. The ultimate case in point was this year's last day of school. In my daughter's class, all the pencils, markers, notebooks, folders, general supplies (supplies that parents donated) were laid out on the tables for a free-for-all, come-and-get-it fair. My daughter came home with a huge bag of dry-erase markers, manila folders, pencils, hand sanitizer, and colored pencils. The girl does not need these things.

I will bet that if those things were saved and, I don't know, passed on to the next teacher for next year, I may not have to spend $50 + on school supplies for each student next year. To this my husband responded, "What's your problem? Why can't you be a team player? Be part of the solution, not the problem. Am I catching on to my new Manager role yet?" My retort was, "No, you sound unsympathetic, condescending and self-righteous. If that's what you were aiming for, you hit it on the head."

Got off my Soapbox

There are a few things that have been bugging me lately. I need to vent;

I hate it when you make an appointment- or worse- have a standing appointment with someone and they don't call you to tell you that they are running late. This also goes for when someone has a appointment to come to your house and you have to call THEM an hour and a half later to be told, "Ya, I'm on my way." Really? Really? I thought that an HOUR AGO!!!

Maybe I'm wrong, but I think that if I can feed, dress, corrall, tell 7 times to get coats- no not jackets- coats and get shoes AND socks for five kids, then you can show up. I strategically plan when to nurse, when my kids (including the baby) nap, when they eat, when I eat, when to leave, take into account the weather, time of day and direction I will be traveling so as to account for traffic. The LEAST you could do is pick up your phone and let me know that you are running late for the thing that I am paying you for. Seriously- AAAAAHHHHH!

There's more, but I don't think I should vent that much in one post. You might get to know me too well, and that's not good for either of us.