Things We Do For Our Kids #3457

At one point this fall I was fundraising for 3 classrooms and 5 hockey teams. Yes, cry with me now.

That meant I was simultaneously juggling catalogues for Chocolates, Calendars, Poinsettias, Christmas Wrapping Paper, Tulip Bulbs, Spices, Meat, Milk and Pizza. Oh, and cruise tickets.

It got to the point of humiliation and I couldn't remember which child was raising money for what project or what team or what trip. Send me a damn bill cause I don't want to sell over priced Christmas Cards that arrive on December 20Th and Tulip Bulbs, in the NORTH, in NOVEMBER? Yeah, not a hot seller there either.

Add the fact that our town, not so big! And the fund raising ideas? Not so unique. So that means if you have a child in this town, or know a child in this town, you've already been hit up for cash. My neighbours suddenly invested in "No Solicitation" signs. Friends refused to make eye contact. Family quit answering our calls. In other words, fundraising was a gigantic waste of time and energy and I finally broke down and cried to the hockey coordinator to just send me the bill, I would rather write a cheque. Yes, that cheque is completely rubber. But still ... someone save me from the hell that is fundraising!!

So as you can tell, my attitude about these fund raising efforts was neither positive nor overly enthusiastic and I might harbor some resentment. At least I did until New Year's Day.

Because on New Year's Day we WON the cruise that our second son was fundraising for. People are excited for us. And I am excited for us too, as long as I don't look at the numbers too closely as to what this "Free" cruise has cost us. We will just consider all those hockey trips, boxes of Christmas wrap, the dozen poinsettias currently dying in my living room, the three buckets of cookie dough in my freezer and the 17 cruise tickets I paid twenty bucks a piece for a forced vacation savings plan. And come spring? You will apparently find me and my beloved heading off into the sunset on a cruise ship back towards somewhere warm courtesy of our fellow hockey parents.

And in the mean time could I sell you some grocery gift cards? Maybe you would like some bulk frozen meat? Easter Gift Wrap? If you do, you know who to call, right?