Sometimes, you just have to take matters into your own hands. Saturday night, I told my husband that I would be needing to sleep in for Mother’s Day, so he would have to get up with the baby.
When the baby woke up at six, and he was already up, I thought it would be no issue, only Tom wasn’t up to take care of the baby; he had been up being sick. So much for sleeping in.
So, there I was, four kids and me, on Mother’s Day.
I had been sick on Friday, and hadn’t managed to buy gifts for my mom or mother-in-law, so I told Tom I was going to get them gift cards from a local nursery (as in plants, not babies). His response was “Cool... buy something nice for yourself too.”
Oh good, no sleeping in and no gift. He’s lucky he’s cute.
So, off I went, with the four kids, to the nursery. Thank God for the DVD player in my van... cause I got lost. We were driving around for a good 20 minutes before I found it.
We went to Tom’s mom’s first and we had breakfast there. His whole family were in town for his Dad’s birthday this weekend... not really a good weekend for being sick (I should mention, in total six people got sick this weekend).
After hanging with cousins, aunts, uncles and grand parents for a while, we headed to my mom’s.
We didn’t stay though, turns out she was sick too, so I just dropped off her present. I didn’t think she would want all the kids running around her house.
Now what?
I decided the best thing to do would be to take Tom’s advice, I went shopping.
The kids bought me a new pair of sandals, a purse and some sun glasses... Happy Mother’s Day to me!
I think the kids would like me to have a pedicure too... maybe on my day off tomorrow!
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Last Wednesday, my daughter Rebecca turned 6. Her big present from her dad and I was an iPod touch. I know, some of you are thinking that’s too young, but I actually find the games on the touch are easier for her to navigate than the DS. Yes, she also has a DS.
Anyway, I digress. So, she got the touch, and we knew she was getting a protective case from her aunt at her birthday party on Saturday, so we didn’t bother to get one for her.
When she opened it, she was ecstatic, and she immediately wanted it synced with all our music and apps. Once that was done, Rebecca was in heaven. I think I heard that Jessie J song “Price Tag” about a million times.
Saturday finally came, and she got her Hello Kitty protective case. After her party, I said “go upstairs and get your case for your iPod, so we can make sure it doesn’t get wrecked.”
Off she went, iPod in hand.
I started going about my business, as well as anyone can be expected to with post birthday party trauma, and I was in the kitchen when I heard this blood curdling scream. I went running, thinking that Rebecca had hurt herself, but when I got upstairs the only thing damaged was her iPod touch.
She had needed a bathroom stop on her way to get the case, and as she went into our en suite, she slipped on a towel that was on the floor and dropped the iPod on the ceramic tiles. She was beside herself with grief.
She had only had her (much coveted) iPod touch for 4 days. It still worked, but the screen was shattered and the glass was rough, so I wouldn’t let her touch it.
As I always do when things like this happened, I went to Twitter to ask what to do.
Most people said it wasn’t covered under warranty and it was going to cost upwards of $100 dollars to fix. One person said call Apple Care and plead your case, and another said empty it and return it to the store where you bought it claiming it was like that when you got it.
That last answer seemed like the easiest option, but my husband reminded me what a horrible liar I am, so off I went to the Apple Store.
When I got to the store, I was immediately greeted by one of the workers and I explained what had happened. She told me that the damage was not covered by warranty and there was a fee to replace the screen, then she said she was going to make an appointment at the “Genius Bar” (that’s their customer service desk) for me and I could come back in half an hour to talk to someone. I liked that I didn’t have to stand in line. She then told me to be sure that I told them exactly what I had told her.
So, I went and got a chai latte at the nearby Timothy’s and returned. I signed in and was seen immediately.
I told the customer service representative (Shari) my whole story, the birthday present, the slipping in the bathroom, the Hello Kitty case, and how new the iPod touch was.
She told me “cosmetic damage is not covered by warranty” to which I said “I know, but I’m hoping you can so something for me”
She took the touch and said she would have to talk to her manager to see what they could do. I waited… she wasn’t gone long, but I was nervous so it seemed like ages.
When she came back, she presented me with a new iPod touch and said “wish your daughter a happy birthday”
Tears sprang to my eyes.
In a world where we are so often numbers, and generally are met with automated voices at the end of our phone lines, a world where too often the humanity is removed from customer service, it felt good to have someone listen to my story and make a decision based on emotion rather than cost... and this is why I will always shop at the Apple Store.
Tom, did I mention that I want an iPad? Mother’s Day is right around the corner!
The other day, I was driving home with the girls in the van. Eleanor is 11 and in grade 5, Rebecca is 6 and in Sr. Kindergarten.
I guess in grade 5, they have a mock election, and they get to vote for the candidates that are running in our riding. I had been planning to talk to our kids about the election and the voting process, but I hadn’t done so yet. This is what happens if you don’t teach you kids about politics.
As we drove, we passed several election signs, and Eleanor said “In georgetown, there are really only red and blue signs. Are they the people who will get the most votes?”
“Yes” I told her, “those are the most popular votes.”
“I voted for the blue guy” Eleanor announced.
“Really?” I asked “Did you have a vote at school?”
“Yup”
“And Why did you choose the blue guy?”
“Because people in my class told me to.”
Guess I should have had that talk.
“Why did they tell you to? What reason did they give you to vote for him?”
“They said the red guy was going to hike taxes”
I guess the other parents remembered to have the talk with their kids.
“You should never vote for someone because someone told you to.” I explained “You can read all about the different parties and what they stand for and you can decide for yourself which party is best for you.”
I explained that the party that isn’t going to hike taxes may be cutting funding to something she finds important, that some parties have families in mind while others have big business in mind.
I told her that I chose to vote green, and as we passed a sign for the green party candidate, I pointed it out.
“I think that’s the only green sign in Georgetown.” She said
We discussed how each party stands for different things, and each party has their own goals, so it was important to read about them and decide which party she liked and which party she didn’t like.
To that, Rebecca said, “Yeah, because one of them might have a cake that you don’t like.”
And so ended my political discussion.
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