Last spring, we packed up the car and headed to Washington D.C. When we made the reservations, we had no idea we were making them during the annual “Cherry Blossom Festival.” We decided to make the best of it even though we knew it was going to be atypically crowded in the nation’s capital.

Our first full day in D.C. was spent taking in the major icons. We strolled from Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial. We took side paths so we didn’t miss the Vietnam Memorial and the World War II Memorial. KT had just studied FDR’s presidency in her history curriculum, so we made a point of going to that memorial too. We traipsed all the way around the tidal basin and stopped by the Jefferson Memorial along the way. We must have walked 10 miles that day. It was a glorious day with the sunshine beaming down on us. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom and they were spectacular. The air was filled with the most fragrant scent, and we couldn’t help but smile at the glory of it all.

A terrible thunderstorm ripped through the area that night. The next day 95% of the cherry blossoms were lying on the ground. After that, we heard many people complaining that the cherry blossoms were gone.

Then today I find this on Drudge:

WASHINGTON (AP) - They have been lovingly groomed for the past three months, and next week all eyes will be on Washington’s treasured cherry trees in anticipation of the few days when they burst into an irresistible sea of pale blossoms.
But as the trees perform the famous ritual that has drawn visitors for decades, officials are issuing friendly reminders about the harmful effects of snapping branches, climbing limbs and trampling the roots.

It just absolutely disgusts me what people will do. Obviously it happens a good bit, otherwise the Park Service wouldn’t have to issue friendly reminders. Never once during our visit, did I even think I should swipe a branch of a cherry blossom tree to take home as a souvenir. It didn’t cross my mind to hoist my kids up in a tree to snap their picture. We took plenty of pictures to try to capture the absolute beauty of it, but as usually happens, it’s no where near as spectacular as it was in real life.

It reminds me of a saying I’ve read at various tourist spots: “Take Only Pictures, Leave Only Footprints.” We can’t control the thunderstorms that will take away the beauty, but we surely can control our actions. Keep things beautiful for the next person too!

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I couldn’t believe it the first time I saw it. To this day I’m still unsure why it exists. Every parking lot is required by law to have spaces for handicapped parking, but now many parking lots (especially those at places like Toys-R-Us and Babies-R-Us) have close up parking reserved for expectant mothers. Parking spaces are reserved for these moms with pastel colored signs featuring a stork carrying a baby.

What gives?

When I was pregnant for the first time, my OB told me an exercise program including walking would keep my body in shape and ultimately would make my labor easier. I walked…..a lot. I walked around malls and my neighborhood and parks. In fact, the day before I delivered, I probably walked 4 hours total! My labor, start to finish, was 4 hours long.

And now stores are making it convenient for pregnant moms to avoid walking.

Of course, there are always situations where a pregnant woman would need to park closer, but if that’s the case couldn’t they can get the standard issue handicapped parking permit from their OB?

A normal, healthy pregnancy is not a disability.

I’ve always been tempted to park in one of these spots. I envision myself getting ticketed by the pregnancy police. I’m thinking my defense could be, “But officer, I AM pregnant. I’m 6 weeks pregnant and I’m not showing yet.”

What craziness will I see next?

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Maybe I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed, but there are street signs in Ohio that confuse me. They say:
SCHOOL ZONE
20 mph
During Restricted Hours

What does that mean? Sure, sure, I know it means I need to slow down for the school zone. That much I understand. But what hours are restricted? Is it only when buses are present? Is it when students are walking to school? Is it in effect when there is outdoor recess? Or does it include the entire school day? Is this a high school that begins school around 7:30 a.m.? Or an elementary school that doesn’t begin until 9:00? If I get pulled over for not adhering to the posted 20 mph speed limit, can I plead ignorance and say I didn’t realize it was a restricted hour? These signs, when accompanied by flashing lights or further guidelines, are appropriate. Without these things, they are too confusing.

I wanted to include a picture of one of these signs in this post, but short of taking a picture of one myself, I cannot find one! The internet is a big place, and I thought for sure a Google Images search would produce an image of this sign. Instead I found all sorts of examples of appropriate signs. Signs which included vital information such as:
School zone
20 mph
When Children
Are Present

Or:

School Zone
20 mph
8:00-10:00 am
2:00-4:00 pm

Or even:

School Zone
20 mph
When Lights
Are Flashing

Why do the signs have to be so ambiguous in Ohio?

What do the school zone signs say in your neck of the woods?

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Our family goes to the theater–a lot. With both kids involved in drama, we sometimes see the same show 4 or 5 or 10 times. I think it’s a wonderful thing to expose young children to the world of theater. In fact, our neighbors take their three nieces to plays on a regular basis. They bring them to the show all decked out in their Sunday best, and it’s just a joy to see them fascinated by the experience. It’s cute to hear the stories about how enthralled they were at seeing KT or Nick on the stage.

Because I sit through a lot of shows, I’ve had the opportunity to experience all sorts of things. Some good, some not so good.

Here’s the good: I’ve seen well behaved children who sit and watch the show with very little squirming, talking, or bothering. I’ve seen these children do something disturbing to others and I’ve seen their parents touch a leg gently, lean down toward the child, and whisper something in their ear. I’ve seen the child stop what they are doing and continue watching the play. I’ve seen mothers of toddlers briskly walk out of a theater if their child becomes too antsy or begins to cry. I’ve seen parents remove all of the Twizzlers from the package and give them to the child instead of letting the child constantly crinkle the wrapper to get another candy out.

Here’s the not so good: I’ve seen children who talk, children who squirm, and children who kick the seats of those in front of them. I’ve seen (and heard) children who constantly crinkle their candy wrapper during the show. I’ve seen parents try to console their screaming child in the theater instead of removing them from the area. And just this last weekend I experienced something new. I sat very close to a 9 or 10-year old child who sniffed every 1.8 seconds. Not just a little sniff, but a loud, wet, nasty sniff. She also constantly cleared her throat and occasionally coughed. Mid-play she blew her nose for 2 full minutes, only pausing intermittently to inhale. Everyone in the theater kept turning to look at this poor child and maybe to clue the mother in to the disruption she was causing. But alas, her mother stared at the stage, unfazed by her daughter’s situation. The little girl obviously didn’t feel well as she kept putting her head down on the back of her seat. She’d have been more comfortable at home, and the theater goers around her would have enjoyed the play more had she not been there. As a side note, this child left several of her used tissues on and under her seat when she left the theater.

I don’t expect children to be perfect angels automatically. They need to be coached. They need to be reminded. They need to know the expectations and be gently corrected if they aren’t being courteous to other people around them.

I realize children’s theaters are meant to cater to children. Don’t get me wrong. I think it’s great when parents expose their children to the arts. But please do not get so engrossed in the play yourself that you fail to notice your children are bothering others. Prep your kids in advance and tell them the behaviors you expect: no kicking the person’s seat in front of you, only occasional whispering if necessary, no candy wrapper crinkling, etc. And for goodness sake, if your child is so sick they cannot stop sniffing or coughing, skip the play that day.

I know in my case, my kids are prepped before hand on what to expect from the play and what we expect from them during the show. And our kids rise to those expectations. I encourage all of you to find a children’s theater in your area and take in a play. But please be courteous to those around you.

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By now, most of you have probably heard the news from the United States Postal Service. Starting in May, the price to mail a first class letter will increase from $0.39 to $0.41. Price increases every couple of years isn’t anything new. The new bit is they will be offering a “forever stamp.” From what I gather, this stamp will also cost $0.41 and will be valid…..well–forever.

So if you purchase the forever stamp, and the price to mail a first class letter goes up to $0.52, you can apply one of these special stamps and off it goes for $0.41.

I imagine as soon as these become available, people will rush out and stock up thus locking their postage costs in at today’s prices. The post office stands to make a LOT of money when this happens. The problem is this: government agencies, historically, are not so good when it comes to investing and preparing for lean times. If the masses buy the forever stamp in large quantities, they won’t need to buy stamps for a long time. At some point during those lean years, the post office will run out of money (probably sooner rather than later) and who will pick up the tab?

My guess is it will be the people who did not plan ahead and buy the forever stamps.

I think my plan will be to find every possible way to get around using the USPS. I’ll send more emails. I’ll pay more bills online. I’ll send online birthday greetings through the Hallmark website.

So what are YOU going to do when the forever stamp comes out?

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