Friday, February 15, 2008

additional postage necessary

there is absolutely NOTHING exciting about finding your mailbox chock full of valentines, when they are the valentines YOU mailed out!!



yup. that's what greeted me yesterday afternoon. and every single one of them had an obnoxious sticker covering the mailing label announcing that my valentines require additional postage because they can't be machine cancelled. because in a last minute attempt to make my valentines *cuter,* i added an embellishment that is apparantly offensive to the USPS and their sensitive machines.

and just why, exactly couldn't they have told me this when i asked them to put postage on the valentines that were going to other countries?!? why couldn't they tell me then??? and i've only gotten about half of them back, so i'm fully expecting that i'll get the others today. and, by God, i am going to resend each and every one of them again. so there.

and as long as i'm in the middle of a good rant, please read this:



do you see the part where it says, "if you are going to send in a treat in addition to a card, please choose stickers, pencils, erasers, etc. we do not encourage sending candy..."

wait - you couldn't read that? here, maybe i can get a clearer picture with this lollipop-laden valentine in the shot. the red dye, high fructose corn syrup laden valentine from. his. teachers.



here's the total haul (which i dutifully tossed while jack was off at a scout meeting.) one and half pounds of candy!! (and, i'm here to tell you, it wasn't even good candy!)



i'm feeling a little better, now that i've gotten that off of my chest. how are YOU this morning?!?

27 comments:

April said...

Hilarious, as usual, my dear Lelly. I had to dump my kids' backpacks as well...ridiculous!

The Monkeys said...

Sorry, I was one of the offending parents. It's just tradition to send lots of yucky candy that you would never eat yourself. I even used last years candy- how bad was that? (ducking!- do you spell it the same way you do a duck?)

The Monkeys said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Amber Grannis said...

that's hysterical! yes, even tho my kids are home-schooled, they are still coming down off their sugar high from yesterday. they were (to my delight) very picky about what candy deserved to be ingested immediately and what candy was better off in the rubbish bin. my consolation is that the only candy they gorged themselves on was chocolate and that at least A) shows good taste, and B) is a milk product...sort of...ok, it's not even close to health food. i'm rereading this and already feeling like a lame mom.

patsy said...

It just cracks me up that the teachers sent candy after all that fuss!
I am throwing away sugar cookies-
not even good ones- as we speak~

Although I have already eaten WAY too much of them & think I might puke!! How do I ever expect my kids to have any self control??

Anonymous said...

This was a good giggle to get me going- the candy thing is just so funny.

Laurie said...

I share your frustration. About the candy, on a personal note. And about the postage, on an empathetic note. Grrrr....

Good for you for making the cookies at the last minute!

Amy said...

I got & LOVED your Valentine. It definitely brightened my yesterday.

Kelly said...

Yee Ha! I love a good Valentine's day rant. I feel like I can finally breathe now that the suffocating holiday is over.

I sent candy. I sent gummy Crabby Patties. I got called out by a dad who said they had outlawed SpongeBob in their home and I shouldn't be promoting such evil.

I pretended like I didn't notice Quincy ate nothing yesterday but candy, even I can appreciate the chocolate side of the day. This morning she was a little ray of sunshine, vs her usual morning grouch. I love candy!

Neighbor Jane Payne said...

BUMMERS about the postage...I do wish those postage machines would learn to like brads, flowers, buttons and other cute gizmos. I think the picture of you weighing the candy is so funny.

jenny said...

We got that same memo. However, I learned last year no one followed the rules. So guess what I broke them this year too! Who just wants a V card with no candy any how??

Marie said...

Yesterday was my first time with a child in any kind of school valentine exchange. I could not believe how much junk he got! I don't remember sending my classmates anything but the valentine. Did you?

Crazymamaof6 said...

oh bummer!
that rots. but i bet they are adorable. UGH!
and totally ironic about the candy thought? maybe your teacher didn't read the letter.

Denise said...

Nuh UH! They did NOT send your Valentines back! Oh, that is cruel. I've had Christmas cards returned, and sending all that postage again, plus more, just makes me wince.

Mental note: mail no embellishments, ever. What a bummer!

Holly said...

I would have to say I'm one of those parents that also send in CANDY - heck, the kids probably never get it at home anyway, or if they are anything like mine, they eat all of 2 pieces and never look back! Sorry about your mailings...what a bummer!

michelle allen said...

this is really funny! i'm guessing that most of the parents are just like me and never get around to reading half the stuff that comes home in the backpack till it's too late.

you commented on my blog that you used to do all the shows. do you still make product? are you no longer doing any wholesaling?

love your blog : )

michelle said...

Hilarious! Loved the scale photo. Such a bummer about your cards being sent back -- I hate that. But I got mine yesterday and it definitely brightened my day, thank you!

Barb said...

Double frustrating! I have had that happen with good mail before, and I have big issues with the way every holiday has turned into a candy event. But I can't believe the teacher gave candy!

annalisa said...

ha ha. Alexis' teacher made cute huge paper bags the kids decorated and hung off the edge of their desk for Valentines. I just hate stuff, so I dread parties and holidays where they come home with trinkets and I have nowhere to put them. I let her keep them for a few days and then they are in the trash while she is out.

Natasha said...

I got your Valentine today - it made it! I have it hanging in my kitchen, thank you!! I am impressed when people get Valentines mailed out - I am still recovering from sending Christmas cards.
I'm with you on all the trash candy.

Amanda :-) said...

I got your Valentine, Lelly!
*winks* *taps nose*
I will blog about it soon!

What a liberty, that school letter. That's rich indeed.

The parents at Erin's school do b*gger all for Valentine's. The Brits just don't have the handle on it that you lot do, but I sent Erin in with 34 lollipops (sugar-free). If the school complains, it'll be solely because of me because I don't think ANYONE ELSE did ANYTHING, the miserable old codgers.

wende said...

i have so enjoyed catching up on your blog, i've been lame and delayed lately. i am so sorry about your valentine return, that really stinks because it's no small deal getting good mail ready and sent. i wouldn't want to see it in my mail box either. send them anyway, there's nothing wrong with spreading the valentine love over a week instead of one day. good luck!

everything pink! said...

i was so happy to get my valentine and it is still on my front door!!!

j said...

ha ha ha!!!! i am cracking up over that note and the subsequent candy overload!!! i just expected the candy rampage from the daycare this year and was pleasantly surprised by pencils.
so sad that your valentine's got returned! the upside is that you get to spread love all month long!!!

janna said...

LOL.... but so true!

carlo said...

wow. on the candy.

wow. on the letter and teachers not listening

wow on the usps.

eeekkkk! now i am concerned that some of my hearts haven't made it to where they were sent off to either b/c of the buttons.

oh that just stinks...

chloe said...

But I really think things sometimes happen for a reason. I got mine last night, when I finally got home after a very, very long day. It was just what I needed. Thank you!!!