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meet the suckers
Rick and I noticed a mistake on our credit card bill the other day. Two identical charges in West Palm Beach for $26.61. On the same day. Minutes apart. Clearly, we were double charged.
So we called the credit card company and contested the identical charges. We are a bunch of way smart cookies over here. Don’t try to mess with us. Because we are too quick. Too brilliant. We know your moves before you do. We… wait, I just remembered something.
This…
oh, and this one too…
Yeah, that’s 2 identical Elmo rolling backpacks. Each costing $26.61.
Hold on a second.
Rick, honey, can you call the credit card company and tell them we are no longer contesting those charges?
When we were in the Florida airport last month, we stopped at this children’s toy store to buy a pair of $5 kids’ sunglasses. But they were sold out. As we turned to leave, Dylan fell in LOVE with the Elmo backpack. Two minutes later, Summer wanted one too.
$50 bucks for 2 backpacks? That ain’t cheap. Well, they seemed to adore them. Plus, this might keep them happy at the airport. We caved.
Less than 20 minutes later, Dylan was begging me for a huge bag of mixed nuts at the newsstand.
Me: Dylan, we have tons of snacks. You don’t need the nuts. I already HAVE nuts for you in my purse.
Dylan: But I want THESE nuts.
Me (aka super clever mama): Ok, do you want to trade your new, awesome, kickin’ Elmo backpack for this bag of nuts?
Dylan (without pausing): Yes.
Me: What?! You’d rather have THESE nuts than the rolling backpack with all the cool pockets?
Dylan: Yes.
Me (stuttering): Well… um… sorry you can’t. Come on. Let’s go. We need to board the plane.
Dylan (sobbing): BUT I WAAAAAAAAAANT THE NUTS. You said I could have the nuts. YOU SAID!
Dylan never got those nuts. I know what I said but I’m not that much of a pushover.
So those backpacks have been sitting in the closet ever since.
Until today. I pulled them out and coerced the girls into playing with them for a whole 2 minutes.
Look how much fun they are having! Well, you can’t see their faces. But take it from me, they were having a BLAST. $50 bucks plus tax worth of fun, that’s for darn sure. Can’t get that kind of fun out of a bag of mixed nuts. Just can’t.
mama bird notes
Contributing mama Daphne Biener isn’t about to let some bully push around her kid. Click on contributing mamas to read more.
As promised, here’s another mama bird giveaway, courtesy of super cool Toby + Rei. The owners are dedicated to creating beautiful, eco friendly clothing for you and your babe. They even have a blog, focused on all things green and lovely.
Leave a comment this week on the mama bird diaries and you are entered to win this 100% organic cotton lunch sack in pebble grey with cool robot graphic.
and this awesome 100% organic cotton tee, sewn in a sweatshop free environment. Pebble gray with orange + sky blue robot graphic. Size 2T
Good luck mamas!
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42 comments <--click to comment |
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Your backpack story.. the caving? That happens WAY too much around here. We're just nuts.
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My favorite shirts ever are plain, sweat-shop free numbers from American Apparel. Their adds are sometimes obscene, but I LoVE the shirts!
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Actually, Kelc, I think you are pretty smart. Having worked in high schools for so long, many kids have back problems starting at an early age due to lugging around books. If you can train them now that it's not that nerdy to roll the books around, you will save millions in chiropractic bills and back pains! See, a positive spin! Plus the packs are pretty cute.
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The backpack story sounds familiar, since I've done things exactly like that.
Too funny!
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Oh, whoops!
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Ooooh yeah. Airports are the worst for cave-in purchases.
Good going on the nuts, though. You are tough!!
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Or you could also do what my dad used to do to Matt and me:give us $10 for video games and told us to get lost while we waited for the flight.
Then again, he was so anal that we would be at the airport 4 hours ahead of time but the man trained me well!
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Good for you for wanting to call the credit card company back. Honesty is awesome!
The backpacks are cute though – so are the robot giveaways.
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We cave in all the time….that is why our house is overflowing with toys.
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Why are kids like that?? They want a toy sooo badly, yet play with it all of 2 seconds. Drives me nuts.
Oh, and the double charge? Funny! My story isn't so funny. One time Walmart triple-charged us on a $350 purchase. Yep, $1,000 for a $300 TV. I got two of them reversed, of course.
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Elmo does have magical powers – if only they could last longer. . .
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Kelcey, you completely crack me up.
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how much crap do i have that i thought was going to be THE toy that would bring unending hours of blissful solo play??
how many bargains have i tried to strike with the short one, only to be outsmarted and thwarted once again?? ugh!
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Ok I totally need that lunch bag for me. It's Masters' Week in Augusta and I need that bag to smuggle in chocolate!
I've missed you Kelcey! I'm playing catch-up in my 3.2 seconds of peace before the hotel gets bum-rushed.
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Kelcey,
There is a great read out there for helping all of us parents learn the importance of saying no…. even in an airport. It is "No: Why Kids of All Ages Need to Hear it and Ways Parents Can Say it" by David Walsh.
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How about DEEEEEZ NUTZ?
When my kids ask for stuff, I tell them we'll put it on their birthday / Christmas list. Now instead of asking for stuff, they just ask me to put it on their list. Wonder when they'll figure out that I'm not actually writing anything down?
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Oh, you should totally rock the Elmo backpack the next time you go out to dinner with your husband.
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Josh takes his Elmo backpack (a similar version to yours) to Grandmas & Grandad's house every week. He loves the darn thing.
Those shirts are too cute! Thanks for hosting a fun giveaway!
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Our little guy can't talk yet, so no problems there (yet). Nevertheless he is starting daycare this summer and could sure use a robot lunch sack! And a matching robot T!!!
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ahem. sorry about that if you actually follow the name links…I clicked on my own comment just because I like to look at pics of my munckin (who is sleeping now) and that is NOT a link to his site! Please pardon my goof!
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I am just glad to hear that you were going to contest the 26.61.
We went to Sonic this weekend and were. overcharged. 1.54. and they forgot our extra spoons.
Dick thought I was crazy to go back, but it's not the amount — it's the principle of the thing. AND we needed the spoons for screaming kids. You have to stand your ground somewhere.
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My children always HAVE to have something in every store we go in…something I didn't even realize until I went shopping with my mom and she was horrified!! Since then, we walk out of stores with NOTHING, just on principal. lol
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Tough love – it's the best.
Love that organic t-shirt.
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I love your efforts to convince us that they were having loads of fun. so many "great ideas" are shoved in closets around here too!
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Super cute lunchbag and tee. And those Elmo backpacks would match all the other elmo stuff at our house.
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my house is full and overflowing with stuff i caved in. i must stop! or open a used toy store, i'm not sure which.
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Oops! I hate it when you feel so on top of something, only to realize you really did make the 2 purchases! I would hands down do that in a hearbeat.
My hubby is a robot fanatic, although would I have to actually pack a lunch if I were to win??
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I have totally done the crazy buying of things for the kids. I'm somewhat hardened now after years of it but when they were little….YIKES!
Great luggage btw! We have a princess version:)
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Oh, my kiddos go for anything…and I mean anything with Elmo on it…
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My daughter has learned to ask "Do we need a ___?" We recently had the request for the princess backpack.
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omg 'deez nuts' brings me back for real. thanks memarie for the much needed laugh out loud!!
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Two minutes? Really? Can I borrow them? Hope Rick's hand gets better.
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Perhaps we're related. I so get that mentality. I forgot what I made for dinner tonight already My son would LOVE that backpack. This house is an ELMO house!
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cute story! you have a great blog and how cute is that little guy in the t+r shirt!!!
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Funny! I love that lunch bag. I have been a big fan of the Mimi The Sardine lunch totes, but that would be a nice change.
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LMAO at Dylan's bartering skills!
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love the credit card oops! Hey, at least you're honest about it!
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well at least you guys were good enough to call the credit card company back and let them know you made a mistake
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Easy for us we have an allergice child! No nuts. But Elmo oh sweet Elmo and those big Golf Ball eyes. WHo can resist. I have called the cc co. for the same thing only to find out I did purchase it after all. To err i human! Love the sight!
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Too funny!! We were just traveling last week with our kids and I would have killed for these. I think every 18 month old should be carrying (rolling) her own stuff. I'm not a sherpa!
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It's okay. Indulge them now. Then when they're old enough to help out, give them loose change for their "jobs". And when they want a toy, tell them they have to buy it themselves.
In our house, all new toys cost, like, $1000.
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OMG – too funny! (As is the post above, with the changing channel thing – I was dying, picturing these men missing out on their ESPN and gettin' all pissy about it!)
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