blondeiam

Allergies

Ros — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 03:28:37 +0000

So it is allergy season again and they are kicking my butt something awful! I tried to push through and wait it to pass but finally gave in last week and went to the doctors for my medicines… I really benefit from the prescription eye drops. So giddy was I as I headed home, excited that I may soon have a clear head and non-itchy eyes! I had the medicine on the counter and put it away cleaning up…

Yep! If anyone manages to find my medicine I sure would appreciate it!

Project Fireworks…

Ros — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 23:50:22 +0000

In years past the Niceville Chamber of Commerce has put on the annual fireworks show on 4th of July. Niceville is a small town with a small budget ($30,000 which is A LOT of money but not for fireworks I am told!) Last year the Chamber did not have the budget for the fireworks so the show didn’t go on. There was a public outcry for the lack of the show, with people unjustly upset at the City of Niceville for not puttin’ on their ’show’.

So the kind people of the City formed a partnership with Waste Management in the attempt to raise $30,000 to put on a fireworks show. And they are getting funds… They are also collecting aluminum cans for cash - that is where Waste Management come in… Letters have been included in with our water bills, bill board time displays etc to gather attention and money to this ’cause.’

So today I walk into the school and am faced with the big green trash can from Waste Management. They have sponosred can collections in the local 3 elementary schools with a ‘gift certificate’ for the school that collects the most cans. There are big green cans stategically placed around the school, other bin receptacles also across the campus. It looks good…even down to the color copy flyer that came home from school today in the kids folders.

Now again, I think that it is great for us to recycle, we have been doing it at home for years. And it is great to see someone collecting at school…but why do these companies only want to help take the money out of the school…

Where was Waste Management when we wanted to collect for the school and keep the funds in the school?? It takes money to make money and when we are so tight with a budget who wants to spend money buying trash cans for collection points for cans when the trash recepticle cost more than the cans collected? Maybe we will be lucky and Waste Management will leave us the bins for us to continue the collections for the school once the competition is over??? One can only hope!

I also emailed the City Commissioner and asked how much it cost to include a letter in with the water bills as our school is a city concern…as yet I received no response…

Should schools raise funds for others?

Ros — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 22:57:40 +0000

When is enough, enough? SO i am feeling rather confused right now… I have been actively fund raising with the PTO and others in my children’s school for some time. We try hard to cover all the little extras and some of the essentials. We do try very hard to take care of the teachers… but when is enough, enough???

Today I saw two matters that really upset me, perhaps more than they should. The first is that the staff (and a few parents) have a Relay for Life team. This year they raised $5000! That is great but where is that team when we are trying to raise money for the school. And in fact their cause is often in competition with the school efforts. Now my comments are not to take away anything from their needs to raise money nor is it a judgement on the value of their cause…and it pulls at the heartstrings of everyone as everyone knows someone affected by cancer.

However….

Today there was a request for PTO to pay for teacher incentives for their ‘Fitness Club!’ i cant believe this is a real request!!! I for one an mot spending my time so that my efforts go to helping the teacher be motivated to keep herself fit! Do I think she should - absolutely. Should I pay for it - absolutely not! And there are a few teachers that would be better off spending their extra time focusing on their students than complaining how busy she is with all her additional ‘extra cirricula’ activities!

The school has always been a great place for ‘Pennies for Patients’, Canned Food Drives, coin collections etc. The students learn a lot about the communtiy and thinking of others…

I just wish the Relay for Life team showed up with as much gusto for all the other causes that the school actually list as priorities.

Business Cards ordered online…

Ros — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 22:37:35 +0000

So with the property management company I would like to go for business cards. Of course there is so much buzz about Vistaprint. It has been around for a while and they have an agressive marketing strategy including free business cards for the cost of shipping, currently $7.50. I applied for the affiliate program so I could try it, test their system and make recommendations… Now it is wait and see how long it will take them to respond my application…

To VRBO.com or not to VRBO?

Ros — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 21:59:09 +0000

Most people looking to offer their property for vacation rental quickly realise that VRBO, Homeaway and VacaitionRentals.com are now all the same company. I guess they keep the website properties separate to keep the established traffic sources in place… after all the traffic is probably the main reason why the company bought the businesses…

Well it still seems worthwhile to promote my condo on VRBO.comas well as HomeAway so I will - I just wonder how many of HomeAway’s 85 million visitors are part of VRBO’s 80 million?

If you join now you can sign up for a 12-month listing at VRBO.com and get your 13th month free with code CJQ4 thru April 30th (new listings only)