Monday, March 17, 2008

Major Mom Mistakes

Please tell me that I'm not the only one who has done this. Or at least something like this.

I think I've mentioned before that we go to the library every week. It is a special time for me, because it reminds me of my childhood. It is a special time for Lena because she gets to go "bye bye in de car." It is also a time when she can say hello fifty times to every child she sees!

Well, before we went to Florida, I checked online to see when my books were due so that I could either take them back or renew them.

I saw that we had a lot of books out, but I renewed each and every one, patting myself on the head for my resourcefulness.

You can imagine my surprise and dismay when I went online and found out that I had NOT renewed my books - not a single one.

And I owed SEVEN dollars in fees.

So dismayed and disappointed was I that I stomped outside and warmed up the car, taking a very sick daughter out in the cold. And yes, she was still in her nightgown.

And yes, I beat myself up about it all the way there.

I called Mr. S whose very life mirrors our Lord's mercy toward His errant children. He listened to me rant and rave about how hard I try to save money each week and can't believe that I would do such a reckless thing.

"Just pretend you picked up some lunch for yourself - that's probably about what you
would have spent," he said mildly.

Sigh. I hope this doesn't happen to me again any time soon. It takes too much out of me!

10 comments:

Sara said...

Beverly...I have done the SAME THING! What's really bad is when you renew them online, and for some reason they don't go through as renewed. Not too long ago I misplaced 2 DVDs, so I had to pay for new ones...the total came out to 50 DOLLARS!! I've never found the two DVDS, and I still kick myself when I think about how much money I spent on two movies I never even watched! So yes, I understand completely. :)

Beka said...

Oh dear! I know how frustrating those kinds of things are. But I'm thankful that we both have husbands who mirror God's love and mercy!

Anonymous said...

Maybe you checked them but forgot to check the renew button - in my county that is the 2nd step in order to renew. Sometimes it helps to ask at the desk - if you get a merciful person, they might even reduce the fine. Oh well - press on sister! Be glad for such an understanding hubby!

Anonymous said...

LOL!!! I was having a rough day, but that story made me smile.

Yes those library fees are pesky. That's why I decided to just start buying my books. Never having to worry about fines is priceless.

Neesie said...

Hahaha...I shouldn't laugh because I have done the same thing very often. I can just see you ranting over the phone at E, and him responding with that answer. He does takes things so well. ;-)

Maxine said...

You never saw anyone beat up on themselves as much as I did recently when I discovered certain videos had not been renewed! My family had to listen to me rant and rave for half an hour or more about my own inefficiencies! Nothing is more irritating! But you know my old saying: "I hope this is the worst thing that happens to me today." Anyway, that was indeed a merciful thing for your husband to say. And it is true. The problem with me is that I don't always learn my lesson!
Well, the Lord knows we're but dust and so do our husbands...

Mimi said...

don't be too hard on yourself Beverly,
we have all been there and done that...I'll bet you even got an extra $7.00 worth of pleasure out of the books anyway...
Mimi

Anonymous said...

Awwwh sweet sweet E =)
Well not exactly that but something similar happened w/us when we went to a Pizza parlor around our place. We read that a Med pizza was $11, so my husband & I were like "Okay thats great". We waited 15 minutes for our order and when my husband took out $11, the lady said "Sir its $20". My initial reaction was "WHAT? a med chicken pizza for $20???"
Hubby dear smiled and paid for it, while I was ready to say "lady we're not paying $20 for a med pizza"... The lady said "for the chicken pizza we had to add more toppings and each topping was $2.00"... bleh we ended up eating it, enjoying it ofcourse, but wondered was it really worth $20.00???
So I can understand what you must have gone through =D

Kristin said...

You're not alone on this one :-) I lost a DVD for a while and when I finally found it I owed $16 to the library. Yuck. The whole time I was thinking about how many hours of work that was at the restaurant :-(

Tanya said...

If this is the worst of you ... oh man! My kids have witnessed MUCH WORSE from me. You'll be fine. I understand the stress, but give yourself a break. It's gonna be okay. :)