After The Bubbly » new columns http://afterthebubbly.com Real life is the real party. Lap it up. Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:34:18 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Cut Costs This Year, Starting with the Tooth Fairy http://afterthebubbly.com/cut-costs-this-year-starting-with-the-tooth-fairy/ http://afterthebubbly.com/cut-costs-this-year-starting-with-the-tooth-fairy/#comments Fri, 02 Jan 2009 17:29:00 +0000 Lela Davidson http://afterthebubbly.com/cut-costs-this-year-starting-with-the-tooth-fairy/

If you’re feeling the sting of the economic crisis, the credit crunch, or just plastic cuts from your own holiday spending, consider cutting back on child related costs this year. Examine your budget carefully, then wisely wield your scalpel. Vow this year to say no to peer pressure of the imaginary kind. You just may find the Tooth Fairy is ripe for downsizing.

When my daughter lost her first tooth, she was handsomely rewarded by the Tooth Fairy with a crisp dollar bill (which I swiped from my son’s piggy bank, but that’s another story). The next morning she pranced down the stairs, proud of her newfound riches. A whole dollar! She couldn’t have been happier.

A couple days later, her mouth got in the way of two toddlers engaged in a friendly backyard brawl. She ran bleeding and triumphant across the lawn, showing off the fresh gape at the bottom of her Kindergarten smile.

That evening as I put her to bed, she placed the tooth carefully under the pillow.

“Mom?”

“Yes sweetie?” I said, pulling up the sheet and folding it under her chin.

“Some people get more than a dollar.”

I tried not to react. “Really? What do they get?”

She hesitated before answering. “Well… some people get toys.” She was shy – or was it calculating. Then she added, “Ella got $20!”

Twenty bucks? For a tooth? No wonder the economy’s in such a mess.

I told my daughter that I didn’t know anything about the official Tooth Fairy payment schedule, but that her brother had always gotten $1 from the irrepressible imp and she ought to expect the same.

Not to deprive the Tooth Fairy of her mission in life, but consider for a moment where this leads. You let the Tooth Fairy drop twenty dollars a pop and then what about the Easter Bunny? He’s not going to be upstaged by some flighty chick who doesn’t even merit her own holiday. Before you know it the gold bunny will be made of actual gold. Poor Santa’s already on the hook for plenty. Let this kind of spending go unchecked and mark my words next year you’ll be pulling out a home equity loan for school clothes. If you can get a loan that is.

Bottom line: It’s a tooth, not an accomplishment. If your kid complains, blame it on the Fairy.

Image Credit: booleansplit, Flickr

]]> http://afterthebubbly.com/cut-costs-this-year-starting-with-the-tooth-fairy/feed/ 3 Goodbye Isabella http://afterthebubbly.com/goodbye-isabella/ http://afterthebubbly.com/goodbye-isabella/#comments Thu, 27 Sep 2007 16:14:00 +0000 Lela Davidson http://afterthebubbly.com/goodbye-isabella/

As many of you know, I got my start online a long, long, long time ago – last fall – on WhoIsIsabella.com. Recently the website’s owners have decided to move on. I can’t tell you how bummed I am because not only has Isabella been running my column on their beautiful site, but having a deadline every two weeks was awesome accountability for me! As it is, I have half a dozen half completed columns shoved in a notebook. Writing for Isabella gave the me confidence and the platform to apply for other [read: paying] writing work.

However, like the Isabella folks, it’s time for me to move on too. While I’m trying to figure out what direction the column should take and where it belongs [read: who is willing to pay me for it], I’ll be posting it here. But first I need to post all the old columns so I’m going to treat you to a season of repeats! In the next few weeks I’ll be putting everythign up here so you’ll have a chance to giggle again and share with your friends. Share, please!

Also, I know this blog is far from pretty. I am a writer. I am not clever with font and color and placing things around the page. Wish I were. Rest assured that I’m working on it, but all suggestions will be taken to heart. In other words, I need help!

PS – I am still the Parenting Columnist for HubPages and I’m always taking suggestions for topics there. Plus, in case you’re interested, this week I sold my first articles to an actual ink-and-paper regional called Southern Families so if you live in Alabama, Mississippi, or Louisiana, you can check me out in the Nov/Dec issue!

]]> http://afterthebubbly.com/goodbye-isabella/feed/ 3 Jonesin’ to be The Joneses http://afterthebubbly.com/jonesin-to-be-the-joneses/ http://afterthebubbly.com/jonesin-to-be-the-joneses/#comments Mon, 10 Sep 2007 17:20:00 +0000 Lela Davidson http://afterthebubbly.com/jonesin-to-be-the-joneses/
If you find yourself spending way too much energy trying to keep up, maybe you ought to opt out – or at least slack off. That’s what we do. Read all about my sub-standard lawn and deck maintenance in We Are Not The Joneses now on Who Is Isabella.
]]> http://afterthebubbly.com/jonesin-to-be-the-joneses/feed/ 1 The Big Talk http://afterthebubbly.com/the-big-talk/ http://afterthebubbly.com/the-big-talk/#comments Tue, 14 Aug 2007 16:19:00 +0000 Lela Davidson http://afterthebubbly.com/the-big-talk/ Read about how I told my son the facts of life. “Sex, Drugs, and Jesus” is published on whoisisabella.com. Then I’d love you to come back and leave me a comment!

]]> http://afterthebubbly.com/the-big-talk/feed/ 0 Read "Used To Be" http://afterthebubbly.com/read-used-to-be/ http://afterthebubbly.com/read-used-to-be/#comments Tue, 31 Jul 2007 14:19:00 +0000 Lela Davidson http://afterthebubbly.com/read-used-to-be/ After the Bubbly is new today on whoisisabella! Read “Used to Be” now! Then pop back over here and leave me a comment – I’m dying to hear from you.

]]> http://afterthebubbly.com/read-used-to-be/feed/ 0 Great Racing Dragon http://afterthebubbly.com/great-racing-dragon/ http://afterthebubbly.com/great-racing-dragon/#comments Mon, 18 Jun 2007 18:44:00 +0000 Lela Davidson http://afterthebubbly.com/great-racing-dragon/

You asked for it. Thanks to Harmony at Writer in the Making for suggesting I post this picture. If you haven’t yet read Great Racing Dragons, what are you waiting for?
]]> http://afterthebubbly.com/great-racing-dragon/feed/ 1 Welcome to After the Bubbly – The Blog! http://afterthebubbly.com/welcome-to-after-the-bubbly-the-blog/ http://afterthebubbly.com/welcome-to-after-the-bubbly-the-blog/#comments Mon, 18 Jun 2007 02:45:00 +0000 Lela Davidson http://afterthebubbly.com/welcome-to-after-the-bubbly-the-blog/ Thank you all for making After the Bubbly such a success on WhoIsIsabella. If you haven’t checked it out today, you must. Great Racing Dragons is a tale of parental pride gone wrong – way wrong.

I want to hear from you! I hope you’ll stick around to comment and join in the discussion here. Feel free to comment, ask questions, or give your own advice. Treat this space like your virtual neighborhood driveway. Bring your own lawn chair, a beverage of your choice, and all those opinions!

I will do my part with tidbits from the daily trenches, updates on “the writing”, and whatever else crosses my path.

See you on the driveway!

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