Ducks as Fundraising Incentives...

They look harmless, right? The kids at the girls' school go bananas for these things and thus, they are a very effective incentive for the first fall fundraiser at their school. The past week and a half, I went to help pass out ducks at lunchtime (ducks are awarded if the kid (the parents!) sell one item, 5 items, 10 items, etc. Can you guess who the duck in the middle is supposed to be? It was one of the most popular, along with Lady Gaga. The girls both opted for the ladybug duck this year.

Personally? I hate these things. Sure, they're cute 'n all, but they are very inexpensive, so either the chain links break or the duck itself breaks (after all, it's just a rubber loop at the top). You cannot imagine the hysteria this provokes, until you've had your own kid freak out. Last year (you may remember), Marika lost her duck within 20 minutes - but totally lucked out because some kid admitted that he had picked it up. Usually, once they're found, the lucky "finder" won't turn it over...

This year, we wrote initials on the ducks (not that that helped, but...) and the girls weren't allowed to bring theirs back to school (I mean, seriously - they broke at home, within 10 minutes). I was dismayed, too, to find at least one kindergartener trying go turn in a classmate's duck coupon for himself (luckily for the victim, I knew the family).

Ah, well. That is the nature of kids and fundraisers, I guess. We like to spend the most money on the school's bookfair, which is coming up next month, rather than on a catalog filled with items we'll never use (which is why we ended up doing a straight donation instead, so the girls could still get their ducks).

Tidbits

1. Hey, check out this free download for journaling spots from Scrapbook and Cards Today, by designer Laina Lamb... they're really cute!

2. Scrapbuck.com has Spellbinders and Quickutz dies! Check out their "new items" category!

3. I hadn't been to Tuesday Morning in a few months, but was pleased to find a pack of Martha Stewart (heart & flower) clear stamps for $1.99 yesterday. Score!