Day 95 - Is This The Party to Whom I Am Speaking?

I remember, waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in the Olden Days before cell phones, attending third grade and being taught as a class how to use a pay phone. We were all sent to school with a dime (yes, you read that right) taped to a little card with our parent's phone number on it. One at a time, we marched up to the pay phone, stood on a chair, plunked in our dime, and had a conversation that went something like this:

"Hello?"
"Hi Mommy! I'm on the phone!"
"Yes dear, I can hear that! OK - I'll see you when you get home!"
"OK! And can we have hot dogs for dinner tonight?"
"Yes. Bye bye!"
"OK! And beef-a-roni?"
"YES! OK, time to go!"
"OK! And fudgesicles for dessert?"
....click.....

I don't know why I was surprised that Sebastian picked up a highlighter a few weeks ago, placed it against his cheek, and said, "Hello?" Oh yes, it was superty cute. But what's NOT superty cute? How many times my phone has rung this morning for Silly Things. BUT, Dear Reader, I have learned a thing or two in my many moons upon this earth, and I will share both of them with you now (and this is all I got, so don't ask any questions).

1. If you can't talk right now (you're up to your elbows in a stinky diaper, you're cooking hot dogs and beef-a-roni, you're trying to pry a Toddler off your leg so you can walk, etc.), don't answer the phone. Just let it go to voice mail.

2. If you don't know who's calling, there's no law that says you have to answer. Just let it go to voice mail. Are you seeing a theme here?

When did we become available 24 hours a day? My new rules: I have "office hours" between 8-6. If you want to talk to me about business, do it then - not when I'm getting ready for bed. The phone goes off at 10:00, and back on at 8:00 am. I'm checking voice mail & returning calls twice a day - pretend I'm out in the fields or banging my laundry against a rock or something. And that's how I'm stopping the insanity.

Just a side note, are you still using your land line? If you're not, consider cancelling it and using only your cell phone - you'll save a bunch. Just a thought. Speaking of potty training (oh - we weren't? My bad.), we're about to embark on The Great Potty Training Adventure soon. This oughta be great.