I know you're really busy - zipping around the world collecting tiny teeth has to be a full time job, I appreciate that - but I have a couple of questions it would really help me out with if you have moment.
1. How do you manage to sneak in to swap the tooth (under the pillow), for the cash without being caught? I mean, I thought Father Christmas had it tough, but at least he only has to dump and run (if you'll pardon the pun), leaving the stocking or pillow case at the end of the bed. Of course, in our case the switch was not helped by the fact that just as I was about to reach under Boy #1's pillow, a particularly loud fire work went off close-by (these Russians don't do 'subtle' when it comes to celebrations, even mid-week), and woke him up. It's lucky that I habitually check on him before going to bed each night otherwise my son might have suspected something. As it is he just sat up in bed and said "What? Is she here?" and somehow I don't think he was referring to me...
2. What's the going rate for a tooth these days? We started Boy #1 off with 50R (about £1.20), but on doing a little market research, I find that some children in this area are receiving 100R a tooth and for their first, 1000R. A THOUSAND RUBLES? That's - well, that's - a LOT of money. (Give me a break, it's still early). Lucky it's the school holidays or I would have to keep Boy #1 in isolation for the next few weeks in case he found out that the tooth fairy in our house is on more of budget than the one who visits his friends...
3. What do you do with the evidence? Am I supposed to keep them? ALL? At the moment there is a tiny tooth scudding around on the mug shelf (out of Boy #1's sightline), and it seems callous to throw it away. Something tells me though that the charm will wear off by the time I reach Tooth #3 and #4. (To be honest, it's sort of worn off already... But then again, I didn't keep the baby books up to date either, so I guess that shouldn't be a surprise)
Anyway, I must go because it's half past ten in the morning during the summer vacation and today's first showing of Ice Age* has just finished, so I need to go and put on my Butlins Red Coat and become camp organiser for the next scheduled activity...
Yours faithfully,
Potty Mummy
* Before you judge me on the Ice Age thing, we had a hairdresser visit this morning** to give the Boys their summer clip and putting on the tv is the only way to end up with an even fringe...
** And before you judge me on the hairdresser visiting the house thing, it's cheaper than going to a salon out here (or at least, to one where they speak English), and since she's accustomed to cutting the hair of expat's children there's the added bonus that they don't end up with the ubiquitous Russian mullet haircut (long at the back, short at the front) that so many boys wear here...
You're supposed to save all the teeth, lovingly, in special little boxes and take them out when the kids are older and look at them in awe.
ReplyDeleteAnd as an addendum to Nora: and then find them wizened and yellow, fifteen years later, and throw them away in disgust...
ReplyDeleteChuck'em now and save yourself the bother.
Sentimental? Moi?
To save on fumbling around in the bedding, invest in a special tooth container (maybe let tooth owner chose it?) which can then be left on top of a chest of drawers or shelf where the tired little fairy can easily find it and substitute tooth for cash. My children got the budget-conscious fairy too, we told them it was because the fairy thought they had plenty of things already and didn't need lots of pennies. What?! It worked!
ReplyDeletePS. I admit to binning all of the teeth too.
ReplyDeleteLaughing at the 'first showing of Ice Age'. It's exactly like that in our house too, and same films. We own the first 2, and now Ice Age 3 is out on DVD in the library and we have to borrow it EVERY week. I'm going to have to buy it at some point at a vastly inflated price.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to know whether to keep all the things like this. I used to keep everything under my mother's hording influence.
ReplyDeleteWhen I got older and well 'free' from her I learnt from my Dad and Hubby not to. His rule was if you haven't used it for a year chuck it. So now unless I can recycle it for art materials then it goes in the bin.
Imagine if we kept everything, we'd all need bigger houses just to house all our crap, and when we die our kids would chuck it anyway.
I know they are your babies teeth, but when you look at them a while after they are a bit 'eeeww'.
Growing up I had a small pillow with a tiny pocket for my tooth. I'd rest it on the nightstand for the tooth fairy. I will actually be using this same pillow for my future kiddos. It sort of fits the whole under pillow thing whilst making in far easier for Miss Tina Moonbeam to reach. ;)
ReplyDeleteOh and my mom still has both my sister's and my teeth in little boxes. Kind of gross but I understand the sentiment.
I love the Russian mullet!
ReplyDeleteI never even started the baby books. I am also a bad, bad mother.
If you want to keep the teeth, better get a little box per kid.
I just threw out my own wisdom teeth when I had a clearout. One of them was bent.
What a coicidence. The Little GUy's huge front tooth has just fallen out after days of waggling it about and making me want to throw up. The gap is enormous.
ReplyDeleteHe is usually out cold when the tooth fairy visits so putting the dosh there is no problem - if we remember. Last toot, the Fairy was so busy she forgot and had to give him $2 the next night. It didn't help that our cleaner then came, changed the sheets and lost the tooth! I didn't even remember that I had saved a few of his old teeth (why) and could easily have avoided that disaster.
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ReplyDelete