Wednesday, September 17, 2008

The Complexities of Life

Lately, I have been a bit bogged down by the complex issues of life that just can't be avoided.

Job Stressors
Financial Decisions
Raising Children

and

School Pictures

What happened to the good old days when you sat down and they snapped your picture and you got a bazillion pictures to share with your friends for 5.95? The big 8X10 pic was always saved by mom, the 5X7 and 3X5's given to relatives, especially grandparents, and the wallets... oooh, I loved that day when I could cut them all apart and write a message on the back in an ink pen. Then, I would covet each and every picture that was given to me, read and reread the message on back (especially if it was from a boy) and save them for years!

Ahhh, simplicity.

Now, getting that order form in the backpack just gives me a headache.
The decisions, The pressure, the financial commitment!!

I must decide....

What Package - Several to choose from ranging from $62.00 down to $11.00, but I'm telling you, they make that $11.00 one really hard to find, and when you do finally locate it on the order sheet, you have to decipher that it comes only 2 3X5's and 4 wallets.

What Background - Gray, Blue, Purple, Green, Amber

and new this year
What Pose!

Pose 1 - arms crossed, cropped at waist
Pose 2- arms crossed, leaning forward, cropped at elbows
Pose 3 - same as above, cropped at chest
Pose 4 - same as above, cropped like a close up

Then, I can opt for Retouching (I guess it's handy in the acne years)

and I can pay extra to add my Child's Name on the pictures.

or if I'd like, I can add purchase separately different Add Ons, such as a CD of the image (only $25.00 gasp) and that good old 8X10.

You can see clearly the difficulty I'm facing. It's mind boggling.

One perk? They give you a free SmileSafe Kids Safety Card and 24/7 Rapid Response Card.

Hmmm..... that sounds a bit complex too.

5 Wonderful Responses:

DeeBee said...

I completely feel where you are coming from. Too many choices and it seems you always have to spend more to get what you want and end up with a bunch of unneeded items.

Michelle @ Sew-Krafty said...

So glad you stopped by the Land of Pink!! Your kiddos are precious.
As homeschoolers are school pics usually consist of...um, nothing? Yikes! I guess I'm going to have to do something about that...thanks a lot ;)

Michelle said...

I'm not sure why they have to make it so difficult to buy pictures now days. It used to be so easy! Also, why they charge so much is beyond me. I know it doesn't cost that much to print them. I think they give all those choices to make us feel like we are getting professional pictures, not just school pics. I usually only get a small package. I'm right there with ya!

Audra Krell said...

oh my goodness, we haven't gotten to the "poses" as a choice and I've been doing this for 10 years. Yes, the retouching has been so handy for my teen! :) I love your description of the pics when we were young, I too, loved to write the messages on the back, making sure I didn't press too hard so the words didn't push out the front of the picture!

Anonymous said...

I happened upon your blog from Audra Krell's blog....

I LOVE IT! I think I'll be hanging around a bit more! ;)

Rena Gunther