Jotting Joan

Month: January 1994

  • Class action settlement

    I took a major corporation to court last year and it didn’t cost me a cent. I also didn’t know about the class action suit until it was being settled and out of court. At that point the company was required to send my husband and me a letter telling us we would receive a…

  • Parental flaws and how soon can we eat it?

    After reading the column about “forgotten items,” my children threatened to write a few things about their mom. One reminded me, “Hey, Mom, you forgot to write about the time you forgot the car.” I hadn’t thought about that. I was to follow my husband as he drove an ailing car to the mechanic and…

  • My unique car luck

    I’m jinxed. When a car quits working, I’m always the one stranded, not my husband. Like the time I drove 50 miles home in a car with hiccups so sever it needed frequent stops to settle its stomach. Or the time I had to replenish the oil every 5-10 miles as I rushed it to…

  • Whose barter system is it anyway?

    I have the perfect barter system with my children. If a preschooler quipped “crackers?” I agreed, “sure but let’s put away blocks, first, OK?” If a child requested “Will you take me in town so I can buy baseball cards?” I answered, “Sure after you vacuum the living room.” If a teenager asked, “Can I…

  • Limiting teens funds

    Yes! I did it. I kept my New Year’s resolution. I had to. Last fall I constantly heard, “Spanish trip, Mom. Gotta have money for lunch.” “Mom the kids from church are eating out after church …” “The FBLA is going to …” When I suggested “What about taking a lunch or some snack food…