Tipping Etiquette in Restaurants

Tipping etiquette in restaurants, plenty of articles have been written about it in travel magazines, newspapers, etc., but still many people do not know, or simply do not care, how to tip out at a restaurant. How do I know this? Because this mommy blogger is a waitress. I have been a waitress for over 10 years and love doing it. The shifts are relatively short, for the most part the customers are great, and, most importantly, the job goes around my children's schedules.

For some reason or other, the base pay for waiters and waitresses has not increased over a decade or more. The majority of us are only receiving $2.00+ an hour to serve you and your friends or family a meal of your liking. Surprisingly, when my husband goes to work and chats with some of his co-workers, they find this hard to believe, as they assume waiters and waitresses are making at least minimum wage; this may be the case in other countries but this is not so in the states.

So how should folks who are dining out tip their server? If you felt your waiter/waitress did a superb job, you will want to leave them 18% or more of your bill total. If you feel the service you received was less than superb but not a total disaster, you would consider leaving maybe 10%-15%, and if you feel the server totally sucked and you never want him or her to serve you again, consider leaving 5% for their effort in at least trying. The only way a waiter or waitress can know how they truly perform is by the gratuities received by their customers.

Talking Dog ~ My Favorite

There is a talking dog on YouTube that always makes me chuckle. You will no doubt fall in love with this canine once you hear him chat.

Video Calling on Facebook - Oh Gawddd

Video calling is now on Facebook via Skype, which can be accessed right in the chat option of your account. I have no problem chatting with people and actually think the group chat feature they added is awesome, but the thought of having my morning cup of coffee looking my utmost worst is appealing to me and being interrupted by a friend who wants to see what I look like at the crack ass of dawn can just forget it.

Even though I am not so thrilled with the new video calling option, I am confident many users of this leading social-networking platform will be. The only concern I had about these new Facebook features were advertiser access; in other words, if a consumer or potential consumer liked a business page, would that business be able to make personal contact with you via video calling or chat. After reading the article on Fast Company, I am relieved to learn businesses will not be able to tap into their friends in this manner.

As Momma Dukes is a new blog for me, I have not had the opportunity to set up a Facebook page yet. However, I welcome all readers to join me once I get it set up; just don't video call me when I am drinking coffee and eating donuts.

Caylee's Law Not Just For Toddlers

Casey Anthony is not guilty of murdering her child and will be set free next week. This verdict has saddened many people and outraged others. The only thing the court was able to confirm was that Casey is a liar, which most of us knew from the get-go. We all sat on the edge of our seats for weeks watching this despised young mother and wondered how her little girl died and how this woman could not report her child missing for over 30 days and yet still continue to party and carry on the way she did. We will never know and must leave it at that.

Despite the outcome of this trial, there is some good that will come from it in the form of Caylee's Law, which is targeted to hold parents' accountable for failure to report their child missing. Various petitions are being signed and legislators from various states are working toward making this law. When we think of Caylee's Law, we think of babies, toddlers and pre-school children, however, keep in mind that children are not considered adults until they are 18 years of age and that this law would be extended to teenagers as well. So how would this potential law affect parents of teenagers, who are not constantly under the parental eye?

If you are a parent reading Momma Dukes, be sure to follow your state legislators in regards to Caylee's Law and consider how it would affect you and your child in all the stages of his/her life. How many countless tales of horror have you read about caring, loving parents who were charged with child abuse and that parent brought into the police or, worse yet, had that child removed for something absolutely ridiculous? I, as a parent, want Caylee's Law to have a positive impact on our legal system and not have it become a thorn in the sides of parents raising children of all ages. It is our responsibility to ensure our legal system get it right the first time around in memory of Caylee Anthony.