More Friday

And so, after Bagels with Babes it was time for me to continue my Friday morning ritual.  A nice tall latte, mani-pedi with a Cosmopolitan (magazine, not the drink) in one hand and my ipod in my ears....sounds nice doesn't it? Except I don't drink coffee, only had one pedicure in my life and I'm not sure I want another one, have a stack of books waiting to read who has time for a magazine, and well, the ipod might be the one good idea there.  Actually, where I've been heading is the grocery store.

Usually the grocery store has turned into a family affair.  The four of us pack up our save-the-environment grocery bags (or at least we remember to bring them about one out of every 5 trips), plenty of snacks, and -- if I'm really on top of things -- the grocery list, which inevitably turns out being a toy for one of the kids in which case I am either asking to look at it, hunting for where it has fallen or where someone dropped it, or giving up and then leaving out some all important ingredient for which I then have to go out later in the week to purchase.  Anyways, it works out better that we all go.

I don't like to go after work, because taking the kids by myself is just a pain.  It's a constant game of outsmarting and anticipating what the next move will be just to keep them quiet and sane, and a game of "I want to sit, no, I want to sit in the front, I want to walk, I'm hungry" and that's just Greta.  Yes, technically I could go and keep them at daycare, but I just can't do that.  I want to get them as soon as I can.  I love their daycare, and I know they're fine there, but anytime I have to leave them even a minute over 8 hours I just can't focus.  SO, we go together.  That, and if I go by myself and Chris is at home with the kids, well, let's just say it's almost guaranteed that I will forget something important (even if it is on the list), not get something that we needed (because no one put it on the list) or I will by the store brand of a product.  And most of the time that is a no-no.  Not for me, I'm all for saving a few cents anywhere, but SOMEbody thinks that the store brands aren't good or don't work as well.  I have to admit, I'm finding out that a lot of times he's right.  I am planning a future post all about that....

Again, so we go together.  HOWEVER, now that I am on break, I have all the time to take and be the super shopper that I have never wanted to be.  I go to our beloved Super Walmart.  We do have a couple of awesome grocery stores around here, but seeing as we're still polluting the planet for the next 500 years with enough diapers to...well, diaper with and some little darling has constant diaper rashes so I buy the more expensive diapers...it's Super Walmart.  

I'm taking my time, strolling around, people watching --it's amazing how many people stand in the middle of the walk ways and just talk.  Come ON now, if I did have kids in a cart and a load of groceries to boot my good manners and proper upbringing would send nasty looks, verbal slanders and a bump to their cart, but not today.  Today, I have all the time in the world. 

 And boy, maybe I'm glad I don't usually.  Perhaps I need to stop looking so carefully and just crazily wave my arm and grab the product that I know I came to get and always by.

Let's take pasta for instance:  I know I said I usually buy store brand, but I'm branching out.  I don't look at prices (well, maybe a little) I look for health.  For crying out loud!  All of the sudden, there are about 7 different kinds of pasta.  I'm not talking the different shapes of the noodles.  I mean, enriched, whole grain, multi-grain, organic, plus (whatever that is), and the "white pasta with three times the fiber as much calcium as an eight ounce glass of milk".  My eyes are darting back and forth, I'm feeling a little panicky...I close my eyes and just reach.  Tada!  And at this moment, I can tell you I bought some kind of penne pasta that is not enriched or white.  Other than that, I give up.

One more thing...

...when did Dora start selling corn, and why? I mean, come on now.  No one else is on any kind of package here.  Elmo is not selling spinach -- not even Popeye is selling spinach -- Barbie isn't selling peas, I mean, it's just not happening.  Whose idea was this?  Nickelodeon?  Are they sponsoring corn?  Who gets the royalties, where do they go?  Does Dora the Explorer really sell more corn?  I didn't buy it just because Dora was on the corn, in fact, I DIDN'T buy it because Dora was on the corn.  Plus, it costs more -- I'm paying Dora the Explorer to be on my corn!  Dora, I don't even like corn, let alone you.  And, there's only one person in my house that does like corn and frankly, I am tired of seeing the corn once it makes its return trip and so I am thinking about not buying corn at all anymore, so there!

Now, if someone wants to put Hugh Jackman on a package of carrots, then I'll consider it.