Supermarket Fury

Going to the supermarket. Christ, is there anything worse? They just get bigger and bigger and when I finally leave I’ve lost 3 hours and wonder if I’ve been abducted by aliens. I know, I know. I’m lucky to have a supermarket to go to. Nonetheless. I feel like I am there every single day of my godless life. And you can’t just go in and buy the one thing you actually need, or at least I can’t, there are always half a dozen other things. Ooh, that’s on sale! Ooh, that’ll be good for dinner! Ooh, my favorite piece of junk food that is not at all good for me but I like to eat anyway! So, even though all I freaking needed was a loaf of bread that I can buy for 40 pence- I end up leaving with £35 worth of groceries. Granted, I buy a lot of reduced stuff that can be frozen and used for future meals, so I save money in the long run. I’m trying to bring my family round to trying the paleo diet, which I gather is just meat and veg and the money I’d save by shopping at the green grocer and the butcher and never setting foot in a supermarket makes me giddy with possibilities, I might finally be able to fix my sons bike! Lo and behold my family likes their carbs, thank you very much, so I may have to employ the use of stealth when making the switch. Though there is always the possibility of the old “I’m paying for the groceries, if you don’t like what I’m buying, get a job and buy your own.” That tends to stop the whining in it’s tracks…

What annoyed me recently (well, ok, a month ago) at the supermarket was the cashier. Usually they just ring the stuff up and make small talk (occasionally with me, usually with a colleague or the customer in front who won’t pick up their damn bags and GO already) but this one decided she needed to comment about what we were buying. Grrr. We’d gone in for only a few items but I’d come across quite a few sale items, of course. So we had three boxes of ice cream bars at 50 pence each for the kids, an apple tart that I thought would be a nice dessert one night for £1. Two boxes of my favorite cornettos, 2 for £2. And some other bits and bobs. Yes, there was a bit of junk. I joked about it to my husband. Yet this cashier decided she need to tell me all about weight watchers. And how half her grocery shopping is always vegetables. I tried to keep things light, and said something about how it’ll be nice when the kids go back to school and arent clamoring for ice cream all the time. To which she replied “Well that’s when you tell them they can have a piece of fruit!”

Sorry, guys. Kids with fat mommies aren't allowed ice cream!

This annoyed me. I didn’t say anything to her, other than just a “Oh, I do!” but the sheer audacity pissed me off. Why pass judgement on my purchases? I have three slim, healthy, active children. One of which prefers to snack on carrots more than anything else, and two who love salad and always have seconds. They arent allowed to drink soda, fast food is a rare treat and all their regular meals are homemade. They get told “If you’re that hungry, have a carrot or a piece of fruit” six times a day. The only one who eats to much junk in my household is me. And clearly I am an adult and perfectly capable of deciding for myself what and how much I eat. I have one child who hates fruit and veg and would prefer to eat junk all day. I don’t allow this. His favorite breakfast item is cereal, which I rarely buy. He has to eat more healthy food. If he doesnt eat his carrots at dinner, he gets no dessert, etc.

I suppose people just like to feel superior and I shouldn’t be offended, but it seems to illustrate once again that fat people are fair game for ridicule. I know I’m fat, I promise I’m not stupid and I really don’t need a lecture from the cashier on the value of eating vegetables. Neither do I need random people assuming that since I am fat, I am a simpleton incapable of appropriate parenting, especially as how the 6 year old next door is never without a can of coke and a packet of sweets, though his mom is thin as a rail. Shockingly enough, I don’t sit around eating junk and watching daytime telly all day, either.

So what I’d like to say to that cashier is this: “Look bitch, it’s the middle of August, the kids are off school and if I want to give them some damn ice cream, I will. And, by virtue of not being stupid, I know exactly how to lose weight when and if I choose to, so I really don’t need you to lecture me about weight watchers and fucking vegetables.”

Little Things part 1

It’s the little things that make life worth living, right?

********************************************************

I am at the computer. (Where else?) Rafe is playing nearby and occasionally calls me or comes over to show me something.  I am eating ice cream and have shared with him. The spoonful he’s just had would be his last, I say to him. He agrees. A few minutes later-

Rafe:  Comes over and stands next to me very sweetly. “I hot, mommy.”

Me: “You’re hot…?”  *presses cold fingers against his tummy and turns back to computer*

Rafe:  “I hot, mommy. Guess I need more iceeeee cream!”

*****************************************************************************************************

Me:  “mmmmmm. You smell so good today! I love the smell of babies!”

Rafe: “awww. You smell good, too, mommy! Like… POO POO!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA”

*******************************************************************************************************

Rafe: ” T…A…P  TAP!”

Daddy: “No, Rafey, it’s T…O…P   TOP!”

Rafe:  “Thank You, Daddy, for catching me out.  TOP!”

Current Obsessions

All things cherry. Cherry Tango, Cherry Lambrini, Cherry Garcia, Maraschino cherries and 7up, Black Cherry Gateau. Hooray for cherries!

Timbaland- How has he escaped my notice for so long? Loving it!

Frogs- I just love frogs.

Rafe Notes

2 years 5 months

Rafe continues to grow like a weed. He seems taller every evening, and I am amazed when I undress him and see how little he still is. Thankfully.

His vocabularly is growing along with him. He now answers “yes” when I ask him questions. He likes to shout “go way!” or “gimmee” or even that old favorite “MINE!!” His favorite thing to eat is “SGETTI!!!” and “EYE KEEM!” (that’s ice cream). He also says “peas!” and “tank ew!”

He loves the moon, taking showers, and brushing his teeth. When we go down to the beach he loves getting in and splashing in the waves, or just throwing stones into the water. At the park he is not content to play on the little kids equipment, he must, like his sister before him, attempt the big kids stuff. Which can make for some pretty tense moments while mommy desperatley tries to keep hold of his hand while he climbs across the top of the monkey bars with the big kids.

Last night Devon, Olivia and I taught him how to kick a ball. He was thrilled and had such a good time kicking it for the other two to chase after.

We haven’t really told him about the move yet. How do you tell a two year old something like that? I’ve never worked it out, but how can we not tell him? I hated when the other two were little and big things changed, I never knew how to tell them. I suppose we’ll tell him tonight at bedtime. Even if he doesnt understand, he’ll get the idea and come next Friday saying bye bye to the house hopefully won’t be a shock. He has been to the new house, so hopefully he’ll remember when we get there.

Rafe wears his wellies all the time. He loves coming home and taking his shoes off, just to go and put his wellies on. It’s wonderfully cute, and I don’t have the heart to enforce the no shoes in the house rule with him and his wellies.

He is growing and learning and expressing himself every day, but he is still my baby. The toddler hasn’t started to fall away yet and I can’t quite work out what he’ll be like when he’s older. I think it’s a fair bet to say he will be independent, outgoing, and good humoured. But those are just general traits, It will be fun learning the specifics as he grows. But for the moment, I’m happy to hold onto my baby boy.

update: Rafe has just dumped the contents of his bath onto the bathroom carpet, via bucket. The downstairs hall light is leaking. There is water everywhere. I was in the next room packing, holding a “conversation” with him. I thought those splashes were him dumping the water into the bath. *sigh* One day I will sell the whole lot of them to the gypsies. And won’t they be sorry, then.