Posts from — September 2010

It’s J’s birthday!  She turns 6 on October 1st.  Our schedules are so busy that the kid party isn’t until next weekend, but we’ll be up bright and early with her Special Birthday Breakfast (pancakes, sausage, strawberries) and some present opening.  I actually put all of the presents up high, high, high because we re-use gift bags and it’s just too tempting.  As it is, the other day she had stacked about 4 sofa cushions on top of a dining room chair and climbed on top of it in an attempt to reach them.  I don’t even allow shaking.  I’m mean like that.  Anyway, it’s a wonder the kid didn’t break her neck.

J eats cake on her first birthday.

Anyway, here’s what else is happening this weekend.  And is anyone else wishing that some people would try Sunday instead of Saturday for a change of pace?

All Weekend:

• The Albany Curling Club is having an open house on Saturday & Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm.  Thanks to Albany Kid for spreading the word on this one.
• The New York State Theatre Institute is performing The Miracle Worker.  $22/adult, $12/kids 12 and younger.
• On Saturday and Sunday, the Homestead Farm is having Corn Harvest on Saturday from 10:30 am to 4 pm and on Sunday from 10:30 am to 2 pm.  This is a private family farm, but they open it up to visitors, who can see the different draft horses and help gather up the cut corn.  This is free, but there will be refreshments for sale.  The farm is located at 321 Ice Cave Road in Carlisle, NY, about 40 minutes west of Schenectady.  I read about this in the Daily Gazette, but they make you pay for access, which is why this is a long listing with all the most relevant information!
• It’s Confetti Fest 6, which means short plays and films by local writers, directors, producers, and actors.
• At Russell Sage College in Troy, they’re showing Peter Pan the Musical on Friday and Saturday night at 8 pm and at 2 pm on Sunday.  $10/person, $8/students & seniors.

Evening of Friday, October 1st:

• It’s First Friday in Albany.
• It’s First Friday in Ballston Spa.
• At 7 pm, there’s A Special Night for Special Needs at The Linda Auditorium.  $30/person, and it’s a concert by Matt Savage, a young jazz musician who was diagnosed with autism at age 3.

Saturday, October 2nd:

• From 7:30 to 9 am, observe Migratory Birds at the Albany Pine Bush. Pre-register; $2/person, $5/family.
• Or, from 8:30 to 10 am, take an Artist’s Hike at the Albany Pine Bush and inspire some creativity.  Pre-register; $2/person, $5/family.
• At 9 am, take a Fall Hike at Thacher.
• There’s a Festival of Literacy and Creative Arts at the College of St. Rose from 9 am ’til 1 pm.  This is designed to be inter-generational, and it’s $5/family.
• From 10 am to 3 pm, the Guilderland Fire Department is having an open house.  Thanks to a reader who saw this flyer and passed me the info.
• There’s a Shaker Doll Show from 10 am to 3:30 pm at St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Church in Albany.  $5/adult, 12 and under free, plus a Greek cafe.
• The New York Vegetarian Expo is at the Empire State Plaza from 10 am until 5 pm.  $5 suggested donation.
• From 10 am to 7 pm, there’s an African American Culture and History Fest in Kingston, NY.  Yes, that’s quite a drive (about an hour south), but I’m linking to this one, also, because if you’re generally interested in New York history, you should know about this blog, anyway.  Plus, the event is free.
• From 11 am to 2 pm, the Bethlehem Public Library is having their annual Technology Fair.
• Woodland Hill Montessori School has a Fall Family Fun Day from 11 am to 3 pm.  Andy the Music Man, bouncy bounce, fire truck, more.  $7/big kid, no charge for parents or kids under 3.
• From 11 am to 4 pm, there’s going to be a Hoopla at the Victoria Pool Promenade in Saratoga Spa State Park. It’s designed to be about community building and “celebrating healthy choices”.
• It’s the Esperance Elks Oktoberfest, with German food and beer, live entertainment, pony rides, petting zoo and more.  It’s located at 111 US Rte. 20, Esperance, NY, half an hour west of Schenectady, and there’s a phone number for information: 895-2631.  I’m not linking here because I had to cobble together the address and other information in separate places.
• Kids 5 and up can learn about Paper Capers at 1 pm at the Children’s Museum of Science and Technology.  Pre-register; $2/non-member.
• It’s Kids Country Play Day at Goold Orchard from 1-3 pm.  With Radio Disney and theme is Beauty and the Beast–come dressed as a princess or a monster.
• The Town of Halfmoon is having a Fall Festival from 1 to 5 pm.  Hayrides, music, laser tag, and more.
• From 2 to 10 pm, it’s the First Annual Glenville Oktoberfest.  More information on the Visit Scotia blog.
• [I missed getting this in time, but for future reference, there was a Family Fun Day at the Malta Drive-in on Oct. 2--annual event.]

Sunday, October 3rd:

• At 1 pm, learn about Beginning Birding at Thacher Nature Center.  This is an indoor activity, and if you have binoculars, you should bring them.

We’ve been pretty busy just getting the basic routine down around here.  J’s been lobbying hard to pull out the Halloween decorations, but I generally try to resist until October.  The official household rule is that I don’t pull out exciting holiday decorations until the entire house is beautifully clean.   It’s an excellent motivator.  When we were outside the other day, J saw leaves falling and argued that if there was an enormous pile of autumn leaves on our front lawn before the house became beautifully clean, we should take out the Halloween stuff.  I readily agreed, although I was saddened to hear that she thought it would take weeks and weeks before our house was clean.  I mean, seriously:  it’s not that bad.

Anyway, speaking of cleaning, when I’m doing something extraordinarily lame, like washing the kitchen floor or cleaning the bathroom or driving for a long time, I like to listen to stories.   So I’m sharing my favorite story sources.

This American Life is a public radio show that usually tells a few different stories all centered around a theme, like Summer Camp or Ruining it for the Rest of Us or Poultry Slam.  The stories might be family dramas or peculiar social experiments or stand-up comedy, but they’re generally good.  I’ve mentioned this before, from the “live” blogging car trip adventure.

Radiolab is another public radio that has a similar premise, except that all of the stories are related to science.  The other day I was listening to the Oops show on the radio while doing errands, and I had to sit in the grocery store parking lot to listen to the end of one of the stories.

The Moth is a storytelling organization.  You can listen to stories directly off their website or subscribe to their podcast for a weekly story.

The only bummer, for all of these, is that many are not appropriate for kids for a variety of reasons.  So I usually just gather up podcasts and listen to them with headphones either when I’m alone or when the kids are off playing elsewhere in the house.

Anyone have any other good sites to recommend?

While I was reviewing the regularly scheduled events, I noticed that Explore in Glens Falls has a special program in September and October.  Adults enter free if they bring in 4 non-perishable food items in September or 4 sealed toilet items in a ziploc bag in October.   The usual adult admission is $3.95, so it’s not a ton of savings, but you’ll have the Joy of Giving included, free.  Admission is $9.95 for kids and infants under 1 & seniors are free.

Meanwhile, Kristi over at the TU’s On the Edge Blog passed on a reminder that on Thursday the 30th, Coldstone Creamery will be handing out free ice cream from 5-8 pm.  Yeah, okay, it will be a mob scene, I’m sure.  And yet. . . tasty.  Just don’t actually come with no money, because then you’ll feel extraordinarily guilty when everyone around you is giving it up to the Make a Wish Foundation.   It’s also one specific flavor for free, so who are we kidding?  If you take the kids, you’ll end up paying for them if they’re not into, say, baked apples.  Maybe you should just ditch the family and run over with a friend real quick?

The offerings are a little bit paltry this week, I must admit.  The kick-off-the-school-year events have already happened, and it’s not quite time for spooky-Halloween-stuff or appreciate-the-fall-leaves.  So it’s quiet.  Halfway through working on the week’s events, I decided that I really just have to clean house and work on the What About TODAY? listing.  So I’ve been looking into that and honestly, it’s a bit of a mess right now, because it’s a work in progress.  But it feels good to finally get to it after it’s been hanging over my head for a couple of weeks now.

I also did some cleaning out in the kitchen.  I had stacks of CSA zucchini and yellow squash tucked in my refrigerator, reproaching me for not appreciating them more.  I finally decided that I’d just grate a whole mess up and throw it into the freezer in baggies.  I can sneak a little bit in pasta sauce without my children noticing at all, and of course there’s always zucchini bread.  In fact, when J saw me grating the veggies she immediately clapped her hands with joy for zucchini bread.  Ummm, really?  It’s okay, but that good?  Still, I had to make some for her.  Which begs the question, exactly how much junk in a recipe makes its more favorable nutritious benefits completely null and void?  The recipe I use has a pile of sugar and oil in it, and part of me wants to try to make it a little healthier.  But I risk turning them off of the zucchini bread completely.  No really.  It’s happened before.  I start cutting sugar and oil and start throwing in flax seed and whole wheat flour and next thing you know, nobody wants to eat it anymore.  So I don’t want to push my luck.

Part of me hopes that something like zucchini bread can act like a gateway drug to more hardcore vegetable consumption.  When I was growing up, I never liked carrots.  In fact, I think that I was a young adult when my dad tried a new recipe.  Basically, you boil the hell out of the carrots, then caramelize them in butter and sugar.  Mmmm. . . tasty!  And, no doubt, almost devoid of nutritional value.  But after assimilating those yummy little candied carrots, suddenly I developed a taste for other cooked carrots.  I still won’t pick up a carrot and take a big snappy bite out of one,  but I’ll eat them cooked any old way, or raw if they’re grated.

Which leads me to another story that J just wanted me to retell at bedtime.  It was years ago–maybe M was 5 and J was 3?  The girls generally get dessert after lunch or dinner, and one day I told them that I didn’t have any dessert.  Oh, they were sad.  And they went into the kitchen to hunt around, just in case.  A few minutes later they were both giggling because they had found some yummy dessert.  Nanny-nanny-poo-poo, Mommy!  Boy did we trick you!  I came into the kitchen, fearing the worst:  the sugar bowl?  Cocoa powder?  One of those popsicles that gets forgotten and then become leaky and gooey and oozes all over the surface of the freezer (please tell me I’m not the only one who gets that)?  Mais non. They had found carrots.  Sweet, delicious carrots.  I conceded that yes, Mommy had foolishly forgotten about this luscious dessert.  Duh, Mommy’s wrong again!  And yes, it’s okay if you have two.

Phew!  I certainly didn’t mean to ramble that long, but luckily most of you know that you can always just skip to the bold-and-bullets, right?

Monday, September 27th:

• They’re showing The Goonies at the Bach Branch Library at 6 pm.
• At 7 pm there’s Pajamarama for the preschool set at Bethlehem Public Library.

Tuesday, September 28th:

• From 10 am to 1 pm, they’re taking a pretty steep hike at Moreau Lake.
• They’re showing To Kill a Mockingbird at 6 pm at Albany’s Main Public Library.

Wednesday, September 29th:

• At 4 pm, 4th and 5th graders can learn about Mexican Rice and Hot Chocolate at the Clifton Park-Halfmoon Public Library. Register for a little cultural-culinary adventure.
• At 6:30 pm, Rensselaer Public Library is having a Pajama Story Time.  Call to sign up.

Thursday, September 30th:

• At 6 pm, there’s a Banned Books Week Party for teens at the East Greenbush Public Library.
• From 7-8 pm, retired teachers will give a talk to parents of preschoolers and kindergarteners about building positive parent-school relationships at the Bethlehem Public Library.

Friday, October 1st:

• It’s First Friday in Albany.
• It’s First Friday in Ballston Spa.
• At 7 pm, there’s A Special Night for Special Needs at The Linda Auditorium.  $30/person, and it’s a concert by Matt Savage, a young jazz musician who was diagnosed with autism at age 3.

J has poison ivy.  Based on the pattern, our pediatrician speculated that she sat cross-legged on a patch, then switched it up by lying on her stomach for a little while.  At first I thought it must be bug bites again–I’ve never gotten poison ivy before (knocking on wood), so I had no idea.

J decided to give me a makeover, which involved caking on cheap play make up, putting about 6 barrettes in my hair, and choosing my outfit.   Later I was pushing her on the swing and she said, “Mommy!  Are you growing a baby in your belly?  Because it looks like it and that would be totally cool.”  Alas, I said, it’s just an unflattering dress.  The Empire waist just isn’t a good look for me.

Meanwhile, J recovered from her illness, but today she left practicing with W and her team to go to the bathroom, and en route she started a big ol’ nosebleed.  I arrived soon at the field  & became alarmed that she’d been AWOL for several minutes, but meanwhile I had to heard my extraordinarily slow-moving almost-six-year-old to the appropriate field while W carried the gear and got the 3rd graders in the right place.  M managed mostly on her own, with me to help with some clean up.  In fact she started getting antsy as I was wiping down the blood-spattered toilets (yeah, baby!), so I told her to go ahead to her game.  She ran right up, changed shirts, and got two shots on goal.  At 8 she is already more with-it than I am.

But not as nice.  At Back-to-School Night, the teacher had the kids leave little notes for their parents, and did I get an “I love you” or “I hope you liked my whatever”?  No.   It was “Mom, don’t be embarassing [sic]!!!”  Complete with a little picture of me, sitting at a desk, smiling, and saying, “la la la!” with a line crossed right through it.

Oh, and I believe that the Silly Bandz cake went second.  Not bad.

Alright, I don’t know where the heck I’ve been all summer, but today I finally discovered that there’s a new indoor playground in East Greenbush called MiMi’s Kids Club.  Luckily for everyone involved, I figured it out mere hours before her gala make-your-own-sundaes Family Event tonight from 3-7 pm.   Who doesn’t enjoy some free ice cream?

If there are readers out there who’ve noticed possibly fun places like MiMi’s and have wondered why oh why Katie is so slow and hasn’t figured it out yet, please, look within yourself and ask, why oh why didn’t I tell Katie so that she could share the fun? Please, think of the fun karma you could be receiving.  I just don’t want you to miss out.

Meanwhile, I’m going to a school event today which includes a Cake Walk.  I hate how those nasty-tasting-but-gimmicky looking cakes always get picked first, like a grocery store cake with a food coloring rainbow explosion, or maybe one of those gooey fruit-on-devil’s-food numbers.  So I made a regular chocolate-on-chocolate cake and then pondered what I could do that was gimmicky enough to be sought-after, yet would not interfere with my Culinary Integrity. . .

Ta Da!!

That’s right, baby!!  Silly bandz knock offs!  Right?  Right?  Don’t you think that it’ll go quick?  I’m feeling optimistic. . . .

Phew, you guys, I’m tired!  I have a cold which seems to be resisting even my beloved Theraflu, it was Back-to-School Night for the big girl, it’s our last night without Daddy, and I just realized that my Netflix chick flick is foreign-with-subtitles.  Which means I can’t multitask.   I’m just going to stop looking for stuff.  Sorry.  Still, it’s well over 20 things to do, so hopefully you won’t suffer too much, right?

All Weekend:

• The Harvest Days on the Byway at Riverview Orchards starts on Friday evening and continues all weekend.  Bouncy house, storytelling, fireworks, and much more.
• It’s the Adirondack Balloon Festival.  As in, hot air balloons.
• Toy Story 3 is showing for free at 8 pm on Friday, Saturday, & Sunday at Union College.  It’s free and open to the public.
• There’s a self-driven Garden of Eatin’ Tour of local farms.
• The circus is at the Glens Falls Civic Center this weekend.
• The 11th Annual Hudson River Ramble continues with a variety of activities.  I was having difficulty with the search, but the events map was more helpful.

Evening of Friday the 24th:

• It’s Troy Night Out from 5-9 pm.
• At 8 pm, take a Full Moon Hike at Moreau Lake.

Saturday the 25th:

• It’s Free Museum Day.  Free admission to many museums:  click here for a list and to print a required ticket.
• From 9 am to 3 pm, there’s a free Children’s Book Festival and Sale at the East Greenbush Public Library.  Clowns, activities, food, bouncey bounce, and more.
• From 10 am to 4 pm, it’s the 25th Annual Wildlife Festival at the New York Power Authority’s Visitor Center.  This is a drive–50 miles southwest of Albany–but it’s free and there are a ton of animals and activities, along with an Energy Expo for the grown-ups.  I’d be interested in hearing if anyone’s ever gone to this one and if it’s worth the trip.
• There’s a Wheels in the Woods car show from 10 am to 4 pm at Thacher Park, as well as a guided hike starting at 10 am.
• There’s a 10 am Food Allery Walk at the Crossings in Colonie.  Andy the Music Man will be there along with other activities and information.
• From 10 am to 5:30 pm, it’s Larkfest in Albany.
• There’s a Hudson River Ramble moderately difficult hike at Moreau Lake at 10 am–not suitable for the 5-and-under set.
• At 11 am you can learn about Buckmoths at the Albany Pine Bush.
• From 11 am to 5 pm, it’s the annual Schenectady Stockade Walkabout.  It’s $20/adult, $10/kids 6 to 15, and kids 5 and under free.
• From 11 am to 7 pm, it’s the Troy International Festival.  Lots of food and kids’ events.
• From noon to 4 pm, it’s the annual Fall Festival at Five Rivers.
• From noon to 7 pm, it’s Celtic Day in Schenectady’s Central Park.  Music, food, dancers, petting zoo, ponies.
• At 1 pm, Sensemaya will be playing Latin Jazz outside the Albany Public Library.
• From 1-4 pm, there’s Art for All at the Albany Institute of History & Art.  The theme this week is Hudson Riverscapes.
• At 2 pm, they’re showing Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the Pine Hills Branch Library.
• Local poet Rashaun Allen will be leading a Teen Poetry Workshop from 2-4 pm at Arbor Hill Library.

Sunday the 26th:

• At Grafton Lakes, it’s the Fall Fun Day and Annual Barge Chaser Canoe and Kayak Race.  Registration begins at 9:30 am, the race is at 10:30 am, and there’s a potluck lunch as well as other activities and canoe and kayak demos.
• It’s Harvest Fest from noon to 5 pm at the Crossings in Colonie.  Lots of music and entertainment.
• At 1 pm, Discover the Pine Bush.
• They’re showing Robin Hood at 2 pm at the main Albany Public Library.

Guess where we went yesterday? The  Bettie’s Cakes double decker bus!  They were parked by the Schenectady Public Library.

Tragically, the tree blocks the view of the "Bettie" picture. But you get the idea.

We were very excited, and rather overwhelmed by our choices.  We ended up getting (clockwise from top) Red Velvet, S’more, and Raspberry Lemonade.  The Red Velvet’s a menu regular, and the other two were flavors of the day that the nice helper-lady recommended.

Yum

I know it’s not the best photo, and sweet W is reading this via long distance and grimacing–any good food close-ups you ever see on the blog are his.  Anyway, the cupcakes were regular-cupcake-sized, and we bought 4 and a bottle of water (forgot my reusable one) for $13.  They have bigger cupcakes, too, but this was the perfect size for us.  The girls couldn’t wait to climb upstairs and then. . .

Honestly, we were a little disappointed that it was so stark.  I think that we were all expecting it to be as adorable as the exterior and the cupcakes themselves.  I found myself wishing that I’d taken home those cute little fake potted flowers from my neighbors’ the other day, because I could have donated them to “cute it up” a little.  Or, you know, some freakin’ curtains or something.  Oh, well.   We turned the focus back on the cupcakes.

The S’more variety was everyone’s favorite.  The Red Velvet was yummy, too, and very moist.  We all agreed that the Raspberry Lemonade cupcake was just too sweet–and you know it’s got to be over-the-top if a 5-year-old girl thinks it’s too sweet, right?  What I liked best, though, is that each cupcake was quite distinctive and unique.  You know, you go to, say, Dunkin’ Donuts, and often it’s the same donut with different colored sprinkles and icings.  Or Carvel ice cream has the “whale of a dad” cake that’s the same mold as the “Santa Claus” cake (that’s bothered me since the 4th grade–anyone else?).   These cupcakes each had their own personality.  And yes, it did make me feel like in order to fully understand the products, I should sample several more.  However, I restrained myself.

If you want to get your hands on some cupcakes without schlepping up to Saratoga Springs, the easiest way is to check out their Facebook page, where they post updates on where you’ll find Dee Dee (the double-decker bus) or Cee Cee (a single-decker bus).

I know, I know, picking’s been going on for weeks already.  In my defense, I ran into a guy at the farmers’ market last week who claims that he refuses to eat an apple until the last of the tomatoes are gone.  Well, yeah, that’s just silly.  I’m completely willing to allow overlapping produce.

Just like when I was looking into berries earlier, the Pick Your Own site was quite helpful.  I’m only listing places that indicate that they’re U-Pick places, because I’ve already told you about the various farmers’ markets in the area.

I’ve been to a few different orchards, so I’ll tell you what I know if I’ve visited.  But they do tend to change things up a bit each season, so if there’s something that’s extraordinarily important to you, it’s a good idea to call and double check.  Same thing with prices:  I didn’t want to misquote anyone, and it can be confusing occasionally, like when they charge a fee to pick or have you pay by say, the pound vs. the bushel.  If a reader is motivated, organized, and mathematically gifted enough to figure out the single cheapest excursion, I do hope that that person will spread the love by sharing the information with us.  You will be repaid in karma.

Random pick-your-own orchard tips:

• Layer clothes for optimal comfort
• Bring along extra sacks or baskets because kids always like to carry your own, and you might want to keep track of the different apple varieties for future reference
• As long as you’re there, maybe grab a pumpkin?  I know that you might not be ready for Halloween yet, but if you wait until you are ready, the patch might be rather sparse
• If you’re heading someplace in Saratoga County, many of the orchards have reviews on the Pick Your Own site.

M on hay stacks at Bowman, the playground behind her includes an ancient fire truck

Anyway, I’ve got a list here.

Altamont Orchards in Altamont–they also do U-Pick tomatoes.

Bowman Orchards in Rexford is a busy orchard, and we’ve been there several times over the years.  Cars drive pretty close to the trees, and it can feel a bit like a traffic jam on the weekends.  Of course, it’s handy if you’ve got someone with mobility issues, but it can cut into the whole back-to-nature atmosphere.  Bowman’s also got a fun playground–when I’ve been there in the past, it’s been free during the week and pay-to-play on the weekends. They’ve also got sheltered picnic tables nearby, and there are donuts and ice cream.

J & I along a roadway at Bowman

Buhrmaster Family Farm in Scotia is listed as a U-pick Apple place, but I couldn’t find much information on it.

De Voe’s Rainbow Orchard in Halfmoon is listed as a U-pick Apple place, but I couldn’t find much information on it.

J bonds with goats at Bowman

Fo’Castle Farm in Burnt Hills is also listed as a U-pick Apple place, but their website seems pretty eat-and-shop focused.

Goold Orchards in Castleton

Hicks Orchard in Middle Granville is a drive (they say 40 minutes from Albany), but it sounds like fun, with a variety of activities including making your own scarecrow. . . anyone ever gone?

Indian Ladder Farms in Altamont is a huge and busy place.  They’ve got a sit-down restaurant and very cute gift shop (it also carries Just Tomatoes, which I love),as well as a super-fun playground with old tractors and other equipment.  They’ve got places to picnic outside, as well as animals to see and nature trails to wander.  One of my guest bloggers also chose Indian Ladder as one of her favorite outings in the Capital District.

J enjoys tractor at Indian Ladder

Lindsey’s Idyllwood Orchard in Rexford is listed as a U-pick Apple place, but I couldn’t find much information on it.  Update:  see comment from reader below.

Riverview Orchards in Clifton Park feels smaller than the other orchards I’ve visited, but in a good way.  There are pumpkins, animals, and a very modest kid-sized hay maze.  You park next to the main building and then have to cross a busy road to the orchard, but once there, it’s a pleasant hay ride to get to the apples.  Their gift shop is small but interesting, with bees to look at as well as unusual items like bug candies.  Plus you can watch the donuts being made.   Apple alert:  see the comment below!

J and friends enjoy hayride at Riverview

Saratoga Apple in Schuylerville is a popular destination, although it looks like they charge $5 or $6 per person to pick your own?  Is there something that makes this particularly worth it?

So, that’s what I found. . . anyone have opinions on these to share, or additions for the list?

It wasn’t the best day.  Just prior to bedtime, M couldn’t understand why J and I were so angry about how she’d just picked up a piece of J’s ceramic tea set and threw it up and down until it hit the ceiling and shattered.  Like, what’s the big deal?  Sorry.

Prior to that, we had a tragic dinner of Stouffer’s Macaroni & Cheese.  Now, I usually cook.  And it has a shocking amount of fat and sodium.  But so shocking, really, that I figured that we’d like it.  I actually put the plates down in front of the girls while I was still chatting with my sister on the phone, and by the time I’d hung up and sat down, they were moving on to dessert.

“Wow,” I said, “It wasn’t a hit, huh?”

M yelled from the kitchen, where she was rummaging in the freezer:  “It wasn’t as good as Annie’s!”

Well, yeah, okay, that was their favorite.  Maybe they were just anti-homemade style?  “Was it as good as [my anonymous friend]‘s?”

“NO!!!”

“Was it as good as. . .”

“Probably not!”

“Huh,”  I mutter, “Sounds like it’s really not as good as anything. . . .”

“Oh, no,” M calls.  And I really think that she was trying to cheer me up with this one, “It’s way better than puke!”  And so I couldn’t help myself:  I had to stop laughing before I could reprimand her on language.   We appear to be entering a rudeness phase.  Super-awesome.

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – -

Whatever possessed me to purchase a frozen mac ‘n’ cheese dinner in the first place, you might wonder?  Well, you already knew from my whining yesterday that Cute W will be out of town all week.  So here’s what happens today:  When I wake up, M has a fever (along with some serious stuffiness).  Which means no school, plus a cancellation for J’s first piano lesson and an eye appointment for me, and oh, by the way, do I really want to schlep the sick kid to the grocery store for the weekly trip?  Cute W needed to leave in about an hour.  I run for the car.

Okay, first of all, seriously, when is the Children’s Motrin coming back?  I love that stuff.  My kids love that stuff.  Seriously, it makes them well again.  Sometimes I have to withhold it just so they’ll settle down and act sick already.  For some reason they’re okay with the taste, too.  I spent quite a bit of time hemming and hawing in the medicine aisle and finally picked up a Price Chopper generic of Motrin (incidentally, it seemed to fool her, in terms of both flavor and fever reduction, so that‘s good).

I continue stocking up with tools of desperation, although my progress is slow because it’s not my usual trip-for-the-week store, so I’m disoriented.  Plus, I wake up hungry every morning, and I haven’t had my breakfast, so I’m beginning to get grouchy.

Eventually, I make it to the check out, and since it is still not yet 8 am, they have one cashier available in the whole dang store.  And then, lined up behind me, there are three different men, each with one item that is in no way necessary for their survival.  Think, like, crappy danish.  The guy directly behind me asks to cut in front of me and I say yes, because I am polite a wimp kind a doormat.  I don’t know why, I just let him because.  And then, I passive-aggressively walk up to the customer service managers who are just standing around and say, “You really need to open a new register, because I’ve got people behind me with one thing but I really need to check out.”  W’s got to leave any minute , M is languishing on the couch, J barely got a hello this morning, and I am getting the hunger-shakes.  But I am ignored, and as I turn back to my place, the second guy has already scooted forward ahead of me.  And by the time the third guy asks me if I mind if he goes ahead, I’m so speechless that three adults in a row could  walk by the multiple medicine bottles, gallons of juice, & frozen dinners in my cart and not sense that I was on an Emergency Mission.  And so I start to cry right there in the check out line.

How’s that for an awesome start to the day?

Anyway, as I was trying to decide whether or not to share this story, it occurred to me that someone who knew me, or–let’s face it–any other mom who peeked into my cart with these items would have realized that I was having a bad day and needed a little additional consideration.  And then I started thinking about what else could be in a cart that would indicate that this person is having a bad day and could use some extra kindness?   So I started to think about my personal Grocery Cart From Hell.  For me, I think that, along with the medicine, juice, and crappy frozen food, it might be:

• Three gallons of ice cream (1 gallon is excellent; 3 gallons indicates A Problem)
• Tampons (although I am a loyal Diva)
• Lansinoh cream
• Poster board (the kind required for kid’s school projects)
• Mouse traps
• Yeast infection cream
• Pullups size XXL

Gosh, when I think in terms of how bad it could have been, I’m feeling quite happy with my life of ease.  Anyone have anything else that they’d throw in the cart?