treat stealer...

So, tonight sucked.

Yes - last night, I ate 1/4 bag of those little malted easter eggs (robin eggs). My spouse had set them out so that the boys could snack on them. Instead, I snacked on them. So, tonight the spouse was giving me a hard time about the missing candy. Jokingly, I blamed "a mouse - a really fat mouse." Then, one of the boys worried that we had mice, so I said "We're just joking. There is no mouse. I ate the candy."

My adorable child #1 said "Mom, you eat everything."
Adorable child #2 asked "Yeah. Why do you eat all of our treats?"

The funny thing is that I eat 2 fruits and 3 veggies every day. I limit carbs. I drink loads of water and no soda. I am the person who tries to keep high fructose corn syrup out of the house. I am the one who uses only whole wheat flour and doesn't make food from boxes (anymore). I am the one who is moving the family away from cow dairy. I make sure that we take our vitamins, and I am always the "bad guy" for enforcing limits on screen time.

Yes - I have a sweet tooth, and I occasionally binge on the candy.

8yr olds can be harsh. Spouses sometimes just sit there....

Boo-hoo. Waaaa-waaaa-waaaa.
Just feeling fat and unappreciated and sad and temporarily ruined.....
[Sigh. I'll suck it up and get over it soon.]

cherry-chocolate, please

Today, we are celebrating some great behavior from the boys in school for several days in a row.
It just seemed like an ice cream kind of night!
I stopped by the local greasy spoon to get everybody's favorite flavor. Four shakes for $18. (Holy hell - what a rip off!)

Peanut: Butterfinger
Meatball: Strawberry
Bub: Coffee-banana
Me: Caramel-cashew

Every time we get shakes, I'm reminded how going out for ice cream was a HUGE treat when I was growing up. We typically didn't have money to spend on these types of things, so it only happened about once every six months or so. Isn't that crazy?
Anyway, I can only remember getting a Bishop or Caramel-nut or Caramel-Marshmallow concoction, although I'm sure that I've tried so many more.

My mom, however, unfailingly ordered a Cherry-Chocolate shake. Always. No matter what.
How long do these silly simple memories stay with you? It's not like I sit around and think about this stuff; I never think about this until I get a shake of my own. Invariably, though, at that time I manage to think of her and how she savored every bite knowing that it would be 6-7 months before she could afford to buy herself and all of us another one....

the hammer, or the nail?

I just finished watching a movie where "El Condor Pasa (If I Could)" played over and over.
Not the whole song - just the first verse.
I'd rather be a sparrow than a snail
Yes I would, if I could, I surely would
I'd rather be a hammer than a nail
Yes I would, if I only could, I surely would

I didn't really notice the song because it fit into the movie just fine.
Afterwards, however, the song popped into my head, and I immediately thought "I would rather be the nail."

Huh?

The movie was about a woman who was beaten down by life, and she struggles through her personal demons to eventually become a happy, well-adjusted human.
So, good for her. The hammer smacked the crap out of her, but she eventually became the hammer and is a strong woman.
Or, something like that.

And, I totally get that. I usually agree with it.

Today, though, I think that it's the nail that's the most important part of the equation.
Yes - it gets hit by the hammer, but they both suffer an impact. (The nail more so than the hammer due to its size, but...)
The nail, though, is only hit a few times, and then it's done. The hammer moves on to the next nail and more impact. Time and again. Overall impact to the hammer is more...

The nail, on the other hand, holds everything together for what seems like forever. As a mom - and a middle child - I think it's not a bad gig. Right?