Because you asked
January 4, 2009
How to make you own gingerbread house.
It is very easy. If I can do it, you can too. Seriously.
Also, yes, I will still be posting, not just doing the photo thing. I have nothing to write about today. The HIGHLIGHT of my day was the grocery store.
Where I bought :
bagels (plain, everything, raisin, and mini strawberry),
bread (100% whole wheat, makes me feel better when they slather Fluff on it),
French Vanilla non-dairy coffee creamer (that I drink in my coffee every single day, and have for years, because I am boring),
cereal (the sort I promised myself I would never buy my children back when I had only one kid that was still young enough to be completely under my control and I was therefore an asshole expert on such things)
bananas
ORGANIC gala apples (to cancel out the not made from real food substances cereal),
instant oatmeal (my youngest son eats the same thing for breakfast every. single. morning. Clearly he has inherited my adventurous spirit)
I realized at the check out that I had once again forgotten my bags from home. I have never remembered to bring them back to the store. NEVER. Not once. For awhile I kept buying new ones so I could share in that smugly superior feeling. Oh, c’mon you know you feel like an extra special tree hugger when you use yours. But Rob thought we had enough of them. And yes, I have to admit that even though there are a lot of us, we don’t need quite that many bags. Especially since I never actually use them.
The cashier asked me if I wanted to have bags at all. Oh please? Can I cradle all of my food in my arms? Can I? Because that sounds completely doable.
Oh, the other highlight. I was asked if my Mom or Dad was at home. To which I answered, “Well, they might be. I’m not really sure since they do not LIVE HERE IN MY HOUSE.” But secretly I was flattered. And I really don’t think they were just trying to flatter me. I believe lying is against the code of the Jehovah Witnesses. Nor were they blind. Just in case you were wondering.
Unrelated, I think Maggie Mason’s new book, the follow-up to No One Cares What You Had For Lunch, is going to be titled, “No One REALLY Cares What You Bought At The Grocery Store.” Amen.
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I also always forget to bring in my bags. I started keeping them in the back of my “beast” (that’s what my kids call my vehicle). And most days when I get to the check out I realize that I left them in the beast and I’m just to damn lazy to walk back out the store and get them….
What’cha gonna do??
It’s the thought that counts, RIGHT??
January 4th, 2009 at 7:38 pmIt always shocks people (usually from church) when they call me and ask for my daddy and I tell them my daddy is dead…then I wait a few seconds and ask if they’d like to speak with my husband. This hasn’t happened in a few years so I must sound more mature now.
January 4th, 2009 at 7:54 pmabout the grocery bags..I used to forget mine all the time too. I would get sooo mad at myself and hope that no one would see me (the chair or our school recycling committee) carrying out groceries in non-degradable petro-made bags!! I started putting them in the car after I unloaded them and I have been doing MUCH better using them now! Also, you can check into chicobags, they have little caribiners that you can clip right onto your purse, belt loop, small child…
January 4th, 2009 at 8:08 pmExcept that it’s not true. Try as I liked to pull myself away from your grocery list, I couldn’t. SCORE!
January 4th, 2009 at 8:17 pm“cereal (the sort I promised myself I would never buy my children back when I had only one kid that was still young enough to be completely under my control and I was therefore an asshole expert on such things)”
Love this. Me too. I got a lot less *ssholey about stuff like this after the second kid was old enough to have an opinion.
Mine eat CRAP. Punctuated by fantastic gourmet meals cooked by my husband 2-3 times a week. I’m hoping it balances out.
January 4th, 2009 at 9:12 pmI told the people at Stop & Shop that they should put a sign on the entrance: “Did you remember your bags?” Because I think at that point I’d turn around and get them out of my car (unless they’re still in my house), but I won’t go back out once I’m in the store.
I also need brown paper bags to recycle my newspapers, so sometimes it’s okay to forget…
January 4th, 2009 at 9:22 pmI put my bags in the car that way they are always there. Also, because I’m stupid and tend to forget them in the car and the cashier nor other customers don’t appreciate me saying “can I run out to my car really quick” I toss my coupon book back there with them. I always go into the store and check what coupons I have so I never make it too far before I remember.
If you don’t cut coupons then perhaps you can convince the grocery store to make space under the register for your personal bags!
January 4th, 2009 at 9:22 pmThanks for posting the link to your gingerbread house tutorial again. I knew you had shared that a year ago but could not remember where. I’ll look forward to building one after Christmas this year.
January 4th, 2009 at 9:23 pmMy solution to the grocery bag situation is to put them in the car right after I emptied them. I put them in the tripping zone of the door so I am more motivated to take it to the car. I also have a small Target reusable bag that I try to keep in my jacket pocket for small random shopping adventures.
January 4th, 2009 at 9:24 pmhuh…I thought I was the only one who was ever asked if I wanted bags at all…and this was at a regular store w/ a bunch of miscellaneous (not nec., big or boxy type things) items on the conveyor belt. I looked at her pointedly for a second or two and then said…”yes, I’d like this bagged…unless you want to call several of your associates to help me carry them all out to the car.”
January 5th, 2009 at 3:25 amYou’d love it here (Germany), Chris. If you forget your bags, your only option is to buy them. Most people here just put their groceries back into the trolley after they’ve been scanned, take them out to the car and load them into bags, baskets and/or those collapsible baskets in the boot of their car. No need to bag in the store. Otherwise, you bring your bags in with you, but most don’t bother.
Some larger grocery stores are slowly starting to offer those super thin, cheapy plastic bags now for free, but few people bother with them.
Oh, and cradling your groceries in your arms? I can’t tell you how many silly young singles I’ve seen do exactly that!
January 5th, 2009 at 3:52 amI am so glad I’m not the only one who buys crap cereal for my kids and forgets one of the 20 re-usable bags bought SPECIFICALLY for the groceries but who are much better at holding down the shelf in the laundry room!
A to the men.
January 5th, 2009 at 5:25 amHere in France, not only do they not provide bags for you (well, they will for five cents), they expect you to load your crap into the bags and carry them out yourself too.
I am now the proud owner of a personal shopping cart that I drag up the hill back to my house, and not one but TWO gigantic size Ikea bags to haul my stuff home.
On the other hand, I just discovered online shopping and placed my first order. To be delivered tonight. Exactly at dinnertime. (Too bad I couldn’t schedule it before, so I actually had something to feed my horde).
P.S. Thanks for the Gingerbread house instructiosn.
January 5th, 2009 at 5:58 amA couple of your recent posts have had lines that were just about straight out of my head. Thanks for helping me feel a bit less like a bad mommy freak!
My daughter (8) loves instant oatmeal. Apple and Blueberry is her favorite (which I think would be Apple and Cinnamon back in the states), she has it every morning. She may grudgingly accept Raspberry if she has had enough sleep and she hasn’t yet been asked to do anything to strenuous like get dressed or do her chores.
January 5th, 2009 at 7:08 amHeh heh heh…I’m glad to see I’m not the only one who will buy the ORGANIC fruit to cancel out the sugar-fix-in-a-box-pretending-to-be-good-for-you crap I let my kids devour now. Is it bad to let them eat it for supper sometimes?
January 5th, 2009 at 7:59 amAfter the third one came along, I think my give-a-damn fell out with my uterus. So did my memory.
I do what Hallie does, and put the bags and bins in the “trip zone”. If the kids don’t kick it into a corner, it’s all good! : )
I’m forever forgettng my bags too. BUT, our favourite grocery store is going to start charging you to use the plastic bags as of April 1st (yes, I thought it was a joke too). I have a feeling my memory will improve greatly once it starts costing me money.
January 5th, 2009 at 8:58 amMine are always in the car.They never get to see a store:( Guilty.
January 5th, 2009 at 9:29 amI thought you meant you were asked ON THE PHONE if your mom or dad were at home. To be asked IN PERSON is really something. Not that I’m surprised. You’re the youngest-looking mother of seven EVER.
Oh, and I never remember my cloth bags either. And then feel sorta guilty about it. (Yes, I’m Catholic, thanks for asking.)
January 5th, 2009 at 9:38 amUgh, I don’t want to go to the grocery store. Can we share some organic apples and not real food cereal instead? I have alcohol to trade (cause we have a fully stocked bar all the time but my husband feels the need to buy $300 of additional liquor every New Year’s Eve).
January 5th, 2009 at 9:41 amoh my i must be a bad bad tree hugger..i don’t even own cloth/reusable/ bags..sheesh.. its on my list i swear
as for bad breakfast foods..well i just got mine to not eat the instant oatmeal (yeah me LOL) but the cereal is still a problem.. but hey who has time in the mornings anyways
January 5th, 2009 at 12:47 pmMomzen, it’s the same in Germany. No one bags your groceries for you. You load your stuff back into the trolley and bag it at the car (in your own bags, of course–we also have a stash of those giant Ikea bags in our van). Unless, of course, you walk or bike home, as I used to when I lived in the city. Then, of course, you bring your bags in and bag the stuff as it comes off the scanner. You learn to be quick. I’ve lived here for so long, I don’t even think about it anymore. I honestly don’t know what I’d do with myself, standing there watching the stuff go through the scanner while someone else bags it all. Just stand and watch?
Chris says: No, you argue with your children over all the candy displayed in the check out aisle.
January 5th, 2009 at 2:28 pmI haven’t been here long enough to be used to the DIY groceries. But I head to Germany next. Suppose I’ll be used to it by then.
January 5th, 2009 at 3:27 pmThe grocery store is my life…I never get tired of reading or hearing what other people are buying:)
January 5th, 2009 at 8:06 pmOver here plastic bags cost 22c each so it doesn’t take too long to get in the habit of taking them grocery shopping. I will certainly be keeping the Gingerbread house recipe and be trying that, instead of the crap one I did, all the walls broke. I had never heard of the American tradition of gingerbread houses until I started reading this blog in 2005. I love it, the gingerbread houses and this blog.
January 5th, 2009 at 8:40 pmBAGS YES I HAVE LOTS OF BAGS I WALK IN THE STORE AND AFTER BEING THERE FOR A FEW MINS I REMEMBER THAT I LEFT THOSE BAGS AGAIN IN THE TRUNK CAN’T GET OUT OF LINE AT THE DELI (WE ALL KNOW IT TAKES ALMOST AS LONG THERE THEN IT DOES TO GET THE REST OF YOUR NEEDED ITEMS) SO ONCE AGAIN MY GOOD DEED TO THE EARTH GOES UNDONE. I DO SAVE ALL THOSE PLASTIC BAGS AS MY CLOSET IS STUFFED FULL.
THANKS CHRIS I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO BOUGHT ALL THOSE BAGS JUST TO FORGET THEM MORE TIMES THEN NOT
January 5th, 2009 at 9:57 pmHey, you got more done today that I did and I only have one little one here at home.
Oatmeal, my daughter loves oatmeal but I can’t figure out how to cook the darn stuff. I was trying to stay away from instant but I’m near the end of my patience with it now.
January 6th, 2009 at 3:36 amChris says: No, you argue with your children over all the candy displayed in the check out aisle.
Ah, LOL, I’d rather make them repack the groceries into the trolley. They ARE my slaves, afterall. Of course, you’ve got to be careful it isn’t the toddler tossing the carton of eggs back in…
January 6th, 2009 at 6:23 amI’ve been trying to decide if my nine year old is old enough to send to the car to get the bags when I forget them - b/c I am very good at putting them back in teh car - where else would I store them - but like everyone else - leave them there. I have purchased a really compact mesh bag that I keep in my purse - and call myself a tree hugger for all the small purchases I make and then say no bag please. Does it make up for the plastic container that my egg sandwich comes in every day- unlikely…
January 6th, 2009 at 11:13 amIt’s my New Years Resolution again…to remember the bags! I love the year in photos idea!! But, please continue writing too! Your posts are the best!
January 6th, 2009 at 4:25 pmMy cousin who will be 25 years old this year ate oatmeal almost EVERY SINGLE DAY for YEARS! To this day, his favorite breakfast is - you guessed it: OATMEAL!
January 6th, 2009 at 10:16 pmI usually do pretty good about remembering the cloth bags–they go straight back in the van, right behind my seat. What cracks me up about our town is the mini economics lesson you get when you use them. Raley’s/Bel Air–capitalist: they give you a straight $.05 refund for every bag used. Cool. My bags have paid for themselves times over. Trader Joe’s–Socialist: you get to enter a drawing for $30 groceries every time you use the bags. Whoopie. I’ve never won, nor do I know anyone who’s won. Natural Foods Co-op–communist: they credit you $.05 per bag, but they give you 5 choices of charitable organizations you must give it to–their 5 choices, none of which I’d support voluntarily. Any guess where I remember to bring my bags in?
January 7th, 2009 at 1:29 amthanks for the link–just printed out the gingerbread info to have on hand for next year. you’re an inspiration!
January 8th, 2009 at 2:34 pm