Anyway, up until about two moths ago we were a strictly PBS or Disney Jr watching family.  I wasn’t opposed to other shows, it’s just that the girls would always ask for George, Elmo, Mickey, Jake or Angelina.  In fact, Scott and I were the ones to try to broaden their TV watching scope to include Wonder Pets, Wild Kratts and eventually Strawberry Shortcake, Pound Puppies and My Little Pony.  Thanks to a nifty little invention called DVR we just queued up a bunch of said shows for our kids evening viewing pleasure.  Brinley loves the new shows in her repertoire.  However, after sitting down with her and watching some of these shows Scott and I make the executive decision to remove Pound Puppies from the line-up.  The show is just crap basically.  It has no real message and seems to clearly just be a “brain rot” type of show.  I don’t think Brinley has yet noticed that we’ve nixed it and hopefully she won’t.

But on to the original point of this post – PBS and Disney Jr shows do not contain commercial advertisements.  They simply air the show and when it’s over we’d turn the TV off therefore missing any commercial breaks in between shows.  Enter “The HUB”, the channel that airs My Little Pony, Strawberry Shortcake and the dreaded Pound Puppies.  These shows all contain commercials.  At first I thought it would be a pain having to go in and fast forward through all of them so that Brinley would stay interested but I was wrong.  The kids LOVES the commercials.  I think it’s because she’s getting to see a whole lot of (mostly crappy) products that she’d never otherwise see.

Case in point – Pajama Jeans!  Why on Earth this infomercial airs during a kids TV show is beyond me, but you can bet your money that Brinley has become their youngest spokesperson.  A few weeks ago we were shopping in a clothing store and she said to me, “Look mom, Pajama Jeans!” (They were actually jeggings, but I let it slide.)  I thought to myself, “How the heck does she know what those are?”  And she continued, “Mom, they have the look of jeans with the comfort of pajamas and they don’t leave any unsightly marks!” I couldn’t help but laugh as she proceeded to tell me that I should order a pair.

The Dunks that we go to doesn’t have a drive-thru.  In fact, I don’t think the entire town has anything that is drive-thru except for maybe a bank.  It’s one of those towns.  Anyway, I don’t mind going inside because it’s a good way to kill some time while Brinley is dancing.  I wish I could wait in the waiting area and watch my tiny dancer, but Nora makes that quite impossible since she feels the need to touch everything!  I spend the first few minutes of class watching her prance around and then return to catch the last few minutes.  Anyway, back to Dunkin Donuts…

So every Tuesday there is this same group of old ladies sitting with their morning coffee (small black) and old fashioned donut.  I don’t know if they just come on Tuesdays or if it’s a daily thing.  Each Tuesday they smile as Nora and I come in and wave to us.  Nora says Hi and we proceed to order our goods (this time of year it’s a medium gingerbread hot coffee with milk and one sugar for me and she gets 2 munchkins).  Typically we’ll sit down for a few minutes if there is a free table.  This particular Dunks is always packed with {old} people.

Yesterday we were enjoying our treat sitting at the table next to the group of old ladies.  Every so often I eaves-drop on their conversation just because I think old people talk about the funniest stuff.  The topic of conversation this week: bone density, osteoporosis and calcium supplements.  It was basically a round table discussion on which supplement/medication was the best in combating bone loss, and man where these ladies getting heated!  Most of the women seemed to prefer the once a month versions where one woman was adamant about the shot that you get once a year.  Then of course was the two who thought that the once daily supplement was simply the best way.  I can not believe how much they argued about this.  Granted Nora and I were only there for about 10 minutes but this was apparently a very serious topic of conversation.

After Nora had devoured her munchkins I grabbed our things and we headed out the door.  I was almost afraid to walk by the table where the old ladies were sitting.  I hurriedly walked by only to be stopped by a tap on the arm from one of the old ladies.  “Bye, dear,” she said to me as she waved and winked at Nora.  Then, “I hope you take your bone density seriously!”  I just smiled and walked out the door.

I can’t wait to hear what they’ll be talking about next week!

Love – Alice & The Bumble Bee

When I was a kid, it seemed like everyone called their grandparents some slight variation of Grandma and Grandpa.  Maybe it was Grammy and Grampy or sometimes Nana and Papa or even Ma and Pa but nothing too different from that.  Until I was pregnant with my first child I never gave much thought to what my children would call my parents and my husband’s parents.  I guess I just assumed it would be some variation of the above.  But then, at some point I came across a whole phenomenon where people would ask their parents what they wanted to be called.  I’m not sure if this was always the way things were and I never realized it, or if it was something new.  So, when I was pregnant with Brinley, I had the talk with my parents.

With my father (technically my step-father, but he raised me) it was a no-brainer.  He would be Grampy in homage to my late grandfather.  I knew the decision wouldn’t be as simple for my mother.  To most, my mom is considered a young grandmother.  She’s young at heart, on top of fashion and pop culture and looks amazing.  So it was no surprise to me that she decided to pick something different as her grandmother name.  After a little back and forth she settled on Mimi.

Before my mom chose this name, I had never heard it used as a grandmother name.  When we were discussing it, my mom told me that she had a friend or something that went by Mimi and that she liked it.  So it’s not that I thought it was completely original or anything.  However, since becoming a mom I can’t even tell you how often I hear grandmothers referred to as Mimi.  Yesterday alone I heard it twice within two hours.

The first one was at the doctors office yesterday morning.  We were in the waiting room with a few other people and there was an older woman with a toddler.  The toddler kept mumbling something that I couldn’t quite make out but started with ‘m’ and each time she said it the older woman would go to her.  Within a few minutes Nora started yelling, “Mimi, Mimi!”  I looked around thinking that maybe my mom was in the office for some reason (there are other doctors offices in the building) but didn’t spot her.  I just brushed it off until I realized that she had understood the other toddler girl’s toddler-speak and that she had been calling the older woman Mimi.  After we left the doctor’s office we did a little shopping.  We were in the Carter’s outlet and I was inundated with adorable little girl’s fall clothing.  Nora was in the stroller and Brinley was holding my hand as I got lost amidst a sea of coordinating tunic tops and leggings.  Then it started again.  “Mimi, Mimi!”  Again, I looked around to see if my mom happened to be in the store as well, but she was not.  I realized that Nora was referring to a woman who was shopping near us.  She could only see the back of her and she had blonde hair like my mom.  I laughed and said to Nora, “That’s not Mimi silly!”  To my surprise, the woman turned around and said, “Actually, I am Mimi, just not her Mimi.”

At that point the woman and I got into a mini conversation about the evolution of Mimi and how she hears it all the time now even though she became Mimi seventeen years ago.  And here I thought my mom was being original….

Image credit: zazzle.com

So, remember how I told you that I had been looking for months for a double jogging stroller and then we scored a sweet deal on one last week?  Well, as you know I went up to my parents’ lake house for a few days this week.  It’s in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere.  If you blink when driving through the town center, you’ll probably miss it.  There’s an antique store, a pizza place, a bank and a library.  Oh, and a place called the Community Clothing Center which is sort of like a Salvation Army store or thrift store.

Before heading to the house, we always stop at the grocery store to get what we’ll need while we’re up there.  The closest store is about 20 minutes away so it’s just easier to get everything before hand.  Anyway, as we’re driving from the grocery store to the house, we pass through the tiny town center.  There’s never anything exciting to see or do down there but I always look around as we’re going through.  As we pass the Community Clothing Center my mom says to me (did I mention that she was with us?), “Hey, there’s a double jogging stroller just like the one you just got.”  I looked over and saw it and she was right.  It was just like the one I had got, except that it was blue.  I just shrugged and said, “Figures, since I just bought one.”

I kept on driving but then my mom and I decided that we should at least go and check it out.  So I turned the car around and headed back.  I pulled up in front of the CCC and had my mom hop out and go inquire about the stroller.  She goes in and comes back a few minutes later and knocks on the window.  I say,”How much?”  She just laughs and says, “They don’t charge for things, you just make a donation.”  Ummm, ok.  At that point she hops back in the car and I get out to go check out the stroller.  It’s legitimately the same stroller I just bought, an InStep Safari TT Double Jogger.  It has all the parts and is in fairly good shape.  It has some stains but nothing that can’t be cleaned.

We decide that, even though I just bought one, we should take it.  She can either keep it at her house for my girls and my  nieces or leave it up at the lake house and we can use it when we walk over to the beach with the kids.  Either way, all we have to do is make a donation and the stroller is ours.  We’re trying to think of what to give for a donation and we’re rummaging through our purses.  Collectively we came up with $15 cash.  It’s all we had.  My mom goes back in, gives the woman working inside the money and tells her that we’re going to take the stroller.  As she does this, I am waiting outside by the car.  An elderly man is sitting in one of the chairs outside the store.  He’s mumblimg, “Where’s my nurse?  She’s over an hour late.  I might just croak right here waiting for her.”  I’m not sure if he’s talking to me so I don’t answer.  Then another man approaches the store, looks over at my car and says to me, “Niiiice car!”  At this point my mom is (thankfully) come out of the store.

I start folding up the stroller and open the tailgate to my car.  So this stroller is NOT small.  It folds in half but that doesn’t mean much.  Oh and my car is already pretty full of our bags of clothes, our food and miscellaneous stuff for the kids.  I have no idea how we’re going to fit the stroller in the back of the car but somehow we manage.

So now, in a matter of 5 days, I have no one, but two double jogging strollers.  It’s just my luck!

This past weekend we were on a road trip and stopped at Burger King for a quick, unhealthy lunch.  Of course the entire restaurant (if you can even call it that) was plastered with Twilight and Eclipse posters and paraphernalia.  I understand that big chain places like BK are going to market hot movies and do promotions based on them.  It’s always been that way.  It’s a money maker for both parties.  I have no problem with that.  What I do have a problem with is that Burger King continued the Eclipse marketing in the form of their kid’s meals.  WTF!

To me, kid’s meals are just that, meals for kids.  And when I say kids I’m implying someone under the age of 12, most likely even younger.  Most teenagers I know can and do consume much larger quantities of food than are given in a kid’s meal at Burger King.  So, if kid’s meals are geared toward kids under 12 then why would BK put an Eclipse “prize” in the kid’s meal?  The movie is rated PG-13 due to some violence and scenes of sexuality (according to IMDB.com) so it seems very counter intuitive to me for BK to do this.  I know all they’re doing is seeing dollar signs but still.  It’s not like there aren’t any other big blockbuster movies that they could use in their marketing.  How about Toy Story 3?  Of course, I’m not a marketing expert or anything and I’m sure one has to offer the other the deal.  I’m sure they don’t just get to choose what they want to use for prizes, but I simply can’t understand this.

After bringing this topic up with some of my family and friends I have heard that some Burger Kings offer an alternate “toddler prize” for the kid’s meals upon request.  However, I was unaware and the cashier who took my order at BK clearly saw that I had a 3 and 1 year old in tow.  Obviously they had no idea what Eclipse was.  I was never offered a toddler prize and I didn’t see any signs anywhere that they were even available.

In reality I know that BK and [whoever produced this movie] do not care about whether or not my child actually likes the prize.  I know they just care about the money, but really Burger King?  Really? (a la Seth Meyers on SNL)

Image borrowed from www.bellasdiary.com

The “prize” we received was the mini tote bag.  Seriously?  It’s a little piece of fabric with a handle on it.  It’s not even big enough to hold a pack of gum.  Oh and I love how the poster says keepsakes for girls and guys.  It’s clearly not targeted toward kids, otherwise it would have said girls and boys.  Ok, rant over.

]]> http://amothersworkisneverdone.com/2010/07/really-burger-king-really/feed/ 8 http://amothersworkisneverdone.com/2010/07/the-odd-couple/ http://amothersworkisneverdone.com/2010/07/the-odd-couple/#comments Fri, 09 Jul 2010 13:00:29 +0000 Kristin http://amothersworkisneverdone.com/?p=281 More >]]> Last night I went grocery shopping.  Alone.  It’s amazing what is considered enjoyable alone time when you’re a mom.  I was only gone about an hour, but it was an hour free of whining, begging, and melt downs.  I could completely focus on the task at hand – filling my cart with food!  There was no one asking for candy or cookies or needing to go to the bathroom half way through the store.  I didn’t have to pay attention to anyone else.  Yet, for some reason, I found myself thinking about the people around me.  It’s amazing what you notice when you don’t have two nagging kids in your presence.

It started as I was getting out of the car.  A woman was exiting the store.  I’d guess she was in her late 20′s or early 30′s.  She was tall, wearing a pencil skirt, a blouse and cardigan, peep toe heels and shiny jewelry.  She had her long blonde hair perfectly straightened and just enough make-up on to be noticed.  She walked toward the parking lot carrying a cardboard box.  Walking toward her was a man who was probably around 40 or so.  He had on stonewashed Levi’s, a light yellow polo shirt and sneakers.

The woman noticed the man and said to him, “Oh, hi!  I was just going to bring this out to my car.”  He said to her, “Let me get it for you.”  And he took the box from her.  They walked together, pretty closely, to a mid sized sedan and he put the box in the trunk.  Then they turned and walked into the store grocery store together.

For the remainder of my time in the grocery store I kept trying to think of what their relationship could be.  They didn’t seem close enough to be married.  And she seemed a little young for him (in my opinion).  They seemed very mismatched to be a “couple”.  She was well dressed, tall and looked important.  He was dressed very casually and was much shorter than her with salt and pepper hair.  He definitely wasn’t old enough to be her dad.  Maybe he was her brother or a coworker?  But they’re initial encounter seemed on the awkward side, almost like on a first date.  Maybe it was a DHG (disproportionately hot girlfriend) situation.  ( If you are unaware of the DHG situation, please click here.)  But who would go on a date to the grocery store?  I still can’t figure it out.  I have no idea why I even care about this, but it’s just one of those things.  What’s your guess?  Have you ever encountered a “couple” like this?