Venting!

YIKES!!!
Sorry in advance for those of you were hoping for deep spiritual insight today. I am pretty sure it's not going to happen.

1) My ears are burning! Literally!
I have been battling swimmers ear since I started my lessons in early July. The irritation factor has finally become significant enough to merit finding some "Swim-Ear" stuff at Wal-Mart (stay tuned for another comment regarding THAT place). I put it in. NOW my aching ears that have been itchy and annoying are filled with alcohol and burning. Yes, it is such a "better" feeling. I am so glad I spent $4 on something that not only feels worse but I could have bought a GIANT bottle for half that price and used a dropper of some sort ... which leads me to my next gripe...

2) I work REALLY hard to get the biggest bang for my grocery dollar. Every week I get the grocery cash out of the bank and spend it as carefully as I can. I coupon clip, I make my list from the sale ads, and I even go to multiple stores so I can get the best prices for the items I need. This week I decided to do something I haven't done for over 6 months - I walked in the doors of WalMart. I did this for two reasons. One, because they do "ad matching" so I didn't have to do multiple stores -which I did last week with my kids and it was NOT pretty. And two, I wanted to shop where there wouldn't be 37million other people getting their last groceries before they go on vacation. I heard that the WalMart out by Cabela's was nice, new, and VERY quiet. There aren't a lot of people shopping there right now because they just opened and lets face it, they are WAY out of the major traffic area. Today I bought most of what I needed and had to quit before I purchased all I had in my cart. Even at WalMart, I am running out of money before I get what I need. It seems so wacky! But, adjustments are required as little boys become bigger and need lunches for school, and they eat, and eat, and eat and eat. It seems like they are all in a growth spurt right now and I just can't seem to keep up with them!

3) But I FORGOT about how WalMart affects my children. Now, they are still boys in a grocery store, busy, creative, and yes a little rambunctious too. But something about WalMart... or maybe it is me. I don't want to be THAT mom with kids swinging from the aisles, running into people or, like today pulling off some slick new imaginary ninja move right in front of an old man with a cane just trying to walk!! Yes, that was me, speaking too loudly, in public, to my ninja-master son throwing himself on the floor in front of unsuspecting senior citizens. Don't you wish you were me?

4) I finally get the ninja-masters (which they have never seen anything like that except on ONE episode of Backyardagains) loaded into the car, groceries tucked into the back and we head for home. I hear a thud and figure the watermelon hit the back of the car when I turned the corner. No biggie. So, we get home and I get Peter laid down for his nap, the big boys on their beds for what will be close to an eternal time out and go back to the car to unload the groceries. Well, did I mention the GIANT jug of fabric softener I bought? It turns out that if you turn your car and the jug falls over and if said jug has had the lid twisted by one of three potential mess makers, you get fabric softener all over the back of your car.  I am all for fresh laundry, but fresh trunk, fresh Sunday school papers I forgot about, and fresh beach blanket made in Mexico... is just really annoying.

5) I get stuff cleaned out of the car, put the groceries away and remember that I bought REAL lettuce instead of bagged lettuce so I have to get busy cleaning and tearing before too long so when the guests arrive for our progressive dinner tonight they don't get farm grit in their teeth. Not a big deal (cleaning and tearing lettuce, that is) except that the list of "to do's" before company comes is a little longer than usual and I don't want to start too early so the kids don't wreck it before they come.

It is a fine line between ungrateful nastiness and a grumpy mommy moment. I hope I stayed on the right side of that line! And I hope you will forgive me if I offended you in any way...