Saturday, November 08, 2008

Another Title? Give Me A Break!

Theo's birthday is tomorrow. I got him a gift card to a fast food place. And some more gummy bears. I also picked up a free (retractable!) measuring tape key ring at our credit union this morning. I'm thinking the key ring would be a lot more exciting if it had a key to a new car on it, but that is most emphatically not going to happen. Now excuse me while I try to scare up some wrapping paper that is neither pink nor purple.

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Larry and I double-dated with another couple tonight. That meant that Anna (as one of our designated babysitters) wasn't able to take advantage of a last-minute ice-skating invitation for this evening. And I am sure she will never let us forget it.

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Shower drain update: Theo informed me last night (right after I finished my post, in fact) that the bathroom floor was covered with water that had apparently overflowed from the shower pan. Gross, disgusting water which was full of bits of old food...So I did what any capable homemaker would do in that situation: I woke up my husband and told him we had a problem.

It being the weekend and all, he decided to just "keep an eye on it" until Monday, when plumbers are cheaper than on the weekend (cheaper being an extremely relative term here). It looks as though the flood waters aren't rising so long as we do not use the dishwasher. The only pleasure I am getting out of this plumbing ordeal is being able to tell Anna that we have to wash and dry all the dishes by hand. She really likes that.

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I'm thinking of having the kids live on whatever food is currently in our house for the next 2 weeks, just to make them more thankful at Thanksgiving. I could call it The Great Subsistence Experiment. I've got a bushel of potatoes, half a bushel of apples, lots of dried beans, some canned tuna, and oatmeal. Also, salsa...but you knew that already...

That's more than most pioneer families had to eat for an entire winter, I'll bet. Still, I hesitate. It's not that I worry about potential malnourishment; it's just that I'm not sure that I can take the prolonged whining that such an experience would engender. This experiment could turn into the Iron Man of mom competitions. "Can she take it? Or will she break?"

Hey! Iron Mom! I like it! Anyone care to join me?


21 comments:

  1. Iron Mom? Where do I sign up?

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  2. 9 kids and an adjunct professorship? I think you already have!

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  3. We participate in a scaled-down Iron Mom competition when I don't feel like going to the store. But we're talking two, three days at the most.

    You pull off two weeks, there should be a spa day at the end of it for you (hey, with the money you save by not buying groceries!).

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  4. shoot we go through a gallon of milk a day we would never make it.

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  5. And hummus and saurkraut, and egg sandwiches. Your kids will be fine, if a bit stinky at the end of three weeks. You guys like pungent food, what is the eal with that?

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  6. Gummy bears are great! We use them as a reward for potty training.

    If you try The Great Subsistence Experiment will that mean that you won't need to clean out your fridge each week?
    Will the egg salad sandwich be completely devoured?

    I loved the first post you linked to. We are among the group of parents who immediately panic at the sound of running water.
    Severe water damage in a basement will do that to you.

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  7. Happy Birthday to Theo, and hey - where'd you go on your date? I need to live vicariously, apparently! As for the Iron Mom competition - I'm waaaaaaay out of my league with the likes of you all!

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  8. Sounds like a great new reality show, I'm in! I have another fun category. My boys liked to rip labels off cans so we have a lot of mystery cans. Occasionally we have a mystery dinner with whatever unmarked can we open. It's thrilling, let me tell you. I've almost used up all the mystery cans though.

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  9. I have done 2 weeks with only buying milk and bread and NO TAKE OUT. but I only have 2 small kids who refuse to eat what i put on their plates anyway so I just stopped feeding them for the two weeks:) If you do it and survive then you deserve a medal. What would they give out for an Iron Mum award? A golden blender?

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  10. Funny, I too have been thinking about not going to the grocery store and living off the pantry. OH THE HORRORS! I'm not sure I can take the whining either, but maybe we'll see. Good luck.

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  11. Our grocery bill has risen quite a bit in the last few months. Two growing boys. I'm going to need a job just to feed them once they hit puberty. But I've threatened to give them nothing but cereal three times a day if they can't stop acting like frat boys at the table. That will probably save some money.

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  12. I like the idea. I have been toying with it myself. I have a pantry full of food and yet I go to the store and buy more... we would have to do something about fruit and veggies though.. maybe I buy fruit and veggies and nothing else....

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  13. Happy Birthday.

    No Iron Mom for me--without a job we might have had to do that for real. Now that we don't, I'm going shopping!

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  14. OH I am so with you. sometimes we do play "let's live off the fat of the land aka what's already in the cabinet." It's amazing how long you can go on the pantry alone!

    Too funny. But the shower thing? ewwwwwww

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  15. I think if you bought a cow, you'd maybe make it past Thanksgiving...I mean, between those extra jars of salsa and egg salad sandwiches...

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  16. All I can say is I want daily pictures.

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  17. Hmm. Living off the pantry. We'd be in dried beans, 20 pounds of brown rice, 5 pounds of red lentils, 5 pounds of quinoa. Can you say food co-op? Tragically, no one will eat it except the grownups...

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  18. Iron Mom...I love it!
    I could do that what we have in the house thing...but I overstock, so I'm not sure that they would notice! Hmmmm.
    Plus, we are going to my sister's house in Illinois for the Holiday...we DRIVE...not sure we could handle the trip.

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  19. Fantastic idea! I have some suggestions on the best earplus, in case the whining gets unbearable.

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  20. I love the idea of eating what you have. I bet you will come up with some interesting and creative meals.
    Please do it. I can't wait to read about it.
    Maybe you'll find a new recipe for ketchup soup?

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  21. We have been on you subst... thingie for the past 2 weeks to, and not out of choosing it. Tight paycheck this time. I am glad there is a lot of sugar in this house.
    When you make something crappy, like beans for dinner you make up for it by cooking something chocolate and yummy!

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