Incredible Patience

Shopping is not the favorite activity for The Man of the House.  He's a "go in - get what you need/want - get out" sort of shopper. Which doesn't work well when you know in a general way what you are looking for, but having trouble finding what it is specifically that you need.  It's a form of torture for him.

Case in point - cafe curtains for the kitchen.

I knew I wanted cafe curtains.  I even thought I had them picked out and purchased.  Until I got home and realized that actually measuring the window and making sure the curtains you are purchasing are, in fact, the right size for that particular window.

I had not. They were too long.  (sigh)  This is a brief synopsis of what occurred next...

Return previously purchased curtains.  Search curtain selection at store where previous curtains were purchased.  Realize they carry nothing close to the size I actually need. Leave store frustrated.

Plan to browse Target and World Market websites for potential new curtains.  Internet is down all evening and the following morning. Decide to just go check stores.

Have Man of the House take me to shopping plaza to participate in the hunt for curtains.  Look in first store, find nothing.  Look through shoe department instead.

Look at second store.  Find nothing.  Form potential new idea in mind.

Drag Man of House into another store.  Still nothing.  He wanders off to look at grills.  Finding none, he comes back.  Only to be told we will have to go to yet another store.

Store number 4.  Nope.

Store number 5.  Again, a bust.  Ponder possible new idea which began brain brewing earlier.  Get a stroke of pure genius.  Which requires returning to store number 2 to purchase item to be used as curtains.  It also requires a stop at the store where the first curtains were bought and  returned for clips to complete the new project.

And... Voila!  Using napkins found at World Market - new cafe curtains!!

Through it all, the Man of House was incredibly patient with me.  Seriously, I could learn a thing or two from him on the subject.  I probably would have been snapping out somewhere around store 3 or 4.  Absolutely by the time we had to return to store 2.  But not him - he was an absolute model of self control and understanding.

Especially considering that later the same day he must have had enough of listening to me complain about my feed aching all the time - because he took me back out to get new shoes.  I was being picky.  ( Is it too much to ask for some cute, comfortable shoes with plenty of cushioning which will go with most any outfit??)  Which meant going to 3 more stores in order to find just the right pair to cradle my feet in comfort.

Thanks sweetie!  I know all that walking around and shopping isn't your cup of tea.  I appreciate you doing it for me.  And for being patient with me in the process! 

He's Too Clever for My Own Good!

The Little Man has some money he earned, burning a hole in his pocket.  Which is why I knew what he was aiming at when he was following me around like a puppy this morning and asked what my plans were for the day.  He wanted someone to take him to the store to pick up that new video game he is drooling over.  However, going out to the store was not high on my list of things I wanted to do on my day off.  Which I explained as I told him I had a lot of things I needed to get done around the house today.

As I finished up a post for my other blog, checked my email, did some exchanging of titles at the digital library and headed to fold some laundry - I was stopped in my tracks.  By the sight of the Little Man in the kitchen, doing the dishes.  Without being asked or told.  He was even washing the roasting pan by hand.

Now, I have to pause at this point and tell you (in case you are not already aware) - I am a list maker.  So when I refer to my daily To Do list, this is not figurative.  There is literally a small spiral notebook in which I make my daily list of things I hope to get accomplished before my head hits the pillow that night.  This list sits out in clear view of anyone who cares to look at it.

In his vast wisdom, the Little Man saw this list and has taken it upon himself to get some of those items marked off; shortening the list to a point where I will agree to give him a ride to the store and enable him to spend his money. 

He is also smart enough to do the job well.  And not to bribe me with doing the chores on the list IF I will take him.  Nope, he has silently set about completing some of those tasks.  Besides taking care of the dishes (including wiping down the counters and sweeping the floor!); he has now taken care of the daily recycling, and vacuumed the living room floor.  And left me completely flabbergasted!

I suppose this means a trip to the video game store is now added to my To Do list for the afternoon.

That's what I get for having smart kids.

Making A List... Checking It Twice

It's that time of week again.  Time to make the grocery list for the week.  Seems easy enough, right?  Figure out what you want to eat for the week.  Make a list of what you need.  But leave it me to make it a little more of a challenge than that!

It starts out with deciding what to prepare for the upcoming week.  This portion of the process alone can take quite a while. There are many things to consider.   What do I already have in the freezer, pantry, and cabinets that can be used?  What do I have coupons for?  What am I in the mood to make that the rest of the household will eat?  That is easy, delicious, and nutritious?  What is not going to take long to fix on nights after I work?  Nights there are softball games, classes, and lessons scheduled. 

Sometimes this is more of a challenge than others.  Some weeks I'm bored with the recipes I usually create.  Some weeks nothing sounds good when I am making the list.  Some weeks I just draw a complete blank!

Then of course, it's time to consider breakfasts.  And lunches.  Especially for those of us spending the mornings rushing to get off to work and school.  It has to be easy, filling, and portable.  The portable part refers to lunches, but now that I think about it - I often have breakfast in one hand as I head out the door for work.

And there are the other needed items.  Toiletries, personal care items, paper goods, etc.  I have to go through the entire family and ask "What do you need from the store?"  Sometimes more than once because often the first response is "oh, I don't know".

Through all of this, I'm still looking through my collection of coupons and looking for where I can save a little off the total.  I go to the coupon websites I frequent to check what I can print for the week.  I dig through my coupon stash. 

Finally I get everything organized and ready to go.  Of course once I get to the store I'll realize I forgot to check if I needed something.  Sometimes I don't realize I forgot until later in the week when I actually need it.  Or sometimes while at the store I'll find a great deal on something that I can't pass up.  Especially if it's something nonperishable or something I can freeze.  But in the end it all comes together and my family has it's needs met for another week.

Mmmm hmm.. suddenly not as easy as it sounds - is it?