Cantawopes and Gwee Wees

Kids say the darnedest things. Most of the time they quote the parents. Case in point: Ian playing video games. "Oh, MAN!" "COME on!" "Oh no! Oh no!" The last one is from me. I am a very noisy video game player, especially since the invention of the vibrating remotes that go off every time your character dies, hits something or runs off the road (and I am a very bad video game driver). It's been a pretty quiet weekend so far. Niiiiiice. The best part about our weekend, starting on Friday (hey, the kids aren't in school yet, every day is Friday here) was the produce that we found at the grocery store! One of the most marked differences between Oklahoma and Florida is the difference in produce. In Florida, certain things are found year round. In OK, they are found every once in a while for 3 to 4X the price. But when spring is most fervently wished for (and not to be found) fresh produce shows up from wherever it's warm (FL, CA, TX?) So finally, for the first time in months, we get affordable Cantaloupe and Kiwi, see title for clarification. Avocados are a different story. They were $1.50 apiece at Superbowl time, I'm supposing, to make everyone buy the guacamole dip already made. But since we just eat the avocados out of the shell, we like them fresh. Every once in a while we buy a whole bagful for 88 cents apiece. That's when to get them. Not for $1.50 to $2 apiece, at least not for the little ones.

For those of you who do not go produce shopping or who are wondering what avocados are, go get you one and try it with a little salt. Mmmmm.

Anyway, it is finally the time of year when recognizable fruits and vegetables are starting to fill up the shelves again at affordable prices. Yippeeeeee! Ian is also thrilled at this, since we are really starting to get tired of the same old apples and bananas routine and need something to shake it up a bit. How is it that we can get mangoes here for a buck apiece and not get decent oranges or avocados??? Why is this?! Or pineapple!

I'll just nip that outrage in the bud and move on to my wonderful grandparents who have provided me with a Sam's card. We love them to little bitty pieces, especially later this afternoon, when we will emerge triumphant with enough 'cantawopes and gwee wees' to sink a ship, or at least a green Jeep. And hopefully an avocado or four. And maybe strawberries that aren't $5 a pound? We'll see.

But last night, when Ian was rolling around in his bed, stubbornly insisting that he wasn't tired and that he couldn't sleep (he really does say that, isn't that the darnedest thing?), I was trying to coax him under the covers (instead of leaping about on top of them) to lie down. After a lot of protesting, I started telling him that "we have a big day tomorrow and you need your rest," which usually works, or at least distracts him from his fussing that he isn't sleepy. I told him we would be going to Sam's. Since we don't go that often, he had no idea what it was. I tried to think of things there that would interest him (since he doesn't really get what free samples are, or cheap cafe or bulk toilet paper). Finally I hit up on the produce section, where they usually have good cheap produce, and you get a bunch of it. "Maybe they'll have cantaloupe," I told him in a hopeful wheedly voice. Surely this would make him lie down and contemplate fruit long enough to fall asleep. Wrong. "And gwee wees! Lots and lots of gwee wees!" he shouted back gleefully, bouncing up and down. "Yes, but you have to lie down and go night-nights," I told him, realizing I should have picked another subject. "Awnacadas?" Ian asked. "We'll look for avocados," I promised. "YUM! Tasty!" was what I got back, but at least he was lying down. Yep, maybe this was going to work out after all. I kissed him and started to tiptoe to the door. "Mommy! Gwee wees are dewishus!" I snickered a little, wondering where he picked up "delicious" and assured him they were and that we would look for some good ones. I was finally able to leave the room and after some more kicking, he went to sleep. Whew!

Then it was Erin's turn for attention since she has been running a fever for a couple of days, but with no other symptoms other than a cough every now and then and she's just now starting to get a slightly stuffy nose. But other than not eating very much and having some gas (probably from the Tylenol) she seems okaaay. It's just hard to get extra sleep with Ian around, as we can allll attest to.

Back to the regularly scheduled program. Ian is reminding me that he is desperately in need of fruit and "we going to Sam's today?" I'll let you know if we find any 'cantawopes and gwee wees.'

Oh, and happy 7 months, Erin! So hard to believe that she's 7 months old already!