So it was Wednesday. Which started out like any other. (Ya know, mad rush to get the herd out the door to school, no preschool on Wednesday,sorta boring)
Earlier that week I'd promised Pierce we'd go buy Popsicles and ice cream.
He forgot until Wednesday morning and since we had nothing better to do we took off on an adventure to the superstore.
When we got out of the car the baby was starting to fuss so I figured I'd end up holding him the whole time and got him out of his car seat and didn't bother bringing it in.
Pierce drove the cart while I carried the baby.(all of my kids think it is the ULTIMATE THRILL to drive the cart.)
Everything was working out great for the first 3 minutes until Pierce asked to buy a watermelon. 2 feet into the store. usually I'd just say no, but I've been craving watermelon.
and then I realized...
There was no place to put the baby.
How do you pick {slash} load a watermelon into your cart while holding a 2 month old?
You hand the baby to the 4 year old to hold.
I loaded up the 10 lb watermelon and took the baby back.
Some old lady saw Pierce holding Patriot and thought he was holding a doll.
NOPE. That's my baby.
An old man stopped to chat and look at the baby.
Then I saw the strawberries. They weren't on sale. They weren't even a good deal but they looked good and I was in the mood to make some jam.
As I was bending over loading 4lb boxes of strawberries into the cart with one hand , baby in the other, a guy in a pilot uniform caught an eye full of the girls, looked at the baby and the kid with me smiled and went on talking to his friend in a foreign language.
Sometimes I wonder why all the pilots and the foreign people shop for groceries at this particular super store. it happens to be across from a small private airport but still, WALMART? really?
Anyway, we shopped, we bought stuff, ALOT of stuff, people made comments, "you have your hands full there!"
As I walk away thinking, "IF YOU ONLY KNEW LADY!"
I don't even bother telling people who make comments about my reality. That information is on a need to know basis and they don't need to know.
I handed the baby off to Pierce again when I loaded the huge bag of sugar into the cart. Again I got comments and stares.
Eventually I grew tired of shopping with Pierce and the carrying the baby and our Popsicles were getting melty so we went to the register.
Where once again I faced down the dilemma over what to do with the baby while I unloaded the watermelon and the 10lb bag of sugar out of my cart.
I was waiting my turn in line and unloading my cart.
Funny how little kids are so happy to load the cart with stuff but less delighted about unloading the cart at the register.
The older lady behind me saw I was unloading my full cart one handed. So she started helping me.(probably wanting me to hurry up and finish so she could be done faster) I said i was fine and kind of just wanted her to back off, but she kept insisting on helping, Pierce was no help, so i let her.
We got to the watermelon at the bottom of the cart and I handed Patriot to Pierce to hold so I could get it, and the bag of sugar.
The lady commented something about Pierce being a big helper, and having my hands full and she knows what it is like, she had two boys herself and 2 grandsons,
so I said," Yeah, you should see the OTHER 5 kids that are at school."
She said , "wow, no wonder you are so casual about it."
I smiled to myself.
Then after everything was on the conveyor belt. I was waiting to pay and loading the cart back up with bags of groceries.
The lady was making small talk with Pierce and said, "OHHH, you have strawberries, can I come to your house?"
I said, "yeah we are going home to make Jam."
The lady about passed out!
"You have 7 kids AND YOU MAKE JAM?"
YES, YES I DO!
so I went home and spent the afternoon making jam, and then homemade cookies.
The kids were super thrilled to deliver jam to some of our neighbors, and to all of their teachers at school.
Pierce's preschool teacher sent a note back. "thanks for the jam, WHERE DO YOU FIND THE TIME?!"
Someone else asked the same question on Fb, I said I pay someone else to clean my house, it frees up all sorts of time.
NOTE TO SELF: (or anyone making jam) - i used 2 different brands of pectin. (the stuff you add to jam to make it Jell up) The Ball brand (famous for their canning jars) was not as delightful as the Sure jell brand. both were liquid type and didn't require cooking but the Ball brand recipe called for 4 cups of fruit to 2 cups of sugar. The Sure Jell recipe calls for 2 cups of fruit to 4 cups of sugar. HELLO! hands down i liked the sure jell jam better.
oh PS i made freezer jam.
i have made cooked jam before. it lasts longer in your pantry. and it's better food storage wise but freezer jam is easier.
QUESTIONS:
jam. what is your favorite kind?
Have you ever made Jam?
what do you do when people comment about having your hands full? do you tell them the whole story? or let them think you only have as many as you have with you at that moment?
© 2011 crazymamaof7
