Wednesday, February 3, 2010

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream


Sometimes I wonder about myself. I took Girl to get her one-year shots today, and I hear all these stories about how awful it is watching your children get shots, and how mothers cry with their children, or can't watch, or need someone else to hold their child still. I don't seem to have that problem. At times I have found myself wondering what it is inside me that is broken. I am able to hold Girl still, pin her arms and watch her get 3 shots in a row without so much as a lump in my throat. Is that normal?

I try to convince myself that I'm just a strong person who doesn't let her emotions get the better of her, but to be honest, I'm not thinking about it much. Shots are just one of those things. They suck, but you do them, and get through them and then they're done. Bite down on the strap and when it's all over, you can have some juice.

Girl hurts herself all the time. Not seriously of course, but enough to make her cry for a while. I'm never happy when she's hurt or upset, but usually when she cries I cuddle her and gently remind her that gravity will always be there and she needs to make sure her feet are under her when she crawls off the couch. What point is there in falling if you don't know why you fell?

I used to be more sensitive. There was a time when I couldn't return something to a store because I was afraid they'd get mad at me. I'm pretty sure I know when that turned, and while I'm glad I can go to customer service without fear, I sometimes wonder if maybe it went too far. I don't really feel like I'm missing out on anything, after all, crying isn't usually something that people want to do. I just wonder sometimes if the point between logic and sentimentality shouldn't be a little closer to the middle.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

The best of both worlds?

There are very few times that I envy Americans. Not that I think it's a bad place to live, I just think Canada suits me better (mosquitos notwithstanding). That said, I itch for deals, bargains, coupons and FREE FREE THINGS which I really don't think Canada has... at least, not in the same way.

We Canucks have our loyalty clubs, which force us to be loyal to stores in hopes of someday cashing in on free services, groceries and the like. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my points, but there is something to be said for the thrill of the hunt, clipping enough coupons, doubling them and then finding out that your cart full of groceries cost you a whopping $4. It's somehow not the same to spend a year collecting points to get that same cart of groceries for free. It's kind of like earning money vs finding $20 in your pocket you didn't know about. it's the same money, but the thrill just isn't there. Not to mention, it's almost anticlimactic to REDEEM your points once you get a big, satisfying pile of them all stacked up together in a happy little group.

I keep trying. I watch my fliers, and scour them for the best deals, hoping that in some small way I can work the system enough to make myself happy. For example, a few weeks ago at Sobeys, I bought 3 packages of KD for $2.98 and got 300 points. (about equivalent to $2.00 in free groceries). Ok, so I didn't just buy 3 but I stopped myself from buying more than I'd actually eat though, which made it a success.

Someday I'll find the fulfillment I'm craving. Even if it means a trip south of the border. But until then, I will live vicariously through my SIL who is a master. Check out her blog.

Is it so wrong to want both? Because as much as I want the coupons and the tricks and such... I also want my $500 in free groceries. I really gotta go spend that soon, before inflation makes it worth less!