May 24, 2012

"Chocolate" "Milk" and more Grocery Store Drama

We arrived home this morning for our vacation.  And my heart sank a little as I walked into our home.
I liked vacation very much. And am not super excited to get back to real life.
Real life where we rarely see Jake because he is always working.
Real life where I have to watch the kids all by myself with rarely an adult to talk to.
Real life where I buy and spend all our money on special groceries and cook all the  special food and it takes me all day.

And mostly that last one.
We had let a lot of cheating on the lactose free- fructose free diet occur while on vacation.
And today we had to re commit the kids.
So even though we pulled in at 1 am.
At 9am I had to pack the kids back in the car to go grocery shopping.
But grocery shopping isn't just grocery shopping.
It takes hours and multiple stores.
Knowing they were tired of being in the car, I decided to just get a few things to get us to the weekend.
Knowing they were tired of being in the car I attempted to go to a health food store closer to me than Whole Foods that was recently recommended to me.
It was a bust, a waisted 25 minutes.  Load everyone back in the car.
Another store, a few things there, and eventually realizing I am going to have to go all the way to the Whole Foods.  It is only a 20 minute drive or so.  I should have just sucked it up and gone there 1st instead of waisting now almost an hour and a half at two stores with less stuff.
Finally we get what we need for a dinner, two lunches, some breakfast  and some snacks and the most important chocolate milk.
This chocolate milk I had promised him.  My sweetheart.  Repeatedly yesterday as we drove home.
I get the ingredients home.  It has taken me 2.5 hours to collect them.
I pour the special "milk" into his cup.
I take the special dairy free, sugar free, chocolate flavoured "ice cream" and melt a scoop in the microwave.  I stir them together.  He reminds me to shake it.

We have chocolate milk.  And a smile.
Some day I wonder if he will realize what a labor of love his glass of chocolate milk is?
How it takes his mother 2.5 hours to make and costs her about $24 a gallon.
What did you do with your morning?  Because all I did was make my son some chocolate milk.
If I don't unpack the car can I pretend we are still on vacation?