Grocery Shopping in my PJs

Back in the day when computers were just becoming a household necessity, I remember hearing about a new company called Webvan. Webvan was a grocery delivery service, which functioned from orders made on the new-fangled internet. What a foolish idea, I thought. Are we really that lazy that we can't just go to the store to get our groceries?

Then I had kids.

And I understood. Because who in their right mind wants to drag 4 children to the grocery store?

But by that time, Webvan had gone under, and I could find no other company who took their place.

I have often thought about Webvan over the last couple of months as the uncertainty of a chilly, white winter looms ahead. So imagine my delight when I saw a PeaPod truck rambling down my street a couple of weeks ago. I couldn't help but notice the logo of one of our closest grocery stores stamped on the back of the box truck. "Does Stop 'N Shop deliver groceries?" I inquired of the neighbor with whom I was chatting at the moment.

Affirmative.

I came inside and pulled the service up on the internet. Sure enough. There it was. AND they were offering free delivery for the first 60 days of use! I immediately decided I would put PeaPod to good use as soon as the Arctic weather became unbearable. By being patient and waiting until then, my 60 days of free delivery would extend almost through the worst part of the winter.

But then the Princess got sick. And we needed to eat. Plus, I really needed supplies for the co-op science class I am teaching today. What I did NOT need was barf clean-up on Aisle 3.

So I jumpstarted my 60 days and placed my order. Unfortunately, the next available delivery time slot was not until between 6 AM and 8 am this morning, but I don't mind so much because now I will actually be able to feed my children breakfast!

Works for Me Wednesday: Ode To My Vacuum Sweepers, Past & Present

I walked into the kitchen one day barefooted. The kids were at the table eating breakfast. As soon as they saw me, they froze, a couple of them with spoons midway to their mouths. "WHAT?!" I asked.

"Mom," one of them explained, "you don't have any shoes on!" You would think that, having grown up in Africa where shoes are generally optional, I wouldn't be such a shoe fanatic in my own house. It's just that the Crumb Factor is so very high in my house, and there is nothing I despise more than attracting crumbs to my bare foot, or worse yet, stepping in a puddle of mystery liquid. So I've learned to just wear shoes around the house. Someday--maybe in 15 years or so--I won't have to be such a shoe freak.

It's not that I don't clean up. I do. Constantly, it seems. In fact, I've also become a sweeping fanatic. But not with a broom, my friends! A couple of years ago, I discovered the magic of broom vacuums. I'm not talking about that Dirt Devil thing that's shaped like a broom but is supposed to vacuum. I've heard that one's a bust. I'm talking about the battery operated sweepers. My first sweeper of this type was my hero sweeper. A green Shark. It died, and I miss it.

After a near-tearful goodbye to my Shark, I got a Swivel Sweeper...one of those As Seen on TV things. Honestly, I would have replaced my green Shark with a green Shark, but the Swivel Sweeper was cheaper at the Linens & Things Going Out of Business sale than the Shark, so the Shark was replaced. And I don't like it as much, but it still eats up the usual floor fare--wet rice, wet Cheerios, noodles...anything 4 little people can toss on the ground during any given mealtime.

Of course now our mealtimes have an added little bonus...of the four-legged time. Max. Cute little Max. As much as I will vouch for my sweepers, I'm afraid there is no better kitchen floor vacuum than my new puppy. Funny thing is I just added Kitchen Floor Sweeping as a rotating chore on the kids' chore charts. Last two meals, though, when Michael went to grab the trusty Swivel Sweeper to complete his job, we realized that there really was nothing left to vacuum. So much for teaching responsibility. As for Max, he's definitely a keeper, and he's earning his keep to boot. I just wish we had done this Inside Dog Thing nine years ago when the crumbs first began to fall.