Grocery shopping for me has always been fairly fun. I love to cook, I enjoy looking for deals, and I get great pride from feeding my boys good food. The joy has faded over the past few months to the point that my most recent trip to the store resulted in a knot in my stomach. The cost of food had skyrocketed so much in the last couple months that I’m really not sure how we’re going to keep up. Keep in mind here, I’m not talking about extras and junk food. I buy my kids 100% juice with no sugar added and as much fruit as possible. We cut a few corners with some quick to prepare “kid food” things, but not too much. It’s the price of basic pantry items that is killing us. Junk food and processed crap is cheap as ever. How is this a choice? No, I’m not going to compromise and let my kids drink food dye and sugar. No, I won’t feed them frozen pizzas for dinner every night that only cost a dollar. If they get that kind of crap, it’s as a treat because it’s mom’s night off. I buy organic when it’s reasonably priced, just because I’m sure the kids get enough chemicals in their systems from so many other sources.

Anyway, so this is more truth than editorial…..I used to be able to feed our family fairly well for about $500 a month. That cost has gone up about $25 a week in the past 3 months. My most recent trip to Wal-Mart for things like apples, chicken breasts, cereal etc….was $178! Considering that we don’t do many “extras” like chips or cookies and other junk, that amazes me. I have to choose between a week of breakfasts for $3 (Pop Tarts *junk*) or paying over $20 to stock up on fruit and whole grain waffles. I can only imagine what people of even lesser means are faced with choosing. Junk food is so easy and so tempting and so cheap. No wonder we have an obesity epidemic in this country. If you don’t believe me, the cereal isle of your local grocery store is a perfect example. All the high sugar “crap” cereals are on sale or already priced cheaply, but look at the lower sugar “healthy” cereals. They’re close to $5 a box.

I understand that in some countries children survive on much less than we do here and turn out OK……but we don’t live there. We live in the United States, the only country fucked up enough to have both a childhood obesity epidemic and children starving to death all on the same block. The government can offer tax refund band-aids, but they certainly won’t cover the gaping wound that is our economy right now. When the cost of living rises this quickly, how can employers keep up? I’ll give you a hint, they don’t. The rate that our grocery bill and other costs have risen, but not our income paint a very clear picture to me. We are in a recession. I only hope it will stop there and it will be a little bump on my family’s path.

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We’re in the process of building the boys a playhouse. There have been a couple of setbacks, but it’s coming along pretty well now. You can check it out on Andy’s blog. He’s got some pictures up and tells a little more about the steps involved and the work we’ve done. The biggest thing I’ve learned during the building process? I love the chop saw.

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Forget the Super Bowl, this is one of the biggest weekends in sports for me. It’s the annual celebration for NHL dorks like me. Saturday night features the skills competition, which is my favorite part. Players compete in categories like “fastest skater”, “hardest shot”, and “most accurate shot”. To me, this competition highlights the players personalities and some important skills that might not get top billing during regular play (unless you’re Dion Phaneuf, and then it makes the national news). I know it’s a giant popularity contest and the game on Sunday isn’t as rough and tumble as we’ve come to expect, but that’s no reason not to like it for what it is. Some bloggers are bitter that the All-Star game is a “pass and lay-up” game, not me. It gives the fans access to the players that they don’t normally get. Last year they put a microphone on Dallas Stars goalie Marty Turco and got sound bites that we’ll never forget. Let’s look forward to getting chance to know the guys that play our favorite game and even getting glimpses at Alex Ovechkin’s sense of humor, not the usual body-checks and hard hits. We will return to our regular NHL programming next week, I think we’ll all survive.

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Today is one of those days that it just feels good to be. I loaded some Bruce Springsteen on my iPod and drove around town with the windows down and the stereo so loud, I couldn’t hear anything else. Everybody should drive around from time to time like they’re on an empty highway and enjoy the music. I fell in love with Bruce Springsteen’s “The Rising” during the Carolina Hurricanes’ Stanley Cup run, but it’s been lost in iTunes for a while. I resurrected it this morning in a moment of reminiscence. My beloved hockey team has been in a hell of a slump lately and I needed a reminder of the love I have for the game, not this season.

Anyway, find a song that you love that takes you back to a time of celebration and play it as loud as you can until your ears ring.

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I don’t make much, just little bits of extra income here and there. Honestly, though, it’s the little things that matter. Sure, I’d love to be able to earn enough to buy a new camera, or a new TV, or even a new car, but I don’t. The little things are great, though. My husband and I get to go out tonight and I get to pay for it. We’ve got the sitters all lined up for the boys and Andy I get to go to dinner and college hockey game. We get to have several hours to reflect on life, to be together, and to finish a thought train. You take all of those things for granted when you’re just getting started, but once you have kids, they get more and more important. So far, my marriage has stayed strong. I think it has a lot to do with our friendship above all else. Still, every conversation or parent strategy session is plagued with kids pulling on us or interrupting. The more Andy and I can take care of ourselves and our relationship, the better mom and dad we can be. I’m looking so forward to tonight. Much thanks to all the grandparents that are making it possible.

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