Give Me The Grateful Life - Monday

Give Me The Grateful Life - Monday was a bit delayed today because, frankly, I am having a hard time finding things to be grateful for.

Nothing is seriously wrong (there's something to be grateful for right there - see how well this works?), I'm just cranky and completely non-productive, after a frustrating, non-restful weekend.

I spent three hours this morning buying groceries, unloading them, and throwing out rotten food to make room for the new food that next week I will throw out to make room for the new, new food.

I spent $200 at Trader Joes. I should have suspected it because people kept passing me, taking stock of the contents in my wagon: three boxes of Mighty Bites cereal, 4 bins of cookies, two trays of frozen hash browns, 5 boxes of Mac and Cheese, and much, much more. More than a few of them made drive-by comments like, "Wow, you must have a big family," "Sure is a lot of food you got there." The checkout guy asked me if all my groceries would last a week.

Here's the thing: I have no idea.

My kids get obsessed with food, like Mighty Bites and TJ's frozen hash browns, so I buy a ton of them just so I don't run out and have to listen to them whine drive back to get more (because TJ's means getting on the freeway which on any day in LA is a risk to my sanity).

But Murphy's Law has it that whenever I do get my shit together enough to think ahead, stock up, be a doting mom to my precious, little kiddies, the damn rugrats decide they don't like those particular goodies anymore and now they "HAVE TO HAVE" something else. Something that I was not clairvoyant enough to have bought. Something I have to get back on the freeway to buy.

The most frustrating thing...when I try to fight back, buy only one or two of their current obsessions, they're eaten within a day and for the rest of the week all I hear is "We don't have ANYTHING to eat."

So we come full circle to me throwing out the rotten food to make way for the new. It's a vicious cycle I tell you, vicious. Particularly for someone who recycles and gives scraps to the dogs just so I can feel good about not wasting it.

So, with that said, I will attempt to come up with the bright side of my past week despite my less than enthusiastic state because isn't that what gratitude journals are for???

1. I am grateful that we have the $$ to spend at Trader Joe's.
2. I am grateful that I have an extra freezer in the garage (however dirty and sticky) to house all the food I bought with all the $$ I spent at Trader Joe's.
3. I am grateful that Peanut has not yet licked the electrical outlets.
4. I am grateful my life is not as dark as Batman: The Dark Knight (and that my voice isn't annoying like his either - WTF?).
   
5. I am grateful for swimming laps in my heated pool which saved me from murdering everyone in my family this weekend.
   

I feel better already. Yup.

What are you grateful for this Monday?