Mom's day out
Last Saturday was the big semi-annual bulk order pick-up day. That means that I and a few friends load ourselves into the largest vehicle we own (we actually all own huge vehicles, so it's whoever can drive) and head southwest of the city for two hours. Then we load between 500 to 1000 pounds of food into the large vehicle, have lunch, and drive back home, stopping at each person's house to schlep their food inside. (Yes, I'm not too humble to say I can carry 50 pound bags of wheat around.) Do we know who to have fun, or what?
Actually, it is quite fun. The small town and the highway to get to the small town are hardly designated scenic routes, but we have come to count on our twice a year trips where we have six uninterrupted house to visit with each other. How often do mothers (regardless of the number of children they have) get to have actual conversations with each other without being needed every five to ten minutes? If your life is like mine, not very often. I really do look forward to it. Plus, this time I had hit that sweet spot where we had run out just a few days before of many items I was picking up. More often than not I either run out too soon and actually have to purchase these items in a store to get us by or I am just about to run out, but have the difficulty of not having enough storage space for it all until I do.
I am blessed with exceedingly good friends. We share a lot in common... we have a strong faith, we have many children, both adult and younger ones, we live in the same area, and we've known each other for a long time. We are also different... we don't all attend the same church, we don't all homeschool, our children are interested in different things and involved in different activities. We talk about a lot of things and discuss problems and difficulties. Spending time together is a wonderful by-product of what amounts to a very long grocery store run.
So, we are all stocked-up again, both in terms of food and time spent with friends. Because I know someone will ask, I'll also share what I came home with time. Here's a (probably incomplete) list:
Wheat berries (for grinding for flour)
Whole oats
Cane sugar
Baking powder (and then I discovered another can hiding behind a grain bin when I was putting everything away... we now have A LOT of baking powder)
Beans
Various spices
Sunflower oil
Yeast (and other bread baking supplies)
Inevitably, we each discover as we watch each other's order being loaded in the van that we forgot to order something. This time for me it was raw wheat germ. I hope I still have some lurking in the freezer downstairs.
I hope everyone enjoys their Memorial Day. We did most of our Memorial Day appreciation over the weekend. A. did traffic control for a Memorial Day parade with her Police Explorer post and J. took most of the children to a local cemetery to join TM and D.'s Boy Scout troop in placing flags on each veteran's grave. He figures they did about three miles of walking in the process. We have so much to be thankful and grateful for.
Actually, it is quite fun. The small town and the highway to get to the small town are hardly designated scenic routes, but we have come to count on our twice a year trips where we have six uninterrupted house to visit with each other. How often do mothers (regardless of the number of children they have) get to have actual conversations with each other without being needed every five to ten minutes? If your life is like mine, not very often. I really do look forward to it. Plus, this time I had hit that sweet spot where we had run out just a few days before of many items I was picking up. More often than not I either run out too soon and actually have to purchase these items in a store to get us by or I am just about to run out, but have the difficulty of not having enough storage space for it all until I do.
I am blessed with exceedingly good friends. We share a lot in common... we have a strong faith, we have many children, both adult and younger ones, we live in the same area, and we've known each other for a long time. We are also different... we don't all attend the same church, we don't all homeschool, our children are interested in different things and involved in different activities. We talk about a lot of things and discuss problems and difficulties. Spending time together is a wonderful by-product of what amounts to a very long grocery store run.
So, we are all stocked-up again, both in terms of food and time spent with friends. Because I know someone will ask, I'll also share what I came home with time. Here's a (probably incomplete) list:
Wheat berries (for grinding for flour)
Whole oats
Cane sugar
Baking powder (and then I discovered another can hiding behind a grain bin when I was putting everything away... we now have A LOT of baking powder)
Beans
Various spices
Sunflower oil
Yeast (and other bread baking supplies)
Inevitably, we each discover as we watch each other's order being loaded in the van that we forgot to order something. This time for me it was raw wheat germ. I hope I still have some lurking in the freezer downstairs.
I hope everyone enjoys their Memorial Day. We did most of our Memorial Day appreciation over the weekend. A. did traffic control for a Memorial Day parade with her Police Explorer post and J. took most of the children to a local cemetery to join TM and D.'s Boy Scout troop in placing flags on each veteran's grave. He figures they did about three miles of walking in the process. We have so much to be thankful and grateful for.
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