WARNING: Whining Ahead

I hate this time of year. Really.

I'm tired. The weather's crappy, or teasing us with *almost* nice weather and then going back to crappy.

Did I mention I'm tired? As in, could sleep for several days, tired.

Blah.

Tomorrow's payday. Yippee! Money comes in.....and money goes out. But, hey, at least it all balances. Job is secure, payroll is made, utilities are paid, mortgage, food, and even clothes for the kids who won't stop growing! Yes, I am grateful, even when there doesn't seem to be any money left, that there was enough to begin with.

So, because tomorrow is payday, it is also grocery shopping day. I have a love/hate relationship with this. I LOVE finding deals on food. Things like the "manager's specials" in the meat department where things have been marked down because they're nearing their 'use by' date. I buy and I freeze and we eat. I love combining a coupon with a clearance deal and getting things for next to nothing....

I found, in the clearance section, the Laughing Cow cheese wedges for $1.50. And, I had coupons for $1.00 off two, so they were $1.00 each. And they didn't expire until December 2010. No idea why they were in that bin, but there they were. I bought 4 because I really really really like that cheese. It's the only exception to my no "pasteurized processed cheese food" rule. LOL!

Now, inside these little treasures, I found another treasure.....a coupon for $1.00 or $1.25 off the purchase of the little mini gouda cheeses. You know, the ones that come wrapped in wax? Yeah, those.

Guess what I found in the clearance bin the other day? Yep, mini gouda cheeses for $1.50 each. Go me! I got 4 of them for less than $3.00 and I still have a couple more coupons!

This excites me. Yes, yes, my life really is *this* boring.

Now back to my love/hate relationship with grocery lists. I plan meals two weeks at a time. Lately, I have zero imagination and even less motivation. I can't seem to figure out *anything* for us to eat. Tristan doesn't like red sauce, fish, or shellfish. His vegetable consumption is limited to canned green beans and raw carrots. He has, however, recently stopped disecting his food, parsing out just *exactly* what's in it like an archeological dig. Alana is at that "vegetarian" stage, so she's not eating much meat. And Shannon is on a gluten-free diet.

Many people subscribe to the "serve what I want and the kids have to suck it up" school of thought. I understand this, however, it just doesn't sit well with me. How would I like it if someone told ME that I must eat something I don't like?! So, I save the spaghetti, salmon, and shrimp for nights when he's not here, which is usually once a week or so.

Throw in the time constraints of busy evenings, plus the fact that 5:00 pm is probably the point at which my energy is at it's lowest. I don't WANT to peel potatoes or make rice or brown this or cook that, thankyouverymuch!

Bruce gets home from work at 6:00 at the earliest. Often I don't start dinner until then, which means we're eating at 7:00, and the kids don't get to bed on time as a result. I've *got* to do something about that, getting dinner on the table earlier, but per the last paragraph, 5:00 means ZERO motivation for me. Really, I want to take a nap!

I'll figure it out, I suppose....and the coupons are calling my name.