A Mom's Rant (and a little raving too)

Here are a few things I wonder about: Why do companies put characters on diapers and food? It's not like the baby is aware enough to know that the Huggies he's wearing have Sesame Street characters on them. Same with these "Shrek the Third" veggie/cereal puff things among the baby food at the store. I don't think "Shrek the Third" is even rated G.

I read grocery prices are expected to go up 4% this year. One reason is a drought in Australia that wiped out the wheat crop-- wheat imported to the United States. Don't we grow wheat and export it to Russia or something?

Why are my frozen organic peas from New Zealand, my store-brand black beans a product of China and my honey a product of the USA, Canada and Argentina? I've been trying to "buy closer to home" but things like that can make it really hard (and cost more money). I admit I have given up buying produce from Chile (sorry Chilean Produce Advertising Commission) and apple juice from China.

Here's the rave part of this post. A couple weeks ago the boys and I went to Pagliacci Pizza in Edmonds and had a great time. There is a kids play area painted with chalkboard paint and a bunch of toys and books. I had a hard time getting CSR to eat his pizza, which is his favorite meal, because he was having so much fun playing. The pizza was awesome. If you like spicy, try the Chicken Rosemary Primo. The service was great too. Maybe I've got low expectations. But the guy who took our order at the counter was so nice... bringing me a glass of warm water so I could mix up RTR's cereal to feed him. He also asked if I wanted a chilled glass for my beer. It made me feel so guilty for not adding on a tip when I placed our order. So I dug through my pockets, wallet and baby bag searching for enough cash to toss in the tip jar. I wasn't sure if side tips are allowed. I probably wouldn't have pulled it off graciously anyway. The pizza was a splurge and so having such a great experience on top of it made it even better. I also wrote a letter to the company, so who knows, maybe I'll get a free pizza out of the deal.