The $3 Muffin

That damn train store. I can't find the post right now where I wrote about it late last year, but I swear to God every single time we've been to that place, and Jacob is in the thick of playing at the train table, he poops. It happened two times in back-to-back weeks during Christmas season and I know I wrote about those times. The last time it happened was about 6 weeks ago and I didn't write about it then, but Kevin can attest to it because he was there. It was a real bad one - runny poop all over the place, half a container of wipes, me actually just throwing out Jacob's underwear right there in the parking lot because it was that bad, and then Jacob riding home half naked. I hate when things like that happen around people who don't have kids cuz then you just feel like real bad and like an incompetent parent.

And that's what I was thinking about when we were walking across the parking lot on our way to the train store. I thought since I had put it into my consciousness there was no way it could happen again. I was around the corner sneaking a peak at the new Bob the Builder stuff (that I have to tell Danielle about) and heard the cue from Jacob. Of course he never wants to leave, so this time, determined not to have a repeat of the many times before, I scooped him up and rushed next door to the cafe (we'll meet you there sometime in between classes). We used the facilities and then I had to buy something. Jacob was in an agreeable mood and I knew he'd be hungry having just come from gymnastics so I talked him into the soy protein muffin (I called it a granola muffin) and cringed all through paying the three freaking dollars. We had a lovely little time sitting at the counter by the window. Jacob took his time eating the muffin as we both people-watched. I was totally happy to be sitting there with him. It's been so long since we've done anything like that. We used to frequent coffee shops and cafes and people-watch all the time. I so miss that.

I love my job, but I'm realizing how it has a domino effect on the rest of my life. If I'd been working this week I wouldn't have been in such good shape at home, so I wouldn't have been able to take the time to go to the shoe store (the errand that brought us near the train store in the first place) or makes the stops to the toy store and cafe. I would have been way more tired than I am now, thus in no state to enjoy such an excursion. I like having elbow room in my life, room to be frivolous with our time and sporadic in our 'going about the day'.