Saturday, October 24, 2009

Do You Want Sprinkles With That?

You all seem like tolerant people. Many of you said you would absolutely stuff your baby in a pumpkin. Booshy said she planned to stuff her baby in a pumpkin and it's not even born yet. In fact, it's not conceived yet. Awesome.

Confession time. Don't judge me because I really like cream cheese. A cream cheese bagel is my favorite thing for lunch. I look forward to it all morning. Today, I had an asiago cheese bagel in the bread drawer. I kept thinking about it during our morning walk. It motivated me to push the triple stroller up the hill home. (Starbucks chai motivates me to push it away from home.) It was like a beacon of quiet time happiness. Asiago cheese bagel with cream cheese.

I got the terror of toddlers out of their sweaters and hats and managed to unhook all the buckles on the baby carrier without help. Intent on getting the kids fed and out of the way the better to enjoy my treat, I popped some cinnamon raisin bagels in the toaster and opened the cupboard to retrieve the peanut butter.

Oh, what's that, don't the kids like cream cheese? No. No. They do. They adore it actually. But, there was only about a fourth of a cream cheese sleeve left. I checked before I told them they were having peanut butter. I like a lot of cream cheese on my bagel. The hole has to be completely filled in. I want a thick spread.

I open the cupboard and...gasp! Quel horror. NO peanut butter. A tragedy on so many levels. The options were few. Abandoning the bagels meant making something else. I shuddered as I faced my only other course of action. Share the cream cheese. I grudgingly pulled it out of the fridge and then I rationed it like the selfish, greedy cream cheese hog that I am. If you had seen the paltry, thin layer of cheese I applied to my children's bagels, you might have called me out, or called youth services. Let's just say if we are ever starving and it's me or the kids, the kids might be in trouble.

There was barely enough white smear for Cue to scrape off of the top of his bagel with his index finger. I knew he would demand more cheese. My cheese.

In deperation, I surveyed the kitchen and spotted the rainbow sprinkles. Toddlers are gluttonous, but not that clever, they can be distracted by colorful, sweet things. I told them I had magic rainbow sprinkles and sprinkled a few on the top of their bagels. The sprinkles might mostly have rolled onto their plates due to the appalling lack of cheese. Whatever. They were so happy. I was so happy. Eating all the cream cheese. Myself.

I've also eaten Or.eo cakesters in the bathroom with the door locked. Last year, I might have finished Gee's birthday cake hiding in the kitchen while they ate cheerios and bananas for breakfast and then bought him off with a lollipop. I don't like lollipops.

That's it.

Okay, okay. There was that time that the check out lady at Saf.eway gave Cue a HUGE sugar cookie with m&ms baked into it because he was helping me with the groceries so nicely. I told him that he could have it after lunch, but I totally ate the whole thing while he was eating grapes. Then, I had to load him and Nate back in the car and go back to Saf.eway and get him another damn cookie.

That. is. it.

That cookie thing might have been this past Thursday.

Done.

Arrrggggh. Fine. At their preschool Halloween party tonight I told them that they could each pick one treat from this table filled with awesome baked goods. It was seriously the most tempting table of baked treats that I have ever seen. It was hard. They deliberated for like thirty minutes before they chose. At the end of the party, I sent Matt home with all the kids. I told him I'd help clean up and he didn't have to stay. I played it up like it was some huge sacrifice because I knew I'd have access to the table of baked goods wonderfulness all by myself. I ate three cookies and a cupcake. I might have tried the cheese cake.

The end.

67 comments:

3StinkyBoysAndMe said...

Sprinkles!!! What a great idea! I'm SO trying it next time next time I need all the cream cheese for myself. I'm with you - there's no such thing as too much cream cheese.

Robin said...

You are so my kind of mom. Case in point, Maya's birthday cake. 'Nuff said.

PS The hole absolutely has to be covered, there is no other way.

LilacClouds said...

and yet again you make me laugh like a hyena, do hyenas even laugh?

you also make me wonder what ill be like when I have my own children. because, maybe some of things you've done to your children concerning food, I may have done to my husband.maybe.

♥ Braja said...

Dammit. Now I want a cream cheese bagel.....

Vitale Family said...

First of all, butter. Butter for children and cream cheese for you!
I buy two jars of peanut butter ahead these days since they go through it so fast. There is nothing worse than being out of peanut butter, it leads to irrational and insane decisions.
As far as the eating in the bathroom, duh!

HMK said...

I SO do this with my kids too. I give them cereal w/ milk for breakfast and then cleverly hide my donut holes in a napkin to enjoy with my coffee. The other day B asked me what I was eating and I told her it was PLAIN BREAD!!!!! You're certainly not alone.

just making my way said...

I am SO happy not to be the only Mom who sneaks cake for breakfast. While insisting her kids eat their cereal bars and yogurt.

I snuck some M&M's the other day and when I was helping the Wonderboy with his coat zipper he said, "Why do you smell like chocolate?"

Trouble brewing.

Christy said...

I can totally relate to this post. Who hasn't bribed their kid with a lollipop while they ate all the chocolate? That is a daily occurrence in my house. Except my husband always ruins my plans, because he'll eat the boring treats that were intended for the kids. Men! They are so stupid.

Shell said...

I love it. I do this, too. And constantly insist that my children eat healthy while I eat junk.

We are already coaching our children to pick out the orange candy when we go trick or treating(pb cups, of course) so that Hubs and I have more of thsoe to eat when we raid their candy.

Chaukie said...

Oh, there has been a time or two or a hundred that I have eaten my kids' treats or polished off a dessert immediately after they went to bed. Or sent my husband to get ice cream while I was tucking them in bed.

what will we do when they get a little older and more difficult to fool?

Manic Mommy said...

I think there's more that you're hiding from us...

Try the Asiago cheese bagel with sun dried tomato cream cheese. It's a little slice of heaven with a hole in the middle (filled with cream cheese).

rachel... said...

I second butter! I've got one who won't eat cream cheese, but it a pinch, they ALL get butter on their bagels.

I've kept Hostess cupcakes and fruit pies in the grocery bag, stuffed in the back of a high cabinet to relish myself after the kids go to bed... I think we've all done it... It's the doofus husbands who are dumb enough to eat their treats in plain sight of the kids that shock me.

Jennifer H said...

It's like we're the same person.

PsychMamma said...

Awesome. I love you. That is all.

hokgardner said...

So glad to know I'm not the only one who does such things. But a warning, when they get older, they catch on the hoarding of baked goods and such. They get harder and harder to distract or trick.

My oldest daughter caught me having a piece of left-over birthday cake for breakfast a few weeks ago and asked why she couldn't have one, too. I told her that when she was a mommy, she could. She did NOT like that answer one bit.

K.Line said...

You are a genius - buy them off with sprinkles! And, as a mother of a young 'un, the only thing I could look forward too was food. Sweet food. Alas, I didn't have your awesome metabolism :-)

Elle said...

You deserve every bagel with cream cheese that comes your way!
cute post
I love all things, bagel, cream cheese, and starbucks!

phulmaya said...

A "terror of toddlers". Love it!

Carla said...

I think we are kindred spirits. I'm going to try the sprinkles thing next time...

Pseudonymous High School Teacher said...

We used to eat cream cheese on Van de Kamps date nut bread wheil I was growing up. I think my mom once or ten times kept all the cream cheese to herself because I remember blinking at the butter o my date nut bread a few times in puzzlement.

Sprinkles are distracting...

Draft Queen said...

I have been there. I will return there next week when I will very likely sneak the Halloween candy of my 8 and 11 year olds.

But really, this is for them. I mean, too much sugar isn't good for kids.

And it's SO good for moms.

for a different kind of girl said...

You are a woman after my own heart! My love of cream cheese was born during my time in college, where I'd pass through the student union en route to class, grab a bagel, peel away the plastic wrap it was encased in, and kindly ask the cafe worker to apply even more cream cheese to the thick layer it held.

Also, it's best I not even describe what I did with the last row of brownies last week, but let's just say that, when my kids asked why there were no brownies left for them to snack on, I blamed it on their father. Never mind the fact their father has been out of town for days, utterly aware there were brownies here.

p-huong said...

I'm using your sprinkle scheme if this ever happens to me.

PS. I left you something on my blog =)

Mommymel said...

I have a whole slew of these confessions to make you feel better... check out http://mommymelsworld.blogspot.com/search?q=mommy+confessions
I think we all do this stuff a little!

Pamela said...

In these times of stress and trial, it's good to know I'm not alone in my sweets hording.

Lisa L said...

you brilliant woman! you have unlocked the door to my childhood! *NOW* i know why we were given 'fairy bread' to eat at lunch time..my mum would put an almost unseen layer of butter on our bread then generously sprinkle it with what we called 'hundreds and thousands' (assie speak for 'sprinkles')we were so innocent in our delight. Fairy sandwiches!..... as she tore into a massive sandwich of goodness, barely stopping between bites! Mothers!

Lisa L said...

um..that would be 'Aussie' speak..

butwhymommy said...

Genius. Why didn't I think of sprinkles?

By the way I totally pull stuff like eating all the treats all the time. I just made pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and I am sure most if not all will end up on my hips and not in Bunny's belly.

Mom24 said...

Awesome!!! I knew you were my kind of mom.

Leah and Maya said...

I"m so so with you, sounds like me except I only have to hide form one very smart child, great story though I think we all have one just like it!

Anna See said...

i knew i liked you. i'm still trying to finish their halloween candy from last year. i only have 1 week left!

Sprite's Keeper said...

Doesn't it feel good to get it off your conscience? If only admitting it would get it off my thighs too..

Heather said...

Bwahahahaha! I love you.

maria from nj said...

I'm the "want some bagel with that creamcheese" the also. Luckly I have no kids to hide from. Great stories!

Anne said...

I don't share either! And I lie. All the time. I'd hate to contribute to the obesity facing our youth today. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

the mama bird diaries said...

You are so funny. I love this. Sometimes moms need their treats. How the hell are we supposed to get through the day?!

Pollyanna said...

I'm the queen of, "Oh, no. Daddy must have finished off X," when it was I who ate the last of whatever it is they desire at the time. I've shamefully stood inside the pantry and eaten the last pop-tart. I keep Girl Scout cookies in the basement freezer - Hubby doesn't even know they are there :)

Kirsten said...

Sprinkles! You are brilliant. It's the little things in life like ice tea and yes, cream cheese that get us through the day. I totally understand.

mommymae said...

i do not leave the last piece of cake/pie/cookie/etc for the ids. it's mine, ALL MINE!!

Hezra said...

have I mentioned that I love you? :-) and yes you made me laugh so loud at 11:20 that I feared I would waken the finally sleeping litter of kidlets.
Sprinkles-- fantastic idea!! BRILLIANT under stress, my friend.
Serving while consuming baked goods is SUCH a way to do charity work. And yes, cream cheese smeared quite thickly on a bagel is my idea of a great food anytime. I too have hidden (in my laundry room) with sweets. Someone figured it out though, I recently found leftover little debbie cupcake bits that was NOT done by me! AND was hidden behind the dryer! My brother was a house husband(as he called himself) for several months when his little girl was about 18 mos. She adored sliced cheese. She could hear the wrapper a mile away. He called me once, he was whispering and mumbling and obviously chewing. I said WHAT are you DOING? He said, "I said, I am sorry I made fun of you. I am right now hiding behind the fridge door eating the last piece of sliced cheese!!!!" lolol I just thought, darn, if you are hiding food, do it with something worthwhile, not pre wrapped processed cheese!

Texan Mama @ Who Put Me In Charge said...

MMM cinnamon raisin bagel should be toasted with butter and cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top. It's like cinnamon toast with a bonus.

Thank God you wrote this post... I thought i was the only one who told my kids NO YOU CAN"T HAVE A COOKIE BEFORE BED! and then 30 seconds after they're tucked in I'm snarfing down an Otis Spunkmeyer Oatmeal Raisin.

Heather, Queen of Shake Shake said...

And I thought I was the only one who figured out that cleaning up after class parties trick. Damn it!

Loukia said...

You are hilarious! And... I do the same thing ALL THE TIME! I sneak food from my children often. I justify it by saying things to myself like: "I should eat this cake because they don't need all these empty calories..." That makes me feel a bit better! And I have secretly eaten food they love, too. Oh we are terrible! ;)

mommygeekology said...

YES! I totally eat snacks locked in the bathroom. I will routinely give my daughter string cheese and then hide in the kitchen while she watches tv so I can eat leftover cookies and cake. This is why I'm fat(ish)

Wendy said...

hahahahahahaha. I'm glad I'm not the only mom who hides so she won't have to share. XD

Whatever happened to butter on a bagel? I guess there's no protein in that. No PB is indeed a crisis. Which is why we buy ours at the wholesale club - so that this particular crisis happens a little less often.

I hope that when you take a pic of your pumpkin in a pumpkin you put the carved out pumpkin stem on your baby's head. It's the only way.

a Tonggu Momma said...

I hate that the Tongginator has sensory issues, mostly because she's big into smelling. And the suspicious look, followed by a "what did you just eat, Momma?" makes me feel guilty EVERY time.

Christy said...

Awesome! Sprinkles...I have loads of those in my cupboard right now! Yippee! And I love the ending re: the party - sooo something I would do. Yum.

~Laura said...

I love it! We've all been there and done most of that also!

katrina said...

Sprinkles- GENIUS! If we lived closer we could so hang out and eat cake (and I do not say that lightly-- as I am mostly a hermit with kids) Thank you for your blog!

bernthis said...

YOU ARE A GENIUS!!! I have to stumble this post. This was hilarious. I've done similar stuff so many times. I'm surprised the kid remembered the cookie. Mine is close to that phase but not totally.

Tracey - Just Another Mommy Blog said...

That's all? Puh-lease. Amateur. My list is endless, babycakes. End.Less.

I am ALWAYS drinking wine, according to my daughter. If it's wine, then she can't mooch. See? Wine and coffee, according to my kids. Mom is an addict, apparently.

Swistle said...

Ha ha ha! Toddlers are gluttonous but not clever! Ha ha HA WHEEZE!

Ann's Rants said...

Woman you need all the protein you can get!

Shmear on, woman, Shmear!

xo

Renée aka Mekhismom said...

Okay, this is hilarious! I thought that I was the only mom hoarding delicacies from my son. Glad to know that I am in good company. You can find me eating ice cream while trying to distract my son with dinosaur tales. LOL

Yo is Me said...

shut UP. shut your face that is HILARIOUS. i can't even look at you. that's the most awesome thing i've ever heard.

i lied to my boyfriend's daughter. i needed a chocolate fix. i had those mini microwave betty crocker cakes for just such an ocassion. i left the kitchen lights off while i made it. i eyeballed her, making sure she was occupied with cartoons. i was in the middle of eating it. of course she walks in right as i'm taking a bite. she asked what it was.

"beans."
"eeeewwwwww."

Noonchi said...

Hilarious! My baby isn't on solids yet, but I am like this with my husband. Thanks for the "confession." Now, go and eat a bagel with half a tub of cream cheese, two cookies, say three "hail chocolates" and all is "forgiven."

LazyCrazyMama said...

LOL!!! Oh that is so me too!! Terrible isn't it? ;) Ugh, my poor kids! I'll remember the sprinkles, I am also a huge cream cheese fan - the thicker the better. Thankfully the kids hate it!! :) For now anyway.

Elaine A. said...

I love your food confessions. My post would be long. Very, very long. ;-P

Cupcakes... mmmmmmmmmm...

MommyTime said...

I have been surreptitiously nibbling mini Heath bars for the past few days. I may or may not have purchased an extra bag of Halloween candy in anticipation of there not being enough left overs. :)

Mommy Mo said...

I hide all the good stuff from my kids. IJS.

Kate Coveny Hood said...

Let's see... I tell my kids that they CAN'T eat any of the raw cookie dough because it's yucky and DANGEROUS. Then I totally eat some when they're not looking. Oh yeah - and when my husband tried to give my daughter some pad thai that I made for our (grownup) dinner, I was like, "what are you doing?! That my lunch for tomorrow. Give her the leftover noodles with some soy sauce! She doesn't know the difference."

I will always put my children first. Except when it comes to the quality treats. Then I'll hand them a Chips Ahoy cookie and distract them with television while I eat the good stuff.

Kari said...

Tonight, I ate a huge spoonful of Nutella after I put the kids to bed.

Oh, also... the reason I thought of the Nutella for myself was because the kids wanted some on toast as a treat after dinner, but that wasn't an option because I burnt the toaster oven last week.

Jill said...

You had me at bagels ...

Oh, I utterly and completely miss them.

In fact, I may have to ask my parents to stuff them in their bags when they come to visit in December...

Shannon said...

As if I needed a reason to love you more. It might have been last night when I told the kids no dessert and then ate a candy bar from their birthday party goody bag.

booshy said...

So, I'm totally late in thanking you for the shout out. (thank you)

And I was completely serious.

Hollowed-out pumpkin + fetus = awesome

Michelle said...

I'm so there with you. Does it make me a better mom that I'm waiting for the special birthday chocolates (read: expensive) I let him choose for his birthday go bad before I eat the bananas foster one I've been eyeing for the last week plus?

AmazingGreis said...

LOVE you, love this post!

And, I'll go ahead and put it out there, when/if I ever have kids I will totally hide out wherever necessary to eat my cookie/bagel/chocolate.