The 3 Million Dollar Meal

As a child from the 70's one of our great memories was when a new TV show came out called The Six Million Dollar Man.  We had a code for it, my friends and I.  "So did you see Six Mill last night?"  We were so cool.  They were, anyway. For fifth graders or whatever we were at the time.

Six million dollars was an astronomical amount of money back in the day so using that amount in the title was so futuristic I guess.  Of course I thought we'd be living like the Jetsons when we hit the 80s so what did I know.

So, I just got back from a grocery run and I spent $3 million to have food in the house for this week of kids home and the big event on Thursday.  

There were all kinds of us running around the store filling our carts with similar items.  I got to wondering why we feel the need to do everything the same all the time.  This is from the person who has eaten the same thing for lunch (a salad) for about 6 years now.  Oh, and there were the years in school that I did that, too, when my mom made my lunch.  At least she knew what to buy to keep stocked up.  There was my hot dog in a thermos year, my cup-o-soup year, and my jelly sandwich year.  Again, so cool.

I fell into peer pressure at the Walmart today. Yeah, I hate to say it.   I was reaching for a can of pumpkin and was heading for the evaporated milk and some lady that was in the way handed me the brand that she was getting.   Sure, it was probably cheaper than the brand I usually buy but it is what I always get.  I felt so dumb!  I didn't want her to think I was some rich snob for not wanting the store brand.  So I took it.

I'm excited because my camera comes back to me today.  I'm more excited because it is coming with my daughter who has been gone for 2 weeks working in Florida and Washington state with her aunt.  

I'll have 4 out of 5 kids here for the big day on Thursday.  My youngest son  moved to Colorado last Friday and is starting a new job there so he won't be here.   Guess I'll have to cut back on the orange whip salad and mashed potatoes since his appetite won't be here.  

Our Christmas is going to be weird, too, which I'm trying to resolve in my heart because it just IS going to be that way. Not sure if that son will be able to come home and I have another son who is going to Hawaii and leaves possibly on Christmas day.  Maybe we'll have to make some new traditions or cook some different food or something to make it work for us.   

For now, I'll just have to do what I can with the $3 million  worth of food I have in the house.

Well, maybe there were a few less zeroes.