Shopping adventures

I used to love to shop. I remember how interested I used to be in accumulating new and better things. But I don't like shopping much anymore. Don't get me wrong--I still look in my packed closet sometimes and feel I have "nothing to wear". Sometimes it's just that I can't find something appropriate for the occasion that is also accessible for nursing. But usually I scrape something together.

This summer I haven't wanted to go swimsuit shopping. I know I'm not the only one dreading it; what postpartum mom doesn't? Because even though I've lost most of the baby weight, things are not back to normal. I am thankful that body image is not something I usually struggle with, but I still don't enjoy trying on swimsuits.

I waited until the last possible day to make a choice: July 3. July 3 has for me frequently been the buy-a-new-swimsuit day, even back in my single days when I had no problem with full-length mirrors, partly because I don't like buying them when they're outrageously overpriced.

Unfortunately waiting until July 3 meant taking all of the kids with me to the mall!
They were actually very good, but we were still in the first store when Gabe asked me, "How much longer?"
I made it up to him later by letting him "drive" at the grocery store.
While we were at the grocery store I picked up a new bottle of Catalina salad dressing because I was planning to make taco salad for dinner. I noticed the packaging had changed but I was pleased to see it in the produce section and was thankful that was one less aisle I'd have to search.
However, after I'd made dinner and poured the dressing on my salad and took a couple of bites, I noticed that something was wrong. I looked back at the bottle and read more carefully: "Fresh New Taste!"
I couldn't believe it. They changed the recipe! After a little research, David and I composed a letter of complaint to Kraft.

I don't mind Kraft making new salad dressings, but I'm angry they call this newfangled thing "Catalina"! That has been my favorite store-bought salad dressing since I was a kid, and now I don't like what they're calling Catalina at all.

Furthermore, Gabriel refused to eat his salad. He's got a sweet tooth like his momma.
A Kraft representative responded to our email complaint and sent me a coupon for another free Kraft dressing.

"The formulation of KRAFT Catalina Dressing has indeed changed and I'm sorry you were disappointed with your most recent purchase.

In early 2008 KRAFT reformulated its Regular and Light pourable dressings, and now they do not contain artificial preservatives, resulting in a more fresh taste."

Whatever. I'm boycotting their dressings altogether. Wishbone or Newman's Own will be fine.

And as long as I'm complaining, did anyone else out there in cyberspace accidentally buy a Snickers "adventure bar" this summer? It had a picture of Indiana Jones on it. Silly me, I thought it was just a promotional picture on the wrapper, and I bought two. I couldn't believe what I discovered inside the Snickers wrapper: coconut and other weirdness along with the normal Snickers ingredients. Gross!

On another shopping trip, I almost bought a box of Raisin Bran cereal because of its vintage packaging. But I didn't because I can't even eat cereal with milk, and I didn't think anyone else around here would eat it. (Unfortunately, my children eat a lot of sweet cereals, something I always wanted as a kid since Mom bought mostly healthy ones. We could pick sweet cereals that we wanted for our birthdays. They actually wrapped them in wrapping paper... kinda funny to me now because with many other foods we're far more strict.)