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I’m very pleased with my new-found maternal energy for decorating and all things Christmas-y. Truly when I say to you that last year the extent of our decorating was a bare branch, hung delicately around a bare lightbulb, with six ornaments hanging on it, believe me that whatever dwr sickly-modern image comes to your mind is exactly what it looked like. At the time that seemed perfectly apt to what we needed, given that we travel over the holidays and arrive home in January. And yet, this year I believe I’m following, at the very least, two people on Pinterest who have entire boards devoted solely to twinkly lights. This makes me very happy. I have already informally polled most of my city friends about where they buy their Christmas trees. While I was away in Florida, Joe even bravely attempted a melted-peppermints-into-ornaments DIY. It didn’t turn out whatsoever but we are not deterred.
However, I seem to be one accurate Amazon order away from the reality of all my seasonal daydreams. I don’t like to pull the trigger on Amazon orders too quickly, so I often just pile my cart full of things I definitely need, add one or two things I’m not quite sure about, then mull over the lot of it for a week or two. Each day it sadly occurs to me that the very thing I need is waiting for me in my Amazon cart.
For example, right now we have only one child size spoon even though both girls like using child size spoons. We had three or four at one point in my recent memory, and I can only hope they’ve made their way to a good home because they are with us no longer. Every day I think about the pack of six bamboo spoons I have waiting in my cart. Then, as the presiding arbiter in the household who makes decisions based on complete whimsy and then sticks to them like honey on the bottom of a cabinet, I dole one spoon out to one girl and hand the other girl a fork. After weeks of this, they now eye each other’s utensil closely and then examine their own with some suspicion. It’s not always evident who got the better deal (is pasta better with a spoon or a fork?), and isn’t that just like life, my young grasshoppers? Keep your eyes on your own bowl and you’ll be much more content.
Speaking of other people’s bowls, Boston has yet to be added to these cities where Amazon is hiring butlers to run things to your car or small children to pull red wagons with deliveries or whatever else they are promising to young people in San Francisco who only order iPhone cases and bulk packages of green tea anyway. Between chatting with my brother in NYC and my brother in SF, things seem to be dramatically more efficient for them there, but in a mystifying way. Which is to say that even if I could ask someone to bring over those spoons right away, I’m sure I’d still find something to hem about.
7 Comments
Julie
I let things marinate in my Nordstrom cart .. and then Nordstrom sends me an e-mail to remind me about them… click, receive, send some back. With free shipping and returns I almost never brick-and-mortar shop these days.
Blaze
Haha I totally do this too since I do pretty much all of our shopping online besides groceries. I usually end up taking half the things out & placing my order, only to decide the next week that I really did need the rest & ordering it after all. Or I will think about something for so long the price will go up & then I’m so annoyed with myself for not just ordering it right when I thought of it! I guess because there’s so salesperson staring at you waiting for your decision it’s easier to delay.
bridget
You just described my Amazon relationship perfectly. There’s always something in my cart. It sits there. I take away, I add, am I over $35? Do I need that? Yes. No.
You guys going to make it to our tree farm this year?
Jessica Clare
Love this post, I totally relate. On another note… I, for one, would LOVE if you would do a post about your favorite weeknight dinners! I always love your cooking and food posts. Pretty please 🙂
Rachael Ringenberg
yes, thanks Jessica, I will try to do that! I only have a few. It’s a tough subject, huh?
Jessica Clare
It is! I spend SO much time reading cooking magazines, cookbooks, blogs, wandering the aisles of the grocery store…and then come dinner time….BLANK. Isn’t that true for most people? What a funny phenomenon 🙂
Anna
Just found your blog and I totally laughed because I live in San Francisco! Ha! There are a FEW moms here who order things other then iPhone cases and green tea. Though we ARE a rare breed I must say. I do though shop for my groceries online from various food stores and have it all dropped off at my front door….which is THE best thing when you have kids. Ever. 🙂 Anyways…love your blog already.