Snack, snack, snack. I'm going to tell you the odyssey that was my preschool snack day experience.
So, about 2 weeks ago I found out that it was going to be our turn for snack day first at Ben's preschool. Adrian had gone to the little parent orientation night (it was the night of the Eclipse book club and I had already been to 2 preschool orientation nights and pretty much knew or thought I knew all about Ben's preschool - so I thought it would be good for Adrian to go and find out more about the preschool experience and he was all into it...). He came home and told me we had snack on Mon. the 17th and that it was all the same types of food as when Sophie was in the class 4 years ago. So I plan out our monthly menu, do my huge shopping trip to Costco and the grocery store and purchased a big jug of apple juice and 20 little packages of Justice League graham cracker snacks. Little packages of non-peanut containing snack foods were big hits at this preschool 4 years ago when Sophie was at the preschool. Of course as always at the grocery store I was asked by an annoyed checker if I was feeding an army, "No, I just buy my groceries monthly..." I realize I'm never going to be a normal shopper to anyone around here. But I've posted about that before... So later that night after the big shopping trip I say, hey Adrian don't you think it's cute that I found little Superman graham crackers for Ben's snack. Ben calls himself "Super Ben" sometimes which we find very endearing. :) Adrian looks at all the little snack packages and says "Remember I told you they don't like individual snack packages at his preschool - it's too hard for them to open all the little packages." I told Adrian, that he didn't tell me anything about that at all and that 4 years ago they loved little individual packages. I remember the little packages of Teddy Grahams and marshmallows being a big hit. Well, he then said that they probably wouldn't mind and that he thought they were great...
On to drop in day at Ben's preschool. The week before our snack day... Ben had a great time at drop in day playing with the other little kids in his class and as we go to leave they remind me that I have snack on Monday. I tell them I have it all ready.
Cut to 1-hour day at Ben's preschool. This is 3 days before our snack day. Again Ben had a fabulous time - read post below - and as we are leaving again they remind me that I have snack on Monday and they want to know just what I'm bringing. I say oh, I have little graham cracker snacks and a jug of apple juice. Silence falls over the preschool room. A couple of moms look over at me and the Ms. J (Ben's teacher) takes a few moments to reply. Uncomfortable. They really meant the no little package thing at parent orientation night. Snack rules have changed... I quickly say, "Oh, but I think I'll bring in a box of graham crackers instead and maybe yogurts. Does that sound good?" Yes, that brought a smile to his teachers face and she was very pleased that I had taken the not to subtle hint that small individual snack packages are totally taboo. I think I missed quite a lot at parent night. So when Adrian gets home from work I tell him about the crazy snack plans exchange I had with Ben's teacher and this is how it went:
adrian: "Yeah, they were quite adamant that no one bring in individual snack packages."
Me: "Adrian! Why did you tell me you thought they would be okay with it then?? You said you didn't think they would mind."
Adrian: "I was just trying to be nice, you seemed so excited about the little Justice League graham cracker snacks."
So at that point I hadn't made it to the store to buy a box of graham crackers or yogurts and the next day (Saturday) was Six Flags day for Adrian's company and we all had a fabulous time at the amusement park all day. Sophie and Ben especially loved the spinning raft ride. Sophie went on it 3 times! And Nina loved the day spent in the stroller, outside with lots of people to look at. Then there was great free food through out the park and all the rides had short lines because it was just Adrian's company there that day. It was fun!
Back to snack... At 8pm on Saturday as we are heading home I say, "Oh, we need to stop by a grocery store or Target or something and buy the snack for Ben's preschool." So off we go with the children all in a state of comatose from a full day of walking and amusement park fun to Target. I just run in and get a box of graham cracker sticks and 3 packages of Trix yogurts cups (apparently, as Adrian explained to me, they are fine with taking individual tops off yogurt cups but not opening individual packages of snacks - there is a difference there, that I don't quite see, but is completely intolerable). We then head home and in the car I show Adrian what I had bought and he approved thinking that from his parent orientation night experience that I had purchased an acceptable snack.
Sunday... I am getting ready for church upstairs after we all had a laid back morning in our pjs, this is probably around 11:30am. I yell down to Adrian - "Hey could you get the kids lunch?" Adrian says yeah sure...
After church... I go to start dinner, open the fridge.... One of the Trix yogurt packages has been opened and there are 4 little individual cups missing!!!!! AHHHH!!!! I had bought a total of 18 little individual cups. There are 17 children in Ben's preschool class and we now have 14 yogurt cups. How could this be?? "Adrian did one of the kids eat Ben's yogurts for preschool??" (I shout this so that he will hear where ever he is in the house.) He calls down from upstairs "Oh, yeah that's what I gave the kids for lunch." What??? What??? Why had he done this thing??!
"Adrian", I begin trying to keep my cool, "remember how we went all the way to Target last night after spending a long, fun, but exhausting day at Six Flags... Do you remember that I needed to buy a snack for Ben's preschool class because the previous snack I bought wouldn't work??? Do you remember how you tried to make me feel better about the little graham cracker snacks I bought and didn't tell be they totally prohibit individual snack packages? Do you remember this is why I bought a box of graham crackers and 3, 6-pack packages of Trix yogurts last night?? Do you remember this chain of events Adrian?? Why, why did you feed 4 of the 18 yogurts to our children for lunch?? Why??"
Yep, Adrian had no idea why he had done this. It is something I do not understand, but it is what it is and it was then that I truly realized I must be the one to go to every parent night in the future... I immediately start scouring our house for something I can take with the graham crackers and come up with the small apples that Sophie takes in her lunches. I would slice them up in the morning and put them in a bag and surely that would be a suitable snack for preschool.
Cut to the morning of our snack day. It's 8:50am (preschool starts at 9am), I still have not managed to slice up the apples. I have the cutting board and apple slicer out. I've washed the apples, but the stupid little stickers on the apples are taking much longer to peel off because the stickers are wet, (note to self, peel off apple stickers before washing them). I frantically work on the stickers, but time is up. I just couldn't get them all cut up in time. I put the jug of juice and the graham cracker sticks in a bag and grab everyone and head out the door.
On the drive over, I had a sinking feeling that at that parent night when they said box of graham crackers they probably mentioned "graham crackers and yogurt" or "graham crackers and grapes" and probably weren't thinking that the graham crackers would be by themselves. I really think this suspicion was right, because when I handed the snack to Ben's teacher she looked in the empty bag after taking out the apple juice and crackers... It was just one of those momentary unstoppable reactions looking for the other part of the snack and I knew that I was "cheap-O snack mom" at that point. I quickly throw Adrian under the bus (of course) and say "I was going to bring yogurts too, but my husband accidentally fed them to our kids yesterday... Sorry it's just the juice and graham crackers." :) His teacher smiled politely and said that the snack was fine and I kissed Ben goodbye and left quickly. Yep. Uncomfortable. As soon as I got to the car I called up Adrian and told him he was in big trouble! I had to be mad at someone that I didn't get around to cutting up the apples, right?!
It's over and I am now aware of what a "good snack" is for Ben's preschool, but it was quite the learning process. And now that I've posted about it, I feel so much better! It's like therapy! I must also add that Adrian and I are all good and on speaking terms and everything. He still deserves major brownie points from pulling off my bday surprise and being a good hubby on a consistent basis. Still love ya, honey!
But, as a side note I now have 20 Justice League graham cracker snacks and about 12 Trix yogurts at this point so if anyone has a hungry toddler send them my way... :)
