Friday, September 7, 2007

Love-Hate Relationships

No, it is not Brian Sr. or the dog or even huge piles of wash - wait that is a hate-hate, sorry! It is the relationship I have with juice boxes or bags or pouches or whatever you call them. This revelation hit me while I was straightening up last night. I was cleaning the basement and found five half empty juice boxes and another two on the back porch - these are just from yesterday. I try to hide them from the kids but they always seem to find them anyway. It is like the kids have a built in GPS locked in on juice boxes and presents I am trying to hide - but that is another story!

Don't get me wrong juice boxes are a great convenience - they fit in with the grab-n-go lifestyle so many of us with kids live in! They are great for the park or the beach or to stash in the diaper bag. But I have some complaints. First of all - I have not met a kid that can get the straw in without spilling at least a few drops of juice. And once they get the straw in, if it is pointed down even slightly, the juice comes pouring out like a volcano eruption!

Secondly, the boxes are okay - my kids can get the straws into them. But many adults, including myself, cannot get the straw into the pouches and bags, even if our lives depended on it. And to make it worse we are under pressure from little thirsty ones staring at us and urging us to hurry up! A few brands come with straws that are pointed on one end- but if you don't make it through on the first try, then the pointy tip is bent. Good luck after that!

Thirdly, the straws are not always securely attached to them. Try drinking one without a straw. My kids have managed to poke holes in them with a fork or a stick or some other trash lying around - Yum! And when they tip them over to pour them in their mouths, most of it ends up on their shirts or the carpet or their little brother!

This happened to a kid in Brian's class yesterday. His Dad checked his lunch bag after school. (I have to admit I, too, checked to see if Brian had eaten well - even before I checked his folder.) The boy had eaten most of his lunch but his juice box was untouched. The Dad then noticed that it was missing a straw. He felt bad that his son had no juice with lunch and as most Dads do, immediately blamed his Mom.

my stash last night - extra straw anyone?

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