candy

Double Bubble

James is obsessed with bubble gum, even though he’s not allowed to have it. If I leave my purse or the diaper bag on the floor he makes a beeline for it, as soon as I’m not looking. He dumps everything out in search for his treasure. He’s fast at unwrapping. And then he sits there and chews, this look of utter contentment on his face—until I discover him and pry the gum out of his mouth.

What follows is a pictorial essay of the lengths he went to get some of Andy’s Double Bubble (yes, I realize it’s ridiculous we have a tub of Double Bubble in our pantry—it involves Andy shopping alone and Sam’s club), which he calls “Daddy’s gum.”

First, he moved both training potties to the other side of the half bath, and scooted the rug over as well. This gave him bare hardwood floor to push the stool across.

Next, he took all our paper towels, reusable grocery bags and plastic garbage bags (which we have because we never seem to remember our reusable grocery bags) out of the pantry.

He must have carried the (heavy) wooden stool over the above items because there was no clear path. But there the stool was, perfectly positioned.

Double Bubble sighted.

Success. He managed to open several pieces before I caught him. I only found one piece in his mouth (I don’t think he swallows them, but who knows).

“Once in a young lifetime one should be allowed to have as much sweetness as one can possibly want and hold.” —Judith Olney

Happy Summer

I admire those who do not give their children sweets or whose organic, all-natural Trader Joe’s lollipops are the only candy allowed in the pantry, I do. But if I’m really honest, I also love that, after a trip to the library (in which Sophie picked out five princess books, the boys squealed much too loudly at the gerbil running in its wheel and all three kids tried on different hats for 10 minutes) we went to our local candy store, The Candy Cottage. I love that each child picked out a candy necklace and wore it home. I love that I’m sitting here, listening to that classic crunch as they bite a candy bead off. I love seeing the wet string against their neck and remembering how deliciously wonderful that felt when I was a little girl. I love seeing the joy in their faces as they walk around our porch and inside our house, absolutely delighted in the fact that they are wearing a necklace made out of candy and can eat it wherever they go.

It’s summer. Who knows. Maybe I’ll let them stay up way past their bedtime tonight, to catch fireflies, too.

Some rules, I think, can and should be (occasionally) broken.

“Then followed that beautiful season … Summer ….
Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape
Lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood.” —Henry Wadsworth Longfellow