Lunch at Sam's

Here's to the sweet little sampler ladies at Sam's Wholesale Club that fed my blonde haired boys today! I always hesitate going to Sam's because I know I can't get out of there without spending more than my "budget" allows. However, today we hit the jackpot! Little ladies (not a one of them under 70) at every corner offering unsolicitated treats to my children. Richmond would normally have to beg for that kind of mid morning buffet, but he just stood back and let the goods come to him. He played it like a professional - the sweet eyes, the quiet "thank you" in a voice to make you melt, and lingering around the ladies as if to say, "My mother never lets me have anything good to eat". Even Knox - Mr. Picky Pete - decided to get in on the action. I think the "yogurt lady" gave half of her samples to him when she saw how excited he was to eat yogurt from that tiny sample spoon. The "ice cream sandwich lady" shoved so many bite size portions of her stash into Richmond's hands, I thought I heard him singing Happy Birthday to Me as we moved to the next aisle. I think she gave him extra when she realized I was not going to purchase the box. She felt sorry for the kid whose mom can't have ice cream sandwiches in her house because the mom will eat more of them than the kid. Same goes for the pizza rolls and the cheesecake - we're just all better off if those don't make it through the front door of the Roberts' home!

This whole scene put a smile on my face - not only because of the way my children were "workin' it", but because the Sam's ladies seem to enjoy them so much. It reminded me of my own grandmother, lovingly dubbed "the Food Pusher" by my brother. When we visited her as children, she always had our favorite treats on hand - the ones that she knew we didn't get at home, only at her house. I remember traveling to her house one time, arriving around 10pm and proceding to eat 3 big bowls of Frosted Flakes - until my stomach hurt - and she would have fixed me another if I hadn't been about to throw up! As we got older, she still loved us with food, full course meals in addition to the sweet treats. It was her way.....and she did it well.

Food has become so tabu in our society - it was nice to forget about that for a few minutes and let my kids be loved with food! They got a glimpse of my grandmother today........in the form of four sweet little ladies at Sam's Wholesale Club.