Reality Check: Why I Am A SPOILED Brat!

This morning was a good example to remind myself to practice what I preach.   I often tell my daughter to change her attitude and whining won’t help you get your way.  I needed to tell myself that this morning….

I just got back from my weekly shopping trip.  I went out of my way (and shopping with a 7 month old is not easy, so to make a special trip for me was a big deal.) to go to Staples to use the $5 off $5 coupon so that I could hurry home and brag to you all the fun things I brought home for free.  Then it turns out to not be valid.  So then I’m mad because I actually had to pay for the glue sticks that I needed to buy for my daughter anyway.

But then it got worse, because then I was headed down a rut of really negative thoughts about how I’m a coupon blogging failure. Thoughts like,  “I enthusiastically posted about this coupon, and I know many of my blog readers printed it.  So now I wonder how many readers left Staples all frustrated and thought that stupid Maura from Happy Deal – Happy Day – why does she tell us about great deals that don’t work.  I should have known it was too good to be true and I shouldn’t have posted it before I tried it myself.  Now I’m going to lose all sorts of blog readers because now they won’t trust me or think now that couponing is a waste of time and not worth the savings.”

Those thoughts continued as I went into Wegmans.  The first item I was going to put in my cart was Driscolls raspberries.  I got a coupon from them for my birthday (and no I won’t share that one – because that is a one time use one just for me.  I won’t make that same mistake twice!)  Turns out Wegmans doesn’t have any raspberries because the trucks are getting too cold, the produce is freezing, and they don’t have enough to sell (according to the produce manager.)  So I have to settle for just strawberries.

Then I go to get my favorite bread that we ran out of.  I toast this bread every morning and have it with my cup of coffee.  I didn’t have this bread last week because I thought I had an extra loaf in the freezer and didn’t bother to get any last week.  Turns out I was wrong, and I didn’t want to make a special trip back to Wegmans last week.  So while I was at Dollar General, I had to get a boring and plain loaf of whole wheat bread because it was more convenient.  Then today I see that Wegmans was out of my favorite whole grain/whole wheat bread.  I have to get another boring and plain loaf of whole wheat bread.  Seriously Wegmans???  Strike 2!

Then I went to get baby food prunes.  My girls have a tendency to get constipated when they are babies – and we are trying to avoid that with Molly right now.  (Maybe TMI, but this detail is part of my story, so I have to share.)  Then I look at the shelf and see that Wegmans is out of prunes!  Strike 3 Wegmans.  That does it!  My morning is ruined.

I splurged on the Bolthouse Farms juice pictured above (because I had a coupon) and that amazing chocolate chip cookie.  I figured if I eat that after I’m done shopping, then that will help my mood.  I trudge my way through the rest of the store and finish my shopping, pack up my car, and head back home.

On my drive home I listening to K-LOVE, I heard a brief story about a girl in Peru who’s house burned down and was suffering burns all over her face.  I didn’t hear all of the details because my brain quickly went on a trail of “well at least my morning wasn’t that bad!”

Then I really got to thinking that my morning really wasn’t bad at all…

This is how my morning really was:  I dropped off my healthy, smart, beautiful 4 year old at an amazing, private, Christian pre-school with the best teachers ever.  Then I got to spend time with my easy going baby, that everyone oogles over whenever I enter a store.  I had a very nice cashier at Staples who felt bad my coupon didn’t work, and went out of his way to find me at least a 25% off coupon that would work for me.  I then had the privilege to grocery shop at Wegmans.  Wegmans people – Wegmans!!  The best grocery store on the planet!  That little girl and her family from Peru might just faint if they saw where I get to buy my food – whenever I want too!  I know people that don’t have a Wegmans that live in the US, that will enter one just for the experience.  It’s a tourist attraction because these stores are so amazing.  And I had the nerve to be all snotty about them not having raspberries, bread, or baby prunes when I wanted them!

So then I had to tell myself, just like I tell my daughter, change your attitude.  You have it made Maura!  You have a wonderful husband, and 2 amazing daughters.  You have the best friends in the world.  You have a blogging audience that actually reads what you write.  🙂

I could go on and on over the millions of blessings I receive daily.  I won’t list them all now, but I hope that you too can think of ways how you are grateful.  I’ve reminded myself today that its the perfect solution to stop being a spoiled brat!