A Review of the New Meijer -- Kind of

Meijer, after owning the land at Philo and Windsor for like a decade, finally built a store in Urbana. When they announced their intentions to build I hooted because before the Schnuck's came to Savoy MacTroll and I did all of our grocery shopping at the Meijer on North Prospect. The deli ladies there slipped all the toddlers free lunch meat and cheese. Plus, the place had been around since MacTroll was in college, so it felt -- familiar.

But then they built the Savoy Schnuck's, and we took to that instantly. It's a smaller store than the other stores in Urbana and Champaign, but I love that I can run in and out on my way to the gym or X-man's school. It's highly convenient. I can ride my bike and put the items in my kid trailer and pedal home. We love their produce and baked goods and the deli and meat counters are decent. Sure, the meat is no match for Olde Time Meat and Deli Shoppe, but that's okay. It's right down the street and easy to add into the errand run. We also loved that the Schnuck's Organic Milk by Full Circle was way cheaper than the national brands, and we didn't have to buy the Oberweis (which belongs to the crazy right-wing, Chicago-area politician. Sure, he treats his cows nice, but boy I'm pretty sure he'd hate me.).

In 2005, MacTroll and I decided to avoid Wal-mart. Their giant economic plan to take over the world—environment, employees and communities-be-damned attitude freaks me out. Then, this summer, the price of food started going through the roof at the same time as gas and after 3 years of avoiding doing any regular shopping there we went back for anything that came pre-wrapped in a box (like Cheerios or soda, etc.). In essence, I sold out. Go ahead and bitch at me.

So it was with great excitement when they put a Meijer in south Urbana. I went last Thursday when I left my mental faculties at home and my purse in a shopping cart in the cart return. Today I went back to amend some things I purchased that didn't work out. 

The customer service staff was very helpful and thankful that I was an easy customer. That is, I brought things back unused, unopened AND with a receipt. I was in a hurry when I was there on Thursday so I paid attention to very little besides the overfriendliness of the staff. This time I focused on something important -- the prices of things I always buy.

At Schnuck's the cheapest apple juice is Old Orchard at $1.49. It's even cheaper than the Schnuck's generic. At Wal-mart, since I'm avoiding thing with the Wal-mart name on it after biting into a piece of wood in a package of Wal-mart branded ground beef 3 years ago, the cheapest brand is Indian Summer for $1.79. Both juices are well over $2 at the new Meijer. 

And this wasn't my only finding. Morningstar Veggie Sausage 20 cents more at the new Meijer than at Schnuck's, 30 cents more at Meijer than at Wal-mart. Sigh. 

My cats like Scoop Away, a cheap litter. I have no brand loyalty when it comes to litter. But my five cats do. I've tried a series of brands cheap through mega expensive and more eco-friendly. And damn it, I'd really rather they use their boxes. So Scoop Away it is. It tracks like hell, but it clumps pretty decent. Meijer used to carry it, but then they released their own Meijer brand of cheap cat litter and stopped carrying it. So there's a problem.

Yogurt was the same price at Meijer as it is at Wal-mart as it is at Schnuck's. Fruit and vegetables were the same at Schnuck's and Meijer and well, I hate how unfresh the produce is at our Wal-mart, even in the summer when it's surrounded by farms, so I never by it there. 

Meijer does carry Canadian Great Lake Perch. It's a childhood favorite. One that X-man liked when he was 18 months, that for some reason didn't carry into last Friday, but since he was sick and I made it (strangely for lunch) I'll have to try it again. 

I checked out and the woman I had was not actually filling the stupid plastic bags. She kept putting one can of soup in a bag and then turning the wheel to a new one. So I'd grab the individual items and toss them in with other items. She was also checking out my canned cat food and smiled at me and said, "Isn't it crazy how we spoil our pets?" I furrowed my eyebrows and said, "I don't think feeding them is spoiling them." I didn't mean to sound bitchy, but it was a weird thing to say.

I like that at Schnuck's I can get paper or plastic or use my nylon bags. Why do I get all three? Because I need them. I put my cat litter and scoop my dog poop into the plastic ones. I use the paper ones to put my recycling and my garbage in in the kitchen. And I don't always need more, so I use my nylon bags when we're in good shape. 

In all fairness, the new Meijer is a clean store. It's a new store. It's a friendly store. It's a south of town alternative to the big bad boy that is Wal-mart. I'm glad it's there. But when you read all the cart signs in the parking lot that guarantee that their prices are lower so it improves your life... that's not ultimately true for my family. But it might be for yours, so check it out.

However, the Savoy Schnuck's is still going to be my favorite and most used grocery store. It's my neighborhood store, so I have big loyalty there. 

And I'm a Target fan, so I'm more than happy to go to North Prospect to shop there for my non-grocery items. 

To Hell in a Handbasket

I'm done. Put a fork in me.

Seriously.

I'm sick. Like the kind of sick where you have so much shit in the back of your throat from your nose and glands draining all night that you can't talk when you first wake up. Instead you have to sit there all silent and annoyed for 20 minutes as the stuff runs down your sore throat. You can do things like gargle, suck on Ricolas and brush your teeth. But really, it's just such a shitty way to wake up.

Then there's the whole part where I'm contagious. MacTroll took X-man to school. He's got energy and is feeling better but still has a small cough first thing when he wakes up. But I didn't even get to see him this a.m. And we kept him away from me last night.

Then there's the fact that I don't feel like reading a book. And my head pounds when I stand up. So I'm on the internet, which is filled with nothing but ugly political news or disgusting economic woes. The kind of thing that reminds me that I've lost an obscene amount of money this month in retirement and college savings plans for X-man. I worry about those. MacTroll watches stock prices. But the whole thing makes me feel like adding vomiting to my list of symptoms. 

So I'm done. Someone give me some good news. I know by Wednesday, I'll feel better. But right now I'm tired of hearing Obama call John McCain erratic and McCain (through Palin) calling Obama a friend of terrorists. Can we just gag them until the election? Oh wait, as of next Monday I can vote... and then it won't matter. They can say whatever they want. I'll be done and wash my hands of the whole thing until we have a winner.

And then I'll just keep trucking... 

Another One Bites the Dust

I'm down and out. I was feeling great this morning while I worked with the kids at soccer. I came home and played with X-man for several hours. We had Mac and Cheese for lunch and then suddenly I became really lethargic. 

X-man just wanted to watch Curious George, and since he's got a respiratory infection and TV, cars and the train table are really the only way to slow him down I ended up lying on the couch. Then at 3 p.m. I felt too bad to lie on the couch. I got X-man to come upstairs with me, where he watched the same episode of the Backyardigans almost 4 times. 

He laid next to me with his head on my chest, and I listened to his Darth Vader on Pop Rocks breathing. And I kept feeling colder and colder and colder. MacTroll finished his part of the fence and came inside to find me with red cheeks, chills and a sore throat.

Thirty minutes later the low-grade fever started at 100.5.

Tomorrow, it looks like my first 8 a.m. may be a visit to Convenient Care. Maybe I'll run into all of you there. I just can't get the energy up to go right now. 

Cough, sniffle "Mommy HUG!"

I was up last night until 1:30 a.m. cleaning the house and preparing for a meetup at my house. Every six months I host a swap for all the kid stuff our group might be storing in their houses. It gives folks a chance to clean out their closets and pass some good stuff on to other families in our group. It's always free and people tend to carry in stuff to use as much as they carry out for the most part. It's one big giant potluck, too.

Unfortunately, MacTroll and I noticed the X-man got a bit of a cough yesterday. Then last night while he was sleeping it was worse because he was lying down. So this morning I hauled him off to the pediatrician's office. Where X-man had issues getting weighed, but once he was in the exam room helping the nurse take his temperature, he was fine. 

I read "Dragon in a Wagon" twice for him. Then he said, "People! Where are you?" I explained that we had to wait our turn to see the doctor. He said, "People! We're waiting!" It was very cute. 

He let Dr. See look in his ears and his "boogey" nose. Then he opened his mouth really wide for her and was really great while she listened to his lungs and heart. Unfortunately, he has a respiratory infection. So I had to cancel the swap and we're going to just chill out at home this weekend. I'm still coaching the CARE soccer group tomorrow a.m. But X-man will stay home with Daddy until I get back. It also means I miss out on beer with "A La Sass."

Other than that, I'm going to restore all of the stuff I sorted out last night and put it back in the garage. I'm really tired and was hoping to grab a nap (X-man won't give it up). 

The Bitter Blogger

Okay, so I woke up in a mood today. A bitchy, pushy mood. It doesn't happen often, but MacTroll has had enough of me so he said I could either go paint the fence or go take a nap and either way, I needed to be less bitter.

So, before I put my head down and try to wake up as normal, perky, happy Loosey... I'm going to carry on about a few things. 

1.) I am not a purse person. Wanna know how I know. Because I visited the new Meijer in Urbana today to do my grocery shopping. It's a clean, friendly store. Customer Service was at that annoying stage where you're not supposed to do anything for yourself, but it's nice that so many people bothered to ask, because that never happens in department stores any more. Anyway, when we were selling our house,  I had too many items (wallet, phone, keys, etc.) that I was trying to carry in my pockets. It was all great if the baby was with me because I'd stuff everything in the diaper bag. But when I went out with MacTroll or X-man I was always forgetting stuff, throwing away my phone with lunch garbage, dropping things. Finally, MacTroll said, "Just buy a freaking purse." So I went to Target and got one.

Now that I'm not selling my house, I don't carry a phone. That means I just have a wallet and a set of keys. No purse needed. I must know this because the only thing I put in it today at the store was the map they gave me when I walked through the door. Seriously, I had my wallet in my back pocket and a set of keys in my front pocket. I was wearing my earphones (because the new store still plays music older than I am) and had my iPod in the other pocket. But for some reason I had the purse with me. 

I put all my items in the trunk. Pushed my cart to the cart return and drove away, leaving the virtually empty purse (it had an armband for the iPod, a pen and 15 Culver Points coupons in it).  I fetched it later, but I've given up on it. Anyone want a free purse?

2.) Massages

There are many things I guilt myself over regarding money. Haircuts, underwear, clothes, shoes, anything for myself I feel bad spending money on. If it's for the kid, no problem. But I got a certificate for a 1/2 price off 1 hour massage from somewhere locally and decided to take a chance. Good massages are worth the money. 

My usual massage therapist, who I love but haven't made time for in about six months is Loree Hardy at Hair Design at Knollwood. Loree is amazing. You walk in and Loree casually asks how you're feeling. You tell her a little something about your life and then you can communicate anything you'd like her to work on. Since I've seen her on and off since 2004, she knows where I hold my tension and where my issues are. But even if I didn't tell her, she's like one of those metal detectors at the beach. She narrows in on the problem and suddenly muscles you didn't know you had are getting worked on until they melt down like butter. A lot of time my problems spots radiate from other areas like my calves or hamstrings into my gluts and lower back. My favorite part is that Loree starts with the hard stuff. 

She listens to where your issues are and she spends a LOT of time on them, but still manages to do a full body massage -- and sometimes, if you're a really lucky client and she's got some time afterward and can sense your body needs more work -- she goes over a bit. One time I was in such bad shape that by the time I was standing and trying to get my pants on it was 20 minutes after the hour. 

Loree is certified in all kinds of massage, stone therapy, reflexology, etc. She is even certified in prenatal (which I did every 8-10 weeks of my pregnancy thankfully). 

The new person I tried today was solid. She had a little map where I circled my "problem areas." Her pressure was good and she touched all the areas that I had circled. But she didn't get down and dirty into them. I left relaxed in the sense that her awesome head massage for a good part of the beginning was really quite wonderful. But when it comes to releasing tension from stress and dealing with the almost 20-year injury I've had in my lower back from playing soccer as a kid, she didn't quite hit it. It was worth the 50 percent discounted price of $30, but I think I'll stick with Loree. I'll have to work it into the budget sooner than later. She's $62 an hour.

3.) Okay, I'm going to nap. We'll see if I wake up someone else besides the Bitter Bitch of Puerto Rico.

(Beeping) Homecoming

I remember being a freshman in high school and sitting in the bleachers of my first high school football game with KAP and Alex Tower. We were watching the game but mostly we were chatting. Alex kept smacking the ballcap off my head and pulling KAP's ponytail eliciting whines of "Stop it, Aaaaa-lllleeexx." 

Anyway, I remember seeing students that went to high school with my sister (who had graduated the year before I started) coming back to high school for the Homecoming game. I sat there thinking, "Why?" I hated high school. Seriously. HATED it. 

My sister was in steering committee, the french club, she swam on the swim team, she did the newspaper, she was prom chairman... you name it, she did it. And I tried to do a lot of those things thinking they'd get me out of the house (which might have been why she did them too). But my love for most things lasted six weeks. So if you look in my freshman yearbook, you'll see I showed up for a couple of shots that I didn't follow through with. My apologies to those who did and are now in charge of reunions for the rest of their lives. (I love you, Ann. And only for you would I even consider offering to help.)

I stuck with Volleyball and Yearbook. And it took me an extra year to warm up to the idea of high school soccer. 

I felt differently about college. I loved college. I loved my classes. I loved my friends. I loved my majors (yes, I had two). I loved that I set my schedule pretty much. And I loved, loved, loved working for the newspaper. 

But outside of the things I chose for myself, I was never content with the way Millikin was run as an academic institution. I did a column once on the lack of handicap accessibility, by getting into a wheelchair and pushing myself around campus. I could go practically nowhere at the time. We had issues dealing with administrators when it came to issues like rape on campus. Safety on campus. Food service issues on campus. Health Center issues. Dorm issues. Greek issues. Alcohol issues. 

The day I left, I decided if I gave money to Millikin it would all be in the name of the Decaturian or the writing and communication programs. And so far that's true, minus one $50 per plate dinner at the Occidental in D.C. 

In 2003 I moved next door to Rogers. Rogers also went to Millikin. She and I weren't friends there, although we did take one class together. She knew some of my people. I knew some of her people. But we never really were introduced. She wanted to go to Homecoming. She had been on Homecoming Court in college. And I love Rogers. So I went. And at the bar where they held our 5-year-reunion, they were supposed to take a group photo. I didn't want to be in it. Lori begged and pleaded and finally I succumbed. Only to have some intern for the alumni office show up to take it with a disposable camera. I found this hilarious. You might have been able to see that amused grin, if -- the photo had turned out. Who knew that taking a photo with a crappy disposable in the darkness of an alley turned into a beer garden in Decatur wouldn't work out? Ooooh, yeah. I did.

Anyway, in 2005, my BFF KTDID got married. KTDID is also a Millikin graduate. At her reception in Peoria, the MU folks got together and took a group photo (because Millikin prints "what Millikin graduates were at your wedding" photos in their alumni quarterly.)

KTDID's friend Colin just put our photo up on Facebook. I wonder why it didn't get printed... 

:-) See, it's that smile after all. This fall is my 10th MU graduation anniversary... and no, I'm not going. 

Height on the Horizon

We live in new development. That means there's not a lot of anything out here. Last fall, MacTroll and I had to pick between planting trees and putting up a fence. 

Riley's wanderings out into the muddy field definitely put the fence ahead of the trees. But today, we got two tall trees delivered. One I was semi-excited about because it's a street tree so we have a taller tree in the front yard (besides the tiny dogwood and magnolia I planted last fall). 

But my favorite is the tree we put in the backyard. It's a somerset maple. It's beautiful. And X-man has a perfect view of it from his bedroom window (yeah, ignore my obvious stopping point in the painting in the backyard).

And for size reference the fence is 5 1/2 feet tall at the high points 5 feet at the low.