Skip to main content

My new favorite thing

I have discovered a speedy route to Heaven. No, I haven't been in secret conference with The Man Upstairs. Quite simply, I have found the best bribe ever.

Picture this. I am at home on Friday morning, trying to work while all hell is breaking loose around me. The Small(er) One is bellowing for me to take her for a wee while Firstborn is literally hanging off my leg in despair because she can't find her pink Dora The Explorer knickers. The phone is ringing and I can't find it. Some fool buzzes the intercom repeatedly, refusing to accept that I am not his mate Ahmed. Then Alpha Male calls to ask exactly why I spent £75 at Boots earlier that week and do I not realise the critical state of our overdraft?

Just as I am about to break into a million mental mommy pieces, screaming that I can not bear another second of this level of harassment from both family and non-family members before locking myself in the bathroom for an extended period of sulking, I remember that I have my very own personal Abracadabra moment sitting in the kitchen cupboard. The best bribe ever is about to buy me up to an hour of much-needed peace and quiet.

I recently discovered something wonderful called the Natural Confectionery Company, apparently all the rage in Oz and just arrived on our shores, which produces jelly sweets not stuffed full of evil additives (the ingredients list totally rocks... guilt-dissipating words like 'natural fruit juices' get me every time). So far the junior Yummies rate the Jelly Snakes - realistically snake-like, pleasingly wobbly yet just-firm-enough in texture - perfect. I am currently buying in bulk in case of emergency as, in addition to helping to avert my own psychological traumas, they work well for all medical situations, seemingly having the power to erase the torment of bumped knees, stubbed toes etc in record time.

Share the joy - get thee down to Woolworth's and buy yourself swathes of golden silence for a mere £1.39. My only complaint is that I haven't found them anywhere else yet and my local Woolie's isn't all that convenient.

Oh yes, these darling little snakey things are also loved by Alpha Male and seem to have the same muting effect. Which, frankly, makes them absolutely bloody priceless.

Comments

Anonymous said…
3 kids oh poor poor you
sarah said…
I need to find these treasures of which you speak...Mama needs some quiet.
Shane du Tarr said…
Shame on you feeding the kids sweets to keep them quiet.
Kate B. said…
Anon, yup. The older is one is the most trouble, and sadly too big and mean for spankings or time out.

I'm telling you, Sarah, they rock. Let Jelly Snakes into your life and rejoice. Also tried the Jelly UnBearAbles yesterday and they were pretty good too - my favorites so far - but the kids are still going nuts for the Jelly Snakes and the Jelly Dinosaurs. Catnip for kids, P&Q for Mums - what's not to love?

Matthew - have you ever tried feeding kids broccoli to keep them quiet? I rest my case. Anyway, the Natural Confectionary Company uses natural flavours and colours, so it's not as if they are being force-fed e-numbers. Get over yourself already.
Anonymous said…
I heard on the news that additives are really bad for children but how do you explain to a child that they can't have sweets anymore? I'll try these out. Thanks YLM.

Popular posts from this blog

The Grim Reaper

Firstborn is obsessed with death. It started with the odd comment, such as; "Mummy, what happens when you die?" OK, I thought, I was expecting this at some point, what a cute little curious brain she has. So I trotted out all the cosy Heaven stuff and left out all the things that could worry her, such as worms and bones and holes in the ground. This went down pretty well, although somehow Firstborn made the jump from my view of Heaven (filled with love, joy, always warm, never rains, has a huge discount designer shoe outlet and I never have to pay my Visa bill) to her own view of Heaven; a wonderous place where small girls don't have to eat their vegetables before they're allowed pudding, and where Barbie dolls grow on trees. Anyway, I digress. Last week Firstborn started shouting "Kill! Kill!" in a bloodthirsty tone while bashing her hithero-beloved teddy against the wall. This was topped by her purposely flushing her favourite My Little Pony down the loo. ...

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to

A friend recently emailed me to say that her big memory of her stay with us last year is that she had a great birthday, one of the few where she didn't 'act like a spoiled grumpy princess'. She tried to give me all the credit but as I explained to her, it was all down to having a fellow female organising the birthday fun rather than leaving it to her partner. Her email got me thinking about birthdays and how very different men and women are in their attitudes to celebrating special occasions. It also had me thinking about my birthday two years ago when I threw a major tantrum in the Carrefour car-park after being told that we were off to do the weekly shop, kids in tow, which was simply the final straw at the end of a very uninspiring day. In contrast, my birthday last year was rather lovely (a morning on my own in a spa with no mobile coverage, pure selfish bliss). This year - in a few short months, eek! - I'll be hitting the grand old age of 38. This will be my las...