SATURDAY SHOWCASE.....

THE TALE OF CHRISTMAS CRUNCH......

I found this Christmas Crunch "limited edition" box of cereal a couple of weeks ago. The voices in my head told me to snatch that sucker up----because ..hey, it's a for a "limited" time only and who knows when someone might come busting in the Wal-Mart to buy out the entire 300 boxes on display.

Initially, I had put it back on the shelf, reminding myself that Temple is constantly saying I am a "gimmick" freak. But, I let the voices in my head win...(because I am known to do that from time to time)....and put it right back in my cart.

• And right now, I bet you're thinking....what the? She's doing cereal as the spotlight of the week in the Saturday Showcase files????? I never said I was sane. Let me be clear on that fact, right now. Think of it as a sidebar type human interest story...don't ya just love those on the news?

So I brought the new holiday cereal home, made the announcement to the kids, set it in the pantry and walked away. It was devoured in less than 8 hours. Hmm. And by the way, for the record....it wasn't just the 3 kids who ate it....it was Temple, too. In fact, I think he is the one who woke up the next morning and asked in a whiney voice...."Who ate ALL the Christmas Crunch"......I smiled in my head as the voices silently whispered in mockery....."oh, you mean the "limited edition" Christmas Crunch that might be labeled gimmicky?".

So, I ventured out a couple of days later to return with this victory for the voices in my head......and the children I have been asked to feed on a daily basis.

Yes, mam, I did. I bought 4 boxes. Brought them home, announced to the kids, and set them in the pantry. Actually, first, I set them all in a line on the counter as the picture depicts. It looks much more exciting when you have them lined up side by side.....and I said, "Now, everyone can have a box, we will have enough Christmas Crunch to last us through at least 48 hours."

And then I laughed, the kids giggled, and all was merry and bright. They took me literally. Walt and Tyner Beth marked every box with a red sharpie.....by name. Which was a genius idea, really. Now there's no one to blame but you when your box is empty.

That is, unless, the pantry door is left slightly open and a certain dog that inhabits your dwelling can get to the Christmas Crunch box with your name on it, and can dig her nose in far enough to cause some pebbles to spill out onto the floor, so that she (the dog) too, can have some of this highly coveted "limited edition" goodness.

Thank goodness those kids labeled the cereal boxes, otherwise we wouldn't have known who had been victimized in this crime. But of course...you may not want to keep the box that is now depleted of a few handfuls of Christmas Crunch. But certainly not because the dog's nose had been in the box, they disregarded that fact. Who cares about a dog's germs when there are clearly more important issues at hand....like NOT ENOUGH CRUNCH LEFT IN YOUR BOX.

And then you do what any respecting person (who loves Christmas Crunch) does.............you find someone else's box (which happens to be really full)--then take the red sharpie marker, scribble out their name and replace it with yours. Problem solved. Carry on.

This reminds me of so many good times eating cereal.....weird, huh? My favorite is Lucky Charms. And it is still my favorite today....at 36. Although if I'm trying to be all adult like, I eat grape nuts or something.....and then the voices, (those in my head), start a riot and ask me "why in the world do you want to be 'adult-like'?".....and I promptly get another bowl and fill it with Lucky Charms...or Christmas Crunch. So, what about you? Which cereal do the voices inside your head tell you to eat? :)