souvenier

I did think about the boys from time to time while we were away on vacation. And as we browsed the small shops and souvenir stands I considered what I might buy for them. 

I love to shop. And I am as sentimental as the day is long so you'd think that I'd love souvenirs. But sadly, I often find them... tacky. At least the items intended as souvenirs. They mostly end up being a sort of cliche of the place they are supposed to represent. Poorly made, inauthentic and oddly enough cheap and expensive at the same time. As I looked over the racks of the same old same old, I decided that I was not going to waste my money. I'd just keep what I was going to spend and set it aside for a rainy day and buy a set of lego that would at least get played with instead of becoming a dust trap on a shelf destined for next year's garage sale. Also, I wanted to think carefully about the precedent we set at this impressionable age. We try to keep the boys from getting consumed by consumerism (though lord knows they have so many toys you'd think we didn't make much of an effort). And who says you have to buy gifts for your kids when you come back from vacation? It sort of smacks of a bribe. I don't recall my parents buying us stuff when they went away from time to time, and I was still very happy to see them when they got home. 

So it was kind of funny to find that I'd inadvertently brought them home souvenirs anyways, smuggled home in my luggage in the form of tiny jars of jam. Every day while on vacation, either the room service or the breakfast buffet provided us with these adorable little pots of jam. I usually make jam myself, but when I don't Bonne Maman is the one I like best. Its good and doesn't have a ton of ingredients and tastes like actual fruit, not 'fruit-like flavours'. Plus also, gingham patterned lids; so cute. So whether I used it up or not, I'd chuck one in my suitcase everyday, planning to bring them home for the adorable little jars (so tiny!) more than the jam. 

Today at lunch time when the Little Dude opened the fridge, he looked at the shelves in the door and exclaimed with delight "What are THESE!?"

Apparently I'm not the only one who thinks that tiny containers of confiture are cunning. Yeah, you see what I did there.  We busted out the rice cakes and had some jam on them for dessert. 

And even when the rice cakes were gone, not once tiny bit of jam was to be wasted. 

Can't talk. Eating jam.

And of course our favourite little mimic wanted in on some of that left-over jam jar action. 

And being the clever boy that he is, he decided to cut out the middle man. Much more efficient to just get your tongue in there. 

 L.D. wanted to bust them all open and try all the flavours immediately, but we decided to ration them to one a day until they are gone. After looking over our vacation pictures the Little Dude sighed wistfully and said, "We should ALL go to that place you and Dad went to last week mom." "Oh yeah?" I replied, "what makes you say that?" "Because," he replied "then we could get more of those little jams and eat TWO of them every day instead of just one!"

Dream big buddy, dream big. 

 

Comments

[Steph]

So sweet, those two. Talk about angelic-looking. And I LOVE Bonne Maman jam, especially the marmalade. I've only seen it in Wal-Mart here. Partly I love it because it's what I call my grandmother on my mom's side.

[brooklyn_codger]

I am somewhat obsessed with Bonne Maman also--I cannot throw away those jars! (And I hoard the lil ones with a passion.) On a recent trip to Quebec I was v. excited to see a new color of Bonne Maman jar top in the grocery store—light brown! It's some kind of sugar spread.

[Marcia Van Drunen]

Not a brand I know, but the jars are darling! Sooo fun that this was your inadvertent souvenir. Much better than tacky whatnots.