This is Normal, Right?

Today it occurred to me that my family (siblings/parents -- my husband will quickly exclude himself from all of this) might have a bit of an obsession and/or a problem.

I told you about the sour cherry balls incident back in February. You know, the one that had my dad stopping at drugstores in 4 different states, and my sister and I alternating whose turn it was to email the company.

And of course, just yesterday, I disclosed the sordid details of our Jello Pudding Pop saga.

And today, this email arrived from my sister...sent to my dad, brother, and I...

Subject: Brace Yourselves....

Just in case you weren't watching The Today Show this morning...rumor has it that cold cereal pricing is about to go up. Sounds like demand is high and farmers have been focusing more on corn. I'm afraid that the $2.00 per box days may be permanently a thing of the past. :(

Always looking out for your best interest,

Maria

(My dad, not much on advice or meddling, gave each of us one admonition when we moved away from home. NEVER spend more than $2 on a box of cereal. We've taken that to heart, watching sales and clipping coupons to make our father proud. A year or two ago, he raised the cap to $2.50, but we've still each toiled long and hard to keep it as close to $2 as possible. Its the least we can do for the old man.)

And, not to exclude my mother, I remembered that just this week, I saw an order form on her kitchen counter for a case of this. I probably don't even need to say it, but, yes, we all spent over a year looking for this specific type of boxed icing which is the only thing any of us will top our angel food cake with (a birthday favorite). When it could not be located, my mother started ordering this boxed icing by the case, doling her stash out to us as stocking stuffers and birthday gifts. I've been hoarding my last box for months now, in preparation for the summer birthdays of my mother and sister.

Perhaps we're the most well fed (albeit obsessive) dysfunctional family in America. I suppose there are worse things to be.