Saturday, November 17, 2012

My day...

November 6, 2012

        Today was Election Day.  Many people went to the polls today.  I hope almost everyone did.  Didn’t turn out how I wanted, but at least I made the effort to have a different country.

        Today we also went and “cashed in” Evelyn’s HEBuddy points.  Those of you who don’t have an HEB near you (basically if you don’t live in Texas), HEB is a grocery store.  A few years ago they came up with HEBuddy, a life sized brown paper grocery bag with healthy foods in him.  He also as a pet beagle.  Cute!  They also came out with HEBuddy bucks and you put them into a machine that has a big spinning wheel, the kid pushes the big red button, get points and sticks them on this little paper booklet.  You add them all up and get prizes.  You used to be able to get groceries as well as kiddy prizes, now it’s just kiddy prizes.  Well, our HEB lost their key to the machine so they were unable to add more stickers so HEBuddy was “sleeping” for around a month and a half.  We ended up creating a nice little pile of Buddy Bucks while he slept.  They change prizes every three months so we started saving our points waiting for something “good.”  Good things come to those who wait.  For October-December, for 500 points, you could get a HEBuddy blanket.  With all our saved Bucks and Bucks we got when we shopped (they give a couple to each kid when their parents check out) we were able to save over 700 points.  It was not easy.  Points come out as 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50; you rarely get a 50, but we were able to do it!  There were two blankets to choose from both of which were in the packaging (as you can see below) and we only knew what one of them looked like; it was pictured in the booklet.  We asked Evelyn, “Do you want night time Buddy or big Buddy?”  She looked at them so unsure.  “This is the night time Buddy with Buddy in bed and this is big Buddy with Buddy by himself.”  She realized instantly then which one she wanted.  She grabbed the one that we assumed to be just HEBuddy and hugged it so tight, “My Buddy blankie!  Buddy blankie!  Blankie Buddy! Buddy, Buddy, Buddy….”  And then we left.  When we got home it was nap time, then wake up, Kai-lan, dinner, Tom returned The Lorax, then ¡Three Amigos!  Tom has been trying to get me to watch it since we bought it.  I didn’t have an interest in it so he watched it when I was asleep.  Tonight he sounded so excited about it that I felt like I wanted to see it to.  After the movie I took pictures of Evelyn opening her Buddy blanket with Daddy.  It’s HEBuddy in his winter attire!

This is really funny to me because the last time it snowed here it was in 2004 and it had been 100 years since the time before that. Evelyn was so happy about that blanket though.  She is sleeping with it now.  I’m glad that we were able to get it for her.
        My mom worked at HEB for 10 years and resigned when my younger brother was born.  When I graduated high school I got a job at HEB as well and worked there for 3 years while I went to university; so HEB has a little special place in my families’ hearts.  HEB has changed over time; they let you wear jeans to work, they sell wine, and they are opened on Sunday plus don’t pay time and a half to get people to be willing to work on a Sunday.  Sadly, my generation doesn’t know what that is like, a whole town shutting down to observe the Sabbath.  Imagine what the world would be like if we still did that? 

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