How I learned to save $1.19

The boys have discovered Vitamin Water.

You know, those 20oz. bottles filled with pastel-hued water, each flavor claiming to posess a different proprietary blend of nutrients, vitamins and anti-oxidants, without which your personal health will not be complete? They seem to be stacked near the checkout at every local grocery store and darn it, they're visually appealing. They have those simple, graphic labels and every bottle is a different shade of the rainbow, in a washed out, not totally Kool-Aid offensive way. And hey, did they mention it's good for you!?

I believe the interest began at the holidays when a certain relative we were visiting, who shall not be named but shares a middle name with my oldest son, purchased some and shared with Andrew. It's good stuff. There's not much not to like. Then, over the course of the winter, I believe Andrew might have talked another relative he lives with, who shall not be named but has a first name that rhymes with Park, into purchasing it occasionally.

The trouble is that the smallest person in our home has now discovered the merits of Vitamin Water and greatly enjoys the orange-flavored variety. (Andrew thinks he likes the red one, but since I won't allow red drinks in my house anymore, he has to like the Lemonade.) Aside from knowing that the vitamins and anti-oxidants and immune-boosting zinc are good for him, we've assumed that Thomas is so enamored by them because he simply likes drinking something that Andrew and daddy like.

We went to the grocery store this afternoon and there they were, in all their technicolor glory right by the self-checkout. I should have said no, but it was dinnertime and everyone was hungry and tired and we're running on little sleep around here so I did the simple thing and let them each choose a bottle.

We arrived home with our "juice!" and they obediently ran to the table to wait to be served. I opened each bottle and put them on the table while I went to grab cups for them. While I was across the kitchen, both boys grabbed their bottles and began drinking. This works for Andrew. For Thomas, this results in Vitamin Water all over his shirt and all over the table. It's akin to him drinking out of a fire hose, but this fire hose is serving up orange juice. This seemed like a logical time to pour some juice into the cup and offer it to each boy.

Andrew, because he seems to have sporadic moments of maturity lately, took the cup with no complaint. Thomas, because he's two, took the cup and began screaming at me that he wanted the bottle and then poured the Vitamin Water I had offered all over the table - this time on purpose, just to illustrate his point.

This is when we discovered that it's really the bottle he likes, not so much the Vitamin Water. After a series of negotiations and good behavior he got the bottle back in his paws and proceeded to down almost the entire thing. The rest is in the refrigerator where I have already added water to it and it's waiting for him to be delighted by it again tomorrow.

I'm thinking I've purchsed my last Vitamin Water for a while because if he likes to drink out of a gallon jug, I don't need to spend $1.19 for him to do it!