National Ice Cream Cone Day
Did you know that tomorrow is national Ice Cream Cone Day?
To anyone other than small children and my husband, this is a pretty obscure holiday. But around my house, it might as well be Christmas.
When we bought our house and moved to the suburbs last year, we started going to a real grocery store instead of the ratty Shaw’s downtown. Shaw’s was the epitome of nastiness. The entire store had a sticky film on the floor that your shoes stuck to and the whole place smelled like a frat house the morning after an all-night party. It was disgusting. I hated grocery shopping because of it and so, consequently, my grocery lists were short and to the point. I was in and out as fast as possible, leaving no time for browsing the food aisles.
But when we moved to the sunny suburbs, our grocery shopping experience became drastically different. The grocery store was clean, even shiny. The produce was fresh. The employees had all their teeth. They even gave out samples at the deli counter.
It was a magical place.
No longer did we have to rush in and out in fear of our safety. We could take our time. Browse the aisles. Take it all in. And this was especially true in the frozen dessert section. The frozen dessert section was a sight to behold to me and Chris. It glistened with every kind of ice cream, popsicle, frozen yogurt, and Italian ice you could imagine.
I am not a huge fan of the cold dessert variety. Heat me up a nice bowl of fudge and I’m your girl. But Chris? He’s an ice cream man himself. And in that shiny, hopeful frozen dessert aisle in the suburbs, the ice cream cones called his name.
As with most addictions, he started small. Just the variety pack of four cones. A little treat at the end of a lazy Saturday. But that quickly progressed to the larger eight cone pack. With nuts. And then the eight cone pack with nuts dipped in fudge.
Addiction is a slippery slope.
Soon, he needed more and he found a big time supplier at our local BJ’s Wholesale Club. There, boxes of twenty-four cones with nuts and dipped in fudge satisfied his demanding sweet tooth. Chris was in heaven.
And then one afternoon he met me at the backdoor when I got home from work, his hands gripping at his stomach. He insisted that he had suddenly developed a gut. He had a belly. An ice cream belly. He moaned and moaned and wallowed in self-pity for a good ten minutes, clutching at his non-existent belly pudge. And then I had to cut him off and rest my feet because I WAS EIGHT MONTHS PREGNANT.
That’s right. My stick of a husband had the audacity to complain to his 50-pound overweight eight-month pregnant wife that he was feeling fat.
I almost sat on him.
For the next several months, Chris fought his addiction to ice cream cones in an attempt to gain his flat stomach back. He would go grocery shopping with me and disappear the minute we got into the store. I’d find him, an hour later, pressed up against the glass door of the frozen dessert section, whispering sweet nothings to the ice cream cones. But when I’d ask if he wanted to get a box, he would look at me in horror and exclaim, “NO! How could you even ask that?!? Don’t you see my gut?” And I would reply, “No, I couldn’t see your gut because THE CHILD GROWING INSIDE MY STOMACH was blocking my view.”
This continued for several months. Several looooong months.
And then a couple weeks ago I sent Chris to the grocery store one afternoon to pick up a few things and when he came back, he looked happier than a fat man at a buffet.
“Look what I found!” he exclaimed.
Snack-sized ice cream cones. And they each only had 140 calories.
I thought Chris was going to cry. Or break into song.
It was like the ice cream cone fairies had left him a special present. A present only he could appreciate.
And so, on this national day of ice cream cone celebration, I salute whoever was kind enough to shrink the ice cream cones into tiny 140 calorie treats. My skinny, twig of a husband is forever grateful.
22 Comments
Julie
I love these. It’s tough not to eat just one. I may have to run the store to get them. Enjoy, Julie
Sarah B.
Not sure Chris would want this picture out in cyberspace… It just doesn’t look right. LOL
Jordan
darn, when I read the title of this post I was expecting you to tell us where we could get free ice cream on national ice cream cone day….
Danimezza
“Pants for Daycare”…?
Don’t you just love it when the planets align and you can eat ice cream guilt free 🙂
Katie
Hahaha – His daycare keeps a second change of clothes just in case. I needed to bring in a second pair for Beanie’s cubbie. 🙂
Amy V
That was my favorite part about this post… I was just about to comment on it but somebody beat me to it. 🙂
Too cute.
Liz
I believe it about Shaw’s. I used to work at the Supervalu Help Desk, and they provided support to Shaws stores. I dreaded every phone call from them. Hearing your description of the store fits right in with how I imagined it. 🙂
Jon R.
Chris, I feel your pain. I hate my gut too.
Courtney Marie
Those little cones look awesome! My husband loves the cones dipped in chocolate, rolled in nuts as well. I have to buy these little ones for him. Skinny cow is a good low cal ice cream option too. I’m really enjoying your blog 🙂
Jessica W
They make those?? I must find them!! I too am an ice cream addict.
Oh and to answer a earlier comment, Cold Stones Creamery will be giving away free ice cream on Thursday (9/24)if you make a donation to Make-a-Wish. They will also give you free ice cream on your birthday if you join their E-Club. (I’m not only a ice cream addict but a restaurant E-club addict too – free birthday food!)
Vicki Jane
My partner had the yucky habit of softening a 2 litre container of ice cream in the microwave then using a packet of chocolate biscuits (cookies for you who arent in New Zealand) as a spoon to eat it. All. The WHOLE lot.
And yes if you are wondering.. He now has a nice permanant case of Diabetes.
Hmmmmm….
Zoe
What is it with men and ice cream?? My boy is an ice cream nut too, it’s strange. I don’t get the appeal. Give me some chocolate or cake any day.
EmilyC
You seriously crack me up! 🙂
Sue V.
Very funny. I too have a tall thin husband. I think they think it makes us feel better when they notice weight gain. Mine did the exact same thing when I was late in my pregnancy. He too is an ice cream fanatic. My kids have learned that ice cream does not last in our house. If they want some, they have to eat it the day we buy it.
Hilary
That’s weird because in my area, the Shaw’s is the nicest grocery store. Well, unless I wanted to shop at Whole Foods but I can’t stand that place (something about eating healthy makes people really miserable). As for the complaining husband, mine is the same. Tall and skinny and gains weight only in the stomach which then disappears the second he gives up his third can of daily Pepsi for a week. Grrrrrrrrr . . . .
Mindee@ourfrontdoor
I am amazed that he is able to eat just one. Commendable self-control Chris!
Ashley
Haha this is great! Ya’ll are too funny!
naomi
see, when I {finally} get pregnant, I’ll be the one with the frozen treat problem. We already {no joke} have 14 tubs of vanilla frozen yogurt in our freezer {plus another 4 in my mom’s freezer because we ran out of room}
To top it off we have over 100lbs of frozen blueberries {seriously} and thats not including the frozen strawberries and raspberries. {No, Seriously. Do I need to take a picture of it all to prove it to you, cuz I will.}
Lori at I Can Grow People
That Shaw’s is seriously the scariest, nastiest grocery store I have ever been to. Period.
Kelly
Right after I got pregnant, my husband proceeded to lose 15 lbs. I almost had to kill him for that.
Liz, JM, and Leo
My goodness the memories of Shaws just come right back – I loathed that place and JM and I would make a bet to see just how bad the customer service would be each time we went in. The winner was the one who got the check out person to make actual eye contact with them. Neither of us won very often.
I have a tall slim husband too – and I never thought tall slim guys worried about their weight, but they DO! I think it’s kind of cute, and would rather he be a bit concerned than not concerned at all… I like my husband’s marathoning physique! It is annoying though when I’m pregnant and huger than huge. Save the comments for someone who can relate, not the lady downing the cheeseburger, ok? 🙂
OH – by the way – we are having a GIRL!!!!
TeamHaynes
Ice cream. On a cone. With chocolate. Nuts. And MORE chocolate. Can it get any better? I think not. I’m totally with Chris on the drumstick thing. Although my protruding belly is not because I’m growing a child. I’m growing FAT! Needless to say, I can’t even have those wonderful 140 calorie ones 🙁 We’ll meet again though! And it will be sweeeet!