Hi, my name is Stay-in-Bed Mom, and I’m a Ritz Crackers addict. It’s been six days since I ate my last sleeve.
O, golden rounds, how I love thee. Your supremely delicious disks of glory are a delight to behold. I admit I’m powerless over you. Ritz Crackers, your seductive scalloped edges sing a siren song. Mom life is unmanageable without your buttery goodness. One taste is “a bite of the good life.”
Ever noticed how the word crack is in Ritz Crackers? You are a drug to me, Ritz Crackers. You’re just so darn addicting, and I can never get enough. I start grinding my teeth whenever I see your signature red box in our kitchen pantry.
Rather than admit I have a problem, I’ve tried a few strategies to hide my addiction from my husband.
- Pay for Ritz Crackers with cash. We share bank and credit card accounts, so I don’t want him to know about my little indiscretion.
- Eat Ritz Crackers over the kitchen sink or, if I’m daring, a very large bowl in my bed to hide the crumbly evidence. I like to turn off the lights and eat as fast as possible.
- Stomp on the red box and bury it deep in the recycling bin.
- Cry in the corner.
- Put on a happy face.
After a recent Ritz Crackers bender, I woke up the next morning with a parched throat. I wondered what I felt more acutely – my insatiable thirst or my indefatigable self loathing. Then, I thought maybe it’s time for a Ritz Crackers detox.
What can I do to break free of my Ritz addiction?
I have my own five step program, adopted and adapted from Alcoholics Anonymous’s Twelve Steps.
The first step is to admit I have a problem and am powerless over Ritz Crackers.
The second step is to identify triggers and avoid them.
Sometimes the incessant whining, nonsensical crying spells, and head banging episodes of my two littles become too much for me. With each head butt, another buttery disk disappears into my hungry mouth. With each shriek, another crumbled sleeve goes into my garbage can. It’s better to eat another cracker than to raise my voice in anger. What stressors bring on the Ritz feeding frenzy?
The binges can happen if…
- My little sweethearts have been cooped up all day
- My little imps refuse to eat at mealtime
- My little poppets, one or both, skip nap time (which means no stay-in-bed time!)
- My little darlings are finally in bed after an epic power struggle
- I’m hungry/thirsty, tired, sick, or bored!
The third step is to rid my home, workplace, car, etc. of the offending substance.
It’s such a great relief to finish the box and purge my house of Ritz…that is until the next time. I’m not going to lie, they’ll always be a next time. They’ll always be a reason to buy more Ritz. I suppose that means I’m not truly ready to break free of my addiction…not yet.
The fourth step is to be honest with my partner and loved ones about my addiction. Enough with the lies.
Here are a few fibs I’ve told myself about why our household needs Ritz Crackers.
- My son will starve if we don’t buy them.(Before you guffaw, I tried the Whole Wheat Ritz first!)
- My son won’t learn his numbers. (The cracker has seven holes by the way.)
- My son won’t learn his shapes. (The circular cracker’s holes form a hexagon shape.)
- My son will never learn to eat new foods like peanut butter or sliced cheese.
The fifth and final step is admitting that recovery is a lifelong process.
Maybe someday soon I’ll gain Ritz sobriety. Until then, give me every Fresh Stack you got.
A Final Thought – From the Pillow
“Life’s rich” with Ritz Crackers and with children.
So doesn’t every parent deserve a little decadence, a little taste of luxury from time to time? As long as your habit isn’t hurting you or someone else, go for it!
But if your dependency makes you feel bad, then find something that makes you feel good. The best way to overcome a bad habit is to replace it with a better one. Remember my manta, “happy mom [dad], happy baby.”
Do you have a secret addiction? What’s your favorite snack to eat in bed?
I have the same problem with candy corn. Thank goodness it’s only around once a year.
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You’re my soul sister. I love candy corn too! Well, I hope you can enjoy some in bed while watching your favorite show!
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Reblogged this on Stay-in-Bed Mom and commented:
Are you craving more carbs lately? What makes your carbs skyrocket – weather, holidays, stressful life events? Stay-in-bed mom has another Ritz Cracker carb load. Ahhh!
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I’ve had Ritz Cracker “dates” -in which it has been just those gobble-worthy crackers and yours truly, when I’ve polished off entire boxes at one sitting. Now there are many copy cats including “organic” crackers that are designed to make you feel less guilty. Yeah, right!
Anyway, this was a hilarious, entertaining, yet bittersweet post, my dear Stay-In-Bed (with Ritz Cracker crumbs) Mom.
Favorite snacks to eat in bed? Try pints of So Delicious non-dairy ice cream — any flavor will be awesome – they are all sooooooooo good!!! Snickerdoodle, Salted Caramel, Cookie Dough, Chocolate Truffle, Chocolate Mint….YUMMMMMMM!
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Thank you for the So Delicious recommendation. Dang! I just added it to the grocery list for an upcoming stay-in-bed date.
I’m so glad you liked the post, and it gave you a chuckle. I like to meet fellow Ritz Cracker binge eaters. It makes me feel less alone. And “organic” crackers, that’s a hard “no”! Have you ever tried the whole wheat Ritz? I packed them in my son’s lunch and there was an incident in the lunchroom. He kept crying and screaming (not his MO), shouting “something’s wrong”. Something’s wrong indeed.
Thanks again for the kind reblogs of my Birth of a New Brain review of your phenomenal book and the paired picture books.
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You are so welcome, my dear Stay-in-Bed Mom!!!!!
Let me know what you think of So Delicious. I wish I had some S.D. in front of me now, LOL!
I haven’t tried the whole wheat Ritz but girl, I must be honest with ya….that sounds nasty!!! 😱
Good for you for making the effort to be a healthy influence, although it’s too bad about that freaky lunchtime incident! Poor little guy!
Thanks for making my day with such sweet words about my book. 💜
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Hee hee, I’m a bad mom for not taste testing those whole wheat crackers first. Poor guy.
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My sentiments exactly. It’s nice to know I’m not alone. Thanks for sharing your private thoughts. It helps to know there are others just like me.
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Of course, my pleasure! Thank you for being here with me and visiting the site. It means so much to me.
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Moms of the world , unite! There’s strength in numbers!
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Haha, we’re in this together. I’m eating Ritz Crackers right now. They go with any meal or are a meal in and of themselves!!
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Oh yes. My sister bought me some hint of salt. Pretty tasty. Tastes more like a cookie.
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Haha, I eat my Ritz like cookies. I hope you enjoyed your crackers. ❤️
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Sure I did 😊. I’m in the hospital and being moved to a long term care facility today. My daughter was allowed to bring me a sleeve because I missed my little buddies 😋 Now I’m ok 😊
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I’m sorry to hear you were in the hospital. I hope you’re feeling better and getting all the care you need. I hope you get more of your little buddies. ❤️❤️❤️
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Thank you for this post! I had smile on my face the whole time. I ate ritz crackers after ages and I was already through half the sleeve before I knew it haha. My guilty pleasure is chocolate, all the aisles of halloween candy wrecked me. Wishing you and your family well! 🙂
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Halloween candy wrecks me too. One or two pieces a day are reasonable, but I can do ten a day easy haha with a side of Ritz crackers. Let the holiday binge fest begin! I’m glad the post could put a smile on your face. I thank you for visiting the site. I hope you and your family have a very happy holiday season.
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