My Big Sweet Tooth (Part 2)

I am not saying that we never had anything sweet in my house as a child but it was only on select occasions and with my mother's approval. If we had company over she could bring out her delicious sour cream pound cake, or my favorite, a "Pig-picking cake". Which is a yellow cake with mandarin oranges and pineapple and a yummy cool whip frosting. You keep it in the refrigerator and the longer it sits in the refrigerator the yummier it is. And at Christmas time she would always bake cookies and not just one or two types, but many types. There were even a few years when she made home-made hard candy. but my mother was wise, and she was sure to pack some up to send home with family and friends to keep me from having a hay day with all that sugar!

So, as I grew older and a little more independent I decided that I did have a sweet tooth and it must be fed. I began self medicating myself on candy. It was small and easy to "hide". I would walk to the convenience store and buy some candy almost every day after school. Until one day when my mom pulled her car into the parking lot as I was walking home with my friend. We ran like crazy through the woods and the adjoining neighborhood to try and get home and hide my "stash" of candy before she got home. Looking back now, that was probably the funniest thing to see, this over-weight girl running for her life and her wonderfully in-shape friend huffing it down the street and into the woods.

I thought my secret was safe, until later that evening when my mom and dad called me into the formal living room. They were standing there next to the piano stool with their arms folded looking like they were very upset with me, their youngest. I walked into the room and very quietly said "yes, ma'am did you need me?". And without raising her voice she unveiled the secret stash of candy that was hidden in the piano stool. I remember the feeling of "Oh no Kathy, now what are you going to do?"

I immediately went into my denial speech. I told them I didn't know who that candy belonged to. Did they ask my sister? After all this was her piano, and her stool, maybe she left it there. And my mother smiled, as only mothers can when they know they "got you". And she said "No we didn't ask your sister if it was hers, because I know that it is yours. You see I saw you for myself today walking, and then running home from the convenience store."

Oh that feeling of "Now what am I going to do? I've been caught red handed and there is no getting out of it.". I took the discipline that they served up and made a mental note to never try to out smart my mother when it came to sweets. She definitely had my best interest at heart and my junior year she joined Weight Watchers and took me with her. It was there that I lost 35 pounds. Although I never hit my "goal weight", it was the closest that I have ever been to it my entire adult life!

So what happened next to get me so far off the course? You will have to stay tuned to find out more. But for now let me say that "Sweets" in any form are NOT my friend, sweet tooth or Not!