Insult or compliment?

I went to one of those wholesale clubs today to do some grocery shopping.  I don't mind going during the afternoon for a few reasons.  

First and foremost, I only have to bring one child with me since the other two are in school or for at least 2 more weeks this will be the case.  After that it looks like I'll be doing my shopping at midnight when they're all asleep. Have you ever tried shopping with 3 overly excited boys?

Enough said.  

Another reason I enjoy the afternoon shopping is that there are not too many people out and about which makes it easier to navigate the store especially with a child in tow.  This leaves more room for said child to practice his sprints down the aisles and his swinging from the racks and shelves.  Plus there is less of a crowd to witness my screams and threats attempts at discipline. 

And finally, I love the afternoon shopping time because of all the great free samples down every other aisle.  Heck, my child and I can get a free lunch out of it if I plan it right.  And today's trip was no different.  We sampled some dried cranberries at one station and the next station had these pancakes from an aerosol spray can - creepy and totally lazy concept if you ask me and they didn't even taste very good.  

Then we came to the instant breakfast lady who was handing out some really tasty chocolate milk, which I guess is supposed to be a meal replacement.  Luke and I both really liked it and started to walk off to continue our shopping and free lunch parade.  Well this lady must work off commission because she continued to talk to me and walk towards us rattling off her sales pitch.  Except when she got done telling me about how people use this as a diet supplement to help lose weight.  She paused, reflected for a moment, and then after giving me a full body scan, she completely reversed her sales pitch and was trying to sell me on the idea that I could use it as a weight gain product and benefit from the extra calories.  

What the?  Did I just get insulted or complimented?  Strange way to sell a product.  

What a deal

Today I went to Target.  On my list was rice, Cosmopolitans and shoes.  What a combination.

Taylor decided to tag along with me and wanted to check out the "techie" aisle, you know where the ipods are and such.  

I have no interest in that area, but agreed to let him browse since he had a gift card that was burning a hole in his pocket.  

While looking around I spotted an end-cap clearance section.  I am completely drawn to these areas of Target.  And they always seem to be hidden away from the main walk areas.  I bet this is planned for a reason.  

I started digging through the Hannah Montana DS games and odd battery sizes and found a cool pair of Sony active headphones.  The original sticker price said $28.79 and the sale price said $20.15.  Not much of a deal, but I have been wanting a new pair of headphones for my weekly run and these seemed perfect. So I figured, at least they were on sale and I would try them out. 

I didn't pay attention when the lady was scanning my items, but when I got home I was in for a very nice surprise.  Check out the receipt, last line. 

$7.18  

Whoo-hoo!!!

I love bargains! (and Target!)

The shoes were cute too.  Check 'em out.

Anniversary weekend

Saturday the hubby and I celebrated our wedding anniversary of 11 years.  

We really went all out this year - by staying home, baking a pizza and taquitos along with a homemade cake and cosmos to drink.  My kind of celebration.  

Don't get me wrong, I love to get out and enjoy a night out on the town, but the older I get the more I appreciate the simple joys that life brings.  And I couldn't think of a better way of celebrating than being around the ones that make me happiest along with junk food and alcohol.  

Don't be jealous.

We did exchange cards and gifts.  I got Jason a nice bottle of wine (which I informed him he must share) and also tickets to see our favorite artist when he comes to the House of Blues in Chicago in August (which he also must share with me.)

And he got me a gift card to my favorite store of all time.  So yesterday I was off to get a little alone time and enjoy my 2nd favorite past time - shopping.  I was on a mission to find a new outfit to wear for Easter which I had some success, but I also came out with a few great items you would think I got from an Etsy shop.  They symbolizes and represent what matters most in my life.

Frugal shopping

I used to not be necessarily "frugal" in my shopping habits.  More specifically grocery shopping.  My thought process was, if I need a certain item, why should I care how much it costs?  

Yes, I'm an idiot. 

Finally, I wised up and decided to actually start paying attention to grocery prices since we are trying to cut back and budget ourselves better these days, and really who isn't?  

I was shocked at how different stores price their items and the difference in prices between so called generic items and name brand.  I usually purchase the generic equivalent anyway.

Also I have started trying to only go to the grocery store once a week or once every two weeks for the primary grocery shopping including meal planning and such.  Of course we run out of milk or wine some other staple and have to make a trip during the week.  That's okay.  

So this week was a bit of a challenge getting started.  By the end of the week the cupboards were really bare and I found Luke one day eating stale marshmallows for a snack.  He didn't seem to care.  I am trying to deplete our inventory before having to purchase more.  It makes sense to me.  And there have been a few creative meals this week due to this new thought process.

It's a lesson we are all slowly learning and in the end it makes me feel good about the decisions and choices I am making for our family.  We are using our money wisely.

Yesterday was grocery shopping day and when I got out of Aldi, I literally measured my receipt because I had never seen one so long in all my shopping days.  It was 22 inches - that's almost two feet long and included nearly 100 items.  All for under $200!  

Now Luke can eat some fresh marshmallows and mommy can buy that extra bottle of wine.

Seen and heard at Wally-Mart

If you're ever hurting for blog material I highly recommend taking a trip to your local Wally-Mart and roaming the isles where you will find plenty of material to share. 

Today's trip was no exception.  

Luke and I needed to stop in and pick up a few items.  Our town, unfortunately, does not have a "super" Wally-Mart so I can't get all my grocery shopping done in one stop, which irritates me immensely.  I mean, how long before they stock back up on toaster strudels?  They've been out for 2 weeks.  Does Wally-Mart not know how these are a staple in our house.  And I sure can't get them at my other grocery store (Aldi).  The boys are having T.S. withdrawals.  

Anyway, we're walking through the store and Luke is happily laying in the cart with his feet hanging over the edge which garnered a few smiles and laughs from other shoppers.  As he was looking up at the ceiling (as only a kid would do) he said to me, "Look up at the cupcakes."  Now either my child is hallucinating or Wally-Mart has a strange way of advertising baked goods.  

I look up and at first could not figure out what he was referring to.  Finally, I got it.  There were these sprinklers on the ceiling that resembled copper cupcake liners.  Imagine viewing this from the other direction.  I though how very observant of him it was to come up with that.   (Next time you're in the store, check out the ceiling, you may even see a real bird like the ones that live in the store back in Indiana.)  

We kept on shopping and wouldn't you know it, in true 3 year old fashion, I hear, "Mom - I have to go potty."  But of course.  Never fails.  We head to the back of the store, park the cart, and go into the bathrooms, which smelled really good, surprisingly.  I am not sure if it was the soap or air freshener, but it was quite delightful.  

We were the only one's in there until a lady walked in, I'd say about my age or maybe a little younger and she was talking wildly fast on her cell phone.  She continued to speed talk while she entered the stall and went on as we heard her do her thing AND flush.  Not once did she pause or explain to the person on the other end where she was or "could I call you back in 2 minutes."  Hopefully the speed at which she was talking muffled the sound of nature's call. Unbelievable.  Then of all things, she didn't even wash her hands!  Ugh!  She just kept chatting as she walked right out of the bathroom.  

When we finished, we headed out past the electronics department.  There was a display of about 5 large flat screen TV's listed as 20% off.  A guy with a deep southern drawl said to an employee of the store, "I give you $1000 bucks in cash for this here TV."  

Since when can you price haggle at Wally-Mart?  Heck, when I got up to the register I wanted to try this technique.  Could you imagine the look on the cashier's face if I said, "I will offer you 89 cents for this pack of gum, deal?"  Or how about this one, "I would like to buy two and get one free on the milk today."  We're not at a garage sale.  Last time I checked, the price you pay is the price on the sticker.  Maybe I am missing something.  Someone please clue me in.  I don't know what the outcome was if the guy got the TV at his bargain price or not.

Last we stopped in the toy section.  Not because I wanted to, but it was pretty much unavoidable.  We were perusing the books, and did you know that you can purchase your very own Jesus doll?  Who knew he came in doll form?  Jesus as a toy?  Don't get me wrong, I love me some Jesus, but the toy version just seems so strange and in a sense, wrong.  Would  Jenny from Chased by Children care to take off on this one and add her thoughts?  For some reason I can sense her insight on this topic.  

I mean really, would you store him with your daughters Barbies?  I know there could be great witness opportunities there.

Or maybe your child already has a Jesus doll.  How is that working out?  And what role playing and dialogue have you seen played out?  I'm just curious. 

I can just see what's next, the Pope doll.  

It looks like that's been done too, in action figure form.

How about this one.  No collection could be complete without a baby being dropped in a bowl of M&M's.  Or is that an alien with really large eyes?  It's hard to tell.  And are those really M&M's or did baby have a very colorful accident?

This post has completely gone off on a tangent - but it's all in good humor. 

The Labor Day Weekend

This Labor Day weekend was great. We started if off with some shopping because who can pass up the sales going on?

I am so happy to report that I think I have finally found jeans that will fit me in all areas. In the past I have had the most issues with length, they're never long enough. Also, rise is an issue. I can't stand low rise. I feel like every time I bend down the whole world can see my butt crack. But on the flip side, I don't want "mom jeans". So I have been on a mission to find the perfect pair at the perfect price. I never thought I would actually see the day. I stumbled upon a pair while shopping at Marshall's a few weeks ago. They are DKNY. I tried them on and them instantly felt wonderful and were very cute. For $30 I knew I couldn't go wrong. The only problem was when I washed them - they shrunk and now I can only wear them with a flat pair of shoes or sandals. I did a search on where I could buy more DKNY jeans and saw that Macy's carries that line. I clipped my 15% off coupon and saw they were also on sale, plus I got a $10 card to use for my next purchase. Triple bonus. And to add more icing to the cake, they even had my size in long. Awesome!

Also while shopping I decided to treat myself to a new perfume that I have been wanting. It is called Light Blue by Dolce & Gabbana. It is light and fresh and I love it. It felt good to splurge on myself for a change. They also have a great cologne for men that just came out called The One also by Dolce & Gabbana. Put this one on your man's Christmas gift list. You will not be disappointed and neither will he!

We then ventured out to do more furniture shopping. This is not something that is fun to do with children. Every furniture store we've been to is like a maze for the boys. They feel like they are in an adventure and have to bounce on every couch and test out every chair. We were specifically looking for a table and chair set. I personally wanted more of a basic dinette set - nothing fancy, just practical. Jason had this vision of comfort. We were not in agreement. I would point to a nice wooden 5 piece set and he'd shake his head no. He would point at the 1980's Golden Girls set and I would shudder. I had him take note of the people sitting at that particular table who were trying it out. Grandparents. Which is fine and dandy for the older generation, but that style would not fly with our generation. We came up empty handed at the store, but we did find a set online that was a good blend of both of our tastes. We got in on the Labor Day sale and they offer free shipping which made us even happier.

To finish up the day of shopping we made a few stops at some shoe stores. Jason was feeling left out that I got new running shoes, so he found himself a pair as well. And speaking of shoes, the next day we went out together as a family and noticed Carson had put on 2 of the same pair of flip flops, but they were both for the left foot. One was Taylor's and the other was his. The only difference was size - and to me it was obvious, but he apparently didn't notice. Most normal people would have gone home and gotten the correct shoe, but we're not normal and we went shoe shopping to find him a new pair of flip flops, luckily on clearance. Crazy kid.

With all the shopping done we were ready to relax. And that's exactly what we did yesterday. It was awesome sitting out in the back yard watching the boys play in the sprinkler. We couldn't have asked for a nicer day.

I hope everyone had a great "end" to the summer.