Greetings everyone! I haven't blogged forever and the reason is really clear. I HAVE BEEN REALLY BUSY!! It is getting harder and harder to get on the computer.
I decided to do my Christmas shopping in one day this year. In past years, I have spaced out the shopping and always ended up w/ too much stuff because I don't remember what I already have. I also spend more money then I have budgeted and it ends up taking WAY too much time. This year, I wrote a list and decided that anything that wasn't in the store I would order on line. I figure the cost of the shipping is less then I would spend on "extras" during another trip to the store. For some reason I can't come out of Walmart w/ out at least $30 worth of stuff that I didn't plan on buying.
Not only did I decided to shop all in one day, I did it the day after Thanksgiving! I have never shopped on Black Friday (I have WORKED many, many Black Friday's though). Nothing I needed was really on sale, but I would have done like Jenny E. and waited in line at 4:00 am if there had been! I missed the fist fights at Walmart over the 20$ DVD's, but go there just in time for the long lines, grumpy people and general Black Friday craziness. I was armed with an ENORMOUS Diet Coke from the in store McDonalds (praise heaven for that brilliant merger). Ironically, when I went to Target, next door, things were calm, clean and quiet. I guess it isn't really that ironic. Going to Target is like going to my version of heaven. Wide, clean aisles, the store is bright and cheerful, it is always decorated really well and uses lots of bold colors and clean lines--PLUS they have a $1 section, we don't have any dollar stores in my neck of the woods.
Sadly, the ONLY formula that my son won't spit up all over me is the store brand from Walmart. That means that I am FORCED to got to Walmart every few weeks. Grrrrrrr. Some of you have heard me say this before, but I HATE WALMART. If I just pretend like I am going to visit a third world country, it isn't so bad. If I go not expecting anyone to speak English, know the right price, have aisles clear of merchandise, have what I need in stock, a store that smells like anything besides cigarettes and urine or anyone to push their carts in a clear and logical manner ( like lanes of traffic, all carts going one way should be on the same side of the aisle, right?) then I can pretend I am on vacation somewhere that is very, very different then the place I live. This could just be MY Walmart, but I hold the entire chain responsible! Sheesh. I'll pay the extra 30 cents a Target any day.
So, the Christmas shopping is done (just two more online purchases). It is so nice to take that off my plate. This year Lauren did ask for everything she has ever seen a commercial for on Nick Jr or the computer. Hmmmmm. She asked me for a doll called "Amazing Amanda". I asked her what was special about that doll and she said "I don't know". She asked for a "Cold Nosed Puppy" and again I asked what it did. Again..."I don't know." I told her that Santa was only going to entertain requests for toys that she AT LEAST knew what they did. I did some checking on "Amazing Amanda". First of all, it costs $100. Yes, that is right, ONE HUNDRED US DOLLARS. Ummm, does the doll do the dishes or change diapers? Apparently it has facial expressions and can talk and do calculus or something. The only talking doll that I am willing to shell out $100 for, is one that reminds Lauren 10,000 times a day to pick up her clothes, her shoes, her coat, etc. THAT would be good investment for me. She isn't getting the doll--but her best friend is. This will be interesting. The "Cold Nosed Puppy" is just that. A stuffed dog with a cold nose. We are not getting that either. She is getting lots of My Little Pony and Princess stuff. I figure I don't have too many years of that left. Jacob is getting a new vacuum (which he will lend to me whenever I want to use it) and all of Lauren's "Little People" things wrapped up. We don't have many years left of pulling a fast one on him either.
22 comments:
It's nice to know I'm not the only mom to regift some of the older kids' toys. Why spend more $$ when you've got perfectly good toys at home already? Works for me.
As for Walmart, I have to say the Orem Walmart isn't too bad, but others that I've been to sound exactly like yours. I had to laugh out loud at your writing because the description was so accurate! I go to Walmart more than I do Target, but only because it's closer to my house. Target is definitely cleaner!
Julie--I hear in the mystical, magical land of Orem they have Walmart's and Target's that SELLS FOOD (besides those damn chocolate and caramel pretzel things that I can't manage to pass up, ever)? That MIGHT, but I don't know for sure yet, make it worth going. It would eliminate the schlepp factor.
As for giving the younger kids the older kids gifts, we need to have SOMETHING for us to take pictures of him opening on Christmas morning. Otherwise, in 10 years it will be "mom, why don't you have any pictures of me opening presents when I was little? Is it because I'm black? Adopted?"
I can picture it now--cue the after school special music. "No son, you just had the misfortune of being second. Second children all across America, black, white, bio, adopted, fostered, they ALL get the oldest toys regifted until they are old enough to know better!"
Hey, that would be a wicked Chrismas Carol....
My in-laws regifted all of my husband's old toys to Caleb. Imagine my surprise opening up 30 yr. old toys that smell like an attic. Oh well. Some of them he really likes. The rest got "put away".
About the Nick Jr. commercials...I've got Caleb running around the house all day saying "B.C. B.C. B.C. Builders!". Arrgh. He even makes the lame face that kid does in the commercial.
BTW, I want to say that I am just KIDDING about the "black adopted kid stuff".
I am bitter right now because the rest of the world seems to be MUCH MUCH more PC then I am and takes every opportunity to tell me. This comment could get really long so I think I might have to write a blog about it......
Christy, Caleb must be extra smart because Lauren didn't start quoting commercials until she was almost 5!! :-)
The best was when she remided Santa this year that the My Little Pony play set she wanted "comes with two Pony's, the rest are sold seperatly, so don't forget a few of those". Yup. That's my girl.
Awwwww...the magic of Christmas!? I applaud your courage for braving Black Friday. I totally loved the bit about the doll. A doll that would dole out reminders--now that would be handy. And I've been there with a daughter whose friend who gets everything. My kids learned early that life isn't fair.
Julie. Are you kidding? Our Wal-Mart is the worst one in Utah County. Thankfully, we don't usually have to deal with the aroma of urine, but I really hate shopping there. They are always out of stock, usually rude and/or ignorant (except Mike Lund and Alisa Sorensen), and I really hate it when I go there at 11:00 p.m. and see all these parents being cross with their cranky children--kids who should've been home in bed hours ago.
Bek, I never regifted because my kids are so hard on toys they (they meaning the toys, not the kids) never lasted long enough to be passed down. But Jacob is quite privileged to have photos of himself to look at someday to remind him of how hard life was as a second child. According to my younger sister, usually there are no photos taken of the persecuted second child to remind her of her sorry existence. (Oh, and I laughed out loud about the black adopted stuff. I'm so over PC-ness, unless you want to start calling me a natural-born native-speaking Western-European--Puleez!)
Hey Bek, I love to do the wrap up the old gifts!! Whitney will get a lot of that in the next few years! And hey in case you need one more Little People set (yeah, I need another one of those like I need another hole in the head. . . )go online to Fisher-Price and check out the little people nativity set. It is so cute and my kids love it! It's nice to have a nativity that they can actually play with. Maybe Santa will bring me a Super-Target (instead of our little regular Target) for Christmas?? I've been really, really good this year, I promise!
Hey, I forgot to mention when I went to Walmart about a month ago, they were completely out of paper plates. . .all paper plates, gone. Hello>???
Compulsive: Quite. Julie: HUH?? Orem wal*mart is hell. Springville's is backwards, but it's cleaner. But just forget about that and go to Target.
Bek: I looked into getting Amazing Amanda. I saw the commercial and couldn't stop laughing at this phrase: "I love you more than bunnies." Are you kidding me? I thought, how funny - I'll get one for Clara, and one for Gigi, and one for Ellie...until, yes, online, ON SALE for $89.95. What a load.
Em's been asking me for everything that she sees in commercials and catalogs. "Mommy, can I get this for Christmas?!" Finally, I just started saying yes to everything. She's getting the Barbie guitar. That should be fun.
Congratulations on joining the ranks of we crazies who brave Black Friday. I'm still evaluating to make next year's an even bigger success.
Jen....I could have saved you some trouble. I just got a friends and family discount to Old Navy that is good through the weekend (it is only 20% off though). The reason I braved black friday is that I didn't have my kids with me. I would brave 12 black fridays and if it meant I didn't have to take two children in and out of carseats, I am there!!
Wendy--I am TOTALLY going to check out the Nativity set. I have been eyeing a wooden one for few years, but my children are gerbils--the have made my wooden block set a pile of woodchips. Little people would be awesome!!
I have a post coming up about PC stuff....good times.
I figure I have one more year of no presents for my kid. None for his birthday or Christmas. Next year he'll be three and it's harder (althought not impossible!) to pull the wool over. He needs more stuff like he needs a hole in the head.
The Orem Wal-Mart is the 7th concentric circle of the Inferno. I hate Wal-Mart and that store is exactly the reason why. Well, that and their business practices. Meanwhile, I will drive across town to go to Target.
When you described your darling children as gerbils, I almost did a spit-take.
Bek - I was blessed with that discount for a number of years, but, alas, it is no more. Those were the good days... I can't wait to read your PC post. I have so much to say on the subject.
Wendy - i LOVE that fp nativity set!! I love just the idea of it - a set that the kids can play with and not break (which happens every year here with at least one piece).
The link is supposed to go to this site, http://www.slavetotarget.blogspot.com/, but it's not working.
Carina,
I read on another post somewhere when you said you weren't getting the little man anything for the holiday or his birthday. I was laughing. That is a second time parent attitude coming out of a first time parent's mouth. Most people don't usually wise up to that until AFTER the first kid!!
I can't wait to read slave to Target.
P.S. My children ARE gerbils. They are also vampires (ie, don't sleep at night). My kids are a lot of things....just don't call one of them a monkey........Don't know what I am talking about? You will see in my next post...coming later today.
I have always approached him as if I were a second time parent. He licks the carpet. Eats things off the floor, well, he'll eat anything really. Drinks from sippy cups I thought were lost. I let him jump off the furniture and get hurt. Whatever. He doesn't do it again (not for a while anyway.) Agency. Beautiful.
I just feel sorry for whoever comes third.
The Little People nativity set is so cute, and when you push down the angel on top of the manger it plays, "Away in a manger", the one down side is that sometimes baby Jesus goes for a ride on the bus to the zoo or the farm. One of the wisemen or Joseph usually drive, so I guess it's ok, right?
I'll bet baby Jesus really loves those trips to the zoo or the farm! I'm now very sorry my kids are too old for Fisher-Price (although we do have a nice selection of touchable nativities without it--as well as a few cheap and breakable ones with missing or reattached limbs).
I know it's a little crazy--well, a lot crazy--but if it's that cute maybe I should buy one anyway and store it with the couple of too-cute-to-resist quilt tops I have started to put away for the grandkids I might have in about 10 years.
Bek--our Walmart actually does not have anyone who speaks English because we are three feet from Mexico. It also smells like pee. It also is consistently out of things like apple juice or ketchup. The one fancy thing about it is that, since we are a La-In community everyone dresses up for everything, so I get to see the mommies wearing high heels and bracelets while beating their kids. I heard one mom say the other day "Well, I'm not your mommy. Ask your mommy for it when Papi takes you home tonight. I only buy things for MY babies." Plus we have the incredibly foul-mouthed soldier contingency saying things like "Where the ***!!! is the ***@@@ing apple juice?" really loudly while beating their kids.
We are getting The Jooj gifts only because it is her first Christams, and she is adopted and brown and we don't want her to throw EVERYTHING in our face in a few years. And, I think that I know where your monkey story is going, and I have a follow-up for that one!
Wow--I had no idea my comment about Walmart would elicit such an emotional response! Yes, Bek, our Walmart and Target stores do sell food here. The groceries are probably the main reason I end up going to Walmart--they have some things for a lot cheaper than my regular grocery store. However, they stopped stocking Waffle Crisp, which totally bugs since that's my kids' main breakfast staple. What do they have against Waffle Crisp, I wonder?
Compulsive, as far as their being rude at our Walmart, I wouldn't know since I refuse to ask anyone for help when I can't find anything there. But I have to agree with the grumpy kids at 11 pm. It always bugs me when I see parents dragging their kids to the store late at night. I have this thing with kids and strict bedtimes.
Carina: "The Orem Wal-Mart is the 7th concentric circle of the Inferno." I laughed so hard at this! What a great description. I feel about Reams the way you feel about Wal-Mart. Can I use your "7th concentric circle of the inferno" phrase sometime?
Dawn, welcome! I know exactly what blog you are talking about. :-) I checked your profile and saw that one of your interestes is open adoption. Are you in one? You can e mail me if you wanna. I am always interested in hearing what others have to say. We still might use Asher. We were going to name our last baby (Jacob's sibling) Asher. As painful as it is to think about that time, I still might use it!
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