(43-148) My Smart Shopper

In case I haven't mentioned it in like the past five minutes; I have the BEST, most GENEROUS friends EVER!!!!!!!!!  Truly, generosity of spirit is more than enough for me; but I am very blessed to have friends who are magnanimous with gifts as well.  December brings EVERYONE increased expenses; so it means more than I can say, when my friends send birthday gifts to my daughters or holiday gifts to my children; when I know that they have their own responsibilities to tend to.

All three of my kids were fortunate to receive a couple of gift cards as well as some money, from our very altruistic friends.  As always, I encouraged them to think carefully about what they might buy.  Luis had to go to Target this past Sunday night, and the kids wanted to go along. They all brought their money with them, but Lyndzi was the only one who bought anything. Lyndzi spent $5 on a Luigi (from Mario Bros) key chain; as she'd bought Mario the last time that she had money.  Then last night, we went to the Disney store, because I needed to buy a gift card; and Lyndzi found a comic strip Mickey, plush toy that she wanted to  purchase.  Lyndzi is a big fan, OK you got me, I couldn't resist, (say it with me) yes, "HUGE," fan of vintage Mickey; and the plush was only $12.50, so we both agreed that this would be money well spent. Then later that night Lyndzi was looking at the Michaels flyer and she found an art set with markers,colored pencils,crayons,oil pastels,paint,a paint brush,a pad of paper and a pencil sharpener,for only $3.69; my smart shopper.  Lyndzi asked me if she could buy it; and I told her that I would take her to Michaels when I was done working on Wednesday. 

Lyndzi asked me multiple times today if I was still going to take her to Michaels; because she was SO excited about buying the art set.  I assured her that we would go as soon as I was done working; and then I made her a couple of propositions.  FIRST, I reminded her of the time that I had asked her to draw a picture for "The Bumpy Ride," and she wasn't able to do ("What A Mom's Gotta Do...")  Lyndzi did remember and so I suggested that once she purchased the art set, she could draw me a picture for me to use in today's post; and Lyndzi LOVED that idea.  My next proposition was that she come up with her own character, and draw me some pictures to go along with my "A Blueprint For A B.F.F" post; so that together we could try and get it made into an article of some sort, or a children's book; and Lyndzi was delighted that I'd asked her.

As soon as I finished work, we promptly went to Michael's and Lyndzi found the only set that the store had left.  As soon as we got home, Lyndzi got right to work; and this was her finished product...

Mario & Luigi race to save Princess Peach

In case I haven't mentioned it in like the past five minutes; I am SO incredibly proud of my children; and when it comes to spending money, I have to say that they are all incredibly responsible and conscientious. I don't think that I could have made better choices for Lyndzi, than she had made for herself; and as a parent, that is really gratifying. 
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING   

(43-141) No Fail Pot Roast Recipe

Granted; my schedule is usually PRETTY busy; but today was one for the record books; at least mine.  Having two daughters with birthday's this time of year, in addition to the holiday parties at school, and the holidays themselves; makes for quite a lot to do; so I thought I would take a couple of hours off from work today, to try and accomplish some of the many errands that I had on my to do list.

I worked from 5am to 7am and then again from 8 to 10.  I went to Payless, Old Navy, Target AND Super Wal-mart, all within an hour and a half.  One of the items that I needed was on sale at Target, but it wasn't in stock at the location that I went to; so I headed to Wal-mart since they price match.  I was able to get what I needed for the price that I wanted; as well as cookies for Nicky's class, donut holes for Lyndzi's and cookies for Saturday, for Lyndzi's soccer team; however, the Wal-mart item that I needed, wasn't available at the store I was at.  I was off to the mall, because I needed to go to the Disney store and Claire's, but Mari called and she had to meet up with me to give me some fabric that she had cut for the girls craft project; so we went for a quick bite.

I left Mari, then stopped at my house to pick up the cupcakes that I needed to bring to Lyndzi's class to celebrate her birthday (which is not until Saturday.)  I had a few minutes to spare, so I returned a call to the man that I'd been trying to coordinate our end of season, soccer tournament with.  I headed out the door, cupcakes in hand; and arrived at Lyndzi's class, exactly as scheduled.  After saying goodbye, I went back home, and resumed my soccer tournament negotiations.

I picked the kids up from school at 3, and took Lyndzi to the Orthodontist.  I called Luis and asked him if he could put up the pot roast that I'd defrosted; if I gave him directions.  Luis agreed, and so I talked him through my no fail pot roast recipe.

Disclaimer:  You can find this EXACT recipe IN the Reynold's oven bag box; but for the sake of (say it with me;) "The greater good;" I wanted to bring it to your intention in case you weren't aware of it.

You'll need: Reynold's large oven bags, 13x9x2 inch or larger baking pan, at least two inches deep.  3 to 3 1/2lb boneless beef chuck roast, Lipton onion soup mix, 1/4 cup flour, 2/3 cup water, potatoes, onion, carrots, mushrooms, celery and parsnips are all OPTIONAL; but highly recommended (by me;) except maybe the celery.

Preheat the oven to 325

Shake the flour into the bag, and then add the water and soup mix to the bag.  Squeeze the bag to blend the flour.  Add the roast to the bag.  Turn the bag to coat the roast with sauce.  Place any veggies in bag, around the roast.

Close oven bag with the nylon tie that's provided.  Cut six 1/2 inch slits in top.  Tuck end of bag under roast in pan.

Bake 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until the roast is tender; and I promise you that this will be absolutely perfect.

Immediately after Lyndzi's Orthodontist appointment, I ran home and exchanged Lyndzi for Nicky as WE had some errands to run.  I took Nicky to Quick Trip to get a gift card for the Student Council advisor that he'd drawn for their secret Santa.  Went to Kohl's to pay my bill, and the dollar store to buy elf hats for the kids spirit week at school; as well as a white elephant gift that Nicky could bring to class.  I was driving in the direction of the Super Wal-mart near my house; (as opposed to the one that I'd been to earlier,) but decided that I didn't really have time to go in, because I had to make it home and feed the kids before my 7pm soccer board meeting.

I stopped at Wendy's and picked up three baked potatoes for the kids; to accompany the No fail pot roast that Luis was cooking.  The roast had about 40 minutes to go, so I prepared Nicky's white elephant gift, wrote out cards for all three of the kids teachers and the secret Santa recipient.  I fed the kids and managed to take a couple of bites of Pot roast myself; before my friend Jenny arrived to go to our meeting.

I attended our soccer board meeting for about an hour or so, and once I arrived home, I FINALLY got to sit down for a few minutes, before writing my blog.  Now don't get me wrong; I am NOT complaining.  As crazy busy as I am right now; I am so grateful for the reasons that I'm busy and I'd gladly do all of this and more; for those that I love.  It is my pleasure to make things special for them in every way that I can.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-131) Good Things Come...

If there is one thing that has been proven to me time and time again; it's that GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT.  This is a concept that seems to allude the instant gratification generations and I must say that I think that we're doing children a great injustice if we give them everything that they want, the minute that they want it; and if we don't teach them that sometimes waiting for something makes us appreciate it even more once we get it.  Ahh, and there's another quality that many of more recent generations seem to be short on... APPRECIATION.  I encounter a lot of people who have high expectations; but typically, of things that they are going to be given and not of things that they need or want to accomplish.  I believe that in raising children so that they may grow up to be hard working, responsible and appreciative. It's important to teach them that patience is a virtue and that it will serve them well; and to instill the notion that working for something makes it that much more gratifying once you get it.

In my own personal life experiences; I waited for the right man to come along; and then, once he did; I had to wait until I could be with him again since we lived in different countries.  I remember waking up each morning that we were apart, and announcing to my roommates how many days it would be until I went back to Puerto Vallarta. I'd get up and shout "45,"or "31" or "26," etc. etc. until FINALLY, the day came that I got to go back to see him.  I waited for our fiance visa to be approved, and then once it was; I had to wait for the actual paperwork to arrive so that Luis could go for an interview in Ciudad Juarez and physically collect the visa that would allow him to come to the U.S.  Once we were married; we waited to have children until we felt that we had a good, solid marriage.  We both wanted children sooner than we had them; but with the agreement that we were building a strong foundation for our family; WE WAITED.  Thankfully, once we agreed that the time was right to start our family, we barely waited at all. 
I can say that I'm waiting to fulfill my dream. I'm plugging away at becoming a professional writer, but it's certainly something that's not being handed to me; or happening over night.  I'm waiting for the results of the "Glamour"  essay contest; and I'll continue to do so ever so patiently, because that's all I can do for now.  SO, my point is, that I practice what I preach.  Being patient isn't fun; but it's often necessary.

"Ask Hershey," was a post I wrote about Nicky's desire to win a spot as a Student Council representative for his class.  During this post, I explained that Nicky was trying to memorize his speech and he was getting very frustrated; so much so, that he considered withdrawing from the election.  After talking with Nicky about his fear, and assuring him that quitters never win; our dog Hershey convinced him to give it a try.  (And if you've never read "The Bumpy Ride " before; YES, you read that last sentence right.) 
Nicky gave his speech and tied for third place, but sadly there were only 2 positions available.  Nicky was told that if either of the reps couldn't fulfill their obligation to Student Council, then he would be given the opportunity instead.  I told Nicky that I had a feeling that he would be on Student Council within a few months; and on Friday I was proven right.  Nicky informed me that his teacher told him that he was going to be the new Student Council rep as they were replacing one.  I congratulated Nicky and reminded him of our conversation.  I said see, "Quitters never?"  And he said "Win." And I explained that had he given up and not given his speech; this never would have been possible.  I reminded him that I had told him that I believed he's have a position if he was just patient; and indeed that's exactly what happened.  Nicky is the kind of kid who would have been thrilled to have won in the first place; and would have worked hard, because that's what's expected of him; but I think the fact that he had to wait even longer for it to happen, will make him value his position that much more.

Unbeknownst to me, Luis had also been speaking with Nicky about patience recently; but for something altogether different.  Nicky had wanted to use a gift card to buy a game for the Wii; but he found out that the game was twice as much as he had.  We both encouraged Nicky to wait to see if the game would go on sale or wait for the holidays, and  although it was difficult for him to wait for what he wanted; he really had no choice and so he did so.   Well, tonight Luis and I were driving to the market and as I looked through the Target circular; I found the game that Nicky wanted, on sale for $29.99 instead of the usual $50 price.  I called Nicky to make sure that this was the game that he'd been waiting for and in fact, it was.  Right after dinner I took Nicky to Target  and with a $10 assist from Luis and I; Nicky was able to purchase the game that he'd been waiting for.

Nicky and I discussed the fact that twice this weekend he'd experienced the reward of patience; and he said that he thinks that sometimes when you have to wait for something; you appreciate it more once you get it; and I couldn't agree more.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-127) Happy Chanukah!

Tonight is the first night of Chanukah; and I'm happy to say that I KNOW this.  As Chanukah is not the same day every year like Christmas is; I've been known to come late to the party; but not this year.  This morning I took out my menorah and even put the appropriate candles in place, so that I wouldn't forget to light it this evening with my kids.  I'm happy to report that I purchased a brand new box of Chanukah candles a few weeks ago at Target; and this makes me happy for a number of reasons.  First;  I have Chanukah candles; and second; if you've been reading "The Bumpy Ride" for a while, then you may recall that in "Merry Christmas," I wrote of the difficulty that I'd had finding Chanukah items; ESPECIALLY at Target.  I'm very happy to see that Target has chosen to broaden their horizons and cater to even more of their clientele.

The kids and I lit our menorah, and they even tried their best to sing the prayer along with me.  OK, pick your jaws up off the floor my Jewish friends. Yes, IN FACT I do know the Chanukah prayer and I sing it proudly when I light my candles.  AND, I will go as far as to say that I feel confident that within the next few nights, my kids will have the prayer committed to memory as well. 

We didn't have a traditional Chanukah meal this evening; but then again, this is me we're talking about.  How many days behind was I on Thanksgiving dinner?  I'm thinking that there's a brisket in my family's immediate future; and by immediate; I mean Sunday.  Maybe I'll even be adventurous and attempt to make potato latkes.  I'll have to let you know.

Being the fan of tradition that I am; I was truly looking forward to Chanukah and I wanted to share a quote about it in my Facebook status today, rather than just posting "Happy Chanukah."  I started searching for a quote that I might use, and I found one by Nachum Braverman that I thought was positively perfect. "We light candles in testament that faith makes miracles possible."  How true is that?  Faith makes miracles possible.  I LOVE it!!  It seems to me that sometimes the best things to say are things that have already been said brilliantly by someone else.  So to quote Adam Sandler; "Have a HAPPY, happy, HAPPY, happy, Chanukah!!"
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Although I'm Jewish, I've always been a fan of Christmas. When I was growing up, my parents wedding anniversary was on Christmas eve, and even though they were both Jewish, it was part of their anniversary tradition to put up a Christmas tree. Oh, there was talk in my predominantly, Jewish neighborhood, that one of the Howell's must NOT really be Jewish, but this was not the case. They just simply loved the festivity that a Christmas tree added to their anniversary and holiday season.

Our trees were always beautiful - always real and always at least 8 feet tall. The tree was adorned with 3 kinds of lights: the large old fashioned bulbs, small twinkling lights and bubble lights that sat on the branches with small tubes of colored oil, which when heated would bubble away magnificently. The ornaments were of different colors, shapes and sizes and each one was prettier than the next, and on top of the tree sat a ring with 3 pixies sitting around it, holding little lanterns which lit up. And it delights me no end, that to this day the pixie topper is still going strong and sitting on top of my tree. I guess if there's one nice thing I can say about Richie Howell, it's that he did a GREAT Christmas tree and he taught me how to do so as well.

Although we always had a Christmas tree, we never went to church or celebrated the holiday in any other way; after all, that's not what Jews would do. We did light our menorah and enjoy my mom's potato latkes and each year our parents would let us decide as to when we wanted to open our presents; at Chanukah or Christmas. We tried all different variations, like one present at Chanukah and teh rest at Christmas or all 8 nights of Chanukah and nothing at Christmas, but I'll admit, it was a little anticlimactic to have these Extraordinary trees with nothing under them, so we usually opted for the majority of our gifts at Christmas, but we forewent lighting our menorah and honoring our heritage.

After my parents passed away, I continued to celebrate both holidays; so marrying a Catholic guy didn't change my holiday traditions at all. We still light our menorah and decorate our tree; we just don't go to synagogue or church.

Many years ago, Big V gave me a Winnie the Pooh menorah. I had been a big fan for years; long before it was popular to be one. In fact, Luis calls me "Pooh," I'm assuming because of the resemblance of our bellies. Anyway, I went to take the menorah out of its box and it slipped out of my hand and broke (thankfully, nowhere near my feet.) I then took out my cheapie menorah that I've had forever and found that I only had enough candles for a couple of nights. "No problem" I thought, "I'll just go to Target tomorrow."

Kelsie and I went to Target and much to my dismay I found nothing whatsoever for Chanukah or any other holiday but Christmas for that matter. I tried to ask an associate, but she didn't speak enough English to understand. She called over another associate who was also Hispanic, and looked at me like I had 3 heads when I told her that I was looking for Chanukah candles. She said "Maybe Linda," as Linda was the Caucasian associate who was heading our way; and when they called her over she politely said "How can I help you Ma'am;" and when I told her what I was looking for, her volume increased exceedingly. She shouted "OH, Chanukah! No, we don't have anything for Chanukah at this location. Maybe try the Bell road / Arrowhead store." She then said "I didn't know that there were that many people around here who were interested in Chanukah" (again speaking at the top of her lungs.) Next she told me that I could go online and let them know that I wanted this location to carry Chanukah stuff, and Passover and Yom Kippur too. She loudly followed that suggestion up with; "Do you know how to do that?" To which I calmly replied; "I think I can figure it out." Linda thought she was being ever so helpful when she wrote the store id # down on a sticky note for me; so I'm sure that she was shocked to find out that I went right to her manager to complain about her. OK, It's true, I was fuming. I was not only insulted that Target carried nothing for Chanukah, but then to be spoken to by Linda,the way that I was; honestly, if I was looking for items for my Kwanzaa celebration, would Linda have told me "Oh, I didn't know that people around here were interested in Kwanzaa;" if you know what I mean. When the manager came over I calmly told her that I wanted to make a complaint about the way I was spoken to by one of the associates. I went on to say "I was in your holiday section, but I guess you can't call it that since there is only one holiday represented over there." I then went on to tell her what had happened. I explained that Linda's raised tone of voice, which caused other shoppers to look over towards our conversation, made me uncomfortable and that I felt very insulted when she asked me if I knew how to leave a comment online; almost as if she was saying "You're Jewish so you must be stupid." And I told her that I was very disturbed by the fact that there were only Christmas items available. The manager apologized profusely, because of course that's all she could do - and we left the store, determined to find Chanukah candles before nightfall.

Disgusted by Target, we went to Walmart, but they too were void of any Chanukah provisions. I then went to the other Target location that Linda had recommended and again had to ask an associate as I didn't see any Chanukah anything. She told me that she thought they were on an end cap because they had recently been marked down to clearance and when we walked over to where she thought they were; there were none to be had. I suppose that no one in this area has an interest or use for Chanukah candles until they go on clearance. Out of desperation I went to Cost Plus, and they in fact had some beautiful Chanukah candles, for $12.99 and 50% off. I purchased the $7 Chanukah candles, shocked that I had to do so, but I reasoned that we spend a lot more money on Christmas than we do on Chanukah, so a $7 purchase for my holiday was justified. I tell you, I don't think there has ever been a year that I've wanted to light those candles and say my prayer more. I felt persecuted and sad, because it's not as if I live an area where there is no Jewish population; just a small one. I thought of my grandparents who were killed in the Holocaust JUST BECAUSE they were Jewish, and there was no way, that I would ignore Chanukah because it was difficult to find my candles.

Now, this experience didn't make me resent Christmas, or the good tidings for a Merry one. I LOVE Merry Christmas, I say it myself; because to me it isn't necessarily a religious salutation or sentiment; but a wish for a wonderful and special day. It is the one day of the year that most people share peace on earth and good will towards man but at the same time; no one else should be denied or slighted for their beliefs. And I think that I am feeling compelled to mention this because a day or so after my Target incident, a Facebook "friend" had put her status as something like, "I was so happy to see a Merry christmas sign at Target, " and then I can't remember her exact words but her implication was that she was tired of having to endure a Happy Holiday or Season's greetings sign and instead of Merry Christmas, just to be politically correct. Well, it was all I could do to keep from leaving a comment, but I knew that it probably wouldn't have made a difference if I had. She felt denied her preferred greeting, but I shouldn't feel bad that my holiday wasn't even acknowledged by this store or others? It's not like I was celebrating Festivus for crying out loud. On the other hand, a very kind soul sent me an email apologizing because she knows that I was raised Jewish, but she thought that she, may have sent me a Merry Christmas card as opposed to a Happy Holidays. I thanked her for being so thoughful and considerate and explained that I had no problem at all with receiving a Merry Christmas card. I don't expect someone to send me something different just because Christmas isn't my religious holiday. I am thankful for any kindness and I am happy to be the recipient of whatever well wishes the person wants to send.

And so, on this wonderful Christmas day; I wish you all the VERY Merriest Christmas, Season's Greetings, Happy Holidays and YES, a Happy Chanukah (although it's already passed.) I will not wish you a happy new year as yet; as I am going to try and rise to the occasion and complete another post by the 1st of the year and offer My new years wishes then.

Till next time...

Queen of EVERYTHING

FREE Movie Tickets

I LOVE going to the movies!! Not just any movie mind you. I'm pretty particular about what I see. Which is not to say that I am a movie snob by any means nor that I see all the epic films; because for the most part I DO NOT. I could run off a laundry list of classics and blockbusters that I've never seen, never will and yet I set Girl's day/night movies months in advance for such classics as "Connie and Carla" (ever heard of it; yah...) or more mainstream films like "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" or "Hairspray;" which some of you may recall I actually wrote" I cried the first time I saw the preview." Michelle (One of these days will become legally) K had a field day with that one. And then of course there was "Sex in the City" which although I NEVER saw on HBO, I've seen the G rated version on regular TV and I RAN opening night to see it and have since seen it again - MMMM; Mr. Big!! Now, on the "Scrapbooking from the Inside Out" message board, I mentioned that I got my first ticket for "Sex in the City" by buying the Season 1 DVD at Blockbuster. The DVD sold for $19.99 and actually came with a movie ticket. Well, you know that I just thought this was TOO good a deal to pass up; and I must say that I was awfully proud of myself for making such a wise purchase. So, if you have yet to see "Sex in the City," or you want to see it again and again; and you have any interest in owning any of the seasons of the show on DVD; take yourself over to Blockbuster and see if they still have any for sale - you can't lose.

Now, another must see film for me will be "Mamma Mia." It comes out tomorrow July 18, 2008 and I emailed my girls about seeing it a couple of months ago; after the first time I saw the preview on "American idol." In case I haven't mentioned it before; I am a HUGE ABBA fan. Just call me, that's right the "Dancing Queen." LOL Anyway, what could be better than seeing "Mamma Mia" Saturday morning with my girlfriends? How about seeing it for FREE?? Yep, you read that right and I'm gonna tell you how to do it. Why? Say it with me, "Because I'm all about the GREATER GOOD!!"

OK, so I wish that I could take full and total credit for this find; but credit actually has to go to my pal Patti. It seems that Ponds has a little postage stamp sized "coupon" (for lack of a better word) on their packages of moistened face towels. There are a few different kinds of face towels, varying from Microdermabrasion to age defying etc, etc. They're also great just for taking your make up off (got that guys?) Anyway, all you have to do is purchase a package of the towels but make sure it has this little "coupon" stamp on it. I happened to buy mine at Target and guess what? This gets EVEN better; they were on sale. I paid $5.49 plus tax, I got the towels (which I will definitely use;) and a FREE movie ticket for "Mamma Mia" or any Universal pictures release.
Here's what you do. Go to Ponds.com and you'll need to register; but big deal. Then I think you go to spotlight or something like that. It will ask for your reward code, and ALSO the UPC off the box. You'll need to type in the full UPC, but it will guide you. Then just follow the couple of simple steps, and Presto! you will have a free movie ticket to print. You can do up to 3 per household; so for instance I bought a second package so that I could get Luis a movie ticket too. No, not for "Mamma Mia;" he wouldn't be caught dead; but remember I said "ANY Universal pictures release." So now, Luis Ramos is registered on Ponds.com hahaha, well, he'll be taking his newly cleaned face and laughing all the way to his free movie; just like you can.

Now, for those skeptics out there; I printed this off of the Hollywood Movie Money website:
Can't find a participating theater within 30 miles? No problem. Just go to the theater closest to you, pay to see the movie and send us your receipt and the original certificate. After verification we will reimburse you.

Did a theater mistakenly turn you away? No problem. Just send us your certificates along with the theater manager/employee name, the theater you attended, and the date and time it happened. After verification we will reimburse you.
Refunds/reimbursements MUST be postmarked within (1) week of the certificates expiration date in order for them to be honored. Please be advised that if you were turned away from the theater because your ticket was expired you will not be eligible for a refund.
I hope that some of you are able to take advantage of this little tip. The tickets are good until October; so get em while they're hot.
I know I'll be singing all the way to "Mamma Mia." and maybe I'll even provide you with a little review - MAYBE. I wouldn't want to put anyone in shock by posting more than 2 blogs a month. HAHAHA"

Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

Only Me

Last night my kids and I went over to a friend's house. I won't say which friend because I know that she feels TERRIBLE about what I am about to tell you; but it is a crucial part of my story so it must be told.
The other day my girls got these new flip flops at Old Navy. They were on clearance; and I am Queen of Bargains, so we couldn't resist. They were like the platform flip flops and they had a cute jeweled flower thingy by the toe; and my girls just thought they were FABULOUS. I had my reservations, because being MY daughters, they have a proclivity for clumsiness and this just seemed like an accident waiting to happen; but nonetheless we bought the flip flops.

Now back at my friend's house, we all left our shoes by the door as we are accustomed to doing, and we went upstairs; but her dog didn't, and she decided to make a meal out of one of my older daughter's flip flops. As previously stated, my friend could not have felt worse. I assured her several times that it was no big deal, but she insisted on paying me for them so that I could buy a new pair. I waited till after dinner to break the news to my daughter. I tired to be lighthearted and funny about it; but my daughter did not take the news of the demolished flip flop well. She's not usually a crier, but this girl was sobbing and heaving and I don't know if I felt worse for her or my friend because I knew this just added to her unnecessary guilt.
I promised my daughter that even if I had to go to multiple Old Navy's to find her a pair (remember, they were on clearance;) I would. My friend then insisted on paying me almost double what they cost; just in case I needed to drive to more than one Old Navy.

OK, so I am a runner; pick your jaws up off the floor people who know me, I don't mean runner in the sense that would be good for me, like one who runs for exercise, I'm a runner as in I run all over the place for like errands and stuff. I am Queen of Returns; I don't even want to tell you things I have returned because you may have been the unlucky soul to have bought the pair of ballet shoes that my daughter peed on and I took back; but you get the point. Anyway, I like to get as much done in one day as possible; I just Go, Go, Go. My husband hates that by the way; 2 errands a day and he's spent. But I mention this because you need to understand my schedule for today and how it was not unusual for me AT ALL.

So upon leaving the house around 1030 - I think; we headed off (me and my 3 kids) to the first Old Navy stop. Nope, no flip flops in her size. I then offered, "well, how bout if we try Payless; because they may have those Hello Kitty flip flops that you wanted and you could get those instead." She agreed. But alas, no such luck. We then went on to Girly Girlz to buy a present for her classmate whose party was at 2. From there we drove out to Super Target which was a good 15 minutes from where we were (tons of construction too - woohoo!) We went to Super Target because 2 weeks ago I saw these pink and black cleats and I thought they would be adorable for my girls for soccer; but I didn't know if our league was going to let my little one play so I wanted to hold off on buying any until I went to registration. I went to registration on Saturday morning; and so far it seems that they are going to let her play, so I was anxious to buy the cleats before they sold out. OK, so the girls try them on, we're about to put them in the cart; but first I turn one over and look at the bottom and think to myself these don't look the same as the cleats from last year. Then upon looking more closely at the box, I notice that it said "baseball cleats." Way to go Queen!! Now I get to break the news that the cleats I had talked up, and drove out there especially for; could not be purchased. I was batting a thousand - maybe I needed the baseball cleats - da da don ching (that was like the sound of cymbals crshing in case you didn't figure it out.)
Moving right along... So now we are off to Old Navy # 2. Mind you, it was NO WHERE near where I was and I was unaware of a shortcut at the time, so it took me a good 25 minutes to get there; and you got it - no flip flops. There was a Payless in the same plaza so we tried there for Hello Kitty, and she actually found a cute pair of sandal flip flops that were marked down to $4, same price as the ones I was trying to replace - Perfect; but it's BOGO at Payless so of course I wanted to find another item. I knew that I was in need of new flip flops, so I started looking at something for me; which is no easy task with my size 12 feet that actually seemed dare I say it, to have gotten a tad bigger. So I slipped a flip flop off, tried something on, no dice, a little too close for comfort, so I tried again, same deal. I was ready to head off to guy's flip flops when I saw a cute pair on the size 12 women's shelf. I tried one on, then I went to try the other, and OH MY GOD, I looked down and this whole time I had been out running my ass off in 2 different flip flops. Oh my god, who does this? What kind of moron am I? Go ahead, laugh, I did, Rachel did, because I was on the phone with her when I made this discovery. I mean oh my god; this kind of thing is cute when a kid chooses to do it and they maybe have one pink and one blue or something like that, but yah; I had one black sprarkly flip flop (which even my friends dog passed over because it was in such crappy shape) and then my other flip flop was brown and pink with a bit more height to it then my black sparkly one. You get the picture, there was NO WAY that I could pass this off as a fashion statement.
WOW! How embarrassing. SO figure I'd been to Old Navy, Payless, Girly Girls, Target, Old Navy and Payless all with this wonderful shoe situation. How my kids never noticed is beyond me, because they are my biggest critics and notice everything.
So I bought my new flip flops and called my husband on the way to the birthday party; and his words were ones I'm not unfamiliar with; "ONLY YOU."
Once we made it home, I showed him the flip flops and he wanted to make sure that I hadn't worn them to the party. I said "no," but then he needed the run down of where I'd worn them because he thought I should steer clear of those places or at least he wanted to. We were getting ready to go to Sprouts, so he asked, "You didn't wear them to Sprouts did you?" I said "No;" So he agreed to go there with me. My younger daughter asked me to wear the again, but I thought better of it and said "NO."
I'm telling you; I really am my own worst enemy; but really, say it with me "WHO COULD MAKE THIS STUFF UP?"
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING