Sanity check point...

failed!

The kids all received an assortment of gift cards for Christmas. So, after going a little stir crazy after a couple of days home from vacation, I decided it would be fun to take the kids to the mall to spend their gift cards.

Holy hell. Let's just say: Well, it was an idea!

We started at Build-A-Bear. Dani built her bear, (which plays One Direction - Beautiful ugh!)  picked out clothes and a bed and a sleeping bag and shoes. Then we go to the register and it's a little more than her giftcards, so I go to pull my debit card out of my wallet...Guess who's the asshole that left her debit card at home?

Me.

So 10 minutes of convincing Dani that we are coming back to get her bear, but we HAVE to go home to get Mom's debit card or else she can't get the bear at all, I had to pratically drag her out of Build-A-Bear kicking and screaming. She skulked through to mall to get to the car, all the while I'm telling her that "The faster we move the faster we'll get back to your bear." It seemed to make her move even slower.

By this time, we're all starving, and I can do nothing about that either because I'm a moron!

We get home, get my debit card, and toodle back off. Then the gas light comes on in the car.

I pull into the gas station to gas up, with her yelling from the back seat "NO! NO! I want my bear!" To which I explain that if I don't get gas, we won't ever make it back to get her bear. and she says "YES WE CAN! If we run out of gas just call Gramma!"

There's an idea. Just call Gramma so she can lecture me about how irresponsible I am. Um...NO THANKS!

I gas up, we get the bear. Then we go to Finishline where my sons proceed to buy some of the ugliest shoes known to man. Both of which are wearing size 9 and 10 in MENS...Yeah their feet are HUGE! (I told B that he had to hit a growth spurt soon or he'd look like Bozo the Clown. He didn't know who Bozo was!)

After that fun experience, we went to eat. That is a challenge in itself. Getting everyone to decide what they want to eat is a life changing event. I dare anyone on Survivor to get out and take my kids to a food court and come out in some other fashion than drooling and rocking in the fetal position.

Finally, our last stop in the mall is Aeropostale. Trying to figure out what pre-teens and teens like when it comes to fashion is like trying to decipher heiroglyphics with a Spanish dictionary.

Finally out of the mall, we head to Toys R Us....The boys hit the video game section and the lil one and I start shopping. She shops like a typical woman (ok maybe just me). Picking up everything and putting it in the cart without knowing how much it costs, then getting disgusted when there's more stuff than money.

We spent about 4 and a half hours shopping. I tried really hard not to rush them. I wanted them to have to figure out how much things cost and how we can't always afford the things we want. BUT there comes a time when I just want to go home.

So now they're enjoying all of their stuff and I'm sitting here exhausted!

~Kim