Adventures at Target

So, I got an email tonight - just a run-of-the-mill, informational type email - and the sender seemed to have an attitude.  I was complaining to my husband that she didn't have to be so snotty about it, and he looked at me and said, "What is the matter with you?  Why do you want to get into it with everyone lately?"

Um.

I guess I have been extra .... passionate ... lately.    Really, can I blame some of it on lack of sleep?  To show that I'm really not out to "get into it with everyone" I decided to post a more lighthearted blog, the kind that I started with when I first started blogging:  a slice-of-life story of me and the kids.

I had a $50 Target gift card that I've been wanting to spend.  We didn't get to go this past weekend, for various reasons.  I was going to go with the kids yesterday on my birthday, but.... well, we didn't.  Also for various reasons.  Today I was determined to go, and the kids all wanted to go too.  It took until 4:00 in the afternoon, but finally we went.  I helped Everett count out his change, the older boys also grabbed some cash, and off we went.

Our first hurdle was getting the proper cart.  Tegan is currently very, very particular about riding in carts.  We needed to find the kind that has the two big seats in the front, the kind that is big and heavy and almost impossible to push, but one that would fit both her and Everett.    A nice older lady was looking at us (people often look at us when we go out, I guess because most people don't have four kids), overheard our conversation, and told us that she saw the cart we were looking for near the other entrance.  We thanked her, and headed to get our cart.

Paxton climbed onto one of the big concrete balls, because a trip to Target isn't complete without climbing onto the big concrete balls.  He sat on one and thoughtfully said, "These balls seemed so much bigger when I was little."  Spencer laughed, because Spencer always laughs when someone says "balls."

We got our cart, and the next twenty minutes was spent playing musical seats.  Tegan in, Everett in.  Everett out, Tegan in.  Tegan out.  Everett in but standing.  Tegan in, but dragging her feet on the floor.  Everett out.

We looked at office supplies first, because I get really, really excited about things like dry erase markers.  A new package of colored, magnetic markers into the cart.  Then we walked through the women's clothes where we (and my apologies to any of you who like them) laughed at all the jean leggings.  I wanted to try something on, then wondered aloud how I'd manage it alone with the kids.  Paxton and Spencer promised they'd be in charge of the littler ones, and told me to try on whatever I wanted.  So I did.  And I was a little irritated that the girl working at the fitting room was in the middle of a personal phone call both when I entered and exited.

Hmh.  Maybe I *do* want to get into it with everyone.

It was about that time that I realized that I couldn't really shop for myself.   It was just too difficult.  Not because anyone was doing anything wrong... just because 5 people + end of the day + tired mom = not very conducive for browsing.  I was already kind of sensed out, the kids were wanting to go in different directions, and we were all getting hungry.

I put my markers back on the shelf, then waited while they browsed through the toys.   An hour and a half after we got there, we left, without a dime of my $50 spent.  The boys all bought themselves a soda, I bought Tegan her requested pack of Cheetos at the register, then we all got back in line after Everett counted his change again and saw that he had enough to buy a package of gum too.  It was busy by then, and we'd gotten behind a women with about 72 items in the 10 item or less line, so I left the big boys in charge of Everett while Tegan and I went to the little in-store Starbucks near the registers.  Bummed that I never did buy anything, I treated myself to a caramel frappucino, the kids climbed on the balls again, and we finally headed out to the car.

I struggled opening Tegan's Cheetos, the bottom of the bag exploded, and it rained Cheetos all over the floor of my Sequoia.

And we all lived happily ever after (And I will bring my husband the next time I go to Target)