The Curse of Black Friday

I have always hated the thought of 'Black Friday' shopping. Crowds just aren't my style, and I have a hard time believing the deals are really that good. My first experience with this cursed event was my first year in college. I had to have my wisdom teeth pulled, and it was either over Thanksgiving break or Christmas break... so I opted for missing out on turkey. I had them pulled the day before Thanksgiving, then had a wonderful day after. I wasn't in a lot of pain, and was even able to chew most of the dinner items, so I didn't feel left out. That evening, my roommate contacted me - depressed. She's from Washington, but didn't have a way to get home for the short holiday. She ended up with her aunt in Provo, and was hating it! Since I was feeling so much better than expected, I invited her to spend the rest of the weekend with us. She and my mom hit it off, and got to talking about the shopping going on the next day. My mom always went out, so she was happy to have some company.

Early the next morning, we were running through WalMart, trying to find everything on the list. But I was tired. And not too into the spirit of the day. And, appearantly, was not as recovered as I thought. I started complaining, and my mom decided to put me in the check out line (it was about 1/2 mile long at this point, so they would fill my cart while I was slowly making my way to the registers. I wasn't even halfway through this line, when my mom noticed that I was green, green... looking dangerously close to puking. My poor mom had to abort the mission and take me home (we lived very close) and got back just in time to pay for her meager lot of items.

That was my first experience. I was 18. My next experience was last year (mere weeks before my 33rd birthday). See, I got back on the horse. It just took me fifteen years or so :)

Last year, my sister Kristy talked me into joining their expedition. We were in Utah for the holiday, and I'd never been out with her. Now, in Utah, they started something new at one of the malls the previous year. The mall opened at midnight, and about 1/2 the stores opened with incredible deals (this is all part of the talking me into it speech). She went on about all the great deals the Gap and others had to offer, and she was so excited because 3 malls were doing the same thing this time, so we just HAD to go! Well, I wasn't too excited about this. Max was only 2 months old, and Corey would have to do some night feedings if I was to join the ranks, and I still wasn't too gung-ho. Corey pushed a little, because he knew how hard it was for me to miss out on fun things my family does together. So I agreed.

We tried to nap in the evening, but sisters do not nap when we only see each other once or twice a year. So, about 11:oo, we bundled up and got in line at the mall. It was crazy! I couldn't believe how many people were willing to participate in this kind of mayhem. I figured we'd do the mall, then I'd head home and they (4 of my sisters and my mom) would work on the rest of their lists. Little did I know, Kristy figured once she had me out she wasn't going to take me home! The mall didn't have nearly the store cooperation they had the year before (at least in the stores I was interested in), so I felt the night was a bust... let's hit the sack. Oh, no! We had to go to Kohl's, they had KitchenAids for cheap, and they were opening at 4:00. This was at 2:00, when we were having this conversation. Enjoying the company too much, I finally agreed to do Kohl's. So, at 4:00, the doors opened to a frigid mass of people, myself included, and we ran like crazy. We couldn't find the right mixers, so I went scouting. I found a group of people hauling away KitchenAids like they were crazed, and one woman just staring at the box trying to decide if she really wanted it. I just reached around her and grabbed it... you snooze, you lose baby! Now I was getting the fever. This is fun! We all got what we were looking for (I flew in for Thanksgiving, remember, limited luggage space and all) then got in line. This was when the fever died. The line was CRAZY!!! Three or four registers at the front of the store, and we were in the line that wrapped all the was around to the back, then up the middle again. Suddenly these deals didn't look so great (since they weren't for me, I could afford to say that). My mom courageously offered to do the check out, and sent us to WalMart for their 5:00 opening.

WalMart. Back to the scene of horror. I tried to back out, claiming that I needed to pump, claiming exhaustion, claiming possible alien abduction... whatever, just so I didn't have to face Wally world with all the crazies! Too bad, my sister said, it's just across the parking lot and too close to opening to take me home. Crap! Strangely, WalMart ended up being the best Black Friday experience we had... go figure. It was a 24 hr store, so they were open and doing business. You just weren't able to touch any of the specials till they announced it. So, people were just standing around the areas of most interest to them. That meant, instead of 500 people rushing in the doors at once and going crazy finding what they are looking for, only about 20 or 30 people are diving into the piles... very little chance of bloodshed. Cool! We were in and out within 20 minutes, I kid you not! Awesome! After that, we just had Target (do the stores all get together to figure out how to stagger the opening times, making sure people can shop at each one of the openings?). That was alright, but it was 6:00 by this time, and I was beyond drained. I dragged in at about 7:00, just in time to feed Max, then crash for several hours of very interupted sleep.

All in all, way better than I thought it could be. Probably because I got to do this with my sisters, and that made it all worth it.

Now, if you're still with me (I'm totally rambling, sorry) I will come to the point of this whole post. This year, we didn't have any plans for Thanksgiving. Utah was too expensive, and Corey's mom and sister went to Vegas for the weekend, so there was no reason to go anywhere. Corey suggested we go to Nauvoo instead of sitting at home all weekend. I was pretty hesitant, until we found out 2 missionaries didn't have an invitation for dinner, so we had them over for a nice Thanksgiving dinner, then hit the road to Nauvoo. We pulled into the hotel parking lot around 10:30, and Corey pointed out that WalMart was in the same lot with us. "Hey, you could run over and get your Christmas shopping done tomorrow with all the sales!" Nice, just what I wanted to do. By myself. Again, with no room to bring anything home. I just shrugged him off. He mentioned it again as we were going to sleep, and I laughed at him. Unfortunately, I noticed that this was a 24 hr store, so it could potentially be an okay experience. NO! I don't want to go! But the deals... No, way! Walking around Nauvoo all day with no sleep because I shopped for the thrill of it was not my idea of a good time. This cycled through my mind, over and over again... all night long. I even checked the clock at one point, considering, but it was only 3:30. I went back to sleep. Next thing I know, Corey is standing over me saying he keeps dreaming about shopping, and figures he should just go and do it! So, Corey went to WalMart (he hates WalMart), on Black Friday (he hates crowds), & he spent a lot of money (he hates to spend money)! And I didn't get any more sleep, because I was waiting around for him to get back and see what he got.

He had fun... I know he did, even though he denies it. And he got some cool things for our family, so that's fun for me. So, I feel like the curse has been lifted, and I will consider doing this again if I have a buddy. I'd love to hear any fun, beating the next shopper to the punch, pushing yourself to the limits, Black Friday stories any of you may have. And happy shopping!

Dance Recital

Tonight was Addie's last dance class for this session. Parents were invited to watch this class to see what they've learned. We sat in on the first class, but haven't been allowed in the room the rest of the classes so the girls would concentrate on the teachers. Corey came home early today so he could come, and it was sooooo cute!!! I know I'm biased, but I thought all the girls were great. I'm so sad that the next class won't start till the end of January, what are we going to fill our Thursdays with?

Here's our little ballerina (pardon the panty line)

I'm sorry this is so long, but I loved it. I recorded the whole class time, but this was the best one I think. It won't offend me if you don't watch it all, it gets a little monotonous after awhile.

Here's Addie with her teachers - Miss Michelle, Miss Elizabeth, and young Miss Jessica - saying goodbye (she's so sad)

Shopping!

Saturday is a special day, it's a day we catch up on being a family. (anyone singing the old primary song by now?) Since Corey's so busy on Sundays, it's really our only day that we get to hang... and by that, I mean that I feel justified in throwing the kids in his direction anytime they need something. BUT.... Corey went to a Wisconsin Badger football game today. And I was not pleased. I shouldn't be so bossy, but it's really our only day!!! However, when we moved here Corey listed all the things he needed to do while living in Wisconsin. This list included going the a Packer game (check), golfing at Whistling Straits (working on it), and watching a Badger game. So I shouldn't complain, but I did... a lot. I decided the only way not to be a super raggy wife when he came home from the game was to fill my day, so I wasn't sitting at home with the kids all day long. So I went shopping!!!

I had a 30% off coupon for Gap/Old Navy that was to expire today, and since I didn't have a real time table to keep, I decided to take a drive. For those not from Milwaukee, it's about a 30 min drive to the outlets, and I don't like to make the time. But today I had nothing but time. And I cleaned them out! Corey was a little afraid to ask how much I spent, especially since he knew how I felt about how he spent his day (yeah, he got home at 7:45 pm), but I didn't go too crazy.

The reason for this post, is to tell you of my new discovery while shopping!! Motherhood maternity has a new style of waistbands they are putting on skirts and jeans that I LOVE!!!

Now, I know that I'm an old lady that likes to wear bands over my belly instead of under, but that's the beauty of this product! You can roll the band down below the waist, wear it midwaist or go Urkle like I always do and pull it up to your chin! And the fabric is soooo comfortable, kind of like a fitted tee shirt would feel (maybe like Shade shirts with more spandex).

So, if there's any of you out there expecting, or thinking that you have a little extra cash that you want to contribute to your maternity wardrobe (just in case you get that crazy urge to keep expanding your family) go and check it out. Plus, the prices were very reasonable... not the norm for Motherhood, I know, so take advantage.

I Love BestBuy!

Our computer has served us well. We got it when Addie was 4 months old, and it has survived her pounding and picking (I got pretty good at reattaching keys), and even a drop or two... not that I'd ever admit that to Corey at the time. The laptop was a gift from Corey's mom, and she completely believes in buying the service plans that are offered with electronic purchases. We also believe in these, in theory, but we usually are too cheap to allow that extra expense.

With our computer, we've had a few issues that were swiftly taken care of because of the service plan. The last issue we had was the mouse pad didn't work anymore, so we had to attach a mouse to the laptop. We sent it in, and got it back 3 weeks later (can you imagine being stuck at home with 2 little kids and no computer?!?) but the problem wasn't fixed. We took it back, and found that our plan covered replacing the computer if the problem wasn't fixable or not cost effective to fix. That's right, baby, we got to pick out a new computer!!!

Now, about 3 years ago, Corey had an XBox that started sticking on a certain game. He bought it on EBay, and it came with a service/replacement plan. So he brought it back, and they didn't even look at it...they told him to pick out a new one, and since the price had dropped since the original purchase, he got that difference back in a store credit! What a deal, huh? So when we found out we needed to pick out a new laptop, Corey was giddy! Our original computer cost $1400, so he started shopping online. We went in, and found out that the policy had changed. We were to get a laptop comparable to our original. Small problem, nothing's comparable. Technology 3 years ago doesn't exist anymore. Good for most, bad for us. We had 3 laptops to pick from, and ended up with a $400 computer. We had gone into the store sure that we would buy another service plan. After all, it had saved us several times. But the plan costs $250, more than half the cost of the computer. We decided if this one went kaput, we would invest in a laptop we really wanted, not one we were forced to pick from.

Reguardless, I love BestBuy. We've had great experiences with them, and will continue to give them our business as long as it benefits us.

November???

This week has been B-E-A-Utiful!!! I'm not kidding, I'd love this kind of weather in June! Or every day of the year. It's been in the low 70's all week, and continues through tomorrow. Then it's projected to rain/snow this weekend and dip into the 30's. So I'll take advantage of this while I can. We had playgroup at a park today, probably our last opportunity till... I don't know, May! So Max has turned into a handful at the park, because he's into climbing and I'm into talking with my friends. So here's a short clip highlighting my time at the park.

Halloween (a little belated is better than never)

Halloween was a week long affair this year, and am I glad it's over! Between trick-or-treating on Sunday (because Wisconsin doesn't believe in doing it on Halloween night, go figure)... Tuesday night at the church trunk-or-treating... Thursday at dance class... and Friday at preschool, I was DONE!!!

Corey put it in Addie's head (about 7 months ago) that we should go as the Mystery Gang. The only one we were missing was Scooby (a key character, I know). I've talked to a lot of moms that say their kids kept changing their minds, but Addie never wavered. The only change made was she originally wanted to be Velma, and that would leave me as Daphne. I didn't think I'd pull off the velvet dress as well as Addie, so we talked her into the orange wig.

Sunday afternoon, we bundled up and headed out to get some loot... and it was cold! There were high wind gusts all day, and as soon as we went out the temperature seemed to drop. We got around to about 5 houses, and it started spitting rain, then snow! Corey's dad took Max back to the house, but the three of us pressed on.


This was so classic in our older neighborhood (old poops that don't want to deal with whiney kids asking for more candy). Corey made me pretend like I was taking a picture of he and Addie while really zooming in on the sign on the door, thus the orange fuzz in the corner.


Here's a pic of Addie kissing our trophy we won as a family at the ward Halloween party. Pretty fun night, even though the haunted house fog machine set off the fire alarm that brought the fire department. Ah, memories...

Unfortunately, I'm ditzy and didn't even think about bringing the camera to dance class so there's no picture of Addie in her ballerina costume (thanks Becky!) I'll try to be a better mom in the future.

This is Addie's preschool class party. There were some fancy costumes, must be a ritzy class.

It takes a special person to be a preschool teacher. I can't imagine having to corall 25 three year olds.

Two notes: I was bugged that they put Addie in the back, but didn't want to be a pushy mom complaining that you couldn't see my kid. Luckily, the lady next to me spoke up and said "Daphne needs to be in the front, all you can see is the top of her orange wig." Notice in the picture above she's in the front row.

Also, don't feel too bad for the girl next to Addie that's not dressed up. I was thinking maybe her parents didn't believe in Halloween, and the poor girl was subjected to being the only kid without a costume. But Addie said her mom brought her a costume to change into (must have been a rough morning in their house).

You never appreciate it till it's gone

What a weekend! We have Corey's dad visiting us this week, so we thought we'd go for a drive on Saturday into Kettle Moraine Nat'l Forest and see what fun we could find. Corey took a shower, then I did, but before I even got dressed, Corey's dad told me our water heater was leaking. We went downstairs to look, and sure enough there was a nice fountain (or bubbler, are you from Milwaukee?) coming out of the bottom of the water heater. GREAT!!! Does this kind of thing only happen on a weekend?! There went our plans.



Of course, the kids were desperately in need of a bath, as Halloween can be messy when you add glitter hairspray to your little ballerina. Plus, Max has a cold, so he's all boogery and slobbery. All I could think of was going to church the next day with dirty kids, and greasy hair. Corey got on the phone, and an hour later spent $600 on a new waterheater that would be installed sometime on Monday.



Suddenly, I'm realizing that I'm way behind on dishes, laundry, and can't figure out how to get Addie to school on Monday when she's days past a bath. Bathe her at the neighbor's house, perhaps? (We are feeding their fish while they are out of town, and Corey was insistant that they wouldn't mind if we used their shower. Is that creepy to anyone else? Also, we weren't sure when they were coming home, and it turned out they arrived at noon today when Addie and I were over there feeding the fish! Could you imagine if I were leaving their house with a towel on my head, what would they think?) Hot water, I've found, affects all aspects of running a household.

On Sunday, with my kitchen overflowing with dishes and no way to get it clean, I decided to boil some water and wash the pans, at least. They are big, and getting them taken care of clears a bigger spot. It worked quite well, so I started washing knives and miscellaneous things, and I cut my finger! So that was the end of dishes for me. Then I got the brilliant idea of boiling water to fill a bath for the kids. It worked like a dream!! I had to boil 2 pots of water and poured it into a shallow bath of cold water. It wasn't quite warm enough, so I boiled the 2 pots of water again. I was pouring the last pot in, and poured the very last of the boiling water all over my hand -- the same hand I cut! And I am such a weenie about things like that. But I had to bathe the kids, so I gritted my teeth through the pain of putting my burned hand in the hot water. Then nursed my poor hand with an ice pack, even slept with it to ease the burn (told you I'm a weenie!)

So today I'm feeling pretty gross, and we don't know when the installer is supposed to come, so I decide to do the same thing I did for the kids. Of course, I need a bit more water in my bath, so I ended up boiling water for AN HOUR before the water was tolerable (not steamy, the way I would have prefered). I stepped into the tepid water, and heard Corey greet the installer at the back door. Oh well, all that work could have been avoided had I been a little patient. But I had to take Addie to school at noon, and didn't think we'd have hot water in time.

The up side to this whole thing is we now have regular hot water pressure in our kitchen faucet (we lost pressure one day a couple years ago, and I am unwilling to pay a plumber oodles of $$$ to fix it). I guess there was a block near the water heater in the lines, and it was cleared when the water was turned back on!!! All in all, nearly worth $600. But, you know how spending large amounts of money is fun only if you can feel the tangible reward? My reward is new pressure that we have lived without for too long, and the thought that listing our home with a new water heater (when the time comes that we've outgrown our house) will help it sell faster. I can always hope, right?