It's 10:45. Just got home from doing some Christmas shopping. I had this epiphany a few hours ago that Christmas was only two weeks away and I had not bought the first gift... oops! This is the first year that, since I am not working like a crazy person, I don't feel crazy about shopping. It's not that I have a humbug thing - you know, I just am not in the mood to get out there and join the masses as the dive into debt ... all for one day. Anyway - so, I forced myself to go out and at least start looking for ideas. If you think shopping as married parent is hard - try being single. Usually, I recruit one the male personas (and, you know - that's all they are unfortunately - personas) to go with me, but not this year. This year I braved the mall alone.

Jordin made request for a "princess-shirt-with-all-the-princesses-on-it" (if you say it very, very fast you get the full effect) so - I found that at the Disney store... And, after I gazed at all the snowglobes that were on sale for $39.99, and reverted BACK to my teenage obsession with them.. oh yes - the shirt..wow.. GREAT sale! The shirts were only %5.99 - so you know, I bought SB one too - only she is NOT wearing anything relating to royalty (I swear she's going to be my hippie tree hugging child) so - she got an "Incredibles" one. I could have bought them everything RIGHT then and there - all the dress up, all the action figures - it was BOGO HEAVEN. But - alas - I knew I had bigger fish to fry. Jordin also wants some Aladdin/Jasmine toy that talks - which I could not find in the Disney store... if not in the Disney store, then WHERE??

(When SB was little, she thought the Disney store WAS Disneyworld - so, according to her, she went to Disneyworld like, every week... much to the amazement of all her preschool buddies. )

Then, I rambled through GapKids - as SB is the resident clotheshorse. I don't know about you - but I used to get REALLY mad when I opened a box and it was clothes... not SB; she LOVES it! She told me the other night when we were shopping for shoes that some of them "just weren't her style..." Oh, really.. then, praytell, dear child of mine, what is your style? "A little sassy," she said. Oh my goodness. Did MY child just tell me she's a little sassy? Yes indeed. So - I looked at a million different things - some WAY cool suede boots with flowers on them - skirts, glitter blue jeans, ponchos - only to wander out aimlessly.
Old Navy however - was more promising.... you know, you gotta have a 50% off sign to get my attention. So, two matching velour jumpsuits, two pairs of track pants and two fleece pullovers later (oh yes - and some socks too) I walked out happy. Yay. By this time - I am fading fast - and the stupid people in the mall are beginning to annoy me.

One last stop in Borders - bought SB a knitting guide... I think I will fix her a basket of supplies to go along with it... you know, needles, yarn and etc. . I sat and read and compared two books for like, an hour... and then left. Oh yeah - found my mom a GREAT book on raising orchids (oh yes, her thing) on the sale table for... well.. I am not telling how cheap my mom's perfect gift was....

I'll have to post tomorrow about SB's one request for Christmas - it's sure to break your heart. Or, well - maybe not so much break your heart, but you know - it's heartwarming.