Be careful for what you wish

Ever since we got our new couches, which are extremely soft and cushy, I have longed for the opportunity to wrap up in our fluffy down throws and lounge like my life depended on it. For the past three days, I've done exactly that. Both my little one and I grew sicker as each day went by. I took her to the doc on Thursday and she was diagnosed with a sinus infection. Why I didn't make an appointment for myself is beyond me. My temp still lingers around 100 and I'm still coughing. Frankly, it's getting exhausting. Though I am thoroughly acquainted with our couches and the throws. I'm growing to resent them.

Today my older daughter got her first of many pairs of specs. Last night we had her eyes evaluated by our optometrist and the impairment in one of her eyes is so bad that her two don't work together. It's on the borderline between moderate and severe. If the glasses don't do their job in the next 6-8 weeks we will need to put patches over her eye. How friggin' traumatizing.

This afternoon we found some frames she liked and her glasses were ready in about an hour. As luck had it, her doc was in at that time and was able to take a quick look at the glasses and her eyes to make sure they were as he had prescribed. This falls into one of my "it was meant to be" moments file. Her doc has his own office and studio that isn't open on weekends. Only today did I learn that's because he works on Saturdays at LensCrafters. How convenient for us!

The frame choice of Miss Priss may have been swayed because this pair came with magnetic clip on sunglasses. They are a wire frame made of a dark copper color. I swear pink or purple would have won out. Regardless, she looks adorable. If only there wasn't a vision issue associated with them.

So I'm mildly devastated and quite relieved. I'm afraid that she'll feel a difference in attention she receives from classmates after the glasses go to school on Monday. It sounds like I'm being boastful, but I promise that's not where I'm coming from. My daughter is the popular little girl in class. All of the boys love her. I've seen it myself! Even today when we went to her school's fall festival, we sat across the table from a mom and her little boy. Our children knew each other from the bus. His mom introduced herself as my daughter's boyfriends' mother, laughing as she added "but your daughter didn't know that yet." I'll be sad for my little girl if that attention fades away. Not because I really want boys chasing her, more because I think it boosts her confidence.

Though bottom line, I feel so blessed that this vision issue was found now. I have no binocular vision. This develops in your brain between ages 6 and 8. My disability was realized too late to do anything. My daughter is 5 1/2 and I honestly pray we're early enough. I want her to have the gift of good vision and I'm crushed she hasn't had it all along. I swear, I still say we had no idea. :-(

On a totally unrelated note, we got a new vacuum today. I joined http://www.consumerreports.com/ for one month to research vacuums and ended up trashing their recommendations. We had $200 in Target gift cards and I didn't feel like disregarding them because the top rated brand is only sold at Sears. So we threw all caution and research to the wind and got a Bissell Healthy Home. Wish me luck that this mother is effective. We couldn't resist the urge to crank it up tonight and it seems to have done a good job.

Another project I've been working on is finding Christmas gifts for my girls. My brother and his wife rely on me to provide a list of presents for them to get. I did one better this year and actually purchased one. The Disney Store clearance priced their Halloween costumes two weeks ago. These guys retailed for $39.50 and were now priced at $10. I bought my older daughter a Belle costume that I have since realized is too big, but fixable. I was holding out for Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty for my little one, but darn it - they are STILL full price! On that first day I picked up an Ariel one for a friend's daughter's birthday. Since she and my daughter are the same size, I had my little one try it on to make sure it would fit her friend. Lo and behold, my daughter fell in love.

Tonight I made, what I vow to be, my final Disney Store run trying to complete this stupid gift. What's got my eye now, though, are their "deluxe" costumes. Imagine what the "real" Cinderella's dress looks like and miniaturize it. These absolutely beautiful dresses retail for $79.50. They are clearance priced for $22.50. *gasp*

You'd think I'd snatch them up, but I've resisted. "Are you nuts?" you may wonder. Perhaps. But the lingering question floating around my brain is "who am I buying it for? Me or the girls?" When I was little, I wished and prayed for such an amazing costume. I dreamed of twirling and singing in one. I'm sure at some point I begged my mom to make me one. My girls, on the other hand, won't appreciate the extra petticoats. They've been there, done that in various forms. Besides, the Belle dress I already purchased for $10 is really really beautiful! The Ariel costume, which I ended up getting for $7.50, is quite a bit less grand, but let's face it - it's a mermaid tail. How full can that be? So now I have to try to stop thinking about the amazing deal. The girls have FAR too many toys. They are getting a buttload for Christmas. They do not need more. We don't need to spend more money. They will love the costumes I've got. Do not buy them. Stay away. Disney should let us vacation in the World for free based on the huge amount of money we spend on their products yearly. *deep breaths*

The new couches have arrived...

and they're great! The layout is great! The room looks awesome! The kids are already bouncing all over them! And with three minutes of the delivery guys leaving the dog slobbered all over the ottoman. Gotta love the optional fabric protection plan!

My ballerina and the fight for her darn slippers

I realize I'm being a tad dramatic, but indulge me.

My little girl will be starting dance class for the first time on Monday. She's been talking about taking ballet for months. When we registered her a few weeks ago, she contained her anticipation, I but could see it just below the surface. Her sparkly blue eyes were just beaming with delight. You should have seen them when we tried on tap shoes!

That day we were unable to get ballet slippers because she needed a narrow size and the local dance shop doesn't carry them. That very afternoon, two weeks ago tomorrow, I ordered the correct size online from a company called Dance Distributors another friend had used before. I can't offer them a courtesy link because I'm mad at them today. Anyway, by Thursday of that week I began teasing my daughter with things like "your ballet slippers should be here today or tomorrow!"

More days went by. I looked online. It appeared that the slippers were in stock, but the sweater I also ordered (the wrap sweater I always wanted as a child dancer!) was on back order. The whole thing was being held up because of that sweater. Gee folks, thanks so much for letting me know about the delay. If I had known, this whole thing could have been resolved before it was a problem.

I called immediately and asked if the slippers could be shipped separately. I was told it would be no problem, the gal I was talking too was going to the warehouse to make sure it got sent that day and it would be two-day FedEx home. She tried to charge me an additional $3 in shipping. Ummm, no. Regardless, I should have gotten the order by Wednesday.

This morning, they are STILL NOT HERE! So I called at 9:00 AM and was told they would look for tracking info and get back to me. By 1:00 PM I hadn't heard back, so I called again and got a minor run-around with someone who obviously just answered the phone. She was very nice and understanding, just didn't seem to know how to help me. I continued to wait for a phone call back from the original person. At 5:45 PM I called again and said, nicely, that I really felt like they needed to overnight FedEx me another pair so I could have them tomorrow or Monday. The gal said she would get back to me ASAP. Within an hour we get an email notice that the slippers shipped via FedEx home and would be here TUESDAY. ARRRRRRGH!!!!!

I called again. To be honest, I have no idea how the world of FedExing works. Perhaps they could call them and bump up the shipping time? I don't know. *shrug* Evidently, that's not possible. I will not have the slippers for my sweetie pea's first lesson on Monday. I already called my mother and cried to her.

It's not fair! Let me be the first to say that my daughter can totally be...shall we say, challenging? But with regard to dance class and her shoes, she's been so patient. She's the president of the "never let 'em see your emotions" club - which is odd since her mom and big sister are among the gushiest people alive. I know she's just dying to enjoy these slippers even if she won't let on. And I'm pissed she's had to wait. And I'll be darned if she goes to her first class ever without shoes.

I will now have to go to the dance shop tomorrow to buy her slippers that don't fit properly. They'll be too wide. I will only allow her to use them on the carpet with the small hope the real ones arrive on Monday. I guess I'll hang on to the other slippers for recital, since we'll need a new pair then. In fact, I may put away the wider ones just in case her foot changes shape. *sigh* It's not fair!!! Oh, and just for kicks, the dance shop doesn't do refunds. If I end up returning the slippers, I'll need to exchange them. Perhaps I'll get the wrap sweater I have since cancelled!

The humorous part in all of this is that during my last conversation with one of the gals (who, also was very nice and tried very hard to help) she mentioned wanting to kind of compensate me for this issue. She offered me a coupon towards a future purchase. Ahahahahahahahahaha! I told her I wanted a refund of sorts of this purchase because I had no intention of buying from them again.

I know today's little ballet slipper was intensified because I've had a frustrating day. We were kind of stuck inside by the weather. I had a TON of work to do. My children fought or tried to crack their heads open on coffee tables all day long. I should have closed up the laptop and not even attempted to work. We would have all been better off. They're such great kids and it's not their fault...but man they just about drove me over the edge.

Next week little one starts preschool and I'll get 9 hours of beautiful uninterrupted work time in a library a week. I think my stress level about work is going to plummet as a result of this precious time. All I pray is that the wifi in the library is reliable!

Now I'm off to work...tomorrow I have a fun Lane Bryant store to tell.

[photo courtesy of www.discountdance.com]

Good grief, how hard can it be???

I'm writing in pure frustration this afternoon. Our living room has had a multiple of furniture configurations and we've been to maaaaany stores in the past two days searching a new set of sofas, love seat/sofa combo or sectional. We've been to a few stores twice. We're exhausted.

I've decided that on one hand there too many options out there. On the other, there are not enough of exactly what we want. The couch I *now* think we're settled one is one that my hubby swore just wouldn't do yesterday. ???? I can't decide if I think I wore him down, he genuinely changed his mind or he's simply delirious.

My house is a mess because I've completely neglected it in lieu of shopping and measuring full-time. Our couch, two chairs, two end tables and a random dining room chair is in the shape of our new set, but looks ridiculous. I'm waiting for a call back from another sales rep regarding the order time. It seriously takes three full months for a couch they make a million of every day to be covered in one of the five fabric choices they offer? I can have the very light beige fabric within a few days. I'm leery of that, though. We have a black dog and kids who are fairly dirty at any given time. It's nice, just too darn light. When she calls back, here's my pitch. "Is there anything you can do to get this sooner than three months? We're deciding between this and another set at another store and it's this wait time that will make our decision for us." That's not entirely true, but it sounds good.

Ay yi yi. I don't know if it's the three day weekend of full-on family time, an excessively messy house, indecision over couches or P/MS, but I'm at the end of my rope. I want to go into a cleaning craze that takes me through bedtime (read that to mean my husband makes dinner, cleans it up, gives the kids a bath and puts them to bed). *deep breaths*

What's my loyalty obligation here?

This afternoon my family embarked on a task I should have tackled on my own - furniture shopping. Let me paint the picture for you.

Our couch and chair were purchased used for $150 in early 2000. At that time, it was at least 5 years old, but in good shape. It is fugly, but was a good deal and we were poor.

Since then it has been peed on, puked on, laid on by a smelly big dog, had Cheetos eaten on it, milk spilled on it...the list goes on. To me, despite being cleaned many times, it feels sticky and smells. I basically want to burn it.

From a previous shopping trip, I had my heart set on a beauty of a sectional at Ethan Allen. It would run about $5000. And while I know that's a bit pricey (a bit? hahaha), I thought hubby was on board. I already threw all other brochures, measurements and cards of sharky furniture sales people since we had reached a decision. As of yesterday I have learned that he was only like 35% on board. He's a good bluffer.

Inspired by all of the "No finance charges until 2013!" commercials, we headed out this afternoon to test out a few additional models.

Despite our pre-entry pep talk, the girls skipped, bounced and ran from couch to couch, narrowing missing expensive lamps and plaster statues of frogs sitting atop ship wheels. They flung themselves over ottomans and laid on sofas with little sandals comfortably perched up on the arm. Threats were issued. Energy levels waned momentarily but eventually perked back up. It was only until we were really done in one store did our sales associate want to sit and chat at a group during which my older daughter almost fell asleep. To me, that's actually a sign of a really good couch!

Anyway...silly us moved on to another store where we were greeted by another vulture...er...sales associate. Funny enough, I really wanted some help. When he asked what we were looking for I said, "a sofa or sectional with a deep seat and high back." He replied, "Oh, okay. Well I don't want to be on top of you, so I'll let you folks walk around on your own." Gee thanks.

Twenty minutes later he found us to hand us a flier with some special deals on it, and was gone in like 15 seconds. That was it.

I ended up calling him later to ask the measurements on a few pieces of furniture and that conversation went something like this.

Him: "Which collection was it?"
Me: "Chamblee"
Him: "Chandler?"
Me: "No sir, Chamblee"
Him: "Can you spell it?
Me: "Sure. C. H. A. M..."
Him: "F?"
Me: "M as in Martha."
Him: "C. H. A. N..."
Me: "No, M as in Martha."

GOOD GRIEF!

This went on for a few more minutes as his first repeat back of the fully spelled word had an R and F in it. WTF?

When he came back to the phone with the measurements, his first question was, "When are you planning to purchase this?" *sigh*

So my question to world out there is what my loyalty obligation is here? To be honest, I think we are going to buy a few of the pieces from this collection. I don't particularly like this guy. I can't imagine dealing with him through a purchase process. I certainly wouldn't want to address any bumps in the road that may come along with ordering and having it delivered. I'm a patient girl, but I really thrive when dealing with competent people. This guy is falling a little short of my mark. Okay, a lot short. But can I be brazen enough to walk into the showroom tomorrow, and yes, he'll be working 9:00 - 9:00, and buy the furniture from another associate? I don't want to wait until a day he's off because their great financing deal ends tomorrow. I'm in a pickle!

A weekend sans the princesses

I must be well rested from our weekend "away" as it's 11:30, I have a super full day tomorrow and I'm still awake and typing. It either signifies enough sleep or an addiction to my laptop, which I missed dearly.

We stayed at the Marina Inn at Grand Dunes, a mere 7 or so miles from our home. This is the hotel I mentioned that gave us an incredible "neighbors" rate. And for letting them know it was our anniversary, they comped us some beautiful chocolates waiting for us, along with a handwritten note from the general manager, thanking us for choosing their hotel for our special occasion.

The hotel is located on the inter coastal waterway on the edge of a super exclusive, and gated, neighborhood that I will never even dream to live in. The "poor" people in that neighbor are sitting on about 3/4 of a million dollars of real estate. The rich ones closer to $6 million.

The lobby of the hotel is absolutely gorgeous. Trust me, I'm not easy to impress. I'm picky and critical, I admit that freely. This lobby was so beautiful.

They have a interesting check-in service. Instead of a front desk, there are two small desks at which customer service reps sit and invite you to sit with them. It's nice as it's quiet and more private, however the small downside is there is no set up to form a line. Because of that Mr. Ants-In-His-Trouser-Jeans-Who-Failed-To-Notice-Others committed a classic case of cutsies, but we let it slide.

Our room was in the Harbor Tower and was also, was very very nice. It had a lovely balcony facing the waterway, wine glasses, a mini-fridge and coffee maker, robes, down bedding...it was great. The bathroom was a shrine to marble. Oh and one more fun mention, nice touches such as valet parking and access to the gym and business centers (both open 24 hours) were included in the price. I appreciate not being nickeled and dimed, so to speak.

The hotel has a beautiful two-level pool and two hot tubs. Along side the pool was a bar that also served snacks like chicken fingers, nachos and wings. We partook in a few libations that evening before getting ready for dinner at Waterscapes, the hotel's restaurant.

Again, I'm a critical gal, but the atmosphere at Waterscapes was so nice. Our waitress was very attentive, engaging and knowledgeable about the menu. Before our food arrived, we were treated to a bite from the chef's selection, which was a shrimp salad with a pineapple salsa. So yummy!

Prior to our entrees, we got salads and honestly folks, they blew them away! They were imaginative! Mine was a wedge of Romaine lettuce with broiled (I believe) Parmesan cheese on top. The dressing was a creamy peppercorn, maybe? It was garnished with kalamatta olives. Delish! My hubby got a flatbread salad. It was a piece of grilled flatbread topped with prosciutto, goat cheese and a "slaw" of greens and a creamy dressing. After these two dishes, I was full...yet pushed forward.

Our entrees were next. Hubs got a grilled grouper sitting atop a fennel pollen and something else risotto. He said it was divine. It looked fantastic, but I'm not a fan of fennel so I didn't sample. I got a ginger shrimp over lo mein noodles. The sauce was spicier and sweeter than I imagined and I didn't end up liking the dish, though I'll definitely say it was prepared beautifully. The shrimp was perfectly cooked, as were the noodles and veggies. It was just my personal taste that got in the way. For dessert we got the chocolate creme brulee. ...to die for! We both really enjoyed our dinner.

The next morning we got room service for breakfast. It arrived quickly, hot and was great. We split some Bananas Foster French toast and an omelet with bacon, sausage, onions, peppers and cheese. It was pricey, but very very good!

That day we headed out to the hotel's beach cabana in their shuttle. For about five hours we sat on lounge chairs under an umbrella, reading, sleeping, chatting, breathing...it was beautiful! My only complaint was that the umbrellas were placed really close together, but as luck had it, no one spent quite as much time there as we did, so we ended up with a lot of quiet. We had lunch that afternoon at the beach cabana, and again, the food was quality. I was just disappointed that the "bar" didn't have liquor. A nice frozen pina colada with rum would've been a nice touch to that afternoon. But I can't say it's absence really dampened it much.

Here's were our only hitch began. We got some odd housekeeping on Saturday. Someone had been in our room, but didn't do a very good job. Our bed was sort of made. Our half-full glasses of now-separating OJ were left in the room. The room service tray was gone. Our bath mat was gone and our coffee supplies hadn't been replenished. We went down to the pool for another hour and a half, had some drinks (bless you, poolside bar!) and thought perhaps that they would come back while we were gone.

Upon returning, we showered and dressed for our anniversary dinner, and I called housekeeping. They promised to send someone up. When we returned, the glasses were gone, along with my opened, but unfinished, package of swedish fish, but still no bath mat or coffee. ??? I'm still baffled, but these things didn't really affect our stay. I'll mention them to the general manager, though.

That evening we ate at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. One word...amazing. Honestly this place never fails to dazzle me. I've been to three locations. Hubby has as well, different ones, though. How often can you go into any restaurant knowing, with 100% certainty, that you'll walk out feeling like you've had one spectacular meal? I can name only two with Ruth's Chris being one.

We had three servers and a host, who may have been the GM, I'm not sure, checking in on us regularly. They recognized our anniversary and made us feel quite special.

We started with the Osso Busco veal raviolis as an appetizer. Divine. So rich and flavorful. We then each got a filet topped with bleu cheese. I, personally, should have stuck with the petite filet as my eyes were bigger than my tummy. We also got a side of potatoes au gratin. As usual, everything was cooked and seasoned perfectly. If it had been socially acceptable to lick the plates after each course we would have. It hurt to finish my steak, but I just couldn't leave that last bite sitting there in butter uneaten. It's heaven.

For dessert we had the bread pudding in brandy sauce. In hindsight, we should have gone with the creme brulee again as it's just a tad lighter...regardless, we polished it off then rolled...er...strolled back to our room. Within half an hour hubby was asleep much like the scene after Thanksgiving dinner. To the staff at Ruth's Chris, you're beyond great! Our meals are always special when we dine there. Thank you! You do a stellar job!

Today we departed the hotel just a little earlier than planned as it was cloudy and hubby was sunburned from yesterday. No sense ending the weekend in pain from another day at the beach. Instead, we went furniture shopping. Of course I fell in love with a sectional at Ethan Allen which will probably end up around $6000. Let's just say I have some saving up to do! :-)

Happy Anniversary to my sweet darling husband. I love you dearly and I hope to be married to you another 11 years...and then 11 years after that...and another...and another...

After a full day's work, we have success! Who doesn't love a tax-free weekend?!

After spending in excess of 8 cumulative hours shopping personally and another 3 or so for my husband, I have a theory. We've all been swindled by this tax-free weekend business. The government suffers the loss to tax income while stores jack up the prices because they know we'll buy based on the guise that we're getting a deal in the absence of sales taxes. That's why I did all of my shopping last weekend when I paid full sales tax but got a deal, dammit! (...what a joke!)

This weekend we hit Gymboree for approximately $185, Haggar for $45, Brooks Brothers for $100, Belks for $145 and Nike for $30. We definitely fueled the American economy. And given the size of the crowds, many others did as well. 'Cause I'm proud to be an American, for at least I know I'm free... :-p

With all of this shopping came three pairs of tiny shoes. Two pairs of Mary Jane's and one pair of sneakers. In total, I'd estimate that we tried on no less than 30 pairs. I, personally, only tried on 2 and had to talk myself out of both. What finally ended up in a purchase was what I thought was a defunct trip to Belk. Their shoe section was in horrible disarray. I chose one pair of shoes that weren't even in a box. I thought what I saw out was what they had. The scene looked like a crime scene. Single shoes out of boxes laid strewn here and there. Boxes without lids littered the floor. Women rummaged through the piles like they were at a garage sale. I almost walked away before even looking. Little did I know...there were more in the back!

Like an angel from heaven, a kind, grandfathery-looking salesman asked if we needed help. I almost hesitated asking if he had any other sizes anywhere. We'd already been at this for a few hours and I was tired. I mustered up the energy, though, and hoarsely asked in, what must have sounded like, a desperate tone. Unbelievably he said they did.

We had that sweet older gent hold two pairs for us while we hit *one more store*, I later returned alone, while Grandma and the girls enjoyed a Strawberry Julius, to make the all-important purchase. Choirs of angels sang.

One last stop before collapsing at home was to the Nike store. Note to self - never ever leave this store as the last stop in a busy day. The aisles are narrow, there is next-to-nowhere to sit to try on shoes, it's crowded and the rap music is a *tad* too loud. It's overstimulating and hot. Yet, surprisingly, we were still able to crank out a quick purchase. The sneakers made my daughter run faster in her eyes, and as memory serves me correctly, that is the criteria for a good-fitting pair of new sneakers.

So we're home now. I've had several glasses of wine. One daughter just put in a mis-matched pair of pajamas. The other is happily playing in the tub with her Polly Pockets. I'm looking forward to hitting my bed in as little as 40 minutes with a cream puff or two, another glass of wine and perhaps a funny movie. I can't decide yet if I'll go with Wedding Crasher or Talladega Nights...but really, can you go wrong with either?

Buenas noches, mis amigos. Tax-free weekend has come to an expensive end for another year and I'm beyond fatigued. Damn shame I didn't need a wedding gown as they, too, were sans income tax. Hmmm...maybe I should have rethought our anniversary plans for next weekend and dreamt up something that involved a little white number by Vera Wang. ;-) Seriously, it would be dangerous if I ever decide to renew our vows. We had a beautiful wedding but were both 22. My wedding at 30something would be *quite* different.

Isshoes

I wrote an, almost, identical post to another blog at this time last year. I HATE SHOE SHOPPING! No, I'm not betraying my inherent right as a female to love such an event. It's just that my daughters have such narrow feet!

I've been to the Stride Rite store. They make ONE style in a narrow width. And wouldn't you know it, it's fugly. I have girly girls. They want something with a little pizazz. Not the solid colored more-basic-than-black pair that still doesn't quite fit them correctly.

As luck, and genetics, have it, I experience the same problem. My heels are exceptionally narrow. My mother has been through this same hell. The difference, though, is that when I got new shoes we left the store with little thirty little pads stuck strategically in them. One do-dad around the heel, some little sticky deals along the side... They shoe guy kept modifying until we got it *just* right. Today, you can't find those little modifiers anywhere!

I've got a store or two left to try. We'll hit there tomorrow. Unfortunately, I'm not terribly hopeful. Thankfully there is always http://www.zappos.com/ and their beautiful free return shipping. But still - ordering shoes online for children is risky business. It's just so more likely that any given pair won't work for a plethora of reasons than them actually fitting correctly.

Tonight I will sit back with a lovely glass of pinot noir and think about anything other than mary janes...unless the have a rockin' heel and come in patent leather.

On a positive note, we cleared Gymboree of most of their size 5 stock. :-) The first day of school outfit includes an adorable apple skirt. Could that be cuter?

[photo courtesy of www.gymboree.com]