When I was younger, even at 18, stores were closed on the holidays. Any year on Thanksgiving, when traveling to a relative's house, there would be hardly any cars on the road, and shopping centers resembled ghost towns. It was a serene feeling. There was that part of my brain - the part that romanticizes - that pictured every family circled around their tables, laughing and talking over turkey and gravy.
Fast forward to November 29, 2013. This year more and more stores stayed open on Thanksgiving (my mom worked yesterday and wasn't able to join us), and the yearly Black Friday sale moved from 6am on Friday (as it was when I was young) to as early as 6pm last night. I got curious; the kids and I hopped into the minivan and drove to the local Walmart and a local shopping center. It. Was. RIDICULOUS! There was a heavy police presence at Walmart, and people were parking in nearby parking lots because there was no more space. At the shopping center people were lined up in the cold out side of Target.
Today, I've viewed dozens of videos of the brew haha that is Black Friday. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! People were fist fighting, screaming at each other, trampling people to get to a sale. What happened to spending time with your family? Do these people not realize that if you encourage stores to stay open others will follow suit and we'll ALL eventually be working on the holidays? Hmmmm, I wonder how many of you just read that and thought "I didn't think of it that way." I am a stickler for tradition and believe that everyone (obviously first responders don't have the same choice) should be with their families, NOT out shopping for a discount. I mean, did any of those people who shoved others down and injured people (anyone remember the child who was trampled to death?) really need a new TV, an iPad, or whatever?
Can we, as a society, agree to respect traditions, holidays, and common courtesy? Okay, I'm into deals and bargains, but how about everyone realize these sales are NOT what they seem. How many times have you heard stories of people standing in the cold for hours only to find whatever it was they came for was no longer there? They only have a limited supply of these bargain deals! It's a ploy to get you into the store to spend more money when you would normally be hunkered down in front of the football game moaning in agony from an overstuffed belly!
Am I being old fashioned? Maybe I'm becoming that old curmudgeon! I don't know...either way, you'll never catch me shoving someone to the ground to save money on something I would never buy anyway!
Showing posts with label shopping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shopping. Show all posts
Friday, November 29, 2013
Friday, November 15, 2013
Day 5 - Shopping and a MAJOR Aha Moment!
Confession - I don't like people. Not like it sounds, I just don't like to be in crowds, especially when shopping. I do not like people in my bubble, nor do I like to be touched. This has been something I've dealt with my whole life. Don't get me wrong, I like to go out and see friends and such, but I can't stand being bumped into in crowds, when people stand too close to me, or - huge pet peeve - when people bump into me with their shopping carts!
Today, because it was unavoidable, I had to go to the grocery store. We were way short on everything important, especially perishables and fresh fruits and vegetables. After putting on some makeup to perk myself up before the dreaded trip, I headed out to run a couple errands then off to the grocery store. This week has been such an eye opener for me, so I decided to try my new attitude change at the store.
Here's the story: As soon as I stepped out of the car I made sure there was a grin on my face. The first person I saw was an older man just inside the door; I smiled at him...and he smiled back. Cool. Okay. Just a fluke. As I continued through the store there were two ladies in the produce department, talking about Parsnips. Yeah, I know, strange topic. Anyway, they were talking back and forth about whether they're good or not, so, I chimed in and told them they were similar to a spicy carrot and smelled awesome. We chit chatted for a couple of seconds and separated to go about our shopping. Huh. Well then. Okay, so down more aisles. This pattern kept repeating itself, with each person I made eye contact with smiling at me, making small comments; I even received a compliment on my hair.
When I was done I went and stood in line behind three guys who looked like they were on a lunch break or something. They glanced at my overflowing cart and joked about how if I'd pay for their groceries, they'd pay for mine. "Deal!" lol Yeah, obviously that didn't happen. My order was over $200 so they had to call a manager over. There was an elderly couple behind me with a small amount of things. I thought "Okay, here we go. They're going to get huffy and invade my personal space or push their cart too close to me." Nope. They smiled, struck up a conversation about feeding a large family and waited patiently. That never happens...like, ever! Once everything was rang up, approved by the manager and ready to be bagged the manager actually brought a second cart over and helped me pull the second one to the bagging table. She joked about having so much, and offered to help me out to the car when I was done. I told her no thank you and proceeded to bag.
As I was pushing the cart out of the store the elderly woman who was behind me smiled big and joked about my cartful, and two register ladies offered to help me out and went back to make sure I didn't forget anything. This was the best and easiest shopping trip I've ever been on. I smiled and changed my attitude about being there and about the people around me and they reacted in kind. Wow.
Had I known I could make my own life easier by changing my attitude about how I react to things I find uncomfortable I would have done this YEARS ago!!!
Today, because it was unavoidable, I had to go to the grocery store. We were way short on everything important, especially perishables and fresh fruits and vegetables. After putting on some makeup to perk myself up before the dreaded trip, I headed out to run a couple errands then off to the grocery store. This week has been such an eye opener for me, so I decided to try my new attitude change at the store.
Here's the story: As soon as I stepped out of the car I made sure there was a grin on my face. The first person I saw was an older man just inside the door; I smiled at him...and he smiled back. Cool. Okay. Just a fluke. As I continued through the store there were two ladies in the produce department, talking about Parsnips. Yeah, I know, strange topic. Anyway, they were talking back and forth about whether they're good or not, so, I chimed in and told them they were similar to a spicy carrot and smelled awesome. We chit chatted for a couple of seconds and separated to go about our shopping. Huh. Well then. Okay, so down more aisles. This pattern kept repeating itself, with each person I made eye contact with smiling at me, making small comments; I even received a compliment on my hair.
When I was done I went and stood in line behind three guys who looked like they were on a lunch break or something. They glanced at my overflowing cart and joked about how if I'd pay for their groceries, they'd pay for mine. "Deal!" lol Yeah, obviously that didn't happen. My order was over $200 so they had to call a manager over. There was an elderly couple behind me with a small amount of things. I thought "Okay, here we go. They're going to get huffy and invade my personal space or push their cart too close to me." Nope. They smiled, struck up a conversation about feeding a large family and waited patiently. That never happens...like, ever! Once everything was rang up, approved by the manager and ready to be bagged the manager actually brought a second cart over and helped me pull the second one to the bagging table. She joked about having so much, and offered to help me out to the car when I was done. I told her no thank you and proceeded to bag.
As I was pushing the cart out of the store the elderly woman who was behind me smiled big and joked about my cartful, and two register ladies offered to help me out and went back to make sure I didn't forget anything. This was the best and easiest shopping trip I've ever been on. I smiled and changed my attitude about being there and about the people around me and they reacted in kind. Wow.
Had I known I could make my own life easier by changing my attitude about how I react to things I find uncomfortable I would have done this YEARS ago!!!
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Day 2 - Why did I decide to do this again?
Day 2 started out fine. Got up, got the kids fed and off to school, then went about doing dishes and other housework. Because I've decided to take on the traditional role I went about with my feather duster making sure there wasn't a speck of dust anywhere, fluffing pillows, refolding sofa throws.
I didn't want to listen to the same ten songs again, so I turned on some Christmas music and danced along as I cleaned. What a great mood, what a great day! Ha! That is until I decided to clean my daughter's room. Let me give you a little background here; my daughter is fourteen but only has the mentality of a six or seven year old. When I tell her to clean her room that means she shoves as much as she can under her bed, in her closet, under her dressers, etc.
On with the story. As of last night there wasn't a single sock left in the laundry room - all laundry was caught up. Again...HA! After cleaning the darling daughter's room I ended up with FIVE HAMPERS full of dirty clothes from all over her room. That doesn't even include the summer clothes she hid that I still have to pack away, nor the trash I pulled out of some very interesting places.
Nonetheless, I'm Mommy Dearest this week. Wait, maybe that's not someone I should claim to be.
Whatever. I stretched a smile on my face, no matter how much it hurt to do so, and finished the room, and am now waiting for yet another load to finish washing and drying so I can put the clothes away. *sigh*
I ended up using the good old coffee maker instead of another failure with the percolator. I didn't sleep much and caffeine was much needed today. My knees are killing me, my feet are throbbing, my back aches...I can't imagine doing all this without my washer, dryer, vacuum cleaner, Swiffer duster. Oh, yes. My darling Swiffer duster.
I don't like using paper products (um, other than toilet paper, of course) so I make my own Swiffer covers. How appropriate that this pad has dog prints all over it. Do you realize how much hair I've cleaned up in the last few days? I mean, I always clean my house, but a good 50s housewife always made sure her home was spotless. I have no idea how they did that with toddlers at home, but I digress.
It was time to go to the grocery store. I made a promise to myself to stay as genuine as possible, and women in that day and age too pride in how they looked when they were in public, so it was off to slip this bad girl on:
You would think something so simple would be comfortable. You would think wrong. I don't know if my waist is lower than the original owner of this dress (this is an actual vintage dress), but I couldn't raise my arms and, with a belt, it was too snug. Anyway, here I go...
I assumed I would get looks...and I assumed correctly. Oh, you think I'm bluffing?
Yep, that's me picking out some bacon to go with my homemade potato soup. I opted for my usual purse instead of the pearl covered vintage hand bag. Really didn't want to have to hold on to it all night. Notice the cool updo? It was really easy, in case you're wondering. Pull your hair into a ponytail (I pulled my hair into a low pony), then separate the hair just above the rubber band and thread the whole ponytail. Just do that over and over again until there's just a little hair left and bobby pin what's left.
Anyway, as I was saying....everyone stared and the girls at the pharmacy started cracking up the second I walked in. They know me fairly well (I'm in there several times a month) so I let them off the hook. Once I got home, though, I stripped off the dress and changed into something more comfortable, yet a little more appealing to the husband's eyes than a grubby t-shirt.
Cute fitted, lower cut shirt, jeans, and flats. I even donned some pink pearls to go with it. After changing, it was time to make dinner like the good wife/mom I am. What housewife would be caught dead cooking without a precious apron.
Seriously, how cute is that baby! It's a vintage apron/pinny I found on Ebay sometime last year. I'm actually peeling potatoes in this pic. I know, I rock! lol
All in all, today was a little better than yesterday, especially since I realized I was going about it all the wrong way. Instead of focusing on the perfection we think of/romanticize about when we think of the 1950s housewife, I chose to focus on the importance of making my family happy, healthy, and comfortable.
On with the story. As of last night there wasn't a single sock left in the laundry room - all laundry was caught up. Again...HA! After cleaning the darling daughter's room I ended up with FIVE HAMPERS full of dirty clothes from all over her room. That doesn't even include the summer clothes she hid that I still have to pack away, nor the trash I pulled out of some very interesting places.
Nonetheless, I'm Mommy Dearest this week. Wait, maybe that's not someone I should claim to be.
I ended up using the good old coffee maker instead of another failure with the percolator. I didn't sleep much and caffeine was much needed today. My knees are killing me, my feet are throbbing, my back aches...I can't imagine doing all this without my washer, dryer, vacuum cleaner, Swiffer duster. Oh, yes. My darling Swiffer duster.
I don't like using paper products (um, other than toilet paper, of course) so I make my own Swiffer covers. How appropriate that this pad has dog prints all over it. Do you realize how much hair I've cleaned up in the last few days? I mean, I always clean my house, but a good 50s housewife always made sure her home was spotless. I have no idea how they did that with toddlers at home, but I digress.
It was time to go to the grocery store. I made a promise to myself to stay as genuine as possible, and women in that day and age too pride in how they looked when they were in public, so it was off to slip this bad girl on:
Anyway, as I was saying....everyone stared and the girls at the pharmacy started cracking up the second I walked in. They know me fairly well (I'm in there several times a month) so I let them off the hook. Once I got home, though, I stripped off the dress and changed into something more comfortable, yet a little more appealing to the husband's eyes than a grubby t-shirt.
All in all, today was a little better than yesterday, especially since I realized I was going about it all the wrong way. Instead of focusing on the perfection we think of/romanticize about when we think of the 1950s housewife, I chose to focus on the importance of making my family happy, healthy, and comfortable.
Monday, January 7, 2013
Finally getting into a routine!
Today is Monday, and I'm finally getting into a good routine now that the kids are back in school. Thursday and Friday I made sure to put on makeup, styled my hair, and wore decent clothes. I refuse to wear junkie clothes into public ever again. A shopping trip yesterday confirmed my feeling of that. Everyone seemed to be wearing sweats, pajamas, or really low cut and saggy pants. It was almost as if they had given up. I, on the other hand, felt like I was walking a little taller. I didn't have anything more than mascara and lipstick, and my hair was twisted into a bun, but I looked pulled together. I had planned on posting pics of my look this weekend but I just acquired a new phone and haven't had all of my pics transferred over yet.
On to another part of my new routine. I've always made my bed when the family left in the morning (husband is still stirring in bed when I climb out), but I've added more to my ritual. Every morning, once I've made my bed, applied my makeup, and done my hair I collect the laundry throughout the house and get a load going. This has kept me from being swamped by the ever breeding dirty clothes. I also make sure to do all the dinner dishes and shine my sink per the Flying Lady's method before I go to bed. When I wake up there is no mess to get in my way while I make my morning coffee. If I didn't fix husband's lunch while making dinner I make it while the kids are getting ready for school. I'm getting ready to add to my routine, and I'm really feeling confidant and motivated!
On a side note, I went shopping today. I bought a couple of vintage items to add to my collection and can't wait to wear them! There's only a couple of dresses, a handbag, some scarves, etc, but they make me feel like such a lady.
Okay, that's it for today. Have a great day!!!
On to another part of my new routine. I've always made my bed when the family left in the morning (husband is still stirring in bed when I climb out), but I've added more to my ritual. Every morning, once I've made my bed, applied my makeup, and done my hair I collect the laundry throughout the house and get a load going. This has kept me from being swamped by the ever breeding dirty clothes. I also make sure to do all the dinner dishes and shine my sink per the Flying Lady's method before I go to bed. When I wake up there is no mess to get in my way while I make my morning coffee. If I didn't fix husband's lunch while making dinner I make it while the kids are getting ready for school. I'm getting ready to add to my routine, and I'm really feeling confidant and motivated!
On a side note, I went shopping today. I bought a couple of vintage items to add to my collection and can't wait to wear them! There's only a couple of dresses, a handbag, some scarves, etc, but they make me feel like such a lady.
Okay, that's it for today. Have a great day!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)