I'm getting ready to go "on vacation". You don't really get a vacation when your main job is "mommy". Going "on vacation" really means, you have to worry about more stuff than you usually do- like how am I going to keep my little one quiet on the airplane, make sure he eats and sleeps well enough in a strange location, and is reasonably behaved? Will I have to get up on Ohio time in CA with my little star who will be three hours behind? If I have to get up at 4 am, will I be able to stay up late enough to have dinner with everyone? There IS a slight "vacation" thing about it: Daddy (if we are lucky) will take a bit less time working and a bit more time "daddying". And there is the possibility than the grandparents will spend a bit of time with my little star. Still, the term "vacation" is a bit up questionable. And yet, it is fun to go somewhere new. I hope we can take little star to the beach again. He so enjoyed that last time.
So I went shopping. Oh, yes, the big shopping trip to... Kmart. It was Kmart or Walmart in the land of centrally isolated OH. Walmart because they are showing green tendencies or Kmart because they (as far as I can tell) don't seem to have as big worker issues and try to force their way into places and put everything else out of business (or at least if they did, that is long past in my memory- and they did seem to be able to coexist with down towns). Also Walmart has such a big buying power that they are able to force their suppliers into lowering their costs so much that... well, I don't always think lowest cost is always best. Truth is, both stores have cheap stuff from... probably some place that doesn't pay their workers much in any case. Anyway, Kmart won out today.
I got my little star some swim trunks. The last pair I got him was at a large local consignment sale where it seems like that for everything I bought I later found that it had a problem that I had not seen. The plastic little workbench toy was missing a high proportion of the tools, but I couldn't tell that since it was all wrapped up when I bought it. The two part coat I bought had one of the snaps that holds the inner sleeve to the outer sleeve missing. It hadn't occurred to me to look when I bought it. The swim trunks... well somehow I didn't realize the elastic was shot- they just seemed big, which was OK, I bought them last year for this year. Now, I've been telling my little star, no swimming until he's potty trained, but he's getting more trustworthy with the potty, given that I tell him when to go, so I think I'd feel OK with him in a pool...just like I let him in his car seat with underwear. In any case, I think he'll want a bathing suit if we go to the beach or he plays in the kiddy pool in CA. It occurred to me that this might not be a great time to get a swimsuit in OH, but luckily there were some in the clearance section. I even managed to find one with fish and not disney. One reason I did not take my little star with me was that I was worried he would pick something that I would be embarrassed to be seen with him in it. I was, as expected, unable to find him fun underwear that was not disney or something like disney. I guess he'll just have to wear colors.
One of the things I thought I might consider was new shoes to replace the ones I love but are now... well after ten years, not respectable because part of the lip around the toe broke and disappeared. These are the best shoes ever because they were leather slip ons, and I could wear them walking (they had enough support) and in my garden... everywhere. My orthotics even fit into them. I have a similar looking shoe my sister gave me a few years ago, but its not as comfortable, and its sort of suede, meaning the garden does not do great things to them. My hiking boots lately have not been very comfortable- neither my heavy duty ones nor my light duty ones. This problem is perhaps because they are also ten years old. Anyway, Kmart only sells heavier shoes/hiking boots to men. And, in my town, apparently, famous shoes has the same issue. Obviously, not the best places for shoe shopping, but I wasn't really looking for a high quality shoe- just something to get by with in CA so I wouldn't need to bring lots of different shoes. So women don't need real shoes anymore? We don't do heavy walking, working outside, etc? What's up?
Have to go pick up little star. He left in a bit of a mood- I think the no- nap yesterday was a problem. I guess even half an hour is better than nothing.
So I went shopping. Oh, yes, the big shopping trip to... Kmart. It was Kmart or Walmart in the land of centrally isolated OH. Walmart because they are showing green tendencies or Kmart because they (as far as I can tell) don't seem to have as big worker issues and try to force their way into places and put everything else out of business (or at least if they did, that is long past in my memory- and they did seem to be able to coexist with down towns). Also Walmart has such a big buying power that they are able to force their suppliers into lowering their costs so much that... well, I don't always think lowest cost is always best. Truth is, both stores have cheap stuff from... probably some place that doesn't pay their workers much in any case. Anyway, Kmart won out today.
I got my little star some swim trunks. The last pair I got him was at a large local consignment sale where it seems like that for everything I bought I later found that it had a problem that I had not seen. The plastic little workbench toy was missing a high proportion of the tools, but I couldn't tell that since it was all wrapped up when I bought it. The two part coat I bought had one of the snaps that holds the inner sleeve to the outer sleeve missing. It hadn't occurred to me to look when I bought it. The swim trunks... well somehow I didn't realize the elastic was shot- they just seemed big, which was OK, I bought them last year for this year. Now, I've been telling my little star, no swimming until he's potty trained, but he's getting more trustworthy with the potty, given that I tell him when to go, so I think I'd feel OK with him in a pool...just like I let him in his car seat with underwear. In any case, I think he'll want a bathing suit if we go to the beach or he plays in the kiddy pool in CA. It occurred to me that this might not be a great time to get a swimsuit in OH, but luckily there were some in the clearance section. I even managed to find one with fish and not disney. One reason I did not take my little star with me was that I was worried he would pick something that I would be embarrassed to be seen with him in it. I was, as expected, unable to find him fun underwear that was not disney or something like disney. I guess he'll just have to wear colors.
One of the things I thought I might consider was new shoes to replace the ones I love but are now... well after ten years, not respectable because part of the lip around the toe broke and disappeared. These are the best shoes ever because they were leather slip ons, and I could wear them walking (they had enough support) and in my garden... everywhere. My orthotics even fit into them. I have a similar looking shoe my sister gave me a few years ago, but its not as comfortable, and its sort of suede, meaning the garden does not do great things to them. My hiking boots lately have not been very comfortable- neither my heavy duty ones nor my light duty ones. This problem is perhaps because they are also ten years old. Anyway, Kmart only sells heavier shoes/hiking boots to men. And, in my town, apparently, famous shoes has the same issue. Obviously, not the best places for shoe shopping, but I wasn't really looking for a high quality shoe- just something to get by with in CA so I wouldn't need to bring lots of different shoes. So women don't need real shoes anymore? We don't do heavy walking, working outside, etc? What's up?
Have to go pick up little star. He left in a bit of a mood- I think the no- nap yesterday was a problem. I guess even half an hour is better than nothing.
No comments:
Post a Comment