Since when do I dislike clothes shopping?

I had to go to the mall today for new shirts since I'm down to literally three I can actually wear in public. (I'm talking everyday wear here.) I've needed to replenish my shirt wardrobe for a while, but I've put it off again and again and again.

I'm a girl. I'm supposed to love perusing the mall and trying on various styles and colors and whatnot.

But I don't.

I don't want drive in circles vying for a parking space. I don't want to spend money. I don't want to stand in line. I don't want to try on clothes in a semi-private, pin-laced changing room. I don't want to look past the ugly clothes (most everything these days) while trying to find the things that normal women actually wear.

It's no fun. At. All.

But this morning, I put my big girl panties on, got in the car and forced myself to drive the five miles to the mall.

First stop? H&M. Found three shirts and was out of there in less than 10 minutes.

Second stop? New York & Co. I don't actually like the quality of their clothes, but when you're going for inexpensive, a girl has to do what a girl has to do. I found another shirt, plus the elusive skin-colored tank top I've spent weeks searching for. Thank goodness! That key piece of Lycra will enable me to wear a sheer shirt I've had for years and never worn.

So another 10 minutes in NY&Co. and I flew out of that hole of financial and mental destruction as fast as I could.

*great shiver of horror*

Honestly, why? Why this crazy abhorrence of shopping malls?

Okay, so I've just spent several minutes staring out the window into the bushes that line our back fence. (I really ought to put some flowers out there.) And here's what I think...

1. I'd rather be reading.
2. Or writing. Or sleeping. Or doing dishes. Or scrubbing grout. (Okay, okay. I know I'm getting carried away.)
3. Our financial status of the past several years has caused me to develop a hatred of spending money. Especially on myself.
4. Crowds make me nuts. As do the saccharine employees. And quadruple that emotion for the kiosk employees that accost unwilling shoppers with samples of hand goo, electric cigarettes, flying apparatus and hermit crabs. (Hopefully those last two are not one in the same. Although that would make me laugh! In fact, I just did laugh out loud and Scott's calling down the stairs to see what's so funny. Hhmm... I might have to put that scenario in one of my books someday!)

Oh, hey! Scott's gonna take me to lunch! That'll get me to stop thinking mall insanity.

Bu-Bye for now, Delicious Readers!

Wahahahahahaha! I so rock!

Wanna know what I paid for all this at Walgreen's tonight?????

A grand total of...

53 cents!!!!!

Here's how I did it...

2 jars of Ragu: $1 off 2 coupon from the Sunday paper a couple weeks ago. Walgreen's coupon for 2 jars for $3. FINAL: $1 each

Mitchum: 75 cent off coupon from the Sunday paper a couple weeks ago. Walgreen's coupon for 1 deodorant for $1.99. FINAL: $1.24

4 boxes of Kellogg's: Used two $1.50/off two coupon from www.coupons.com. Walgreen's coupon for $1.99/box. FINAL: $1.25/box.

Kotex: $3.99, but I used the Catalina coupon (the ones that spit out from the machines after you make a purchase) I received from Walgreen's two weeks ago for a free box. FINAL: FREE!

Then I had a coupon for $3 off a $10 purchase that brought the total down to pennies!!

I love it! (And I happen to love Froot Loops, too, so don't judge me for buying sugared cereal! *sheepish grin*)

One single glass of wine

A couple weeks ago, I made Monster Chicken for dinner. (The recipe is on the Delicious Recipes link just under the Delicious as Pie banner. You should try it. It's divine!)

The recipe calls for 1/3 cup of white wine.

Now I don't drink wine. Or any alcohol for that matter. I never learned to care for it and frankly, never cared enough to try.

Having said that...  There is the extraordinarily odd day that I will have a glass of wine. Mostly because it's been a horrendous day and my children have given me a free ride to Insanity-ville.

The day I made Monster Chicken was one of those days. I thought it serendipitous since I just happened to be cooking with wine. So I washed the dust out of one the two wine glasses I unpacked (for my parents to use when they're visiting), filled it with ice and poured in the remainder of the tiny bottle of wine I'd opened for the recipe.

When Emma noticed my glass a few minutes later, her jaw dropped to the floor. "Why are you drinking wine, Mom? You don't drink wine!"

"Sometimes, Honey, children make moms crazy and we just need a little help in staying calm."

Fast forward to this past Wednesday. Music lesson day. I sit in an uncomfortable waiting area while Hayley and Emma take back-to-back lessons.

Two little girls, maybe three years old or so, played while their moms chatted. Their lessons had already ended, but the moms were letting the girls play together for a bit. In the tiny waiting room.

The girls pounded on a table with xylophone mallets for a good 10 minutes straight. Then they proceeded to yelp like dogs. Very high pitched dogs. One of the girls wanted the front door closed, but it was so warm in the room that I needed it open. She would close it. I would open it. She would close it. I would open it. And so on.

I am a very patient person, but I was starting to lose it. I took a sip of my Starbucks mocha and commented to Emma that the owner of the studio really ought to put in a coffee shop right next door.

She agreed. And then said...

"And she should put in a wine place on the other side."

"What? A wine place?" I was incredulous. What on earth was she talking about?

"Yeah, for times like this when kids drive moms crazy."

Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

One single, flipping glass of wine and all of a sudden, we need a wine bar!

"It's all about the Cheddar" or "Birthday Mania!"

You *must must must* take two minutes to watch this video. I promise you, Emma's giggles are totally worth it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBV7iyStDN0

And just so you don't think we're totally random (which we are), Emma is obsessed with cheddar cheese. Going on three years now of cheddar, cheddar, cheddar.

A cheese hat, a cheese key ring and best (and funniest) of all... a cheese wedge hair band!

It also makes a fantastic Barbie cheese hat, just in case Barbie wants to go to a Green Bay Packers football game. LOL!

And here are some other awesome photos of the day!

Opening presents...

Hayley made Em a mini-poster that says

"If it's not Cheddar, it's not worth it!"

And waiting for cake....

Grandma and Grandad join in the celebration via Skype!

There was one more gift that Scott and I gave to Emma. And no, it was not cheese-related.

It was her very own cell phone!

She was so excited that she fell silent in awe! Good thing we saved that one for last 'cause we lost her attention to the cell phone. And so it begins... LOL

Hop hop hop to another blog hop...

... all in efforts to increase my following and (hopefully) regular readers.

Follow Me Back Tuesday is another day of the week that you can gain more followers and find other great blogs to follow on a weekly basis. Follow Me Back Tuesday is hosted bySurvey Junkie, Little Yaya's, Review Retreat and Boobies, Babies & A Blog.

Each week we will choose a random number every week from the blogs linked and add the random blog to the #5 spot to link to the following week (must follow 4 hostesses to be chosen)

This weeks guest host for the #5 spot is Nicole from - Mama to 3 Blessings http://mamato3blessings.blogspot.com/

How it Works

1. Follow the 5 hosts, #1 – 5,  ( leave us a comment & we will follow you back- only leave a comment if you follow please ).
2. Create a blog post about FMBT (you may copy this post if you wish).
3. Follow as many blogs as you would like ( Leave a comment so they can follow you back).
4. When you receive a comment from a new follower  return the favor & follow them back.

***Please link directly to your Follow Me Back Tuesday Post. Links that lead directly to your personal blog hop will not be accepted and will be deleted.***