My project for today was shopping. It may not sound like much of a task, but when you have to tote around a toddler and a large pregnant belly it’s a difficult task. My mom had a 20% off coupon at Kohl’s and knew there were some items at the store I liked and she offered to bundle them with what she wanted if I agreed to pay her back in installments. It sounded like a pretty good deal so I went with her. She was running late so I took the opportunity to stop at Wal-Mart and return some plastic travel bottles that my husband ended up not needing. It took me longer to get past the greeter than it did to get my measly $6 back from customer service. Fifteen minutes compared to less than one. I think they need a better system. I did however find a spool of navy blue thread for $.99 and a somewhat nice maternity top in clearance for $5 (mom had to convince me to buy it; there goes my $6!).
Anyway once at Kohl’s there was a grey 1X babydoll sweater from Apt. 9 that I liked, but it still wasn’t on sale so that got crossed off. It was long enough to cover my pregnant belly for the fall and winter, but the price was still too high. It was a bit frustrating because the average size sweater of the same style was on sale ($24 compared to $45). My other option was a XL black on black floral pattern tiered topper coat that hit just below the hip. It wasn’t lined, but with a sweater or overcoat it could keep me plenty warm and my preggo belly covered. Problem was that two weeks ago when I saw the jacket it was 50% off the original price of $84 (yikes!). Yesterday, it was only 30% off and even with the extra 20% it would end up more expensive than I was willing to pay, so that got marked off.
Third on my list was a pair of shoes. Technically I need pairs of shoes – at least one for casual wear, one for dressy outfits (one pair black, one pair brown would be ideal) and probably one walking shoe. Why so many at once? None of my shoes fit me correctly anymore. I’ve gone from a size 6 1/2 to a size 7. I noticed they were snug after my first pregnancy, but I’ve endured 3 years with them. Now they are all just downright uncomfortable. You know that a pair of uncomfortable shoes will ruin your whole day. I didn’t find anything. The shoes not only had to look nice, but be comfortable. No more sacrificing comfort for style. I don’t think I ever had days like that like most women do. I’m more of a practical girl. I don’t want to look like a woodsman in a dress though either.
After scouring one Kohl’s I was in no mood for anymore shopping, but we pressed on. My mom had a sweater that she wanted to exchange. At the first Kohl’s she found a black one in her size, but she didn’t want it because the color made it look worn. It’s called New Black. I guess that’s shorter than having to call it washed-a-few-hundred-times-to-look-old-black. She found a pair of shoes that she liked, A2 by Aerosoles was the brand I think. They were the wrong size. At the second Kohl’s they didn’t have the size or color sweater that she wanted so she just decided to return the sweater. I was beat so when mom suggested we seek out the shoe section so she could find those shoes I protested, or my hip protested and we moved on.
We would have gone to a third Kohl’s but we didn’t have enough gas to make the round trip there and make it home so we just opted to go to the Macy’s at the mall across the street. She tried on a pair of Sofft shoes that she saw in their sale flyer. Again, a 20% off coupon that expired yesterday. A nice older woman offered us an extra coupon when we entered the store. The footbed on the shoes was soft, but even for her narrow feet they killed across the top. We then went about looking through the petites and misses section for a sweater similar to the one she returned at Kohl’s and found nothing. So, now both of us defeated, tired and empty handed we left the store. I felt bad that I hadn’t let mom go to the shoe section at Kohl’s but before I could suggest going back since we’d be passing the store again she brought it up. Yeyda and I stayed in the car. She snacked and I snoozed for a bit. Lo and behold mom found the shoe in the right color and the right size. It was on sale plus she got her extra 20% off. The day wasn’t a total bust.
Firstly, I’m a mom and wife. Professionally, IT consulting is my job and blogging is the outlet for my passions. I write about things that affect the everyday life of a stay-at-home parent or any parent for that matter such as parenting, relationships, discipline, the media, product reviews, giveaways, social media, food, cooking, gardening and anything else that might come my way.
