So as mentioned in the two previous blogs (go ahead and start at Mega Blocks and work your way up if you want to read this in order) I had not-so- mega blocks to return at the mall, and finally had my pictures for my “holiday cards” in my hands.

So after my stop at Walgreens to acquire the pictures, we traveled off to the mall. I knew Brucie would fall asleep, but he generally sleeps through stores if he is in a sling, a backpack or a stroller, and since my handy dandy umbrella stroller lives in the trunk, I figure he’ll nap- I’ll return, mail and SHOP the sales. ha ha!

I get to the mall and score an AWESOME parking spot. Brucie is sleeping, so I proceed to insert, with sticky photo-mounting tape my cutey pics of Brucie into their cards- horizontal or vertical as called for. 20+ some odd cards. Then I seal the envelopes, address the last one, make sure they all have stamps and return address stickers, and that the homemade envelopes I made with my cool envelope maker get stickered down properly so that the card actually arrives in the mail and not just the envelope.
Now to go into the mall and mail these so-called- “Holiday cards” and finish that saga.

Humming merily, I pop the trunk and go back and reach in… and NOOOOOOOOO. The umbrella Stroller is on the porch. Which I had to walk through to get to the car and my pregnant little brain never noticed passing the stroller which I imagined to still be in the car trunk.

grump grump grump.

But I want to mail these stinkin cards. AND I found the KB receipt and brought the not-so-mega blocks.

and, selfishly, I want to spend some Visa gift card money from my folks on a pair of maternity cords.

So I pull the ultimate in bad mommy, and wake my little angel by taking him out of his car seat and having no carrier but my hip to get him through the mall. SIGH.

He’s awake enough by the time I gleefully mail my “holiday cards” at the mall post office, so we go into KB to return the fake mega blocks.

long line. annoying child banging on a loud keyboard. lots of annoying toys being test driven. A sad cranky toddler in my arms because he doesn’t want to be put down. One cashier. not fun.

Finally, 2 cashiers, an easy return and we’re into the mall. Brucie is now really awake, and is able to walk next to me and we wander into the maternity store. Which he tries to escape from, a few minutes later causing me to throw the maternity cords I want to try on to the floor to chase him into the hallway, which he thinks is an AWESOME game.

He does NOT think, that looking for cute tops to try on is an awesome game.

We try on the cords, cause they are on sale, and you can’t return sale items to the Motherhood Maternity store, which is odd, but Whatever. Trying on clothes with a cranky toddler means nursing him alot in between each item and trying to distract him with the “cute baby in the mirror” routine, or the fake strap on belly they keep in there so you can see how the shirt will fit when you actually have a belly- which is not a problem for me because I have POPPED and am looking mighty pregnant.

Having found which pair of awesome  on sale cords fits me and given up on the cute top (not on sale enough anyway) we exit the store.

And stupidly whiz around a few kiddie stores to try out their sales. nada in the boys sections of gymboree or gap kids. Silly people don’t understand real sale prices…..

At the Children’s place I resist cute sweaters and things that do not meet my sale price requirements, but do find a cute pair of footy pj’s to replace the ones he just outgrew for $6.99 which is ok.

We venture out again and Brucie zooms around the hallway screeching for joy about being chased since “come back Bruce Wayne” doesn’t seem to yield me the results I’m hoping for.

The sales are woefully inadequate, so we pack it in and will have to explore still more stores for the mega-mega blocks. sigh.

Home we go to make yummy kielbasa harvest dinner (recipe posted somewhere below also, mmmm)