confessions of a shopping momma

As a mom I'm always on the lookout for great deals, whether it be groceries, household items or clothing. But while shopping for clothing or just simply browsing, I find that I naturally gravitate towards anything kiddie related before looking for anything for myself. Since I spent most of March at home, only really venturing outside to grocery shop and do school taxi runs, I felt like I deserved a little bit of retail therapy.

It's funny how having kids really changes the way you shop for yourself. When I look for a purse I make sure there's lots of compartments for sippy cups, diapers, wipes, changes of clothes and snacks. When I try on shoes not only do they need to be comfy , but I have to be able to run after a small child in them. Jeans need to have a rise high enough that when I crouch down to tie my little ones' shoes I'm not giving anyone a free show with a view of a plumber's crack :0

So how did I fare on my little shopping spree? Pretty good! I bought a purse that fits all the necessities for my munchkins, jeans that cover everything they should and even some goodies for the kiddos. So here's a little something I want to say to all you mommies out there...treat yourself every now and then. You all definitely deserve it! I bet your kids and hubbies would agree ;)

are you finished yet?

With Christmas right around the corner, it's been a crazy few weeks! The kids have 1 more week of school before they go on Christmas break, so I've been trying to get all the Christmas shopping done...it's much easier to take just the mini papercut along than drag all 3 kiddos through a toy store! I had made a mental note back in September that I wanted to have all of the presents wrapped and under the tree by the first week of December, in anticipation of how hectic things would be around here with a new baby. And I have to say, although I had not kept to schedule, things seemed to be running smoothly ( I was able to purchase almost all of the kids' presents, we have roughly 20 kids to buy for :o, in 1 day with my 2 youngest in tow!), but I've now found myself with only a few days to buy all the other gifts! Factor in a few doctor's appointments, baby eczema, hives and sleep deprivation, and you've got a recipe for disaster!

So over the last week the mini papercut has not been sleeping at night AT ALL!!!! Yes, that's right. I've been functioning on roughly 4 hours of sleep over the past 3 days...that's 4 hours TOTAL! My ability to focus on the task of shopping for others is extremely blurred at the moment, and yes, I know I'm supposed to sleep when she does, but realistically if she's sleeping while I'm at the grocery store and running errands I can't just pull the car over and take a nap. So I soldier through the weariness in an effort to finish up all the Christmas shopping, not to mention the continuous pile of laundry, meals to be made and attemps to keep a relatively clean house, or at least the illusion that we have one;) All of this only to have my husband ask me at the end of the day, "Aren't you finished the Christmas shopping yet?"