I've Had ENOUGH!

Nicholas celebrated his second Halloween yesterday. He was only two months old for his first one. We dressed him as a lobster and carried him around to our neighbors last year. Andy stayed at the house, and the girls, Nicholas and I went trick-or-treating.

This year, it was just Nicholas and me. The girls were with their mom, and Andy was on an airplane somewhere, trying to get home to us.

Nick was a lion this year and a darn cute one at that! He helped me pass out candy, and once again, we visited our neighbors. They kept offering candy, but Nick has yet to enjoy the bliss that chocolate can bring! Well, for some.....chocolate doesn't do anything for me. So, we passed....

Went all out with the decorations this year. We had webbing, multiple carved pumpkins, fake spiders, howling things in the trees....it was too fun! Only scared one kid, but my brave boy wasn't afraid! He liked to set off the chattering heads and stick his finger in their plastic mouths.

But, by 7:00 p.m., he had ENOUGH of the whole Halloween gig. So, I changed him into his soft, warm jammies and got his bedtime bottle ready. One more pair of boys rang the bell, and with that, Trick-or-Treating 2007 was over.

Nicholas and I snuggled on the couch while he drank his bottle and immediately passed out. My little lion was obviously quite tired....which was GOOD, because Mommy forgot to turn off the howling things in the trees.....they went off all night, and they were right below Nicholas's bedroom window! I didn't discover my boo-boo until I heard them going off in the background of his baby monitor....whoops! Let's hope my neighbors still speak to me.....

I hope everyone had a Happy and SAFE Halloween!

Do I LOOK Like a Shoplifter....?

Sunday night, I was flying solo with Nicholas and decided we'd go do a little shopping. A new super Wal-Mart opened near us, and I figured we'd check it out. I don't typically shop at Wal-Mart. I'm more of a Target girl and spend scary amounts of money there, but the W-M is closer to the house, and I wanted to check out their Halloween decorations.

Mr. Nick and I had a good shopping experience. We found some light-up pumpkins and other fun holiday stuff. I let Nick pick out a stuffed animal. He had been SUCH a good boy on the ride home from Columbus and while I ran errands. He liked this little, soft dog that barked when you squeezed it, and it was only about $7.....so, I got it for him. Grabbed some dinner items and other "stuff" and checked out. Paid, loaded our bags and headed for the door.

So, they have these greeters, right? I just thought they were there to say, "hello, welcome to Wal-Mart" as you walked in. Well.....when did Wal-Mart become Costco and want to check your receipt before you could leave????

The greeter [who was this small, older man and never cracked a smile] stopped me and asked to see my receipt as I was walking by.

Uhhhhh.....what????

I gave him this odd look and pulled it out of a bag. He stood there looking over it, and I noticed one or two people pass by with their carts and bags. Why wasn't he stopping THEM? So, I ASKED.

"Sooo....do you stop everyone?"

"No." Pause. Then he mentioned something about an "item" being outside the bags, and THAT is why he stopped me.

Well, that item was the $7 stuffed dog. I had pulled it from the bag as we headed for the door and given it to Nick. And for THAT, I get stopped and treated like I'm shoplifting....?

Come on, Wal-Mart. First off, I haven't stolen anything from a store since I was about five....not that you can tell that from looking at me......BUT I am relatively clean cut, and I'm in my late 30s and a mother with a toddler. I don't look like I need to steal, because I can't afford to buy something, and I'm certainly not a teen looking for a rush or thrill. Plus, if I were going to steal something, then do you really think I would run the risk of legal action over a stupid $7 stuffed animal??? The light-up pumpkin cost more! Heck, the raw chicken I bought cost more!

On top of that, the "greeter" wasn't all that friendly or nice about stopping me, because he felt the need to confirm the purchase of that stupid stuffed dog. And he had to MARK my receipt with his little highlighter. Are you KIDDING me????

As we left the store, I said to Nicholas, "We won't be shopping THERE again, baby!" And we won't. I doubt anyone at Target would have stopped me.....

Tastefully Simple Party

Last night, Taylor and I attended a Tastefully Simple party at my friend's house. I haven't seen my friend in awhile, so I was looking forward to catching up. I think Taylor was excited about trying all the food!

Taylor wasn't the only child there, but she was the oldest. The Tastefully Simple consultant brought her three daughters. The youngest was a few months older than Nick, and Taylor was so excited a toddler was there. She loves babies, and I think having the experience of a baby brother has helped her prepare a little for being a mother herself one day [a looooooong time from now, of course].

We had a great time at the party! Taylor especially loved the beer bread they had, but she tried everything. I was very proud of her for keeping such an open mind! Her younger sister isn't so open when it comes to food and will insist she doesn't like something even though she's eaten it multiple times before. If you let her, she'll ask for Mac and Cheese every meal! Definitely a carb girl.....

Some of the samples were pretty garlicky....oh boy! We had some major garlic breath. But Tastefully Simple has some pretty good stuff, and it's SO easy to make. We're looking forward to our order arriving! I know Taylor will want to make the pumpkin bread first.

If you are interested in learning more about Tastefully Simple, please contact:

Robyn Stuhan
Tastefully Simple Team Manager
616-247-0840
rstuhan@gmail.com
www.tastefullysimple.com/web/rstuhan