Christmas Jollies

Tonight Lon and I went to the Mall. It was pretty crazy. Our strategy is to be super patient, cheerful, kind, etc. A sort of "Kill 'em with kindness" mindset.
Lon was in the cell phone store (boring) and I was in a nearby store and bought a couple of things. He was thoroughly engrossed in the salesman's spiel about this phone and didn't notice me when I walked in. I walked up behind him and stood as closely as I could without quite touching him. He didn't do anything. Then I leaned into him. Still no response. I had the silent giggles so I had to lean back while I gained control, then I leaned again until I was actually moving him forward into the counter. Still nothing. Finally I couldn't stand it and gave him a shove! He noticed me and started laughing. I asked him if he even felt what I was doing. He replied that of course he felt me and thought I was just a really rude person.
It takes so little to amuse us (the clerk thought it was pretty funny, too).

It's official! I'm turning into my Mom.....

I am so fortunate to have fourteen beautiful grandchildren. Four go to school and the rest are preschoolers (we have three that will start kindergarten in the fall and four two year old's this year!). Trying to find toys for each of them has been terrible this year. It's true that anemia fits into the picture (I fade after less than two hours), but still two hours is two hours for a pro like me! The selection is so poor. I was trying to find a baby toy that didn't screech or flash or annoy. I also looked for a car or truck that could go in a sandbox and get hosed off and be sturdy. I couldn't get close. The toys are so over packaged and over priced and look like junk.

What does this have to do with my Mom? She claimed to love grocery shopping and hate shopping for clothes. She would wait until the last minute, then we'd go shopping. She'd reluctantly pick out a couple things to try on. She'd then look in those three-way mirrors and declare that she had to reduce! And that was that and shopping was over.
So she would send me off with explicit instructions what to buy for her (even shoes). The problem was that they hadn't made those styles in ten or twenty years. It was very frustrating. I ended up sewing many of her clothes and her shoes kept going and going.

Now I feel just like she does. I'd like to get some fun, sturdy toys that aren't overpriced, but I fear I'm ten or twenty years too late. I guess I'll just give a heads up to Karen--watch out!