Baby needs a new pair of shoes

Actually, he doesn't need shoes anymore because I got a pair at Gymboree today (or Saturday, since it's now two days later and I didn't get very far on the blog post that day).

After I dropped Daphne off at her dad's, I went to Lakeline Mall so Mal could play on the indoor playground. He liked it but got overwhelmed by the noise and activity after a while, so that when, 40 minutes after we got there, he pitched forward and carpet-burned his forehead a bit, he was READY to go.

This is when he was still having a good time.

After Mal was done playing, I strapped him into the carrier and we walked. First, the food court at Lakeline Mall is beautiful. I should have taken pictures of the curved building facades but, honestly, I didn't see them until I was on the floor below.

I walked past two trolls and pondered briefly before turning around, chasing them down, and asking if I could take their picture for Daphne. She loves Homestuck, and I love Austin!

THEY. ARE. AWESOME.
Way to be yourselves... err... cosplay... err... whatever for no other reason than that you want to. <3
(Yes, I know what that sign means.)

After that, we went to FYE where found Daphne a rare Gravity Falls T-shirt. They had the whole "buy one/get one half price" thing going on, and I can't resist, so I got James a Deadpool shirt, too.

Then I went downstairs to check out Gymboree because I had seen a sign that said the "whole store" was $12.99 or less. I had to ask at the desk whether that also meant shoes, because Mal could use some, but their shoes are like $27... and he'll barely wear them at all, then he will outgrow them. So no. As it turns out, they were! I ended up spending about $80 (got a lot of 18-24 month stuff because he's outgrowing 12-18 month clothes already) on what was originally ticketed to be over $300. Which means I wouldn't have bought the stuff before. I got Mal a jacket for next winter, some shorts and pants for now, the shoes, and just a cute shirt he can't wear until it cools down in the fall.

I was chatting with the cashier and mentioned that James had started working again, and that was good because we were literally at the point of "baby needs a new pair of shoes." So I like to think of this weekend as the kickoff of our month-long spending spree.

Why? You ask.

We are moving. We need stuff. Lots and lots of stuff. Plus the moving itself (we're hiring people and a truck) and double rent and utilities for 30 days. We were on "no non-essentials" while James wasn't working, and now we're going to reverse our fortunes. Actually, we will have to dig into savings a bit, but I don't mind because we will be able to replenish it soon enough. We didn't have to touch it when he was unemployed and I'm grateful! Between unemployment insurance, tightening our habits, and the fact that all of the IRS stuff ended up being pretty much a wash so that they sent US money after we'd sent THEM money, we were able to float on what we had.

What do we need?

ITEM 1: Washing machine. After living here, I've found that I do. not. like. the high-efficiency front-loaders. We'd looked at top-loaders, and after doing a bunch of research, James ended up settling on (and I agree because I'm too tired to research and I trust him) a very unattractive, VERY dependable Speed Queen. Yes, the kind they use in laundromats. No electronics. A 15-year warranty on the transmission, and a lifetime warranty on the tub.and basket. Holla! ITEM 2 is a dryer, and we'll probably just get a Speed Queen and call it a matched set.

Update: I just bought them. I love the internet.

ITEM 3: Vacuum cleaner. After more research, James decided on (and I agree, because... see above) on the Shark Navigator Deluxe, which is the highest-rated vacuum cleaner on Amazon.com.

ITEM 4: We're "investing" in new litter boxes. I say this because the ones we're buying are ridiculously expensive. However, the "lids" lock down, so Mal shouldn't be able to get into them, which he has shown us he can do with the regular ones now that he's mobile. I'm also hoping it cuts down on litter tracking. Fingers crossed, or we're going to feel like idiots for spending a bazillion dollars on three litter boxes.




ITEM 5: A new mattress for James and me. I think we've been too tired to do much about this one.

ITEM 6: Vitamix! We'll finally have room!

ITEM 7: A computer desk for Daphne. She's had a little game table for two years and needs room to draw. So we're getting a corner desk that has room for her computer and for her other activities.

Then we're starting over with a bunch of little stuff like cleaning supplies and spices. The spices are a serious need. Austin is bizarre. The other day, I opened a SEALED jar of instant coffee to put some in a cake I was making, and the crystals were all clumped together. I had to mine it out! I have to bang the onion powder on the counter before I can use a bit of it, etc. So humid here. It's ridiculous, and we just need to call it a day on the stuff we have. We need to throw away a lot of Hamburger Helper, too. I already went through and tossed James' canned goods from 2010. He did an apocalypse preparation a few years ago, and now we're better off starting that over, too, if it's still important to him.

So, I'm grateful James has an income again, and while I don't love throwing away the dough, it's neat to be making some cool changes. Thanks for being along for the ride!