The Toddler turns three later this week, so I’ve been putting together plans for a low-key family party. The problem is, though, that doing anything low-key is hard for those who tend to be high-strung. The Spouse likes to say that if there’s a way to make something extremely difficult or more complicated than necessary, I’m the girl for the job. And, I’ll admit… I can bring a certain level of intensity to many a situation, especially when you factor in my belief that I work best under pressure. Why do today that which I can do much more efficiently when I’m really stressed about it tomorrow?
Of course, birthday parties are right up my alley. We’ve never had a “real” birthday party for the Toddler, but since she’s old enough to get excited about one now, I thought I should at least have a theme for her at-home celebration. And, since she loves coloring and painting, I decided an art theme would be perfect.
So… I left the girls with a sitter and made a trek to Michael’s craft store yesterday morning, a trip which is sure to give even the most laid-back of people an ulcer if they hit it at the right time. I was only in need of the basics… crayons, paint, paper/canvas, brushes. But, if you’ve ever been in one of these stores you know that they don’t really specialize in the basics. In fact, some might call them excessively over-stimulating. And, since I am all too easily plagued by analysis paralysis, what should have taken me ten minutes actually took me nearly an hour to accomplish.
Further complicating matters involving these artsy/crafty sort of shopping trips, I’ve noticed that stores like Michael’s, Hobby Lobby, and Jo-Ann’s all play the same sneaky game with their sales and coupons. And, you have to be quite savvy to beat them at their game. Today, though, I was ready with my 40% off (one item, of course) coupon that I pulled up on my phone. What I wasn’t ready for was waiting in the ridiculously long check-out line. Not only did I witness two different women boldly cut line through a little gap in the roping system {apparently they were having some sort of crafting emergency}, but there were only two open lanes {out of maybe ten}. And, everyone knows that no one goes to Michael’s for a single item. Oh, no, no, no. Two of the customers in front of me were there to purchase all the supplies they will need to assemble what must surely be very involved harvest displays, complete with miniature pumpkins, cornucopias, and strands of hay that needed to be rung up individually. Now, as a lover of autumn, I totally respect anyone who decorates for the harvest season and even has their supplies in hand weeks ahead of time. But, when it’s still August, I think there should be a separate check-out area for those purchasing a buggy full of things that can’t be used until fall versus those who are purchasing a small basket full of things that will be used this weekend. It’s just an idea, I’m not saying it would ever really work.
Never before yesterday have I been all that interested in the snacks they try to lure captive customers into buying while they wait in the check-out line. But, today I caved. I’m not sure if I was suddenly feeling faint because of this pregnancy or more because of the overwhelming sense that I might not get out of the store before fall did actually arrive, but whatever the case, I knew this would help:
And, it did.
Finally… refreshed from my chocolate binge, I returned home with a few bags of carefully selected art-themed birthday party supplies only to hear the Toddler tell the sitter that she would be having a “Stinkerbell” party.
Perfect.
Let’s just hope Stinkerbell likes to paint.
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