A RARE SHOPPING ADVENTURE

I don't normally take the kids shopping for anything other than groceries. And occasionally to Walmart. There are carts at both places, and thus they can be contained. On the rare occasion that I've taken them to the Outlet Mall (because I couldn't find time to go alone), I put Cora in the Beco on my back and confined James to the umbrella stroller, because 'that one time' that I took them without, they ran wild like animals and we had to leave 5 minutes later so that I didn't tie them to posts... 

I had planned to take the kids to the pool again today, since last week proved that I can handle doing so without Jay now that they are both older and pay better attention to me (and the lifeguards), but with Cora still coughing and a quick mama-poll to determine whether it was a good idea or not, I decided to skip it, just in case (we can't have her being sick on her birthday, let alone vacation). And I didn't feel like going home. And it was far too hot to go to the park. And since I needed to find a dress for Cora's 3-year portraits (scheduled to be taken by her daddy this weekend), I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best, and took the kids clothes shopping with me.

I will admit that I bribed them with the promise of ice cream once we found a dress, to reward them for their good behavior (basically, as long as they didn't try to climb any clothes racks or knock displays over, I considered it good behavior - there was plenty of running and chasing and squealing and accessorizing from bins, as well as a little TV watching at Gymboree). And it worked. And that is why I am totally fine with the occasional bribe. (Or, you know, daily bribes. Whatever it takes.)

 

Trying on straw hats at GAP. They happily danced around the store like this for 20 minutes. Luckily there weren't many other patrons. Cora found 7 dresses that she liked, but I vetoed them all for various reasons (not available in her size, too much orange, too expensive, etc.) And no, we did not buy the hats, though I was tempted...

How sweet are they? I asked them to hold hands and stick together whenever we were outside, and they did so without reminders between each and every store. And yes, Cora can still wear that green with white polka dots and pink accents outfit that her Grambot sent her 15 months ago (though the shirt is borderline too short).

Ah, sweet reward. These kids knew the drill too. They walked right into Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory ahead of me, told the lady what color ice cream they wanted, then walked into the adjoining shop to sit at a table to eat while I paid the bill. The lady asked if we'd been there before...

And in the end? We picked a green dress with white polka dots and pink accents.