THAT MOM...023

Tight budgets and THAT MOM's failure to plan ahead led us to TJ Maxx for our Easter dress shopping adventure yesterday. For what they offer in terms of cute dresses at good prices, you have to sacrifice in the dressing room. Being the Saturday before Easter, you can imagine I wasn't the only one with the idea that we might need a new outfit. It was packed. The lady that was handing out the garment number tags at what I will refer to as the gateway to torture might have previously worked at an airport security screener or as the Soup Nazi apprentice due to her disposition and power-wielding tendencies. I admit that I was at fault when I brought in too many dresses for the girls to sample..."I have ten." "No...you do 8." "Yes, ma'am (slide gently past)"

Ah, we made it past the checkpoint. Now the long hallway of fitting room doors which had a striking resemblance to "The Shining". Once inside the cramped chamber with unflattering lighting, the real fun began.

If you haven't had the pleasure before, I will make you aware of one common trait of the little girl Easter dress...they are disproportionatly poofy compared to other varieties of dresses. So 8 Easter dresses = approximately 12 normal dresses. You can already feel the walls closing in can't you? And we haven't even started trying them on yet.

They wanted to try them on at the same time, so I was in a quick pace of button, "Don't stand on the dresses", tie, "Mommy, help me unzip", hang, sort, "Micah, don't crawl under the wall", unzip, "I can only do one thing at a time", unbutton, "It's my turn", "Here, you get up against that wall, so she can twirl", etc.

Luckily they both found dresses. Then Dylan said, "Mommy, now you need to try some on." Yeah, I don't think that is going to happen. The last thing in the world I wanted to do was go back in there.

Then it was off to shoes. I might have to watch out for Dylan because these were some of the quotes that, if you were standing nearby, you might have overheard...

• "Oh, Mom, these are SO YOU!"


• "Aren't these fabulous?"


• "Wow, these would be PERFECT with my outfit"


• "Mom...you must get these (stiletto gold glitter)." "I don't think so" "Well...you just won't be stylish"


• "Dylan, how about these." "Oh, mother..." (I took that as a no)

All in all, no one was severely damaged in this excursion and they were super cute this morning for church...that is, after our tumultuous hair braiding experience.