Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Second Childhood

Once upon a time, when there was major snow on the ground, Abby and I used to meet my family up the street to hit my fav thrift store and then go to Burger King to let the kids play on the indoor playground. We haven't done it in awhile, and today most of my family was off on one task or another, but I need a new bedframe since my mattress switch and was looking for a smallish table or bookcase and a basket, so Abby and I picked up Maggie and off we went.

No bedframe, but we did make some major scores!


This is my favorite thrift store - I often find stashes of clothing in my size, nice brands, still with tags, and I bought my old bedframe here, as well as tons of DVD's, VHS tapes, CD's (I have scored some great CD's here for a few bucks apiece!), etc. It's recently undergone a renovation, so we walked around the perimeter to admire it, and on the wall was this "Hunny" pot! Maggie and I shrieked with delight when we found it, and we brought it down and Abby saw it and went nuts too! One of her latest words has been "honey." She pronounces it the way Pooh-bear does - "Huh-nee" - and it's sooo adorable. It was marked $1, and Abby loves buckets, backpacks, purses, etc - loves putting things in and taking them out and carrying them around - so it was definitely coming home with us.

Not three feet away was this ball, in need of a little inflation but otherwise in great condition. Abby uses these balls at gymnastics and loves them. It was also marked $1.

By now I realized that it was a thrifty kind of day, so we swung by the VHS tapes and scored again - twice! A new Pooh Bear video and a Richard Scarry Glow Worm and Gold Bug tape. Each was $1.

I also scored a toy for Khy - a Pooh Bear toy with wire and beads to slide along, with sound effects. It was marked $2.

No bedframe - just assorted headboards and footboards - no squarish basket, no tables or bookcases. We did find an ADORABLE solid wood little vanity in mind condition for $20... if I were a vanity type person, or had a little girl, I would totally have bought it. :)

The best part about it was that when we got to the checkout line and I paid, I glanced at the receipt and realized that everything cost $4. So obviously I was not charged full price, which is not uncommon for me since I'm in there all the time and all the clerks know me.

One of the things I feel like I'm gaining from being Abigail's nanny is that I'm getting to think about a lot of parenting issues before I have my own kids. :) I've always been a big thrift-store fan, and now that I look at things with a 2 year old in mind, I'm convinced that when I do have kids, I'll still be thrifting. My best friend Robin, who just had a baby in February, was sharing with me that used makes even more sense with a baby, because they outgrow things so fast that you're "over" clothes and toys before they've been worn out. A lot of Abigail's clothes are passed down from a relative with a slightly older child, and you can't tell - she has an adorable wardrobe! Anyway, I figure I am practicing for the future. :)

After our thrifting adventures, we went to get sushi at a place nearby. I thought I was craving it. The thought of it was terrific. When it arrived, not so much. The california roll was excellent -very fresh tashing and yummy - but the pieces were so large, it felt impossible to eat. We got an order of salmon roll, too, and I just didn't like it. I had one piece, pulled the salmon out of the second piece, and let Maggie eat the rest. We both got an egg roll, so at least there was something familiar to eat.

I feel sad in that I think I may have found something that I'm not comfortable eating. And I consider myself a fairly adventurous eater. I love trying new things, and I generally appreciate new flavors and tastes. And I have enjoyed sushi in the past, even though it's been a sort of hit or miss thing (depending on where the sushi came from, how fresh it appeared, etc). But today - not having it.

No comments: