shopping and values

This weekend will be spent catching up on my photography work.
I am grateful for the "clear" day on my schedule so I can hunker down and work.

Yet it's hard sometimes to take a weekend and "work".  I feel like I live at my desk sometimes.

That said, I do take breaks.  Yesterday I took the girls to South Coast Plaza.  As I worked there years ago, I do my best to avoid it.  It's too big, too busy and way to expensive for my taste.

BUT....it is a pretty place and I knew they would have their decorations up and ready to go, so I wanted to share that with my kids.

The first thing the kids noticed were the bicycle cops.  "Why are they riding bicycles and what are they doing?"

I explained that Santa Ana isn't the best part of town, and as the richer people come here to shop, it's prime place for car break in's.  Instantly Avery took a blanket from the back of my car and started covering up all the dance bags.  (I found this funny).

Next question:  "Then why did they put the mall HERE?"  HAHA....  Good question.  I told her it's been there for years and they keep upgrading it and it's the closest mall to Newport Beach, so it is upgraded rather nicely. 

As soon as we got out, the girls were excited to go "shopping".  What they didn't realize is I meant "Window-shopping"  a term they would soon learn to hate.

My plan was not to go and spend a million dollars there, but to see how inexpensively we could get out of there.  It was my own little plan that I didn't share with the kids.

First we went to Rain Forest Cafe.  We all split an appetizer plate (the big one) and got out of there for under $20. 

Then we looked around and took some flowers (from my garden) to a friend working at Bloomies.  She was so happy to see us (I worked with her just that morning, so she wasn't over the moon for me, but the girls). 

Then we wandered around to See's candies.  I got lollipops for us and a few chocolates but we all enjoyed the Free chocolate as our dessert.  I asked the girls if they liked their chocolate and Avery said she ate "most" of it.  I asked her what she did with it and she told me she threw it away.  You could have heard skidmarks througout the mall...........

Suffice it to say, she will do the right thing next time and offer it to her mama!!!! 

The girls ogled Abercrombie.  Aspen has been asking me about stuff in that store for a while now.  As we have gotten some hand me downs that were Abercrombie, we really like the quality of their clothes.

The girls went to the back (I have them trained for the Clearance section) we sifted through some items.  They love dance, so anything to cover their dance clothes is the most enticing.  We found sweats on clearance.  They were super soft and pretty and if they sold them in adult size I would have scooped them up myself.

I let the girls try a pair on.  What I didn't tell them is their Uncle Sven offered me $20 per child to get them something from the mall.  What my sister doesn't know is it's coming out of her account!  (Thanks Mo).

When I told the girls they could each get a pair, they were beside themselves.  I asked the cashier to give them each their own bag (not realizing how nice their bags are I would have taken one for myself).  The girls left their with their own bag clutched tightly to them.  They looked at each other and said, "I can't believe we are leaving Abercrombie with a pair of pants!  I can't believe this is happening!!!"

It was the cutest thing ever.

Now, to qualify; it's not that I'm cheap!  But I don't see the point in paying extra money for something that my daughters are going to ruin in a matter of days.

They are young and don't really 'value' the value of a dollar.  And though we are not rich by any means; if we were, I would likely still make the same choices.

I spent a few years frivolously buying whatever they wanted, to only end up picking it up time and again.  Over the last few years, I have made them "want" things a little bit more.  I make a bigger deal when I spend money on things I would like them to take care of.

As it is; when I dropped the girls at dance, I let them know they need to take care of their new pants and not get them too dirty, because if they start having stains on them, then I will not let the pants outside the house.

Avery opted to leave hers in the car, while Aspen proudly wore hers over her dance clothes into her class.

Our little excursion was no more than two hours. But it was the funnest two hours of my week.

Happy Saturday