Sunday, April 26, 2009

Our day at the mall

Elisabeth and I went to the mall together yesterday, as a sort of mommy/daughter outing (really, I needed a new suit and had really great coupons and had to get Elisabeth out of the house to give Doug a moment's peace - but let's call it mommy/daughter outing).  First we had lunch at "Chick-a-lay," where Elisabeth got a telescope for a prize in her kid's meal.    A telescope is just about the most exciting thing she can imagine (short of a magic kit, which I'll have to tell you about under separate cover).  Elisabeth could barely eat for all the excitement.

She's wanted to be a pirate for some time now.  This isn't helped by the portrayal of pirates in Veggie Tales "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything," or the Backyardigans.  Also, this is not exactly a great time in our history to be going around proclaiming you want to be a pirate - you're liable to get taken out by one of our amazing Navy Seals.    So, Elisabeth sat in a crowded Chick Fil A and proclaimed her unending desire to be a pirate, while looking through her telescope commenting on everything she saw.  "MOMMY!  That lady right next to us has ketchup!"  (Thank goodness she did not comment on her weight...)  "MOMMY!  There's the guy who fills the cokes!"  

Then, Elisabeth began to wax poetic on pirates.   See, we've tried to explain that piracy is not really a viable profession, considering you have to be mean and evil and these are not qualities we accept in a kid.  So realizing that she shouldn't be saying she wants to be a pirate, Elisabeth said "Oh but mommy, I'm going to be a good pirate.  Yes, a good one.  I won't be a bad pirate.  I'll use my telescope and be a good pirate.  I'll go and find the things that other pirates steal from people and give them back.  That's what I'll do!"  (The lady, the one with the ketchup, began to laugh at this point and since she was sitting alone, I have to believe it was Elisabeth's doing...)

After lunch, we set off to find Stride Rite, which was upstairs.  Someone has been teaching Elisabeth about conserving and "being green."  So that kid drug me up stairs instead of letting me use the escalator (which I might add was going to run whether I took it or not!!).  "Its greener, mommy, it is better to take the stairs."  How do you say no to that??  So I got some unintended exercise.

We found Stride Rite - what a racket that place has going.  There were 10 kids on the list in front of us to get fitted or try on shoes and I only counted one person working.  That would be at least 100 minutes of waiting.  Which is about 95 minutes more than I was willing to wait.  So I used their foot measurer and measured the kid - only to find out that I have yet another qualification to add to my mother of the year application.  She is now wearing shoes that are between a half and 2 full sizes too small for her.   I guess you have to buy shoes more than once a year for your kids...  duly noted.  I came home and promptly ordered her some shoes online from FamousFootwear.com.  (as an aside, Stride Rite's shoes are overpriced and I think they try to convince you your kid's foot is wide since they're one of a very few retailers that sell wide shoes - so phhhhthththt on you Stride Rite!!!!)

After Stride Rite, we hit the Limited for a new suit for me.  Elisabeth pronounced to everyone in the dressing rooms that I was going to look soooo pretty when I go to work wearing my new suit.  She's very sweet when she's not climbing on your head and harassing you to the point that you want to run your head into the wall...

Then, my environmentally concerned little green girl saw.... a glass elevator.  And, we rode that glass elevator up to the second floor and back down again just because we could.  She's very committed.  Oh, and she'd like that motor boat that was on display in the mall please.

I'm a little bit shocked, and somewhat proud, that Elisabeth had no memory of ever being in a mall before.  I think the last time she was in a mall was probably close to a year ago, and her memory doesn't stretch back that far.  She enjoyed it, though, and it is definitely an interesting place for kids to take in a lot of different sights.

On another note, I can write amazingly long posts about nothing.  It is like a less funny Seinfeld episode... 


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