fluffkin79

Bed at 3, up at 5 to get milk and diaper for DS. Disturbed at 7, resisted, gave in at 7:20 - juice doesn't taste right when Daddy pours it, sigh. Opened stockings. I give the "1.5 hours till we leave, start getting ready" warning. I make and serve breakfast. I clean up breakfast, wrapping paper, and the kids. On my way to the shower, DH beats me there. What was he doing the past hour? I get 3 kids dressed, DH is still in the shower. We leave for Grandma's 1 hour late. I drive 2.5 hours there while DH reads. We do Grandma's Christmas thing. I drive 2.5 hours home while DH sleeps. Finally, home. DH brings in 1 load in from the car (I'm impressed). I bring in the other 3 loads. He reads a few more pages and is asleep before I can get 3 kids settled and to sleep. I'm exhausted!

Forget snow! I want better weather, the 60's sound good. We had to call off going to Mom's for Xmas yesterday. The temps dropped some 30 degrees in a few hours (wind chills were below zero), roads (and overpasses) flash froze from all the rain and melted snow, wind gusts at 40-50 mph, and blowing snow resulted in low visability. I couldn't risk driving 100 miles to Grandma's with the kiddos. And I will usually drive in anything. Fortunatly I have a smallish family so we were able to reschedule everyone for tomorrow, so we didn't miss out! The kids were really disappointed, but they got over it when we decided to open our gifts early. That should keep them busy till we can get to Grandma's House.

We already opened our gifts. As the kids were opening, Dh was telling them that for every new gift they had to get rid of an old one. I have already gotten rid of the ones we don't need, so we are talking about stuff they love. Well, now I know the secret. He quieted right down when he opened his gift and found something he was excited about! Now, what do I get him next year?

Is this where is voice my frustration with Wal-mart? I gotta tell my story. Friday night I was out shopping late. I checked out at WM at about 1am. I was that cashier's last customer, she was gone before me. When I got home I realized that one of my 3 bags got left behind. Now I feel stupid. I always check to make sure I have all my bags off of their spinning bags thing. I must have been really tired. So, I call the store right away, get picked up by electronics, transferred to the front of store and wait on hold for 15 min. Finally someone answers. I tell her the situation and she finds my bag at the register. She asks the contents, I tell her, and she puts my bag in customer service with my name on it. I tell her I'll pick it up tomorrow. As much as I want to advoid shopping on Sat., one of Santa's gifts is in the bag. The next day I go out shopping on a time limit. Our WM parking lot is full to the ends. I pick up my pics from the photo lab and head to CS to get my bag. This should be a really quick trip. At CS they say "Sorry I don't see any bags here." Annoyed, I nicely ask them to check again - they said it was here last night. It takes 3 employees to find it. Just as I reach out to take it, she pulls it back. "Can I see your receipt, please?" Crap! I couldn't find my receipt that morning, the kids like to move things. And the woman on the phone the night before did not say that I'd need it to claim my bag, just said that she would put my name on it and I could come pick it up whenever. Now I'm being told that they need to be sure it was paid for. They offer to look it up in their system if I know the register and time or have the card I paid with. No problem, I have all of that. Then, as I'm getting out my card, all 3 employees disappear. The employee that was originally helping me comes back and offers to help the woman behind me. "Excuse me," I say. She says that one of the other women are doing the lookup. So I wait. 10 min later, nothing. I ask how long this will take. I'm told it could be 10 min or more. A few minutes later, with no more customers in line, there are 4 employees just standing around looking at me. Finally, they figure out that the one "doing the look-up" is really on break. Now I'm really steaming. I have been trying to keep my 2-year-old entertaind all this time and they have been doing nothing. Finally, someone looks up my transaction, finds the reciept, and I am given my bag and an apology. I am free to go. All together I spent about 30 min in Customer Service to pick up a bag of stuff that belongs to me. A bag that their employee should have given me 15 hours before. Did I mention that the whole time I was waiting my bag was on the counter right in front of me? I know I paid for it. I was just as much mine as my coat, purse, or 2-year-old. They have no right to hold something that belongs to me. I wanted to just take it and go home. I didn't because I had DD with me. If I had taken it and left before they found the reciept, would WM have reported me as a shoplifter?

I love Kohl's! I went there intending to spend $50 or more, added socks just to get there. My total was only $38.00! Can't complain about that. It's like they just took my $10 Kohl's cash off right away, plus some. It would be nice if all the prices on the racks were correct, though. Who knows how many unmarked deals I passed up?

I have 1 package from Amazon coming USPS from somewhere in the US. Carriers was notified to pick up yesterday (12/20). Any chance I'll see it by Christmas? Would have been under the tree, but if not it can be a B-Day gift. I'll just pick up something else for DS to give DD.

Is SmartSource the only place to get the Target coupon? I don't have it.

Good luck with Wal-Mart hororing the $3 thing. Last time I cought them overcharging me I went to customer service and asked that they change the price in the computer to match the one on the shelf, and to give me the $3 they owe me for catching their mistake. The CSM acted like she didn't know what I was talking about. The other 2 CSMs standing there said "I thought we took those signs off the registers." I just stood there staring at them saying nothing while my over-tired pre-choolers run around CS area knocking things over and being a general nusience. Evntunally they gave it to me, but I got the impression that they no longer wish to honor that policy.

Wish i could have found shampoo clearance, could have saved another $10!

I feel like I robbed Walgreens! I paid $29.61 I saved $38.12 Savings is about 56%, Woo-Hoo! And the only thing I got that I didn't "need" was the $.25 coloring books for DDs stockings Had to do it in 3 transactions to use all the register rewards same visit. I got 2 pair of jammy pants for hubby (took lots of digging, mulitple brands, some were junk) 3 cans of planters nuts 2 rolls of tape 1 fancy dove body wash 3 huge bottles of pantene 8 christmas coloring books (cheesy, but they have Elmo, Spiderman, MLP, Precious Moments) 31 4x6 photo prints (online coupon code = 33% off) 2 tubes of toothpaste 2 kiddie character toothbrushes (Barbie and Hello Kitty) I feel good!

How do RR work? Can you use them right away? Are they good for anything in the store?

I like getting presents. Especially from my ILs because it could be ANYTHING. I love the thought and the surprise. I like candy, ugly shirts, smelly hand lotion and candles (I can't/won't burn them with 3 toddlers/preschoolers running around). I am happy someone thought of me. I am a big kid on christmas and I don't want to know what is in ALL the packages. That said, I am a SAHM to 3 under 5, so I don't have a spare second to think of myself. I forgot how to think of me somewhere in between sleep deprivation, potty training and trying to make dinner. So when asked "What's on your list (and hubby's, and the kids')?" I am usually at a loss. I don't have time for hobbies, and its hard to buy another adult clothes. So I usually come up with something lame, like gift cards or household stuff. I know that ruins the fun and surprise, but I really can't come up with anything else. This year I want a dresser, a new winter coat, and some sunglasses (nothing special - the kids tend to break mine - any will do). The dresser and coat (probably) are too expensive to ask for and nobody want to buy me sunglasses. They think they won't get a style I like. I try to explain that it is one of those things that I just keep forgeting to pick up, but still.... Well, looks like GCs for me again this year (don't get me wrong, I like to shop), wish I could think of a long, reasonably priced wish list for myself.

Of course there will be an excess of gifts under the tree! How could there not be if you found Amazon? I try to take it easy on the toys because our kids get tons from family. I planned to get just 1 toy each for our 3 kids. Then I decided that they should each get 1 from the sibs, together. Then I decided that it would be nice for each of them to buy for each of the others. But the 1-year-old decided that his sister(2) needed a bottle & cup set to go with that doll. And the Diego set to go with the Dora horse truck for his sister(4) - what's a truck without a driver? Well, you see where this is going! You all understand, right? So in our house its 3 real gifts each, a box full of movies, books, and little leaps games to share, whatever little things Santa puts in the stockings (overflowing this year) and some other "gifts" to open - P.J.s, socks, underwear, shoes, toothbrushes, things I would have bought them anyways. I'm dying to buy them new clothes, they are dressing like little bums lately. Pickin's are gettin' real slim in their drawers - holes, stains, too-small socks that pop right off. But I'm being good for now and holding out for the grandma's presents. I get this feeling I'll be hitting Kohl's clearance the week after Christmas, bring on the returns! P.S. A couple days ago I went over our list to check it twice. Realized that DD4 had a few holes to fill "from her sibs". Went on Amazon, put about 8 things I knew she would love in my shopping cart, and asked my husband to help me choose. I wanted him to feel involved so I made it easy for him. He is NOT a shopper, even has me buy gifts for his family (out of town, we have no clue!). He looked at what I chose and said "You weren't thinking of gettting the kids TOYS...Were you?" Oh boy, I thought he knew me better than that! I mean, we have kids and it is Christmas time. Why wouldn't I be looking at toys? How has he not seen the toys hiding in our closet, garage, laundy room? He has a surprise coming on Christmas morning! Hopefully it won't be too much of a shock, lol. P.P.S Most of the Amazon goodies are being hid for later in the year. I just can't give the kids that much at once.

She sent this 1 week before Christmas!? No, you are not obligated to run out, buy a last-minute "something" and hope it gets to her in time (assuming she's out of town). If she wanted to exchage gifts, she should have contacted you much sooner. (Maybe called and said "hi" on Thanksgiving) Do you even know what she might like? That said, if you feel it in your heart, send her something in return. Most people like gifts -it would be a nice thing to do. Just don't feel obligated.

Around $200, which covers about half of my holiday shopping. I brought my Mom along this year, which slowed me down quite a bit. We didn't get everywhere I had hoped to and missed out on Clifford's Big Movie. But it's all good - we had a good time and the rest of my shopping wish list is from 2-day sales. Back out Sat. to finish up!

I can't wait for my Mom to to get here so we can sort through the ads. The fun part is planning the trip together. (yep, hubby thinks we are completly insane!) So, when do they fill those newspaper machines?