Toy Sale continued.

Sometimes I have these brilliant ideas.

Like Toy Sale Day.

Sometimes my brilliant ideas don’t quite work out the way I envisage them.

Like Toy Sale Day.

 

I have been before. I knew what to expect, and I had seen for myself the long layby queues and loaded trolleys. These sales are not the kind of sale that you take a child along with you. These sale are not for the fainthearted.

So, I planned my morning. I had to be at work by 10am. I had the drop the children at 8.30. That gave me just over an hour to play with.

Child #3 and Child # 4 each gave me written instructions on the items they had been saving for. If they could have afforded it last week, they would have bought it last week, but a kid only has so much money and it took months to save. This was serious stuff.

Sidetrack… sorry. Have to tell you what #4 told me in the bathroom this morning. You know how excited he was about “toy sale”, the Ben 10 stuff right? Think you know how much? Then double it.

Child #4 “Mum, something weird happened to me last night whilst I was trying to go to sleep”

Me ” Uh huh. what?”

Child #4 “Well, I was going over the prices in my head”

Me (thinking For the fifteen hundredth time), but saying” Yeah…”

Child #4″ I was laying in my bed adding them all up in my head”

Me (is this going to take long?) “Uh huh”

Child #4 “When I added them all up, it was a bit hard, and when I got the answer something made my hand go up in the air. I really thought I was in class. I heard someone next to me and when I looked over, it was Daniel moving in his sleep and I realised I was not in class, but in my bed”.

Me” That’s weird, perhaps just an automatic reaction because you do that at school when you are working out a sum. How funny”.

Child #4″ yeah, and I will have $4 left “.

So, this morning I went to Target, for my boy. To get the beloved Ben 10 toys that he was so desperately after. The Alien Creation. Don’t even ask what this is and what the point of it is, it doesn’t really even matter to me. I just want tranquility. For a bit. Please. And if Alien Creation will give me  tranquility, then Alien Creation it is. Man I love that kid.

I arrived at “the carpark” at 8.40. It was full. Oh joy. I drove around twice, waited patiently for a lady who looked like she was leaving, but turned out she was not. Now it was 8.45

So, I drove to the bigger side of the carpark.. aha, plenty of parks here.. at least 5 left. I snagged the best one. The further-est away, with a curb to the side (less chance of a door scratch). Happy, I walked up to the building. Cars everywhere. Glad I didn’t have a toddler. There was a stray trolley. I took it with me, figuring I wouldn’t get one inside. Correct.

Inside now, it’s 8.50 Passing lots of familiar faces I resisted the urge to chat ( I know!! how strong) and walked through to the toy section I was instructed by my ever loving boy. Seems Ben 10 isn’t top of everyone elses list so there were heaps there. I needed 4 items. Got one, then 2, then looked for the third. A salesman popped in front of me with a cheerful face, asking if there was anything he could help me with. Perfect! He pointed me in the correct direction. 3 items. And it’s only 8.55. Last one to go and I knew where it was. We had also strolled the empty aisles in days prior “casing the joint” like so many others. The item I wanted was barred off, with the most enormous line of layby customers lined up with loaded trolleys of goodies. One of the layby customers kindly passed me the treasure (Zartz if you were wondering) and I was on my way. The layby line circumnavigated the globe twice I think. I was not laybying this… could you imagine the pain that would inflict on the entire family if I didn’t come home with the goods?

Now when I drive a car, I am always looking 2 cars ahead to see if one is going to hold me up, to be sure to be in the right lane, but here in Target I could see myself getting into a pretty big traffic jam so I took to the back streets. Straight though kids clothes, ladies lingerie and to the checkout. Bingo.

No stopping, not even to line up.

In  and out. Pay the lady and go.

There were 2 cars waiting for my bay when I returned to my car. I was out of the carpark and at the traffic lights by 9.02am

Woo hoo. It was much easier than I envisaged. It’s all in the timing.

I am a pro!

 

And oh boy…. do you think my twins love me? You bet!

But tranquility? No.