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I usually try to get my weekly groceries done by Saturday at the latest. Grocery shopping on Sundays are, well, just a little too wild for me. Of late, it’s beginning to feel more like a battlefield. Where do these people come from?

I mean, what can be more frustrating than following a Sunday morning driver straddled over two lanes with his left indicator light flashing when he’s clearly turning right, huh? Or a family having a picnic in the parking lot with groceries, strollers and kids when they know you’re waiting for their parking spot?

On Sundays, the grocery store is one big, happy playground . Toddlers pushing shopping carts twice their height and crashing into people and shelves! Kids dancing, doing kungfu, sitting on the floor and turning the aisles into race tracks. Parents pushing empty strollers and parking their carts in the middle of the aisle. Grandmothers strolling along and stopping to smell the vegetables every 10 seconds.

Not to mention, those couples taking a lovey-dovey stroll along the aisle, tentacles wrapped around each other, deep in whispered discussions of what to buy. Seriously, folks, I hardly think grocery shopping qualifies as a romantic escapade !

Then there are the folks behind me at checkout who slam their carts right into my butt, then proceed to edge close enough to breathe into my hair and peer over my shoulder as I sign my credit card slip. Just great! Whatever happened to personal space?

So you see, all I want to do is to go in, grab my stuff and get out. Fast! Do you grocery shop on Sundays and is it ever a problem for you?

Is your little girl stylish and sassy like her Mama? Well, then she’s simply going to love these fun leopard-print jammies. Cute, huh? The pretty in pink heart print ruffles and trim contrast with the bold leopard print to make an adorable combination.

Laura Dare Leopard Heart Strappy Capri Pajamas for Toddlers and Girls – $ 25.99

And your little boy will look cute in these bear hug print pajamas with bear paw print bottoms. The fabric is a soft, comfortable cotton. They’re 100% cotton and snug fitting for safety.

Lazy One Blue Bear Hug Cotton Pajamas for Toddler Boys – $ 24.99

Pay only $1 flat rate shipping on fun sleepwear for the whole family. Yes, there’s also pajamas, nighties and bathrooms for Daddy and Mommy. Offer good thru May 27, 2010.

Would you believe it? My new microwave oven finally arrived. That means Mom’s cafeteria is officially back in business! And about time too!! Can’t imagine how we survived so long without roast chicken and potatoes, pies, lasagna, chocolate chip cookies and all that good stuff.

I would’ve bought one sooner if not for a few minor technicalities. There’s about 20 different models out there for this one brand alone, almost all the same yet slightly different. One can microwave and steam, another does combination, yet another has oven bake but not convection bake, you get the picture. And I just had to see every single model there is before I can make a decision. I’m OCD like that!

Not all stores carry all models and it was near impossible getting a straight answer from the salespeople about the features of each. Finally frustrated with this runaround, I decided, to heck with it, shortlisted 2 or 3, closed my eyes and picked this one.

A Panasonic steam inverter grill oven, whatever that means ! The stainless steel finishing is so shiny I almost need safety glasses just to look at it. Beautiful, makes my kitchen look almost chef-y!

The entire adventure took, oh, 6 months, with the procrastination factor thrown in, of course. It felt more like planning a tactical military operation than buying an oven. Glad that’s over! Now I can spend the next 6 months figuring out how to operate the darned thing .

Hello Kitty has lots of fans around the world. Are you one of them? If you are, you probably want to add these casual fun bags to your collection of Hello Kitty merchandise. Not only are they very presentable, they can double up for all your kiddy or baby stuff under the guise of Mom’s trendy tote bag.

Hello Kitty Big Bow Tote

This one’s so cute I just had to post a picture of it. It’s just the perfect shape and size, and it would be a cinch to coordinate with whatever you’re wearing. Makes an adorable gift of a young Hello Kitty fan too (read: your daughter and her friends).

Hello Kitty Quilted Face Bag in White

Some of the designs come with matching wallets just like this one. Just too cute!?

Hello Kitty Rocker Wallet

There are more stunning designs with applique and embroidery here,  all selling at 10% off. Be sure to use the coupon code – hkitty – at checkout. Offer good thru May 13, 2010.

Someone just tweeted that they’re surprised a fairly decent home costs between $100,000 and $150,000 and so why are they paying $950 rental? I hadn’t realized that but upon looking up Cleveland Foreclosed Homes, I’m actually seeing some really nice homes with 2-3 bedrooms and bathrooms going for those kinds of prices.

You don’t have to take my word for it though. Like I always say, it’s best to do your own homework, such as by reading an overview on buying a home so you know what you’re getting into. Granted the price may sound attractive but it’s still your hard-earned money we’re talking about, right?

As for the Foreclosure Patch website, it’s really a cinch to navigate and find what you’re looking for. You can select your criteria like price range, number of rooms, preferred area, etc. and have the site pull up the list, complete with property details and photos, for you.

Yes, I have to say the best part are the photos. They’re such a big help especially if you’re trying to find properties which are not near enough to drive to and you just want to have a preliminary idea before going all the way out there. Happy house hunting!

I was window-shopping with the girls and we came across this. Not the best photo in the world, I know. It was taken in stealth mode using my pocket PC camera with Skye standing guard while I tried to snap this picture without being caught and thrown out of the store.

Figured it out yet? No? Well, it’s a pair of shorts.

Size 0 shorts, to be exact!

I mean, who wears a size 0?

If I wear a size zero, does it mean I don’t exist ? Or would gobbling down the best vitamin supplement put me back into existence?

… jumped out at me at the drugstore yesterday,

Yes, I know it’s your job to help customers make a biased choice. But please, please don’t jump on me from out of nowhere just as I’m reaching to have a closer look at that eyeliner. I don’t know if you recognize me or not but this is the second time you’ve scared the living daylights out of me.

See, I’m someone who prefers to dally and consider all my choices before making a selection. And I prefer to make that selection without a sales promoter breathing down my neck, thanks.

You people talk too fast. You confuse me. And it really gets to me when your answer to all my questions is Yes! Is this on sale? Yes! Will the eyeliner stay on a whole day? Yes! Can I use it to write on the whiteboard when my whiteboard marker runs out of ink? Yes! See what I mean?

Okay, so great, you tell me this crayon eyeliner won’t smudge and it has this cute little sharpener in the back. Nice! But you know what? I really don’t appreciate your drawing lines on the back of my hand with each color . It took me several hand washes to get it off!

You know, if you hadn’t done that, I might actually have bought that new-fangled crayon but since you chose to annoy me instead, don’t blame me for making a hasty exit without buying anything. Probably another day when YOU aren’t around to breathe down my neck.

Signed,

Shop-Stopped

You know, one of the things I enjoyed most about being a mother to two daughters is shopping for their clothes when they were little. In fact, I have to admit I loved it so much I would apply for a day off work to rush to the sales first thing in the morning. I would sometimes spend half a day just dallying over all the little girls’ clothes.

I would pick different designs and colors, mostly the ones I would wear myself, hehe! These designs below remind me of similar ones I have bought for my girls back then.

BG Beautiful Girls – Girls Sleeveless Jean Set – Love the one-sided ribbon on the sleeve, sash belt and tattered legs. Very funky lemon top!

Soup – Toddler Girls’ Sleeveless Skirt Set – Love the lacey skirt trimmings and graduated bright pink from top to bottom!

Flowers by Zoe – Girls’ Tiered Skirt – Love the shimmery tiers on this one!

Of course, I loved tying up their hair with matching accessories too. Not to mention that shopping has gotten a lot less brokeback, or is it, back-breaking since then and you can always go dig around Bargainchildrensclothing.com for great prices and nice designs like these.