I'm so frustrated and kicking myself! Yesterday, I had one of my opportunities to go shopping at the *really* big, not so close, outlet mall. I get here once every 3 or four months, and because the shopping is so limited where I live I feel the pressure to really make it count- and I feel like I blew it. Unfortunately, I always have the kids with me on these trips (it's near their doctors)- but they are getting better about it. I had a mental short list of what I was looking for (summer dresses- including a specific one at Old Navy- which they didn't have, a specific pair of shorts at The Gap- which they didn't have, sandals at Clark's- which they didn't have, and a summer handbag), and even a list of must hit stores (Old Navy, Gap, H&M, Fossil and Marshall's). But once we get into the mall and the crowds, I get so overwhelmed that I can't really get much done. DD wants to go in every store, look at everything and try everything on. DS doesn't want to go in any stores except the Lego outlet, Hot Topic and the Video Game store, hits every bathroom that we pass, and wants to eat three times while we are there. I ended up with a pair of sandals for dd, a tank top for ds and a little summer dress for me (which I didn't even bother to try on at the time), but I left the perfect summer bag at Marshall's- it was a Sak woven leather hobo in a gorgeous caramel color and it was only $40. Why?!? I was just too overwhelmed at the time to make a decision.
Now that I'm home, I can see the solution is *not* to combine these shopping trips with an errand with the kids, but to make time to go alone, to hit only half the mall at a time- to stick to my list, carry water and snacks, and to go more often so that I don't feel so much pressure. It's just putting that plan into action that is hard. Next weekend dd and I will have a chance to shop at a different mall after her recital, and I am going to plan better.
Thanks for letting me vent!