New Duds For A New Season

When I was a youngster, I remember our annual trips to Portland for school clothes shopping. It was a trip I always looked forward to.

As homeschoolers we don't feel the need for the big school clothing shopping event, but the kids were in need of some things we couldn't find, or aren't inclined to purchase at the thrift stores so we figured we may as well do it up right. Yesterday, we made an unscheduled extra trip in to town in order to remedy that situation.

It's been awhile since we've visited K-Mart and we thought it might be fun to head that direction for a change. The first thing we noticed upon arriving was the parking lot, one of the largest parking lots in the area, was all but empty. I found that a bit sad for some reason, and it made me wonder why Sears bothered having two different stores in our area, one for tools and large appliances, and the other, K-Mart. Wouldn't it make more sense to combine the two? But then, what do I know?

We headed inside, and to the children's clothing departments. Lindsay and I stopped at the girls section, while Pa and Nathan headed on to the boys section. Both parties found several items to tote into the fitting rooms. Pa and Nathan made it to the fitting rooms first. As Lindsay and I entered our chosen room, and began trying things on, I found it amusing to note Pa and Nathan's voices coming from the room right next to us. I suppose, with the limited customer base, they don't see a need for seperate sections for guys and gals.

When Lindsay finished trying on her clothing, and choosing the preferred items, we were then off in search of some jammies for her. We had a heck of a time with that search. What surprised me the most about it was that the employees probably outnumbered the customers by at least three to one, yet we couldn't find anyone to point us in the right direction. We finally gave up and I headed over to the women's and juniors section, thinking I might find something that would do the trick for her there. We got lucky, and found a size small set that Lindsay liked. I was surprised to find it fit her perfectly. Durn kids, really need to slow down on those growth spurts!

Naturally, Pa and Nathan finished with their shopping before Lindsay and I did. They then moped about a bit, looking bored while Lindsay and I finished up, trying to enjoy ourselves and not feel too rushed by our other half. Pa wonders why I seize upon every opportunity to send him and Nathan off on other missions while Lindsay and I search for clothing. You wouldn't think it would be all that difficult for him to figure out ;-)

The sun is shining again today, and we're all looking forward to our regularly scheduled trip to town. The kids are both sporting new clothing. Nathan doesn't seem nearly as excited about that as Lindsay is. She's all excited about modeling her new fashions for the folks at the library. All Nathan cares about is that he has a pocket for his wallet. I wonder if it's a gender thing?