Macaroni & Cheese and Princesses

Last night we were graced with a performance by our very own future Hollywood starlet. Zach was practicing his chords like a good little student when Bella decided she needed to practice as well. So out she strolls, guitar in hand, and proceeds to burst into an original piece entitled "Macaroni & Cheese and Princesses." I have no idea today how the song went. I can only tell you it was very unique, very long (it went on for at least 15 minutes), and it involved a lot of Macaroni & Cheese and Princesses. Oh, AND there was original choreography! Seriously, it was awesome. She had a chorus, a refrain, and I am pretty sure there were at least a couple of verses. I'm thinking I have a prodigy  on my hands.

A Sign of the Times?

I like to think that I am a cool mom. Not the WAAAAY "cool" kind that looks at her children like "little adults" trapped in midget bodies. Not that kind. But the kind of mom that has found a nice balance between letting her kids feel big and experience the world while keeping them close and not experience too much. The kind that doesn't shelter too much of the real world but enough to keep my kids from growing up too quickly. I think I'm failing. Below is the list of why.

The other day we are riding in the car and Bella busts out with, "OH HOT DAMN, THIS IS MY JAM! KEEP ME PARTYIN' TILL THE AM! YA'LL DON'T UNDERSTAND, MAKE ME THROW MY HANDS IN THE AI-ER, AI, AI-ER!" Perhaps you've heard that song. Catchy little tune. Not so much when its your THREE YEAR OLD singing!!!

Strike one.

Then a few days later, another song that she apparently loved was on the radio, and in the middle of singing along, she stops long enough to inform Daddy and I, "I want you to put this on my ipod." HUH?!?! You have an ipod?? Did I miss something?  So I ask her, "You have an ipod?" "No, but when you buy me an ipod I want you to put this song on it, ok?"  ummm. . . .

I know she knows about ipods. Her favorite thing to do with Aunt Mary is listen to hers. But how did she know you have to put music ON the ipod, and who told her she was getting one?!

Strike two.

Then the big one. Strike three.

We are driving back for a soccer game when she informs us that so-in-so is her boyfriend, he is in love with her (IN LOVE WITH HER!), they are going to get married and kiss. WHA, WHA, WHAT!?!? I'm sorry, did you say boyfriend, married, and kiss?Whatever happened to Daddy's her prince charming and she's going to marry him?  On the plus side, at least she said get married before they kiss (because we all know how that goes). Maybe I'm doing something right.

Since Last Time. . . . .

Lots has happened since my last blog, but mostly just every day life. Things have been so hectic that I haven't been able to sit down long enough to peck out a new entry. We've taken a  trip to the beach with Granny Karen, and spent an entire wonderful week laying next to water of one kind or another. We've partied at Pickwick with PapaGigi and the rest of the giant gang that comes. Bella was impossible to keep off the tube and out of the river. We've spent some time at Nana's cabin playing and visiting and trying to catch wild kittens. We took a trip to Ms. Melissa's and had so much fun visiting with her and the boys and SWIMMING!!!! 

We've joined ballet class where she is preparing for a role in "The Nutcracker." We have spent tons of time at the soccer fields with Brother, also known as social hour for Bella-she has made tons of friends and looks forward to seeing them to play tag and Barbies. 

One of the biggest things we've done is started preschool.  Of course its at home, but its preschool none the less. We do table work every morning, followed by outside playtime, then circle time. So far Bella has learned to spell and write her first and last name, her continents, the 4 oceans of the world, many of the states and their capitals (working on more every day), her days and months, and she is reading many small words  and 1 short book!!! We are so proud of what she has learned and can't wait to see whats to come. Hopefully, I will be able to keep up with the blog better than I have, so check back soon! I'll get pics up asap!

Little Fish in a Big Pond

I took Bella-roo to a pool yesterday for the first time since last year. I came with a bag full of toys (barbies and princesses and such) because I fully expected her to avoid the water like the plague like she did last summer.

 Boy was I wrong! She loved it! In fact, when a friend's son jumped wildly off the steps into the deeper water, guess who was right behind him? Yep, she jumped right in! I had to grab her by the pony tail to keep her from sinking to the bottom!! It scared her for half a second before she was jumping off the steps again, but this time it was safely into my arms. She loved the water so much that I ended up having to leave the pool in order to buy a pair of floaties. Even still, I wasn't sure how she was going to do with arm floats. Honestly I didn't think she'd do it at all. Floating freely is very different from hanging on to mommy like a baby monkey! She proved me wrong again!! Although she was less than thrilled about the bulkiness of the floaties, she LOVED actually floating around in the water! She wasn't scared at all! This may seem like no big deal to many parents out there, but anyone who knows my super cautious daughter, knows that this was a major feat for her. I was so proud! And thanks Aunt M. for playing with her so much in the pool! We love you!

Little Miss Manners

So, the other night we are all sitting in a fairly crowded restaurant when Little Miss Manners proudly (and loudly) announces, "I POOTED!" Yeah. She did.

I immediately lean over and inform her that that is not something we yell out in restaurants; its bad manners. So what does she do?

She leans waaaayy over the table, in order to get as close as possible to everyone,  and in her most polite voice whispers, "Excuse me everyone. . . .I pooted."

How's that for manners mom?

As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again!

 Maybe I've mentioned it before, maybe I haven't, but my daughter is a "drama Princess"! She says some of the most hilarious things!

For example, when she is sad, she doesn't just cry. Oh no! She looks at you, tears streaming down her fat little face and says, "That makes my heart SO SAD!" But the words "so sad" aren't just emphasized; they are said with such a Scarlett O'hara type exasperation that you end up feeling ten times worse than you should, even if you never should have felt bad in the first place! The funniest part about it though, is WHEN she says it. Yes, often times, it is at a time when she feels legitimately sad-she has just been put in time out, something sad is on the television (she is very aware of people's feelings), or even if a song has sad undertones (she is oddly in tune to the moods that different music is meant to evoke). But  MOST of the time, she uses her dramatic skills at times that only seem necessary in a 3 year old's mind. "That makes my heart SO SAD" that I can't eat chocolate and suckers for breakfast! "That makes me SO SAD" that I can't buy every Barbie in the Barbie isle at Wal*Mart! (or even just 1 BRATZ doll! *see earlier post to learn my feelings on these little plastic hookers.) Sometimes, it is almost impossible to control our laughter long enough to come up with any sort of coherent response! It usually goes something more like this : "Mommy *choked giggle* Said *slightly louder and less choked giggle* No! BWWWWAAAHHHHHHHhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!

And the vicious cycle begins again. Now her fragile little heart is SO SAD that you have laughed at her. . . . its her own personal circle of life. 

Another emotion she is really into these days is ANGER. She has a book that goes through the letters of the alphabet, and assigns each letter a feeling/emotion that corresponds with that letter. Well of course, the first letter is "A" for angry, which in her opinion, that is the way EVERY book should start, no matter what its about. . . . letter "A" is for angry. . . .Once upon a time, in a castle far far away. . . . 

Every time I read it, she tells me "ANNNGGRRRRYYYYY is my FAVORITE!" Should I be nervous??

Next on the list of funny things she says is Band-aid. Normally, this word isn't really all that funny. But used completely incorrectly, by a drama filled 3 year old, it can be really really funny.  Bella thinks the word Band-aid is what you call the actual boo-boo, NOT the protective bandage you put over a scrape. Now, before you read her next quote, go look in the mirror and practice your BEST Scarlett impression. You're gonna need it. "Oh Mama LOOK! That little girl fell down and got a BAND-AID!!"  HA!

If you really want to freak her out, just pop up and ask her if she wants a band-aid on her leg. Mean, but pretty funny.

And last on her list of soon to be famous quotes is, "Call me if you need me!" No, my 3 year old does not have a cell phone (I'm sooo behind the times ;); it is just her new thing to say anytime she is leaving our presence. Going to a friend's, "Bye Mommy, I love you. Call me if you need me!" Going to bed, "Good night Mommy. See you in the morning. Call me if you need me!" Going potty, "I need to go potty. Call me if you need me!"

A very wise friend once told me, God HAD to make children cute in order to keep them alive on the days they are being ugly. I for one have found this to be true, because on the days that Bella is mastering her ANGRRRY emotion, it only takes 1 "Call me if you need me" to remember how very HAPPY she makes me. 

It's Her Party and I'll Cry If I Want To

As most of you know, the little Princess had a birthday last Friday. This one was a big one and it is hitting me hard. On April 18th, my baby girl turned 3 years old. She has her party in two days, and I am not looking forward to it. Its almost as if the party doesn't happen, she won't grow a year older. This one was right up there with the first birthday in terms of my heartbreak. Most of my friends don't get it. But then again, most of my friends didn't teach 3 year old pre school for 6 years either. 

Three is officially the year that children go from babies to big kids. All traces of infancy are lost. And its true even in my own house where I have fought so hard to keep my little girl from growing up. She's gone from bottles to big cups and pampers to panties. Paci's are extinct and the crib has long since been packed away in the attic. The only remainder of her babyhood are the hundreds of pictures that thankfully cover my walls. Other than my family, they are my most cherished possession. Serving as a reminder of all the little memories that might have faded without them. . . how small she really was, the way she LOVED her bath but HATED drying off, her first smiles, the way she looked toothless and bald, and just how fat her cheeks really were. 

As much as I never want to forget, those things can be hard to remember now when I look at my skinny little girl with her wild curly hair, singing and running wildly around the living room in a desperate attempt to fight off sleep. 

Gone are the days of simply holding her tiny little body snugly against mine for hours. Now there are dogs to chase, tea parties to hold, friends to see, naps to avoid (ugh!), and barbies to buy. 

There are so many little things that I will miss about her infancy-carrying her around in her pouch, the way she put her butt in the air while she was sleeping, her little legs kicking 90 miles an hour in her baby bath , and that tiny baby smell that every mommy cherishes. I will miss it all.

But each day, she reminds me that there are so many new and exciting things to look forward to, to love, and to be thankful for. I love when I come home from anywhere and she screams out, "Mommy you're right back!" and runs arms wide open to hug me. 

I am astonished each day by her intelligence, imagination, and memory (just like her daddy). I love that she greets each day as a new and different princess.

It's amazing when she points to a word and says "Hey Mommy! Thats says ____!" or when she spouts off some little tidbit we didn't know she knew.

As much as I sometimes hate it, I love her determinedness and strength. (not loving it so much right this moment. . . .she is reminding me just how determined and strong she can be by refusing to go to nap unless she can go in her beautiful white Cinderella wedding gown.)

And there is no feeling in the world like the feel of her little arms wrapped so tightly around my neck as she whispers "I love you" into my ear. Or when she tells me I'm her best friend. 

I guess thats God's little gift to me, allowing me the ability to grieve for the little things I have lost by her growing up, while at the same time marveling at the wonderment that is her future. 

She doesn't really need me to hold her anymore, but she does still need me to hold her hand. And today, that is what I am most thankful for.

I've Created a Monster. . . .

help! I was almost transformed into a monster of the worst kind. . . . . .

As many of you know, growing up I ALWAYS wanted to take gymnastics and learn to tumble. (I still do, so if anybody out there knows of anyone who will teach a 30 yr old out of shape mom to do a back handspring, let me know!) But, that dream was never fulfilled bc someone (ah-hem, my dear daddy-love you though) did not think that cheerleading or gymnastics was a "real" sport. No need to go on a gymnast defending rant here guys, I know it IS indeed a real sport. Anyways, I always wanted to do it, so when I found out I was having a daughter, that of course was one of the first dreams I had about her future-sitting in the stands watching my little girl tumbling and cheering for a pee-wee football team; fast forward to the high school varsity squad. Her in her uniform, tumbling across the field as everyone comments on what a talented little tumbler she is.  It was beautiful . . . .I know, I dream big. But I actually did have another dream. . . basically the same as the first one except instead of cheering in high school, she is competing in the olympics-floor  and uneven bars of course. Told you I had at least some big dreams for her :)

Anyways, you can imagine my excitement a few weeks ago when she was FINALLY old enough to start gymnastics class. Really, it felt like a really awesome birthday and she was my best present. In we walked, me proud as a peacock, chest out and head high as I presented my future olympic gold medalist, fully outfitted in her little black "letatard", hair in pig tails Nadia  Comaneci style, and tripping over her own feet in her excitement to get to "dymnastics cwass." It was GREAT!

This week (her 3rd class) was just as good. She was still super excited and so was I. She was eagerly doing anything and everything coach Cindy asked of her, and I was so proud! All "olympic dreams" kidding aside, I really did hope she loved gymnastics. Its a great sport. It teaches poise and self confidence, and keeps a person in really great shape-good no matter what you want to do in life! Plus, it is something I always wanted to do, and admittedly. I selfishly kinda wanted to live vicariously though her. Mostly though, I just wanted her to have a good time, find something she is good at, and gain a little confidence. And then it happened. . . . .just as I am being able to put my olympic dreams for her aside, and settle on her simply having fun, one of the other parents says to me," WOW!! You're daughter is REALLY taking to this stuff! You can see even now that she will be great at it if she keeps it up!" At that moment I could feel myself morphing. I went from, "gee, I just want her to have a good time. Make some new friends. Maybe do this as a hobby" to "Oh My GA! Are you serious?? She could be great? What is the number to legendary gymnastics coach Bella Karolyi? We need to start a training regiment!"

I went from "oh look her her cute, clumsy little front roll!" to "are her toes pointed? did she stick her landing (off the 4in high balance beam)?" I became a crazy fanatical mom!

And as my beaming little Dorothy Hamill came skipping over to me after class, she reminded me just what a reality my dreams were. . . as she tripped over a mat and fell flat on her face. 

Talk about a reality check!

The thought of it now makes me smile. I don't care if my baby grows up to be a world famous gymnast, or even if she doesn't want to cheer (pleeeeease please ppleeeease want to cheer). I just want her to be her, in all of her perfect, imperfect cuteness. I just want her to be happy, and I want to at least give her the opportunity to try and succeed at the things she dreams of doing. No matter what they are.

but don't you think cheerleading looks like a lot of fun??. . . . . or maybe the uneven bars?

She's in Love With a Boy

It's happened. She's in love. And he's an older man. A much older man. 17yrs older to be exact. She discovered his charm this weekend, and that was the beginning of a new love affair. She followed him around like a puppy, much to her aunt Mary's dismay. "Mr. J can you hold me?" she'd ask while batting her innocent blue eyes up at him. Of course he can! Who can turn that down? 

She soaked in his every move. He captivated her with manly things like tying his shoes and kicking a soccer ball. He was entrancing.

I'm not real sure how to feel about this. Its her first crush. How's a mom supposed to feel. . ?

But. . . . .

I must say that the girls got good taste. He's tall (taller than her anyway), dark, and handsome. He's an athlete.  He's a sweetheart. And, I have always been a supporter of the "older man". I guess it could be worse.

We're ALLLLLL gonna DIE!!!!!

Its official. The government is trying to kill us all. Actually, they don't want us to die. They want us to be really sick and need tons and tons of medicine so that they can rape us on the cost! Its proven in their lack of quality control and safety standards when it comes to our food and our beauty products. 

In my quest to go greener, I came across an article about plastics and how deadly they are. How they are sitting seemingly harmless there in the fridge, but all the while they are leaking deadly toxins into our food and drink! Oh and don't even think about putting anything plastic in the microwave! You'll be dead before dinner!

Then there is this list, a list, of the different types of plastics that are considered safe and the ones that are going to kill you. Its determined by the number that is on the bottom of the plastic object/container. Of course, after reading this article, I immediately had to scour my house to see how good of a job I was doing at slowly poisoning my family through plastics. Apparently, I am an awesome plastic hit-man!! Everything in my house seemed to have the bad number on it! So after ridding all of my cabinets of millions of dollars worth of valuable tupperware, I headed to the fridge. And there it was again! I am telling you, it is a freaking miracle that my children are still alive today!! Just about all of our little "snack- pack" items were in the dreaded #7 plastics. For those of you not familiar with the dangers of plastics, do a little research on good ol' plastic #7, that stuff will kill you! I'm amazed that its legal to put ANYTHING in plastic #7, much less anything that is to be ingested. Its madness! The "greatest" thing I learned was that Mott's applesauce, you know, the kind you put in your kids lunch box everyday of their life, the kind that claims to be so wholesome and good for you, comes in a plastic #7 container!!! No kidding. (Del Monte fruit cups do too, just FYI) Also, many of my new improved organic foods are in #7 too!! Are you kidding me!!??? You are charging me $5 a tub for organic sour cream because the non organic kind is full of poisons since the cows that made the milk that made the sour cream ate grass that had pesticides on it!!! Thats fine. Great! But then you put it in a plastic container that has been proven to leak toxins into the product!!! Does that seem a bit twisted or is it just me???

So now, along with my list of safe shampoos and soaps (don't want death by Sulfates), unsafe food additives (everything under under the sun is linked to glutens, froctuse, MSG, etc, etc), chlorine free detergents, and toxin free cleaners, I NOW have to carry a list of safe plastics to the grocery with me! Christ, I practically need a folder just to keep up with whats ok to buy! Is NOTHING safe anymore???? I'm going to have to become a mennonite or something! Grow all my own organic food and cotton to make my own clothes. Raise my own hormone free, organic livestock, and build my house out of bamboo!! I think thats going to be the only way to keep us from getting 50 different types of cancer and ADHD, and Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's, and. . . . . . I can't remember what else. But I can assure you, its bad!  

Now for what the Little Princess has been up to:

I can tell you what she HASN'T been up to: SLEEPING!!

Last night it took 2.5 hrs to get the monster to sleep. I am really not sure what is going on. She was sleeping so SO great, and then it stopped. Then great again for a couple of weeks, and now we are back to no sleeping. She is up BY 7:30 every morning which is HORRIBLE!! It makes her in such a foul mood. Its horrible. I have been racking my brain trying to figure out what it is I have done to upset Karma so much as to deserve this.

On a positive note, she went to her first Gymnastics and Ballet classes last week. It was quite possibly the cutest thing ever! In the gymnastics class they were actually learning real skills, which I was impressed with. (I have seen so many gymnastics classes that were such a rip off at this age! This was not one of them). Every piece of equipment was authentic, but it was MINIATURE!!!!! CUUUTTTEE!!!!!! She walked across the balance beam with her little arms out-stretched for balance. And they even had a bar for her to flip over!!! It was only about 3 feet off the ground and OMGAAA it was freaking adorable!! I took what pictures I could but gym lights are not really conducive to pictures.

After gymnastics class came Ballet lessons. She was in HEAVEN!!! I really conned her into gymnastics only by promising Ballet class afterwards. So when it was finally time, she was beside herself with excitement. Mommies were not allowed inside Ballet lessons; we had to watch on a tv monitor outside of the classroom. It was killing me not to be able to take pictures! 5 little girls in pink tutus and ballet slippers dancing and twirling is a photo op if I've ever seen one!!! Bella is the youngest  in the class by at least a year, and also the smallest by at least half a foot. Which only makes watching her a billion times cuter! She was my tiny dancer in a class of big girl ballerinas, doing her best to mimic their plies. Watching her, I had one of those "OMG I have the cutest kid in the entire world" mommy moments that we all have. It was all I had not to stand up and say "wow, don't you guys wish YOUR little girls were as cute as MINE???!" HA!!! Don't scoff-you know you've had that moment too!

When it was over, she was instantly asking to go again. I knew she would. She lives to be a ballerina. . .well a ballerina Princess to be exactly correct, so this was a dream come true for her. 

What I want to be

ok well since I haven't blogged in so long, there is quite a bit to catch everyone up on. . . .

where to start, where to start. . . . 

I guess I will start with me.

Most importantly I guess, my photography "career" seems to slowly but surely be taking off thanks to a good friend who has been serving as my unofficial booking agent. I shot her daughter's birthday party which was a lot of fun, and then I did a book signing for a local newspaper. That was pretty nerve wracking I must admit!

I also have a couple of bookings for later this spring. I so excited that this is all happening, but it is really scary!! Most of the pictures I've taken have just been here at home, playing around with the camera-no pressure! So to have an actual event that I HAVE to get great pics of is crazy stressful!!! But so far I have gotten really good feedback, so I am pretty proud of myself! Its made me really think about the kind of photographer I want to be. You know in the movies when it shows the cute couple all in love and they have that montage scene of all their great pictures together, laughing and playing, and going about their day, like they have their own personal photographer following them to document their daily life ?? Well thats what I want to be. I want to take pictures of people's everyday moments. Feeding their baby, washing the dog, playing at the park. I don't want fancy outfits and poses in my pictures. I want people to be able to look back through the photographs I've taken and remember THAT moment, the way things were then. For instance, this morning Bella was helping me make my bed, and I thought it would be so great if someone were here to capture that moment. It was adorable watching her try to pull up those big heavy covers! She was so cute with her little self barely tall enough to reach them, but trying to be such a big helper for mommy. Those are the moments I want to capture for everyone else. The ones that you look back on and smile at the memory. Like a secret photographer catching those moments that may seem insignificant now, but will be the most cherished later on.

AHHHHH!!!!!

Stupid technology! I have been locked out of blog for some unknown reason for the past 3 weeks!!! Then today, somehow, I magically unlocked the secret code to get back in!

Whoohoo!! So to all my faithful readers. . . .I look forward to your comments again!

She wore an itsy bitsy, teeny weeny. . .

Over the weekend, Rob and I took mini-me to the mall for a little family time. We rode the carousel and really just enjoyed spending time together. After the carousel we decided to take a leisurely stroll through the mall. Alarm bells were going off in my head. There is no such thing as a simple leisurely stroll through the mall for me. The mall is my mission. The mission is to find the cutest things at the best possible prices. Gymboree is my arch enemy. Well, truth be told, I love Gymboree. Problem is, Gymboree hates me  and my thriftiness. Gymboree sees me coming and smiles a little evil smile deep inside. 

It knows. 

I have no power inside those walls. The cuteness overcomes me. 

Gymboree is a money sucking vampire and I am its willing victim.

 It happens the same way every time. I am at the mall. I feel its magnetic pull. I try my best to fight it, but its just too strong. So I compromise. I'll just go in and look, I tell myself. If there is a really great deal (which there never is), then maybe I will get something. And every time, I walk out defeated. Bags full, giddy with excitement. But underneath the excitement is the dread. For now I must call my husband and shamefully tell him what I have done. How in 15 minutes flat I have managed to ruin our monthly budget. But do I let that stop me? Never.

This time was no different.

I walked in with innocent intentions. Just browsing. But this time I had an accomplice. An almost 3 year old, clothes loving hellcat. And from the moment we walked in, she had her little blue eyes on her prize. A red polka dot bikini.

I tried to stick to my guns, but it was useless. "Its ok, we can pay for it mommy," she said, using all the cute little "get what you want from Daddy" tricks I had so proudly taught her. She was turning on me! Batting your eyes and using your sweet voice is only for use on Daddy!! He's weak! Not me! It isn't supposed to work on me!! But it did.

Shirts, socks, hair bows, and a red polka dot bikini later we left. But only I was feeling the dread. My little con artist was skipping happily along. Red polka dot bikini proudly in her hands. 

The Not So Good Will

Today, I decide to try and do the whole bargain mommy thing, so I loaded up the kiddos and set out for the friendly neighborhood Good Will store. By neighborhood, I mean the closest one to my neighborhood, 30 minutes away. 

I have friends that shop there religiously and their kids' clothes are always adorable, so I thought maybe I should give it a try. 

Never again.

Before I start my rant about why I will not ever Good Will shop again, let me first say this:

I am not a brand name snob. I do not care where clothes from or how much they cost as long as they are cute and of decent quality. 

I do not get pleasure from paying as much as I can for any article of clothing. I take pride in finding bargains.

I am not a snob. Mostly.

My experience today was like a reject clothing nightmare.

I walk in, and was at first overwhelmed by the sheer volume of clothing. Next I was almost overcome with panic as I noticed that not only were there a million items of clothing to pa ruse through, none of them were in any particular order. Now, for those of you close to me, you know that disarray makes me ill. In my life everything must have its own place. My home may not be spotless, but it is organized. Chop. Chop. Chop. Thats how I like it. Thats how it must be or I have little panic attacks. I'm verging on OCD.

Good Will was a mistake.

I am walking around like a foreigner in a daze, attempting to find the toddler section. I ask the first employee I see for directions, and she kindly directs me "over there." Let's clarify. Over there consists of about 47 racks of clothing containing anything and everything from infant to pre-teen clothes for boys and girls. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!??? This place was in serious need of my organizational talents. 

I began my walk "over there" and after about 3 or 4 passes down the isles, was done. My brain could not handle it. 

Not to mention the fact that everything I looked at looked like it had been dug out of some moth-ball laden box in an attic from 1982. I have never seen so many shoulder pads or balloon suits in my life!! EWWWW!

AND not to mention that the place was filthy. The floors, the racks, really everything but the clothes. But shopping amongst all that filth really made me feel like the clothes were filthy too. I couldn't help it! I tried to get past it; I told myself it was fine, anything I bought would be washed anyways once we got home. But I couldn't do it. Any shopping experience that makes me yearn for a shower afterwards is just not for me. I guess I will just stick to the sale racks at the regular stores from now on, and be forced to revel in all of my friends amazing Good Will finds. Oh well.