Shopping, Stealing, and Sadness

Well, some tummy troubles have me momentarily delayed...I ordered food to go from Chili's-and think I grabbed a virus to go too! ugh. Can't get in the hot tub till I feel better.

We've shopped, and almost dropped! We've NeVeR stopped this early-by 6:30!-to go eat and get back to the hotel. We've been going since yesterday after lunch in Branson (with one of my old friends from junior high-Becky!). We made it till the stores closed, ate at Pizza Hut late, then closed Target-literally at 10pm. Today we started late, got some good deals-on both winter closeout stuff and early spring/summer clothes. I'm buying mainly for this spring/summer, and only for next winter if the deals are too amazing to pass up.

I found the cutest stuff for Mary Claire, but some of it is older-glittery butterflies, "skinny" pants, etc. and I'm wondering if she's too young. I've tried so hard to keep her really youthful-my baby in bows and cutesy dresses-so letting her grow up is hard, but it might be time.

Today marks a new phase in my parenthood. I'd like to erase it, but it's impossible. Mary Claire took Ches' debit card-from his wallet in the kitchen-and tried to buy *points* online to buy a Nintendo DSi game. You can only use points (I guess to keep kids from just buying directly online, and in hopes that they'd only use points their parents bought them?), so she worked at it. When Ches discovered it was missing (at the Boy Scout store), he panicked. He called the last place he'd used it, Chick-Fil-A in Rogers, and they didn't have it. He went home, looked everywhere, and remembered Mary Claire asking if he'd buy her some points. He went up, looked in her room, and found his debit card under one of her DSi game boxes. He was so mad! He told her to stay in her room, and he came downstairs and called me. We conferenced, I told him she had to write 50 sentences, extra math problems, to take her DSi away (and all equipment so she had no reason to think she'd ever get it back), and she had to stay in her room for two days, and be grounded for two weeks. I felt so bad I wasn't there!

He did, and she finished the sentences (that she even finished them was the most surprising!), and then he was frustrated that her being naughty was going to ruin everyone else's day. He wanted to go back to Chick-Fil-A to let the boys play-since it's still only 12 degrees out-wind chill of -6 degrees. I told him to just have her take a book and sit and read while they played. Maybe she'd see what she was missing out on. What a rough day. It gets harder and harder for me to leave. I feel like it's good for me mentally (it's a good workout too!), but I don't know how to make it easier. They'd even been to Jump Zone, Chick-Fil-A, and I'd told them they had each earned $4 in allowance (for chores) that they could spend (which they'd already spent by the time she did it!). I mean they'd had a good day, and she had to push for more. I'm so disappointed in her.

Ok, back to being a little sick, then maybe swim? and more shopping tomorrow! I'm all DONE shopping for Mary Claire. The boys got about four matching outfits each, and Ches got a few things. Maybe I'll be quick tomorrow? : )