Adventures at the Stuff Mart

Recently I read a post by a photographer, challenging fellow photographers to not forget to document their own families and to actually capture the ordinary, bringing a camera along to the places visited every week.

Well, I feel like most of what I do is capture our ordinary, but I still thought it'd be fun to be a little more purposeful in documenting the mundane.

The first chance I had was a trip to T*rget today, which really isn't quite accurate since I go there 2-3 times a year.  About once a quarter I have to go to W*lmart after building up a list of things that are really best to get there and then finally something will move me into the have-to-go-now category.

Today it was contact lens solution.  I've been out for over a week but after some digging I found some mostly empty bottles travel size bottles that have gotten me through.

Thankfully, because of voice lessons we were closer to T*rget, which I like a little better than Wally World, which I really don't like at. all.  (Please don't be offended if you yourself have a love affair with either place...I know lots of people do, I'm just not one of them).

So, here is our trip to the stuff place...the kids were largely unaware of the camera, though once Amanda asked why I'd brought it into the store.

 Bathroom trip #1

 Bathroom trip #2

 The girls were so anxious to spend some of their own money.  Avery happily paid for Pet Shop junk (what in the world IS that and why is it SO expensive??) but Amanda was torn.  We didn't know until we got to the register how much her item cost.  (I had the hardest time finding prices for things...why is it hard to mark items??).  Once we knew the cost it was deciding whether she wanted to part with that money....while in line.

Finally she handed over the right amount of crinkled bills and we were off.  Except we'd only gone a couple steps when she burst into tears.  Buyers remorse.  I tried to talk her through it, offering to go return it, trying to find the root of the problem.

It was eventually decided that we'd bring the item home but not open it until she'd had more time to think about it and ponder the ramifications of parting with that much money.

Once we were loaded up and on our way we starting talking about it more and she was asking how long it would take her to save up that much money again.  We talked about the good feeling of saving up for something you really want and then going out and buying it and having it finally be yours.

Amanda, what is something you'd like to save up for...something you really, really want?

A unicorn.

Avery: Amanda, you could get a real horse, too, but they are really, REALLY expensive...they cost like $290!

Right Mom?  They cost $290?  

No, honey...its more in like in the thousands.

What?!?  Holy smokes!!!  Wow!

Later...

Amanda, somewhat to herself: Hmmm...I'm just wondering how much money Uncle Nathan has with his offices.  He probably has like $1000......

Yeah, probably like $1000.  I wonder how much Daddy has.  Maybe like $30?  Yeah, $30.

Tonight was a prime example of why we give our kids an allowance.  What valuable lessons to learn when you are five and not twenty-five.

Hopefully I'm done with the stuff stores for another couple months...its always a traumatic experience for me!

Tell those rich in this world’s wealth to quit being so full of themselves and so obsessed with money, which is here today and gone tomorrow. Tell them to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage—to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous. If they do that, they’ll build a treasury that will last, gaining life that is truly life.

I Timothy 6:17-19