Stashing

I have always believed that everyone should work at least 6 months each in retail and the restaurant industry.  If you can't hack it then you should be ejected from the earth.  j/k.  I have worked many years in both and have a lot of understanding for stressed out cashiers, stock and servers.  One thing that always drove me nuts when I worked retail is people stashing things in the wrong department.  Drove me nuts! Why not just put it where it belongs?  Does it really take that much effort?  Those were my younger single years.  I know know in my motherhood wisdom that every single stashed item that I had to take back to the original department was from the mother of a toddler.  Now I have my understanding for every stashed toy car, stuffed animal, and box of Hostess cupcakes in the automotive department. 

In my recent obsession of redecorating everything that doesn't move I have been in near every store in the southern Indiana area with my kids. I pack my duffel bag purse with plenty of snacks, books, heck if I could pack Lucy in there to entertain the kids I would but it never seems to be enough for my two in the middle of the bedding at Kohls.  (Side note:  Kohl's is SO NOT double stroller friendly!!!! My kids get stuck in the middle of every aisle.  That leaves me leaving my stroller at the end of an aisle and making a mad dash to check out that one bedding set that I have looked at online over and over to see if it really looks like the pic.  Side note #2:  It never does!)  I usually have one of two problems. 

                       1.  Anthony and Addison are NOT getting along
                       2.  Anthony and Addison ARE getting along.
 
First one is obvious.  Two 3 year old strapped in a side by side stroller kicking, punching, smacking, pinching, did I mention kicking?  Anthony loves to torment Addison and Addison loves to scream.  Great combination right? 
 
Second one is not so obvious.  Problem 2 leads to very loud laughter that sounds like someone is kicking, punching, smacking, and pinching.  Anthony loves to tickle sissy and make her laugh.  This sends Addison into uncontrollable high pitch laughter that starts out really loud and high and ends in a deep evil chuckle that comes from her pinkie toes.  If I get him to stop making her laugh she leans over and tickles him to get him to start up again.  So picture me in the middle of Kohls with my big ol stroller stuck in the middle of the rugs on both sides trying to lift up one side of the stroller off of the ground to get it unstuck and I have super loud laughter coming from the left hand side of the stroller induced by the right hand side of the stroller.  I have my pillow that I purchased at Burlington Coat Factory on top of the canopy trying to match up some colors along with my throw blanket I bought at Meijers that is now rolling off of the canopy because I am hiking up the stroller trying to get it unhooked from the rug that looked so beautiful when I walked by the aisle only to find out that it is REALLY not that attractive once you take it off of the shelf and lay it on the ground while your son is kicking you in the butt laughing as  your bent over looking down at the dumb rug.  The uncontrollable laughter has now turned to screaming because Anthony took the playing one step too far and bit Addison's arm.  I am now stuck behind the stroller can't get to the front to get to them to separate them unless I run high speed to the end of the aisle that I am in and go around the other side to get in front of them as they are now stuck propped up on the right side on top of the bathroom rugs that I was trying to make it over when I was trying to get out of the darn aisle in the first place because of the ugly rug that looks great folded up.  So now that I have completely set the scene with a long list of run on sentences that are a story within themselves as I type with Anthony trying to scale my torso so he can see what mommy is doing on the computer I will get to my point.  You better believe I stashed everything that I "thought" I wanted right into those rugs.  My apologies to anyone that reads that knows anyone that works at a Kohls.  To those of you that was in Kohls today to check out their bedding sale and happened to walk through the rugs disgusted at all of the random things placed in the rugs....well, that was me.  I am a mother of toddlers and I understand now more than ever!