January 17 08

little note to anyone working in the retail field…if you actually take the time to stop gossiping in the corner with your co-workers and, you know, actually DO your job, your chances of actually making a sale increase ten-fold. i swear, over the last three days, i’ve visited every shoe store in both the Promenade and Hillcrest malls, and had exactly ONE shoe store employee acknowledge my existence.

and you know what?

i bought a pair of boots from her. (you starting to see how this works??)

and i hope she gets a fat commission off of me. i was determined to let her sell me something.

she convinced me to get my old boots fixed, and that it was cheap, and that i needed to buy these boots…they are a bit slouchier and shorter than my old boots, and will make a welcome addition to my wardrobe. they are perfect over skinny jeans (which i wore today) or over leggings. it wasn’t love at first site, but oh Aldo-worker who paid attention to me changed my mind, and now i love them. so awesome she was, that i bought this as well

and the mustard satchel is all the rage right now…and it was only $20!! so how could i say no?

Yesterday i had the pleasure of leaving work to pick up my first-grader from school in the middle of the day. you see, she went to the office because her stomach was hurting so bad she couldn’t take it any more! it’s over! she’s through! she won’t survive! of course, what the receptionist in the office didn’t know was that Emily has had a stomach ache for the last three years. i’m not even exaggerating here. Emily uses a stomach ache as an excuse when she doesn’t want to do something, when she’s bored, when she’s anxious, when she’s tired, or when she simply has nothing better to do. it’s her go-to.

my co-workers are certainly never going to nominate me for Mother-of-the-Year…because they got the pleasure of listening to me tell her that i was going to be really upset if i had to come all the way to get her only to find out that she was perfectly fine. we discussed, for over 4 minutes – whether or not i was going to come and get her. you see, a normal parent would leap out of her seat and race over to the school to comfort her sick babe. but me, i know better. i knew she wasn’t sick. she is just anxious about this play she’s going to be in…The Wiz of Oz.

which is

meets

It’s her dramatic debut. She’s desperate to play Dorothy, but she’s up against 4th and 5th graders for the part, and she’s got the charisma, naturally, but i’m just not sure she’s got the pipes (or the height) to play the lead role. so, methinks until this play is over…we’re going to be hearing a little bit too much tummy ache mixed with a little too much “ease on down”

ps. i just put Miss Bella to bed. without a pull-up. and no, i didn’t do it on purpose. so, either tomorrow morning she’ll wake up dry and i’m on my way to Casey’s to train the Moosh, or i’ll be cleaning up a very wet set of pink toile sheets. let’s hope for door #1, since Casey promised to give me coconut cake in return, which sounds a lot better than doing laundry at the butt-crack of dawn…

pps. i am getting used to my new digs. and i’m digging the ever-loving crap out of ’em. Becca (and Jason too! hi Jason!) did a fantastic job. After pulling an all-nighter with her supercute Addie, she still got up this morning to spend the entire freakin’ day working out the kinks. WordPress was acting all bitchy and one of the plug-ins was pulling an Emily (attitude up the wazoo). there are a couple wrinkles still to be dealt with, i think, but for the most part, it’s a thing of beauty.

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  1. Wow. You and I have very different tastes re. the boots and bag. But I hear you on the customer service! Definitely a deal-breaker for a store. Also… I like the new site, but the font is very, very small. And kind of hurts my eyes to read. Perhaps I’m the only one who thinks so… but I thought you’d want to know. 🙂

    Chris’s last blog post..*sigh* Okay, fine…

    Comment by Chris on January 17, 2008
  2. i love your new site. 🙂

    i also love the boots and the purse. 😉

    Lara’s last blog post..Prepare Thyself! (Or Don’t, and Face the Consequences)

    Comment by Lara on January 17, 2008
  3. I like those boots and I REALLY like that purse. I absolutely HATE it when store clerks ignore me when I’m shopping – that sucks.
    Hey, your page is GORGEOUS!

    Rebecca’s last blog post..Haunted

    Comment by Rebecca on January 17, 2008
  4. I like the new digs. Very cool sidebar (white shadows) icons.

    And… have faith, I’ll wager you a Timmy’s Bella comes out dry on the other side.

    SciFi Dad’s last blog post..TWS: How We Narrowly Missed The End Of Days

    Comment by SciFi Dad on January 17, 2008
  5. I like the bag, but I think I would like it in a red.

    Chris is right about the font, but at least with firefox you can change that. 🙂

    Gwen’s last blog post..The Sun Came Out

    Comment by Gwen on January 17, 2008
  6. The buttcrack of dawn. One of my very favorite phrases. =P LOL

    Love your new design!!!

    Dawn’s last blog post..Sing Along: January 16, 2008

    Comment by Dawn on January 17, 2008
  7. Oh, wow! This looks awesome. I love it! Love it! I really like the commenters’ last blog post addition. That is very cool. I also like how your sidebar, etc. aren’t rigid lines, they have very funky lines.
    WOW!

    Multi-tasking Mommy’s last blog post..I don’t have a title for today–just not thinking this morning!

    Comment by Multi-tasking Mommy on January 17, 2008
  8. Not that I know your daughter or anything, but I used to call home with stomach aches in first grade (and second) a lot. As an adult, I still have stomach aches quite frequently. As it turns out, I have IBS and GERD, which I suspect I’ve had for a LONG time.
    My husband asked me once “Is there ever a time when you don’t feel sick?”
    I have to say, it’s 50-50. But I suck it up. Now. In grade 1 and 2, not so much.

    mrs. mustard’s last blog post..Baking à la Mustard

    Comment by mrs. mustard on January 17, 2008
  9. I love those boots! Do you wear straight leg jeans with those?? I want some too!

    Comment by Unnaturally Blonde on January 17, 2008
  10. Sweet boots!

    Also?

    LOVE THE NEW DESIGN!!

    Angella’s last blog post..Reason #852 Why I Hate Winter

    Comment by Angella on January 17, 2008
  11. LOVE the new theme!
    LOVE LOVE LOVE the new boots…hot!

    Comment by Michele on January 17, 2008
  12. I lurve the new layout, so pretty! And I’m jealous about the bag, I look terrible in yellow, but I do love an accessory or two in a sunny color.

    Bri’s last blog post..I want, but I’ll never get it and that’s ok

    Comment by Bri on January 18, 2008
  13. I love the new layout. Very festive!

    Karen’s last blog post..The Holidays

    Comment by Karen on January 18, 2008
  14. you know you’re a mother when your children become verbs.

    kgirl’s last blog post..Look Ma, No Ears

    Comment by kgirl on January 18, 2008
  15. Love the new look!

    M&Co.’s last blog post..Don’t know what to say

    Comment by M&Co. on January 18, 2008
  16. LOVE LOVE LUUUHHHVVV (!) the new digs Ali, awesome look! And that bag rocks! I would so totally be seen in public with you. If you didn’t mind being seen with me and my five o’clock shadow that is.

    jasmine’s last blog post..The things I do for vanity sake

    Comment by jasmine on January 18, 2008
  17. I also love the new layout! Great colors.

    Jenn

    Jenn’s last blog post..ROTFLMAO

    Comment by Jenn on January 18, 2008
  18. LOVE the new design. Font looks just fine on my mac 🙂
    LOVE the bag – as for the boots, still have to get used to the old 80s pixie boots being cool again *shudder* speaking as one who lived through it the first time!

    Kat’s last blog post..What IS it With the Letter ‘K’?

    Comment by Kat on January 18, 2008
  19. I really like the new look. very cool but I have to say the text is a bit harder to read. Tracked out a bit too much (ie, not tight enough)… or maybe it’s just late and my eyes are buggin….. (The comment text is a lot easier to read) 🙂

    Comment by Lindsey on January 18, 2008
  20. Beeeeatitful theme. I’m jealous, I want one!

    LOVE the purse, I’d so pick that up for 20 bucks!

    sam’s last blog post..the vague title to accompany the vague post

    Comment by sam on January 18, 2008
  21. I love those boots. I’ve been admiring similar ones for awhile.
    And, I’m with you on the service. I hate when I go into a store and my very presence seems to annoy the staff … who are on commission! Seriously. If I acted that way in my work I’d be fired.
    Oh – and though my son hasn’t quite mastered the art of claiming a stomach ache as well as Emily, he’s getting there. He has discovered it can get him out of stuff he doesn’t want to do. I have the same debate with him.
    But, I grew up with 2 girls who were always “sick” and their mom always came and got them from school and felt super sorry for them. And, guess what? We were all annoyed by them.

    Laural’s last blog post..Soooo Excited!

    Comment by Laural on January 18, 2008
  22. love your new site Ali its as FAB as you are! so did bella wake up dry?i’d do just about anything for homemade coconut cake mmmm

    Comment by LAVENDULA on January 18, 2008
  23. There is no happy medium is there? Either the sales people won’t leave you alone (i.e. throwing tons of clothes over the dressing room door that they “just think you will LOVE!” a la Express) or you can’t get them to give you a second glance.

    Jen’s last blog post..Jumping Back In.

    Comment by Jen on January 18, 2008
  24. I tried those boots on yesterday!!!! I had to pull myself out of the store and keep telling myself to wait until next year. Winter’s almost over, right? That’s so funny. I love them!

    Comment by Adina on January 18, 2008
  25. The new digs are so purdy… I like!

    I did that with my daughter (debated with her on the phone) and she NEVER fakes being sick. It was something the secretary said: “Three of them from that class have gone home today; something nasty is going around.” I went to get her, but my instincts were correct – she was just following the trend. Bugger.

    LoriD’s last blog post..Why do you have three children?

    Comment by LoriD on January 18, 2008
  26. LOVE the new site!!

    Comment by Joscelyn on January 18, 2008
  27. Coolio new design, Ali! I was like Emily. Antsy to move on to the next thing, never wanting to sit still, tummy aches aplenty.

    Was Bella dry?

    I haven’t done the skinny jean yet but can totally see you rockin’ them with those boots.

    Jen maier’s last blog post..My Addiction

    Comment by Jen maier on January 18, 2008
  28. Love the bloggy makeover! And I always had stomach aches when I was little like Emily. A nervous stomach thing. So not fun.
    After Moosh’s, I’m expecting you In the Trenches!

    TrenchesofMommyhood’s last blog post..83?

    Comment by TrenchesofMommyhood on January 18, 2008
  29. Your site looks AWESOME! Every little detail is superb.

    Love it!

    Comment by Kelly H on January 18, 2008
  30. Love LOVE the new look! I’m so jealous it!

    Sadie’s last blog post..Bored. And sad.

    Comment by Sadie on January 18, 2008
  31. I LOVE your new design!!
    And $20 for the purse?! Score!

    jackie’s last blog post..My Question to You

    Comment by jackie on January 18, 2008
  32. I love The Wiz…. Emily would make a great Dorothy, fashizzle!

    Haley-O’s last blog post..The Good Day….NAAAAAAAAP!

    Comment by Haley-O on January 18, 2008
  33. Very cute purse!! Customer service is hard to find these days!!! My son uses a headache. Kids…

    Miss’s last blog post..Your Assvice Needed

    Comment by Miss on January 18, 2008
  34. Yay! The font is great now. You’re going to email me all… “Um… I didn’t change it. You’re actually just crazy.”

    It’s okay. I know.

    Chris’s last blog post..Letters, pt. 3

    Comment by Chris on January 18, 2008
  35. I Really like the new layout, very much so.

    I ordered a pair of boots last week, and got them this week. They’re hideous. I cannot wait to return them. ugh.
    Back to the drawing board.

    Comment by monstergirlee on January 18, 2008
  36. What happened? It looked better yesterday…

    Comment by jasmine on January 18, 2008
  37. What happened? It looked better yesterday…

    It’s still beeeutiful though.

    Comment by jasmine on January 18, 2008
  38. Ahhh. A new pair of boots AND a bag. Pure heaven.
    Thanks for commenting at my site. I love the new design!

    Kathryn’s last blog post..Lambeau, Here We Come!

    Comment by Kathryn on January 18, 2008
  39. the site looks terrific! The boots are frickin’ gorg!
    and if you come to my house and train the girly before this next baby makes its appearance I will supply you with a lifetime of chocolate baked goods…..
    really. My brownies with the white chocolate chunks are to die for.

    Comment by Kristen on January 18, 2008
  40. You are so right about the retail girls! Having worked in a large department store, it used to drive me MAD trying to get help from people who were just slacking off. And yes, i did get big fat commissions because i actually DID my job!! Im so glad to hear someone else acknowledge this. Retail is where people go to die…you need to encourage the good ones to work for something better! On the other hand, great work on the shopping! The bag is fab, great buy!

    Tara’s last blog post..To Be Free

    Comment by Tara on January 18, 2008
  41. Love love the new page! It’s all sorts of wonderful.

    And I’m no mother of the year either. My 12 year old told me thought he broke his arm a few months ago and I just figured he was trying to get out of school so I did nothing. Turns out it was broken. Bad mommy!

    Kristie’s last blog post..Three posts in one day! What is the world coming to?!

    Comment by Kristie on January 18, 2008
  42. The new site design? LOVE IT! Nicely done.

    Amanda Brown’s last blog post..Cheddar Denied

    Comment by Amanda Brown on January 19, 2008
  43. I love your new layout!
    Very nice and hip.
    Great boots too!

    Comment by Keri on January 19, 2008
  44. I am coveting those boots, that purse, that salesperson!!!

    OK…unsolicited advice re: stomach ache. I always thought stomach ache meant “faking it.” But my son was repeatedly saying he had a stomach ache. The Nurse Practitioner at my pediatrician’s office was the one who thought to test his blood for h.pylori. It’s an utterly disgusting bacteria that lodges in one’s stomach and causes stomach aches! My son had it…got rid of it with a long course of antibiotics. You just might want to check it out!

    Di’s last blog post..Shocking news flash!

    Comment by Di on January 19, 2008
  45. ooh! the new boots & bag looks awesome! I totally agree with the non-helping shop assistants – they suck! i always have to chase them for help & then feel I don’t want to give them my money!

    aaw poor Emily, I hope she gets a good part in the play, even if it’s not the lead!

    Bronnie’s last blog post..Some good news.

    Comment by Bronnie on January 19, 2008
  46. That bag is just fabulous, and I am still working on getting up the guts to do jeans over boots.

    slynnro’s last blog post..A wedding and a funeral.

    Comment by slynnro on January 19, 2008
  47. Your site looks fabulous! And I LOVE that bag.
    Poor Emily 🙁
    I hope she gets the part.

    Comment by Dina on January 19, 2008
  48. Howdy girl! I’ve been absent a bit (due to the staph infection from hell). I LOVE the new look!!!!

    Very, very cool. Just like you.

    FENICLE’s last blog post..Marriage Reality

    Comment by FENICLE on January 19, 2008
  49. This is different. This is interesting. I’ll have to get used to it, as I resist change. But it sure is pretty.

    I’ve had that conversation. On day 2 of my new job. I think they all still think I’m a cold-hearted Joan Crawford because of it.

    Chantal’s last blog post..Linkaversary!

    Comment by Chantal on January 20, 2008
  50. Holy shit! My last blog post came up after my comment. Now that’s fantastic!

    Chantal’s last blog post..Linkaversary!

    Comment by Chantal on January 20, 2008
  51. I love The Wiz. It’s like Frank Baum took a heavy dose of acid.

    I dig the new look.

    Chris Cactus’s last blog post..The Weekend Recap: Depressed Snowmen and Shoeless Pimps

    Comment by Chris Cactus on January 21, 2008
  52. Love the boots, what store did you get them at?

    Comment by Steph on November 5, 2010
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