Shopping.........ugh

When I was off in April for my annual spring cleaning, I also did a little spring shopping. I love to go to outlet malls. I am a man’s dream when it comes to shopping. When I head out to the mall I know what I need/want, I walk into a store look around if I see something I need/like I grab it if not I pass by without so much as a second look within 15 minutes I am on the next store. I do not like to “peruse” or “shop” while shopping.
My Mom and I use to shop together from the time I was a little kid to adulthood. I remember as a little kid being drug from store to store. We might hit 3 groceries stores on a Saturday….why you may ask. Well because my mom was a bargain shopper, she had to be being a single parent with no other means of support. So we would get the milk that was on sale at one store the canned food that was on sale at another and maybe the meat at yet another place. Unlike me, my mom didn’t go into stores knowing “I need these things” she knew she needed certain things but would still “shop” so up and down each aisle it didn’t matter if it was K-mart, The grocery store or a clothing store we would cover every square inch of the place. It was a sport for her.It wasn’t until I had kids I that I began to realize just what a sport or hobby it was for her. I just always viewed it as annoying. When my children came along my mom would buy arms full of clothes and give it to them as gifts for Christmas, their birthday and any other holiday in between. I use to tell her “stop spending your money” because I worried, she was spending way too much on them and not doing enough for herself. She would always say I find things on sale I pick through racks; you let me worry about what I spend. She enjoyed getting a deal! Before mom died, she sent me to the closet in her guest bedroom, it was early August, and in there she told me to look for a blue bag. In it was Jackson’s birthday gift (his birthday is 8/23) not only was the blue bag in there but several other bags overflowing with stuff for the kids, shorts, shirts, dresses, toys and stuffed animals. Mom hadn’t been shopping since at least June 19th as she didn’t go out alone after diagnosis. So this “stuff” had been there for quite some time because she had bargain bought the season prior for the kids so she could provide arm loads of stuff to them. This was the way she showed her love, to them and to me, thoroughly enjoyed buying and giving us things. I can honestly say my mom pretty much clothed my kids. So in April, needing go shopping for the kids for the first time in a real way, I’m talking all new shorts all new shirts shoes etc. I took my time and went to the outlet mall and found every bargain I could  I am sure was not as skilled as she was at the craft but I did do my best as my trunk can attest to.

While shopping I was shocked at the types of clothes out there for kids, t-shirts with inappropriate sayings for little boys, dresses for my toddler that a 20 something woman should wear and then the kicker were these………

I don’t consider myself a prude but these shorts didn’t seem appropriate for my 9 year old let alone an 18 year old. Heck, even if I had the body I don’t know that I would be wearing these.
I see a lot more shopping in my future and I will do my best to channel some of my mom’s strengths bargain shopping and holding her ground when she said no! Because when I am asked to buy the shorts above the answer will be NO!