Shoe Shopping: sometimes too good to be true

Over a weekend vacation, our family went to the outlets for some shopping. Crazy? Absolutely! This kind of shopping excursion is not usually a good fit for our kids. The 4 year old gets whiny and irritable. The 16 month old just wants to be free…free of her stroller.

Hubby was in a good mood when he told me he would take one kid and I could take the other.

Have fun! Go look around! Buy something!

(It was my birthday weekend. Shopping conversations usually don’t go like this for us!)

I took the little one in her stroller and walked into a store I had not been in for what was probably a couple of years. Back in the day, this was my favorite shoe store. This was the place I could buy sexy shoes for that dress, get the boots with the heels, and find the classiest shoes for work.

Walking in, with a big smile on my face…I was ready!

Upon entering, the very young and put together salesperson greeted me and asked if she could help me. “No thanks”, I said. “Just looking around.”

My eyes darted everywhere. I didn’t know where to start. All of the shoes were calling my name!

I picked up a shoe. I tried it on. Not quite the right fit. I moved on.

A few minutes later, baby girl started getting fussy. Soon enough, she was starting to look like Houdini breaking out of the stroller.

Of course at this time, another salesperson politely asks if she can help me. “Nope. I am good.”  At least I think I mumbled that. She just kind of stared. I moved on.

Okay…I knew I could find a pair of shoes before baby girl totally broke down.

Then, I realized the salespeople were still staring at me.

At that moment, I passed a mirror. My hair was a wind blown mess from being at the beach all day. The diaper bag was falling everywhere. I was pushing a stroller with a kid desperate to escape, and when did I start wearing the version of mommy jeans in capris?

How quickly the mighty fall. Okay, scratch that. Sounds too dramatic but it was close.

I pretended to look around a bit just to look cool as I started to exit. At this point, I am sure baby girl was telling me off in her own language.

Salespeople were not even hiding the fact that they were staring. In my head, I may have wished all of this on them one day just so they could think back and remember. One day, I may laugh about this. I hope I am wearing a new pair of shoes when I do.

I held my head up high and walked out. I pictured myself coming back without kids another time. It would be just like Julia Roberts in that scene from Pretty Woman.

 Just as soon as I swap kids with hubby and go to a store to buy normal capris.