Shopping image: sxc.hu

He wasn’t merely pushing the cart; he was whizzing up and down the aisles, around the vegetable and fruit displays, bouncing the cart so I thought it might tip over. 

Fortunately, as far as I know, he didn’t bump into another customer nor knock anything down.  However, the supermarket, or any store isn’t the place for racing.  I’ve also seen youngsters pushing siblings in the car type carts, each racing down an aisle, trying to see who could get to the other end first.  The moms simply chatted while the race went on.

It’s not always easy to shop when you must take children with you, but are supermarkets and other stores play areas?  Are there ways to control these activities?

Who would be to blame if someone got hurt, either another customer or one of the kids?

Post from: Blisstree

Kids Running Wild in the Supermarket

Willow Tree Angel: With Affection I adore the Willow Tree collection and own several, and this sweet angel holding a cat is on my wishlist this year.

This adorable Chester the Cat Teapot (with matching mug and salt and pepper shakers) makes me wish I drank tea!

I love calendars and for reasons I’m not even sure of, I tend to have several throughout the year. This 2010 calendar features “Bad Cats” in humorous situations.

Learn about the traditions and history of the Lucky Cat, a popular symbol of prosperity and good fortune across Asia and the world, in a hardcover book. Then check out the Lucky Cat figurines.

This Amazon seller has dozens of resin ornaments and figurines, perfect for any collector. Of course, I especially like the Chihuahua and rat terrier ornaments!

Show everyone who your best friend is with this adorable Dog Lover coffee mug.

I love these dog paw car stickers! The set of eight stickers costs less than $4 (including shipping!) and attaches cleanly to any smooth, hard surface.

Of course, we can’t forget the dogs when it comes time to look for a 2010 calendar. This one, like the cat calendar above, also features silly dogs in compromising situations!

[images: amazon.com; custom]

Post from: Blisstree

2009 Gift Guide for the Cat and Dog Lover

The Magnificent Mile is eight blocks of Michigan Avenue, running from the Chicago River to Oak Street, and is the main street between the Loop and the Gold Coast.  It’s also about a block off of Rush Street, home to lot of great bars, nightclubs, and music.  Here you’ll find exclusive stores and boutiques, hotels, and restaurants.

Shopping choices range from elite upscale stores to simple specialty shops.  You’ll find Nordstrom’s huge 271,000 square foot store, Sak’s Fifth Avenue, NIKETOWN, lots of high-end retailers (like MaxMara, kate spade, Burberry), specialty stores (like American Girl Place, Sephora), Chicago Tribune Gift Store, Hershey’s, and the classic Chicago popcorn store, Garrett’s.  You’ll also find hotels, restaurants and cafes.

Through May 31st, the Magnificent Mile is decked out like a spring garden full of hundreds of thousands of brightly colored tulips.  It’s a green, eco-friendly display of art, that turns Michigan Avenue into a beautiful garden site.  Take a closer look at those tulip beds and you’ll spot some artistic sculpture interspersed as well.

A stroll down the Magnificent Mile will appeal to the shopper in everyone!  And that will give you something to write home about!

Photo credit: wikimedia

Post from: Blisstree

Shopping Along Chicago’s Magnificent Mile

A girlfriend of mine was sharing an usually unpleasant story about a recent grocery shopping experience with her 3 ½-year-old. She wanted some words of wisdom – from me of all people! So I gave her some tips that work for us. And since I’m hardly the expert, you might want to share some wisdom of your own.

What works for us:
Truman and I have an agreement. He can have one thing, whether it’s cereal or a toy car that falls apart or some Crush Cup yogurt he will lick once and then toss away. But if he falls into a violent fit, then that one item goes away.

I also consult with him constantly while shopping. I did this when he was too young to talk back, and now that he can it’s even more fun to hear his logic. I say, “Should I get the Breakfast Blend or the French Roast? What do you think?” He says, “I think you should get the blue, Mommy.” I say, “The blue is decaf. We can’t get the blue. So is it the yellow or the red?” He says, “Is French from the country France, Mommy? I like France. What’s decaf? Why can’t we get the decaf?” And so on.

I also started giving him one of those long, thin reporter pads and a pen so he can “write down” and “mark off” his own grocery list. One time, when I glanced away to riffle through packets of ground turkey, he wrote all over his face with the pen. So be prepared for excitement like that.

As crazy as it sounds, I actually prefer grocery shopping with my son these days even if he causes the Windex Wipes display to knock over. Call it our mother-and-son bonding moment, but I actually miss him when he’s not there in the buggy with me.

(photo, JWJourney)

Post from: Blisstree

Pain and Pleasure at the Grocery Store

There’s more to Miami Beach than just the beach!

Lincoln Road is a popular area of Miami Beach, and is a hip, creative, pedestrian-only shopping area that features specialty shops and restaurants tucked in between some of the large national retail chains stores.  Although it likes to bill itself as more than just touristy, as I looked around I couldn’t identify anyone who wasn’t one.

Lincoln Road, Miami Beach

You’ll find lots of outdoor dining spots with the inevitable umbrella covered tables, but you’ll also find sofas and easy chairs put out for a more relaxed environment for cocktails.  It’s almost like having cocktails in your living room — except for the chair-side service and expensive bar tab.

On the cocktail front, however, I found most to be a little overpriced ($13 was a common price for a drink), especially considering that many of the bars offered little in the way of ambiance and the service was largely indifferent.  I think these are definitely “tourist” prices rather than “local” prices, especially when a half block off the main street prices dropped by about a third.

For dinner, I’d definitely recommend stepping away from the main street.  A block or so off of Lincoln Avenue you’ll find El Rancho Grande (1626 Pennsylvania Avenue), a charming Mexican restaurant.  This is not a typical Mexican restaurant — you’ll find strong Cuban influence, as well as other flavors and seasonings from the Caribbean.  Service is excellent!  Dinner for two, including a couple of beers, will run around $50.  Still a bit on the high side for Mexican food, but a bargain compared to the rest of the neighborhood.

If you’re 21 years old with a body to die for, you’ll probably be willing to spend the higher prices of Lincoln Road simply for the opportunity to see and be seen.  But if you looking for a better experience, at a more reasonable price, get off the beaten path.

Post from: Blisstree

Stroll Down Lincoln Road in Miami Beach

This is the soundtrack that plays when I enter store with shoplifting gates.

Bleeeeeeep! Bleeeeep! Bleeeeeeep!

This is also the soundtrack when I exit a store.

It always happens at CVS, some places in the mall, Brookshires, Old Navy, Ross . . .

All the employees seem to feel it’s a theft tag sew inside the inner lining of my purse or jeans. But, no one can find it. They all say it happens all the time and that it’s no big deal. They’ve even run my purse over their debleeping sensors. It never works.  

It has occurred to me that if it’s happening all the time and it’s no big deal they may just as well ditch the bloody things altogether.

This used  to be embarrassing to me. Now it’s just kind of pissing me off. I could stop carrying the purse – but I like it. My mom gave it to me and it’s ergonomically correct and holds a butt-load of stuff without feeling heavy.

It has also occured to me that if I looked a little less like a middle-class mom I’d be frisked and questioned everytime I went shopping. I have been asked to empty my purse at Anthropologie and a few other places.

Post from: Blisstree

Bleeeeeep Bleeeeep

But today, July 1st…it’s a glorious day, it’s hot in that way I remember as a kid…there’s just something in the air that says beach.

But alas, I am not in beach condition…I had all of those winter months to get ready…but I did nothing. Even Kirstie Alley got off her duff and lost a ton of wieght.

I blame my slovenliness and lack of fetching beach attire on fate and entrepreneurship.

You see, if I hadn’t worked in corporate America, and I didn’t meet more than my share of crazy female bosses, and never experienced how freaking cold it is at 7a.m. on a ferry, crossing the Hudson River to lower Manhattan, then I wouldn’t have begun to think “This is nuts…I need to be working for myself–in my home–with my dog…”

I wouldn’t have begun to stay up till all hours of the day and night, figuring out my business plan. I wouldn’t have started The Pet Set, or won an award or reached over a hundred new customers. Which means, I wouldn’t have tossed my chic, slender suits in favor of loose-fitting “lounge-wear”–as a result of “testing” most of Rachael Ray’s recipes.

If none of that had happened, I would have been to the gym near my Wall Street office and I’d be ready for the beach!

So, this year, it’s t-shirts and flowy skirts…those are just as cute, right?
See, everything happens for a reason…time to shop!

Post from: Blisstree

It’s Beach Season Once Again.

Ever have days like this: Everyone seems annyoying? Nothing motivates you? The whole world seems unremarkable? You’re even unimpressed with yourself?

Today was one of those days for me–I felt invisible…business was a little slow–it was sooo bloody hot. And–yet again–NOone was answering my e-mails…I didn’t even want to deal with clients…I was in heavy phone-screen mode.

I decided to get out of my office and go shopping. I didn’t really want to buy anything…I just wanted to roam around the mall, alone — just to avoid engaging with anyone.

So much so–I even lied to the girl at the Clinique counter when she asked what I used to wash my face. “My dermatologist has me use something special”, I muttered. That shut her up…no tedious sales pitch to smile through, one less person to talk to.

What am I saying, I do that very thing to clients all day long!

Next, it was off to the jewelry store to get my wedding ring polished. Excellent. I’d accpmplished something and didn’t have to spend a dime.

Shortly after, I rationalized that since I’d been shopping for an hour and hadn’t bought anything, I should go to that cute boutique to see if they had anything new. Two shirts (on sale) later, I felt pleased with my purchases and that I’d exercised some fiscal discipline. Time to get back to my office.

Nope, not yet. I was still feeling unsatisfied. Shoes…that was the answer! I convinced myself to buy not 1, but 2 pairs of strappy sandals (on sale), a half-size too small, for some deranged reason.

I went home with my summer loot, and was still feeling, not only bored and unimportant, but really dumb for thinking that a shopping spree was going to help perk me up…much of my husband’s money later, it didn’t.

I still wasn’t in the right frame of mind to get any quality work done, so I grabbed John Grogan’s Marley and Me…a sweet, uplifting little novel about a real family and their atrocious Yellow Labrador Marley.

A couple of hours had elapsed by the time I looked up at the clock…and I realized that my spirits had lifted. It dawned on me that my time with Marley and his family was quite engaging. Sitting alone with a book was more valuable than my new purchases.

I’m now ready to work, and totally re-train my dog.

I hope this doesn’t mean that Marley’s life is more interesting than mine.

Post from: Blisstree

Can a book be better than shopping?

Go shopping
Watch Food Network for 12 hours straight
You must get a manicure
You really must get a pedicure
Change your hairstyle or find a new salon
Endure/enjoy a department store make-over
Learn how to cook something you’ve never cooked before; better yet, start a cooking club
Buy a really expensive bottle of wine
Go to a 4 star restaurant or stay in a 5 star hotel for the week-end, just to get away
Send flowers to yourself
Overhaul your make-up case
Overhaul your work wardrobe
Toss any and all sweat pants
Learn a new language
Clean out your closet; if you haven’t worn something in a year, toss it
Find the music you like, not your husband’s
Find a book that’s not on Oprah’s list
Ride your bike
Volunteer in your community
Get a complete medical check-up
Teach your dog to hug you
Visit a spa and get a facial; better yet a massage.

Go shopping!
Tops2Bottoms
Blogdorf Goodman
DailyCandy
eBeautyDaily

Have a fabulous Easter or Passover! (or any other holiday that you celebrate at this time of year.)

Post from: Blisstree

Spring Cleaning