They grow up so fast

We were shopping at the mall today visiting mostly kids’ stores because I don’t want to spend any of my money (that I don’t have to for necessary purchases) this month. I whetted my appetite, a little dangerously, by going into a clothing store where everything was 50% off. I don’t know how I resisted. Seriously cute stuff.

I digress. We had visited three stores for the girls and I promised them afterwards they could check out the Disney Store if Ashlyn didn’t have any meltdowns. Miracle of miracles she didn’t so we marched on in there. Knowing how easily it is for the girls to get stuck in that store for ever–it’s like me going into Sephora, or a kitchen store, or a stationery store, or a fabric store, or a…oh–I set the timer on my phone for five minutes. They still don’t understand how unfair that is, haha. Ashlyn didn’t even make it past the second table of wares. She zeroed in on Princess plates and Tinkerbell bowls and started stacking them. Reagan managed to go farther back into the store but was back up to us when my timer went off. I think she had come up to ask me to come back to look at something, but “oh look! The timer just dinged. We’ve gotta go girls!”

As we were leaving the store Ashlyn did start to melt down. She started bawling and pointing. At what? “We didn’t get to go in there Mommy! We didn’t go in there yet!” Where was she pointing? Where did that little diva want to go next? What store made her so upset that she was having to miss it? Starbucks. I kid you not.

“No honey, we can’t go into Starbucks today. Mommy doesn’t have any money, the line’s too long and we have to get to the library.”

“But Mommy, we didn’t go in there yet!”

By this time we’ve caught the attention of a woman leaving the store. She was amused, I think, and asked, “how old is she?” As I grabbed at Ashlyn’s clothes to try to prevent her from running in and attacking the display case I managed, “two and a half, she’s started young, I know.” The lady just laughed, still amused that a toddler was adamant about getting her daily fix of caffeine. I had to follow this up with the only thing I could… “they like the chai lattes…” as if them liking a non-coffee beverage is any better.

So, it seems that we’re going to have to set up not only college funds but overpriced beverage funds as well for both girls. I mean, have you seen the price of a chai latte lately? Even the smallest size, called a tall, is several bucks. And it ain’t tall. And it’s mostly ice. And if I order one for myself I better just go ahead and consider it gone because once the girls get a hold of it I don’t see it until the ice is clanging around with a bunch of chai foam which doesn’t suck up the straw very well… Du just informed me there’s a “short” size you can order that they don’t advertise much. That’s got to be the size of a shot glass.

And it’s not like we can escape the stores either. Starbucks are as prevalent here as churches and car dealerships are in the south. We’re doomed. I guess this means we’ll be asking for personalized Starbucks gift cards for the girls for Christmas.

NB – And no, I did not give in. Even if I had wanted to I only have enough left on my Starbucks card for one drink. And I am no longer sharing.