If you know me personally, you know that I can be close with a dollar. But every so often the urge hits me to go shopping. Since Lily and 9 arrived I am more willing to honor the impulse. Call it peer pressure.

 

You make it sound like I spend my money carelessly.

 

Not intentionally, Lily. I know you’re a careful saver and if you don’t see exactly what you want you don’t buy it.

 

Thank you.

 

You’re welcome. The same for you, 9. You are quite disciplined at stowing your change in your hot pink and bright orange cat “piggy” bank.

 

That’s for Disneyland in June. Dad and Grandpa both said they’d give me as much as I saved for the trip so I’ll have three times as much for souvenirs and presents for family!

 

That’s what I call motivation! But you both know how it is every so often. Like last Thursday when we were downtown.

 

How could I help it when you parked in front of a store that had the perfect dress in the window?

 

This was the second time in our history that Lily made me promise this: the next time we were downtown if the dress was still there I’d try it on.

 

 

Please note, I did not make you promise to buy it.

 

And I appreciate that. 9 had an unexpected shopping windfall the day last week when we saw the new dress. We were downtown to buy a box of chocolates to send to a friend for her birthday. At Bright’s you can buy pre-packaged assortments of the chocolates they make onsite or have a custom box made up.

 

So we did a custom job!

 

We did indeed, 9. I requested a one-pound box and directed the sales clerk to take all kinds of nifty chocolate-covered candies out of the cases. Peanut butter hedgehogs, Oreos, seafoam, caramel turtles and nuts. When the candy scale got close to one pound she started filling the box.

 

But two of them wouldn’t fit!

 

And they couldn’t put them back on the trays once they’d been taken out so then what happened?

 

You always say wasting food is a sin, so we had to take them home.

 

 

Yes!

 

Imagine the trauma, being saddled with a caramel turtle and a peanut butter hedgehog, both covered with dark chocolate. These are pictured below. Full disclosure: we ate the original ones a couple of days ago so I had to buy more for photographic purposes. And since wasting food is a sin. . .

 

 

 

As it happened, we were downtown the next day to mail the box of chocolates to my friend. I parked near the clothing store again and, as promised, tried on Lily’s dress.

 

Which, you must admit, was absolutely perfect.

 

And it wasn’t that expensive, either.

 

 

 

Here’s one heck of a life hack: pay attention to your younger inner selves! Mine are always ready to give me permission to relax and try something fun.