IKEA, interrupted

J is sick. Lily is sick. Ian is sick. I appear to be the only member of the household that ISN'T sick. One of my plants even looks sick.

J suggested we revist IKEA in hopes of actually going inside this time. We arrived just as it opened and browsed most of the downstairs before it started to get crowded. We had picked out lamps for our bedroom and the living room. Close to $200 in merchandise in the cart. We attempted to check out the upstairs, but it was beyond crowded and verging uncomfortably on mosh pit crazy. Realizing that discretion is the better part of valor, we took the elevator back down so we could pay for our items. Note: The elevator is at the entrance, and there is a wall between it and the checkstands. IF, the security guy hadn't insisted that we needed to walk back through THE ENTIRE FREAKING STORE instead of just going back around the wall, I would have new lamps. Alas, it was not to be. You couldn't have paid me to try and wrangle that crowd twice. Did I mention that Lily spent most of the trip whining and howling and making those lovely sounds that cause the childless and parents (with children who are momentarily quiet) alike to smugly stare in your direction accusing you of parental incompetence? Thus, we fled to the car and departed for home.

I'm never going back. Well, maybe in a year when the IKEA madness has passed. Definitely not taking the offspring.

Ian asked me to take him to the vigil mass tonight. Funny comments from the priest, "Everyone here was thinking ahead, I see. You all get to sleep in an extra hour tomorrow. Those who put church off tonight have to get up for 7:00 a.m. mass tomorrow." Have I mentioned that I hate the whole daylight savings time thing? It's crazy that someone convinced us all to pretend it's a different time for half the year. And we LOSE an hour of sleep. Which mothers voted for that?