Shopping with M

Me and M a few months ago: we're still just as cute.
If you've never had the chance to shop for clothes with a 3 1/2 year old, I would highly recommend it. Just be sure that you're choosing a low maintenance, laidback, incredibly funny 3 1/2 year old as your companion.

Last Thursday was my first full day in Houghton for our ten-year reunion. I have an Old Navy Visa, through which I earn gift certificates. Occasionally, I get a coupon for 40% off my entire purchase. Combine these with sale prices and I leave the store with five new outfits for the cost of one. It's like a perfect storm of savings. Since Rebecca and John both had to work and their oldest had school, I stole their youngest, let's call her M, and went on a road trip to Olean.

On the way down, we chatted, kept close track of the school bus in front of us, drove slowly because of heavy fog, and enjoyed listening to Beauty and the Beast.

In Old Navy, we hunted around the store for clothes I might enjoy, filling my VERY BIG bag with tops and skirts and dresses. We even put a few things in the bag for M and her sister, J, because I promised a treat.

When it was time to try things on, M got her turn first. She is so tiny that even the smallest of skirts didn't fit her, which was probably not a bad thing because I was anxious about choosing clothes for her sister without her there. (In the end, we settled on cat hats that were black with little pink noses and ears.)

Then it was my turn. As I tried things on, I would ask, "M, look at this sparkly shirt/sweater with an owl/red tank top/etc. Do you think I should get it?" And her invariable reply was a cheerful little "Yip!" Occasionally, something wouldn't fit well and I would say, "Oh, this is a little tight." And M would say sadly, "Yeah, it's a little tight..."

By the end, I had obtained a surprising amount of work appropriate AND three-year-old approved clothing (Who would have thought there would be so many items in that Venn diagram overlap?) and a healthy reminder that most people are paying just as much attention to how my clothes fit as M was.

Can't wait to wear that sweater with the owl on it to work. Good call, M!

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