Labor Day Weekend

On Saturday, I had to work at the LifeLight festival over lunch in the Pizza Ranch hospitality tent, so I decided to knock out some shopping too. I hit Nearly New Town in Rock Valley in the morning and got quite a bit of stuff for the boys for fall. I was hunting for family picture outfits and the only miss is that I found a super-cute casual blazer for Cohen that ended up being way too big.

After serving pizza in the hospitality tent, I headed into Sioux Falls to Once Upon a Child. I actually found some nice stuff this time but am always super-confused why they insist on lumping all the boys and girls pajamas together. It's not like there are gender-neutral pj's for the most part, so it's a waste of time sifting through all sorts of Dora and princess sleepers.

I went to Plato's closet and found a new-with-tags cardi and some purple jeans. I usually don't buy trendier clothes, but I wanted some colored pants for pictures and figured this was a good place to buy something that might be out of style soon.

After a Target run, I was so sick of shopping, so I just went home. I did reflect on why it is that I have much better luck/enjoy second-hand shopping more than regular shopping:

1. I can usually afford anything in the store so I don't have to limit myself to the "Sale" rack. I only buy things if they are good quality/look new, so I'm willing to pay what they're asking, which is usually half or less than retail.
2. Everything is sorted by SIZE  so you don't fall in love with an outfit only to find that they only have XS and XXL left.
3. Everything is displayed by TYPE, so if I am looking for long-sleeve shirts, everything in my (or my boys') size is right in front of me, maybe even sorted by COLOR.
4. There is limited SELECTION. For me, this is a plus. I don't like shopping and get overwhelmed. If I go to Kohl's, I could make 4 full sweeps/times in the dressing room. I want to see everything that is available and then just pick the best one.  Need slicks for Ryan? Here are 15 choices in his size. Just pick the best one!  Most stores only have 1 style of, say, black slick pants, so if I don't like the style, I have to go to a whole other store!

I still buy new things, but for play clothes for the boys, dressy clothes that kids don't wear often, and certain items for myself, I really like buying from some of these quality second-hand stores.

While I shopped, Adam brought the boys to play with Emily and Lincoln and then hung out at home. I was home in time for their bedtime and was glad to take advantage of the last Saturday before football games start.


On Sunday, we had lunch at my parents and took the family picture. Adam's parents came to pick up Ryan that afternoon for a "sleep-over." They hadn't seen the boys in about a month and wanted some time to play with Ryan where he wasn't having to share the attention with his brother. Ryan had a great time, but had a little trouble going to sleep on time. (Sorry, Sue!)  The next day, the rest of us joined them for lunch. Ryan loved bouncing Cohen on the fun horse toy.

That evening, the Raiders had their first JV game and we enjoyed watching my cousin Colin and the rest of the team while Adam coached. Adam's parents, my dad, my grandma, Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins were there and it was fun to have a big "Boote/Boone" section.  There was even a hot-air balloon fly-over! 

It was a nice holiday weekend and we enjoyed having a day off to spend with family! Looking forward to our next holiday....Thanksgiving? :-/