Some of you may recall that I lost my Black Friday virginity last year. I recall it. Vividly. Which is why I slept in this morning and am writing to you from my couch. In my pajamas. I’m drinking a cup of coffee and eating a piece of maple pumpkin pie that BigBrother made for yesterday’s Thanksgiving celebration. The laundry is washing. Soon the dishes will be washing. And I’ll listen to Christmas music while I decorate (all but the tree) as the snow attempts to fall but refuses to stick to the ground.

Because the memories of last year are enough to keep me inside for as long as possible today.*

I don’t like the way that today’s deals make people act, both those in search of the deals and those working at the stores. While I didn’t engage in any pushing, shoving, shouting or other such nastiness last year, I watched it happen. It made me sick to my stomach and really upset me. Those things are not what this season is about for my family. Those are not the reasons that FireDad and I exchanged vows a week before Christmas five years ago. The hope, love and general spirit of the season are things that this family rejoices in, not the overt commercialism.

Not that I don’t love a good deal. I do. In fact, I really, really love a good deal. But not on Black Friday.

Growing up, the day after Thanksgiving was about decorating for Christmas. And leftovers. And Christmas music. And annoying each other since everyone was home from work and school. And more leftovers. And pie! I want that for my household as well. Some may argue that they do those things after they go out and do some early morning shopping. That early morning shopping last year ruined my whole day. I don’t want that.

While I said, last year, that I’d cave and go back out this year if The Store That Has Everything From Power Wheels to Eggnog had $88 Power Wheels again (they did), FireDad and I discussed that there’s no world in which a four year old and a two year old need a tricycle, a bicycle AND a Power Wheels in one sitting. The former two are arriving from Santa. The latter would be overkill. And so, once again, no Power Wheels. The world didn’t end after that decision or after I woke up well after the shopping kicked off this morning. My children will continue to live life, without a Power Wheels, and all will be well.

And so, Black Friday shoppers, enjoy your sale prices. You won’t have to push, shove or otherwise assault me in order to get your deals. To those that also hate confrontation but are braving it all the same, I send you my best. I’ll stay home, warm in my pajamas, and enjoy the fact that I am neither cold nor rushed and not even upset about a missed deal. Because there’s always more pie.

* = I do have to go to the bank today and I have to shoot the basketball game tonight so I do have to leave the house but hope to avoid any insanity.

I had a very difficult time trying to find clothes for my boys on my Semi-Annual Big Shopping Trip earlier this year. As usual, the marketers think that moms of boys don’t notice the huge discrepancy between the boys and girls sections. I did notice, in fact, when the boys’ section in Old Navy was half the size of the girls and was nearly empty. In the end, I did find enough to clothe my boys for the winter and fall. Good thing. I’d hate for someone to call Child Protective Services on me for letting my children go naked simply because companies don’t care about boys clothing. That would be unfortunate.

Today, however, I need to rant about the cost of pajamas. I hate buying pajamas. In fact, in the summer months when it’s hot and I’m too cheap to run the air conditioning, the boys sleep in their underwear and a t-shirt. I find paying upwards of $20.00 for pajamas, clothing that they only sleep in and that the rest of the public simply doesn’t see, to be rather ridiculous. I usually hit up discount stores or big sales (remember when I went out on Black Friday last year?) for deals on pajamas. Less than $10 is an acceptable price for me to pay. In fact, one store I visit specifically for this reason often prices their pajamas for $5.99 and that makes me a very happy Shopping Mama. In fact, I recently bought an extra size of Lightning McQueen pajamas at that price so LittleBrother can have a new pair next year at that same glorious price. (Give me a sale and I’ll buy twice as much.)

As much as I hate spending the big bucks on pajamas, I recently broke my rule. If you’re the mom of a boy, you may have noticed the huge selection of firefighter themed pajamas this year. Almost every store I shop at, either online or in brick-and-mortar version, is sporting a pair. Old Navy ($14.50), Crazy8 ($16.50) and Gap ($22.50), just to name a few, all offer very cute firefighter themed pajamas. But all at prices that I’m, quite honestly, not willing to spend since no one but FireDad and very few select people (grandparents, the babysitter) will ever see. I mean, the Gap pajamas are more expensive than the Easter suit that I bought for BigBrother this year. Unless he’s wearing those things to church, school and everything in between, I think not.

But, you see, one of my close friends went shopping with me on the Semi-Annual Big Shopping Trip. She likes me to spend my money. (As I like her to spend hers!) We were in the Carter’s Outlet and she said, “Have you seen the firefighter pajamas?” She dragged me by my ear (slight exaggeration), pulled one off the rack and I died inside. I couldn’t not buy them. I had to purchase them. There was never any debate. Thankfully, due to my savvy-shopping, I was under budget and, therefore, I could afford to splurge on what are, quite honestly, the coolest firefighter jammies on the planet. I paid $12 a pair but, as you can see below, I couldn’t avoid it. It simply had to be done. The money had to be spent.

See?

As I said, no other option was available but, “Purchase. Immediately.”

I would link you to these wonderful pajamas so that you could purchase them yourselves (you know, since there’s no other option) but Carter’s doesn’t have a large availability online and these were Outlet jammies. I can only urge you to beat feet to the store and pray that they have your child’s size still available. (As a side note, they also have a navy blue and orange firefighter rain jacket in store right now as well. I’m sorry. I also had to purchase that one.)

I write all of this to say: if you are a marketer, researching what to make for boys pajamas, defaulting to fire trucks or firefighter gear will almost guarantee that I, a very choosy Shopping Mom, will buy said pajamas. Whatever the price. That said, please don’t or I’m going to have to start sending my kids to school in pajamas. Is it appropriate to get official pictures taken in pajamas? It is, isn’t it? Lie to me.

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While my boys now have a mostly full fall-and-winter wardrobe, complete with pajamas that are too expensive for my taste, I am searching for one thing: a solid (non-plaid), red button up shirt in size 4T or big kid’s size 4. BigBrother needs it for Christmas and everyone is all plaid-ed out this year. If you see one, please let me know. Thanks!

FireDad and I are leaving camp this afternoon in order to attend my class reunion. Somehow, in the blink of an eye, ten years have passed. As the lady was cutting my hair on Tuesday brought to my mind in our discussion, it seems like a blink of an eye but when I stop to think of everything that has happened since I graduated high school, it’s mind boggling. College. The Munchkin. FireDad. Working at the news station. The wedding. Being pregnant with BigBrother. Falling in love with motherhood. Deciding to work from home. The miscarriage. The pregnancy with LittleBrother. Being published. Learning to parent two. FireDad becoming famous for his fifteen minutes. And life continues to evolve. Of course, that short list doesn’t even cover the half of it.

Let’s get nostalgic for a moment before I show you what I’m wearing to the “cocktail attire” event. (Perhaps it will inspire all you BlogHer goers!) And by nostalgic, I mean with pictures, of course! In preparation for the event, classmates have been scanning pictures from years gone by. I’ll share… very few here. Just one, taken one year, one month and seven days ago.

Now that we’ve had the trip down memory lane, let’s take a look at now. When the invitation came and read “cocktail attire,” my first thought was, “What am I going to WEAR?!” I mean, isn’t that every female’s thought when it comes to a class reunion? I have more hips than I did my junior year thanks to my lovely children. So, slinky and clingy was out. Plus, it’s July. (It’s randomly cold this year so long would have been okay in the end but, well, who would have thought that?) I searched for months and months before finding the dress and the best kept secret on the Internetz this side of etsy. (Though etsy comes into play later.)

I found BHFO Outlet on ebay by a complete fluke of internet clicking. I immediately fell in love with their easy to search format (by size, by color, by whatever you so desire). I originally searched for green but began to branch out. I bid on two other dresses before winning this (New With Tags/NWT) Maggy London dress. (That’s right. Maggy London. Dresses I had coveted elsewhere as they are very flattering to my figure but way out of my price range.) This little number came to live with me… shipping included… for under $40.00! I’m serious. The shipping for the dresses is $8.99 which is a little ridiculous but I kept that in mind with my bidding. I desperately wanted this dress and when I won, I about jumped for joy. It’s just below my knee, lined, chiffon-y, satin around the collar, nice waist, cute cleavage detail, satin buttons at the neck on the back which has the same (back?) cleavage detail and… perfect.

See?

(Oh no! It shows one of my tattoos! My grandmother will be displeased.)

Speaking of my grandmother, I called her immediately after I won and said, “Grandma! I got a dress for the reunion! But I can’t wear a necklace. Help!” We discussed things and colors and jewelry type things. We decided on silver shoes, silver bracelets and silver earrings. But I didn’t have silver earrings that I wasn’t bored with… so I turned to etsy. I found the perfect pair at SimplyShell. Silver plus some added beads that match the color of the dress perfectly. See?

And I had shoes from my friend’s wedding (when I was horrifically pregnant with BigBrother…).

I haven’t decided whether or not I’m wearing my glasses yet. I hate contacts anymore. I did buy some new eyeshadow. And the pictures are featuring my slightly shorter haircut, now with no gray! (To be fair, I’ve had gray since I graduated at eighteen years of age. It’s no surprise that I dye my hair to cover said gray. I just hadn’t done so in quite some time.) Really, with this dress, I feel fabulous. See?

(Can I have some bonus points for a clean house?)

To be honest, I don’t know what FireDad is wearing just yet. He has suggested a Speedo, socks and sandals. I think we’ll figure it out before we get there. Or, I hope we will.

There aren’t a lot of us attending the event, causing those in charge to have to move it to a new location. I’m super impressed with how the two ladies in charge pulled everything together. I’m excited to see those who are coming. I think five or six of the women are pregnant. (Not me. Done!) I haven’t seen any of those in attendance since sometime during the summer after we graduated. (Well, except for my high school into college ex-boyfriend… but… uh, different story.)

Thanks to the internet, I’ve reconnected with quite a few of them, especially thanks to Facebook in the past few months. I think, without that connection, I’d be a bit more nervous. I’d be wondering, “Is this going to be dramatic like high school?” I sincerely doubt it. I’ve gotten to read the things that these people write, view their pictures and talk with them in various ways over the past few months (some, a few years). They’ve all grown and changed and developed lives of their own, just like I have done over here in Ohio. They’re living their lives the best they know how, just like us. They’re good people. I’m excited to see them. (Granted, I’m not the slightest bit sad that my high school nemesis won’t be in attendance but I would have been nice even if she was on the list. I just would have kvetched at FireDad on the way home.)

Hypothetical kvetching aside, I had a blast planning for the reunion. I’m hoping I have as much fun with some old friends as I did shopping. If not, at least I have a stellar dress that I can wear to other events. And some snazzy earrings to boot.

Win.

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[Note: We are at camp, likely without internet access, through July 25th. I will most likely be unable to reply to any comments or email until that time. Do not take offense. I'm not ignoring you. Just enjoying some (much needed) quiet time with my family.]

I just wanted jammies. That’s all I wanted, folks. I hate (HATE!) paying more than ten bucks for pajamas since, you know, you just sleep in them and so when That Store That Has Everything from Eggs to Power Wheels had jammies for FOUR DOLLARS, well, I caved.

I’ve never gone Black Friday shopping. To be fair, three years ago I was caring for a newborn on this day and last year I would go into labor by evening. Still, I don’t like crowds. And I treasure my sleep. But four dollar jammies? I was in! I, however, don’t do 5:00 in the morning. As such, I set the alarm for quarter to six. I was out of the house at the top of the hour, grabbed some coffee at Sheetz and continued on to That Store That Has Everything from Toilet Paper to Rain Boots.

First of all, I was walking in as the crazy people who arrived at 5:00 were finishing their shopping. The lines at the cash registers, all open for once in the history of all history, were ridiculous. I felt overwhelmed. Then, being a Black Friday Virgin, I figured that since I wanted pajamas, I should go to where pajamas are sold. It made sense to me. Wrong answer. Logic doesn’t apply to Black Friday. I mean, obviously, right? Since people are out as early as 4:00 to shop. I then wandered around the store for a good twenty minutes before I found them next to the ice cream aisle. Of course! Where else would they be?! Thankfully I am actively parenting two boys because the girl pajamas were almost gone. The boys had a few more sitting on a well-picked-over display. And so I began searching. I needed a 4T because BigBrother’s head is too big for 3T pajamas and a size 18 months for the long, lean LittleBrother. I wanted Lightning McQueen and Thomas the Train. Whereas I normally shun licensed character clothing, I can handle them on pajamas. I mean, you just sleep in them (which is why it drives me nuts that they’re so costly).

My first pass yielded no characters that I was searching for and no sizes. I then began to dig. Like those crazy movies depict Black Friday. Yeah. I became that woman. But I came out with four sets of pajamas. In my head, victory music played as I held them over my head laughing maniacly while pumping the other fist in the air and yelling, “BOOYAH!” Or something. I got the very last 4T Lightning McQueen Thomas and Lightning jammes and the very last 18 month Lightning McQueen and Thomas jammies. I felt victorious. It soon passed.

I walked around for awhile, finding a few little deals for some friends and family members. But the store? Was a mess. The selection? Was well picked-over by 6:15am. The people? Were rarely polite. (I did run into (sometimes literally) a few people who had a spare smile and a kind word which is how I was purposefully trying to act myself.) I was scowled at by a few employees (though my cashier was a fabulously friendly lady). And to walk through the parking lot was to take your life in your own hands. Black Friday is not for the weak, let me tell you.

I will pass along this tip: go grocery shopping on Black Friday morning! No one was in the grocery section. Why was I? I had to grab some last minute items for LittleBrother’s birthday party on Sunday. My other tip? If you’re throwing a birthday party the weekend after Thanksgiving, go shopping for party fixins before Thanksgiving. That was my duh-moment on Wednesday evening and one of the main reasons that I ventured out this morning. I finished my morning at the dollar store grabbing some wrapping paper and plates, silverware and napkins for LittleBrother’s birthday party.

Perhaps I would have been more “into” the experience if I wouldn’t have already been mostly finished with my shopping. Maybe I would have filled two carts with stuff. But, knowing me, I doubt it. And so, the main question, will I go next year? Maybe. If That Store That Has Everything from Board Games to Beer has Power Wheels on sale for $88.00 next year, well, I’d have to cave. I couldn’t this year because I just envisioned BigBrother running LittleBrother over. And backing up. And doing it again. Without realizing he was doing it. And LittleBrother laughing, thinking that anything his older brother does it the most awesome thing in the world. All while internally bleeding. Yeah, no Power Wheels this year.

If, like everyone else who didn’t get to the store for an hour and fifteen minutes after they opened the doors, you missed a deal that you were looking for, don’t forget about the HP Magic Giveaway! Three giveaways are going live today! Bleeping Computer, Gear Live and Windows Connected are all launching their giveaways today, Black Friday. (TWO of those are already live as I write this.) I can tell you that Stop, Drop & Blog will go live with our giveaway on December 11th. In the meantime, I will keep linking to live sites. Keep reading, folks!