Vacationing, Shopping, Losing My Mind

Well ahoy there friends!  I apologize for the hiatus, but vacationing with six kids is an arse-hat of work. I could take you through the highs of our trip (an oddly bucolic trip to the Portland zoo!

Riding the zoo train

The oddly bucolic and peaceful trip to the zoo

Okie babies on  the beach

Playing football with far-flung cousins!  Okie children frolicking on a beach, whilst sporting long sleeves - while the rest of our poor Oklahoma friends brace for another dip in the deep fryer!)
and the lows (the bickering and hitting that result from just an hour in the car!  Flying on two planes with Sylvie, whose tantrums prompted some senile people to coo, "It must be her ears, poor dear."  No, lady, she is just LIKE THAT!  And the two errant car pukes at EXACTLY the same time!  My utter preoccupation with the minutiae of day to day life with six children that I didn't even contact any friends in Portland!), but I won't.  Really.

We all hated each other at this point

What I will tell you is this:  I have failed greatly in my role as self-appointed Okie Nordstrom Liaison.   Today, after a run to Urgent Care for a revolting and chronic diaper rash, I finally stumbled into the Motherland.  And it was INSANELY crowded.

At first I thought, huh?  I thought the economy was in the tank!  Why is it so busy?  And then I asked a clerk - OH.  It was the first day of the most important event of my retail year:  the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale!  And somehow, in my preoccupation with these danged children, I had missed not just the opening day of the sale to the general public, but the PRIVATE beginning of the sale to Nordstrom "insiders" like myself, which had commenced NINE days ago!  HOW?  HOW?

Madness!  The Anniversary Sale!

I realized, suddenly, that I haven't been getting the Nordstrom emails, and I haven't been for probably MONTHS now, which is why this freaking blog has been so boringly kid-centric and not about what matters MOST.  My mother said she hadn't been getting them either, so either some filters have changed, or the Nordstrom brothers have decided me and my brethren just aren't worthy to shop with them, despite devoting my entire BLOG to their offerings.  

So I called customer service, and hopefully the problem is solved.  And now I can devote several days of mental gymnastics of what, exactly, to buy at the anniversary sale, besides children's shoes.  I've been thinking of buying the Clarisonic Sonic Skin Cleaning System for my hideous continent-sized pores.  Does anyone else have one of these puppies?  Does it work?

Well, can't chat now - it's off my with SIX children to Nordstrom!  It's the LAST day of double points, for freak's sake!  Watch out SHOPPERS, we're coming home!