Musings From My Minivan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ao8grJPCqtc

I love Thanksgiving weekend shopping! It is my favorite shopping time of the year. (Back to school shopping is my least favorite. Ugh!) What I love most about it is Black Friday itself and the preparation. I anxiously wait for the newspaper circulars to arrive. When they do I immerse myself in them, scouring for the buried treasures. Then I create my very own treasure map based on the time the stores open, the proximity they are to the house and what they have that I want. We spend Thanksgiving at my parents house in Milwaukee, Wisconsin every year. (If we didn’t my children would starve as I have never cooked a turkey in my life!) The best part about being in Milwaukee is that the sales tax is only 5.5%! Much better than our painful 10.25% in Chicago. The second best thing is how close the stores are. It makes the hunt that much more manageable. (There are only 2 stores that I don’t have within my reach in Milwaukee, Staples, and Officemax. Which is a bummer because I especially love to take advantage of the office supply deals. But with so many offers being duplicated on line I’m still able to hunt at those stores as well.) There is something so satisfying about getting a really good deal for my family. It’s a rush like no other. And this year, with so fewer dollars available to spend, Black Friday becomes that much more important to not only my holiday shopping, but my year round needs, for my business in particular

There is something very special about this years’ shopping season though. You see, normally this is a very solitary adventure for me. No one else has ever been willing to get up in the dark of night to pursue the deals with me. That is until now.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CA0hepUHJeg

Do your kids squabble? Not quite the word for it huh? Do they flat out fight? My children, who are 6, 8 and 11, can get LOUD. My older two are the worst. I swear they are at war. Those puberty hormones, man…they are not a mother’s friend. I love children. All children. I have always loved them. My whole life is about them. However….tweens…oh my. I’m not sure I am strong enough. Especially in the car. There is something about that enclosed space that fires my kids up even more. (Maybe it’s because we spend so much time in it!) Recently I was fortunate enough to be able to trade in my old TC for a new used minivan. Perhaps some of you recall the familiy troubles that TC and I were having. I had contemplated crossing over and joining my young paramour, Traverse, but the union just wasn’t meant to be, (particularly at this point in the economy). So I stayed in the Chrysler family. Now I have a new TC. I’ve gone from gold to PLATINUM. I had to give up my leather seats, but I gained power EVERYTHING, including the liftgate. It’s AWESOME! But the best thing about my platinum TC is the “Kid Pacifier”. Oh, you don’t know what that is? Well, let me demostrate it for you. Check out the video above.

Isn’t that pricless? It works like a charm every time.

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