Shame on Mommy

Today I was searching and searching and searching for a pair of sneakers for the chiklits for the coming months. And at first I was going to get New Balance and then as I was roaming around on Zappos I fell upon Nike's and those quickly lead me to Puma's and before I knew it I was stressing out b/c I wanted a good light weight sneaker that would go with all outfits (ie. white sneaks) and I didn't want them to both have the same exact sneak if I could help it. And I found there was an abundance of white and pink sneakers but I was having a hard time finding a white and purple sneak. So I wasted all of naptime with this search. I continued searching a bit more tonight b/c once I decided I was going to get them Nike's I was determined to find a white and purple pair even if that meant buying from two diff. websites. And of course I was trying to find them at the cheapest I could possible get them - none of which were under $40; which to me is a steep price to pay when V's feet have already grown an inch and a half from the time she turned 1 to now (6 months!!)

I'm not quite sure when I finally came to my senses and started thinking of other stores like Payless, and then Target popped into my head. So I perused over to their site and within 2 min. I found sneakers for the girls. The same sneaker that came in both white/pink and white/purple - exactly what I was searching for all afternoon! And with my Target card I saved $2.50 and got free shipping!! Two pairs of sneakers for $47 vs. $80! Sounds good to me.

And after the fact all I could think was "what the hell came over me?!" That is so NOT like me to immediately think of and go right to the top name brands. 95% of the chiklits clothes are consignment or hand-me-downs. I could care less about labels, for myself and esp. for them. I had to put myself in check. It's SO easy to get wrapped up in the non-sense. It's a good thing I have twin girls b/c I think very easily I could have gotten out of control with things esp. shoes, coats, and other accessories! Shoes are the only thing I won't purchase used for them but that doesn't mean they need the $40 pair of mini Nike's (that are super adorable) that they are going to grow out of in 3 months! At the rate V's feet are growing she'll be sharing my shoes sooner than I know it!

But most of all I was so disappointed in myself. What kind of example was I setting for my girls?? If I set the precedent that high this early I'll have to get a part time job just to afford all the "things" my girls are going to think they need.

I was even more beside myself b/c this weekend I had a big eye opener when I saw my sister's SIL's and learned about this absurd company called Justice and learned that at 6 years old kids know the different from the waaaay to expensive Justice vs. any other store as well as 2 pairs of sneakers that are exactly the same except one has a label written on it's velcro strap and the other does not. Price difference: $13 vs $60!! The last thing I want is for my 'lil chik's to start thinking and seeing things that way. I'm sure it's inevitable that at some point they will but as with everything else in life I want to keep them sheltered for as long as I can.