The chore of school shopping

I'm done!!
School shopping isn't as fun as I thought it would be. Since I haven't had both kids in school for more than a year, really, I thought it would be fun to take them both school shopping for the first time. Other years, I got by with a few new Walmart clothes, some new socks and underwear, possibly shoes, the kids always need pants and jeans, and usually found what else I needed at garage sales, plus all the school supplies needed this year.
This really wasn't the case this year, as I found myself pulling my hair out, and it was actually a chore. How did I think I was gonna manage a girl age 7(almost), and a boy age 10, and get the same goals accomplished. I was being pulled in 2 different directions. It just doesn't work well.

Round 1:

I was able to just take Bailey to St Cloud on Monday, as Hannah decided she'd rather go with her friend to her grandma/pa's house on Long Lake here in town to swim/play etc. They were gracious enough to keep her until after supper until Bailey and I got back. It was kinda of a relief, not to have to bring both kids and I could focus on what Bailey needed. Got Bailey's haircut, well a trim, I guess. Then after checking out Old Navy and Kohls, and finding some cool stuff, he even dragged me into the mall. I said I can't afford mall clothes, but he pulled the, well my friends have those clothes....isn't he too young for this??? I dont' think I got caught up in fashion until high school...I called it fashion and he corrected me....it's called style, for boys I guess.... OK.
So we ended up looking for Aeropostle, which I didn't think was a kids store, but he found some X-Small shirts,...$22 FOR 2 T-shirts!! Do you really need these? they look a little big....of course I bought them. He then wanted Ambercrombie, but they didnt' have that store...Thank God!!! Since I never brought up these stores and have never been in them myself, he must have friends that do really have this stuff or where else would he know about them. We did however find some good deals at Kohls, and Old Navy, which I was more happy with.
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Round 2:
Today after work, I took both kids to the Hutchinson Shopko, to look for shoes. They have a good selction of active shoes (Addias), at a affordable price, which Bailey likes, and they also have the Payless Shoes, which has the fashionable, cool shoes Hannah's likes with the BOGO deal. So she got 2 pairs of "Hannah Montana" shoes. We also came home with a handful of clothes. It was a bit crazy, Bailey kinda had to be on his own looking for his "style" in the boys section, and I had to keep my demanding little princess company, and she was actually obnoxious in there. I had to tell her to calm down, and be quiet several times. She has turned into quite the brat, to put it bluntly. She is extremely demanding and her tone of voice is almost rude. I've been having a hard time with her this summer, and will be glad when school starts for her, she needs that attention and structure so bad right now.
I am the last person to be able to get through to her. When I talk to her she, even does the blah blah stuff, and won't listen to what I'm trying to tell her. It seems as though she only does this to me, and the rudeness and demands need to stop because I'm down right frustrated with her. It might get better this winter, when her daddy is home more, because right now Steve has virtualy no relationship with her, and that might have something to do with it. It's hard for me to have a normal loving conversation with her, inbetween all her sassiness and demands. She also will not let things go, when I tell her NO to something, she keeps bringing it up until I have to tell her to drop it or she will be sitting in her room, which raises my blood pressure and my voice tends to yell and we get nowhere with my good example of staying calm.
Just now at supper, I served her spaghetti, and forgot to offer her a drink.... all of a sudden she yells "hello...get me a drink NOW" with alot of tone to her voice!!! Because this has been going on all summer, I just dont' deal with it very well anymore and yell back to not talk to me that way and you can get your own drink. Will this attitude ever end? my guess is if something doesn't change it's only gonna get worse. Bailey is so laid back most of the time, it's a little different for me to get used to all of this. I was never a dramatic kid that I remember, so she must get all this from the Emery's....he he. :)

So anyway, we get out of Shopko, I was dying of thirst, after going back and forth from the boys to the girls clothes, to the fitting rooms and back and all around. Finally the kids just wanted to go, and I agreed it was time to hit the road. I had enough too. We got the shoes, clothes, school supplies, jeans that are too big, but just had to have em'(Bailey), getting a headband that we really dont' need...but I can say I am offically done school shopping....uuggh, I can't wait until next year.!!