PBK

Not that long ago, I had no idea what these three initials stood for and I am sure there are quite a few of you that still don't today. Not to worry. It's a trap.

I am one of those moms who takes pride in finding the perfect deal when it comes to buying children's clothes, toys, etc. I am not one to keep my secrets to myself either. The better the deal, the more often I share my fabulous discoveries. Let me tell you, it ain't easy in this world today to keep a decent budget when it comes to your children. There are so many influences out there that make you want to compete with the rest of them to have what they have. It's human nature. I feel pretty good about where I stand when it comes to actually purchasing these $$$ items, but the wishing and wanting will always be in the back of my mind. And why not? This is the first time at this parenting thing. There are so many "new" things out there that seem just delightful. Since I am currently not bringing in a salary, it is my job to save money where I can to make our funds last longer. So, this makes for lots of passing by the $$$ and heading for the bargains. Luckily, I enjoy buying clothes for future seasons. So, what is on clearance right now, was 5 times more expensive 3 months ago. Who cares if Rt is wearing it next season. They're kids, they have no idea, YET.

Back to the initials. PBK stands for Pottery Barn Kids. Should there be music playing as I type this? It is one of those stores that just has the cutest infant/kids stuff that you really can't find many other places. Someday, I will save my pennies and buy Rt a bedding set for his big boy bed when he moves out of his crib, (maybe on EBAY, ha!) but until then, there's another solution!!

I live in a wonderful town for children. I have been so lucky to meet 5 great friends who all have kids Rt's age. Actually, Rt is the youngest, but they are all within 2 months of each other. 5 boys, 1 girl and 3 of them have the same name. (what are the odds?) Anywho, over the past year and a half we have all stuck together during these trying times of parenthood. We celebrate each other's birthdays, we go away on weekend trips without the kids, and even go out during the week for dinner and drinks. (well, I know I was drinking, I can't say I was paying attention to anyone else.)

Since the kids have birthday's so close together, it seemed more and more difficult to come up with a "cool" gift for each child let alone pay for all 5 gifts so close together. So, we came up with a solution like the one we currently use for our own birthdays. We all go in on one bigger gift to help ease time and finances. How cool is it to get a big gift for your kid of your own choosing?? This year, I told all the gals to go to PBK and find something under a certain price that they wanted for their child. Once the orders were in, the "buy" button was clicked and voila, we are finished birthday shopping until next year!

I am sure there will be many times in my life as a parent, I will have to bite the bullet and buy my children the thing that they just "have to have", (cause I am softy at heart) but while the decision is still ALL mine, I don't mind hitting Mervyn's on 50% off day.

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