For the love of Target

Today we went to Target.  I'm beginning to think that, perhaps, we go to Target too often.  It has gotten to the point that Jack routinely asks, "Go to Target?" when I pick him up from school.  He recognizes the signs and points out the turn into the parking lot a good mile before we get there.  Henry has taken to loudly reading the "In" and "Out" signs on the doors when we get there, which shows that we are there so often, I'm using it as a teaching tool.

First, we are forced to get the huge unwieldy cart with the two-seater thing welded to the front of it.  Jack runs in the front door and sits in one and they both promise to actually ride in the cart. 

Then comes the fly in my Target soup...the dollar area.  Henry is quick to ask if he can get something in the dollar area each time we go.  Jack follows with a sweet-voiced, "dollar area, Mom?"  Which always results in my giving in to these little monkeys.  Then we spend 10 minutes trying to get that ridiculous cart (which they are no longer sitting in) down the tiny aisles of this area.  Henry picks up everything there and insists that he needs it.  Jack picks up one thing, says that it is what he wants, then tosses it aside as we are leaving the area and says, "want something else."  I take a wild guess as to what William would like because I know if he gets home after school and doesn't have something new and his brothers do, a fit will pour out from my usually even-keeled kid.

Then it is off to be tempted by things on clearance, $5 DVDs, seasonal items, and other things I don't need.  Henry always asks if he can get a little carton of goldfish crackers because once, when he was like 2 years old, I made the mistake of buying him one of these little cartons as a treat.  Mind you, we always have goldfish crackers at home and often in the car that we drove to get to Target.  But, Target strategically places these little lunch milk-type cartons at the end of aisles and Henry always begs for them.  Henry also has it in his head that whenever we go to Target he can get a Lunchable.  Today I gave in.  That means it will continue to be a God-given right in Henry's head until he hits puberty.  Oh well.

When we finally get to the check out lane, both boys leap from the huge pain-in-my-neck cart (if they are back in there at this point) so they can grab as many cookies/crackers/candy/toys/travel-size items as they possibly can while I'm checking out.  This routine actually led to me holding my tongue when Dallas Clark was in front of me in line at Target a couple of months ago.  I was going to say something to him, but I was busy wrangling my children and begging them to "please put that airplane candy thing back where you found it!"  I was just too busy (and slightly embarrassed) to say anything. 

When William got home today he immediately saw the Target bag sitting on the counter.  He practically did a dance when I told him that I had, indeed, gotten him something from the dollar area.  I am a weak, weak woman and my children know it!

I'm mentally preparing a list of things I need at Target already...