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August 28, 2007
Back to School Prep? Check!
Back to school preparations continued on Saturday with the dreaded back-to-school clothes shopping trip. However, thanks to Dave, it wasn't as bad this year. You see, Dave emailed me Saturday morning to ask what I was up to for the day. I told him I had to take Hannah shopping for school clothes and he said, "Can't you just give her $50 and drop her off at the mall?"
The $50 is a pipe dream and dropping her off at the mall isn't very practical since it takes 30 minutes to get to the mall from my house but I was inspired to try something new based on Dave's suggestion. I gave Hannah $100 and told her I was going to sit and knit on one of the couches in the center of the mall while she did her shopping. I gave her some basic guidelines and said if she bought anything inappropriate then it would be returned and she wouldn't be allowed to choose a replacement but that if she chose wisely and bought good things then I would reward her.
So I sat outside Charlotte Russe and American Eagle and worked on my Monkeys. Hannah shopped long enough for me to get to the toe decreases and when she came back she had bought a pair of jeans, 3 shirts, and a bracelet. Everything was appropriate and I rewarded her by taking her back into one of the stores and buying her two more pairs of jeans.
So, where does that leave us?
Haircut? Check!
Shoes? Check!
Clothes? Check!
Monkey socks? Check!
I'd knit these again in a heart beat and now I understand the love of this pattern.
For those wondering, the yarn is Yarn Love Juliet in the colorway Belle from where else but The Loopy Ewe. It's a great match for the pattern and I'm very pleased with these socks. They are for me, of course.
After all that back to school prep, I think I deserve a reward.
Posted by Carole at August 28, 2007 6:00 AM
Comments
Hey, the advice worked, and you got some socks out of it. And kuddos to Hannah for good shopping.
Posted by: Dave Daniels at August 28, 2007 6:27 AM
Brilliant idea!
The Monkeys are quite beautiful too! That looks like fantastic yarn. No pooling!
Posted by: Kirsten at August 28, 2007 6:43 AM
Wow...you were a smart mom. I did something similar with my 16 year old this year as well, but I didn't even think about knitting......very good!
Posted by: Kim at August 28, 2007 6:54 AM
Wow... now that's a great idea! I always enjoyed shopping with my mom (still do), but she would always tell me "you have X dollars" for my clothes and I had to work out what I wanted. :)
Nice yarn....
Posted by: Kate at August 28, 2007 7:39 AM
Win-Win situation! And your Monkeys are lovely!
Posted by: Carol at August 28, 2007 7:56 AM
That is a back to school shopping fantasy and you lived it!
Lovely Monkey socks! They are addictive.
Posted by: Karen at August 28, 2007 7:58 AM
I think that's on my list for tomorrow. You handled it wonderfully. Love how your socks turned out.
Posted by: Vicki at August 28, 2007 7:59 AM
That was a very good plan indeed. Love the Monkeys -- on my list too! My kids go back tomorrow, so it's shorts!
Posted by: Kathy at August 28, 2007 8:05 AM
A friend of mine buys her daughter a couple of outfits appropriate for church and whatnot and some basics and then does the same genius $100 trick and has had roaring success with it. Her daughter has become an expert sale shopper and now just buys what she absolutely has to have and then saves the rest. We don't have cold weather here until later October at the earliest, so all the fall and winter stuff will be on sale by the time she needs it and she can get more bang for her buck.
I'm just glad Bean wears uniforms to school.
Posted by: liz at August 28, 2007 8:07 AM
You deserve a reward just for going to the mall! That's the most pain-free back to school shopping I've ever heard of!
Posted by: elizabeth at August 28, 2007 8:07 AM
Great Idea!! The socks look fabulous!
Posted by: Holly at August 28, 2007 8:09 AM
You are SO smart!! I hate going to the mall. I love the monkey socks...I may have to make another pair myself!
Posted by: Robin in VA at August 28, 2007 8:12 AM
Oh, clever way to deal with the shopping! And those are lovely socks.
Posted by: Chris at August 28, 2007 8:12 AM
The socks look great!
Posted by: Susan at August 28, 2007 8:13 AM
You are a smart cookie! I love the picot top on your monkeys. I finally have the second one on the needles. Love the pattern.
Posted by: Judy at August 28, 2007 8:21 AM
Can your daughter teach my daughter to shop? If I gave my daughter $100, she'd come back with no change and probably one outfit.
Love the socks :-)
Posted by: Karen at August 28, 2007 8:26 AM
Very clever! My son could care less about clothes, and I found a pile of pants at the local thrift shop (he's slim so needs the adjustable waist type). So we're set. Except for shoes...hmmm, school starts tomorrow!
Posted by: lisa at August 28, 2007 8:28 AM
FIFTY dollars? I'm cracking up here.
LOVE the Monkeys--they're totally swingin' on your feet, dearie. And yes, you DO deserve a reward. I'm thinking martini...
Posted by: Kim at August 28, 2007 8:37 AM
You definitely deserve a reward! Back to school prep is one thing I DO NOT miss.
Posted by: Julie at August 28, 2007 8:39 AM
Genius plan. Amazing how (mostly) our trust in our children is rewarded.
You do deserve those socks.
Posted by: PumpkinMama at August 28, 2007 8:48 AM
I'm gonna have to remember that one - and you got socks out of the deal? EVERYONE is a winner!
Posted by: kristi and otis at August 28, 2007 9:19 AM
Great idea! It's a win-win for everyone.
Posted by: Kat at August 28, 2007 9:27 AM
What a smart mama! It was always a challenge to outfit four kids and so hot here in August that we just made sure they had appropriate shoes and untorn shorts, and stretched out purchases over the fall as the weather changed.
I had to get an ink cartridge and stumbled into Staples yesterday amongst a crowd of parents and kids with lists after the first day of school... guess now kids have to bring their own supplies!
Posted by: Birdsong at August 28, 2007 9:42 AM
Oops, forgot to say that your version gives a particular subtle sheen to Monkeys... I love it!
Posted by: Birdsong at August 28, 2007 9:44 AM
That's one of the best yarns I've seen for that pattern! Nice work, Carole.
Posted by: Ann at August 28, 2007 9:59 AM
Excellent all the way around!! You are a smart mama!
Posted by: margene at August 28, 2007 10:00 AM
That's a wise mama! Beautiful Monkey's too.
Posted by: jillian at August 28, 2007 10:07 AM
Brilliant! I'll have to keep that in mind for when I have kids. Not having knitted Monkey, what exactly is the fascination? Anyone?
Posted by: theLady at August 28, 2007 10:14 AM
Great idea. I'm so happy it worked out for you. I can't wait until I can ty it but my eldest and I are still fighting the clothes wars. Right now our shopping excursions are an endless chorus of "that's too tight" "no it's not".
Posted by: Hillary at August 28, 2007 10:43 AM
That is a great idea! You have to hand it to her, it's pretty darn hard to get as much as she did between two stores and only $100! The socks look gorgeous!
Posted by: Teresa at August 28, 2007 10:59 AM
The monkeys look great, and that's a fine strategy for the back to school nightmare. :)
Posted by: Amy at August 28, 2007 11:05 AM
That seems like a great back to school exercise! And as a bonus you got to finish Monkey socks!
Posted by: Kristi aka Fiber Fool at August 28, 2007 11:39 AM
Well done, Hannah!
Great parenting, Carole, and fab Monkeys.
Posted by: Cookie at August 28, 2007 11:55 AM
So, how are you going to reward Dave for the good idea? ;)
Posted by: kmkat at August 28, 2007 11:57 AM
Good idea! My stepdaughter is at the age that I can drop her off at the mall (or better yet, she can drive herself). She drops $1000 in a week, but she saves her paycheck all summer to do it. YAY! (She learned right quick that both her mom and I have vastly different tastes in clothing, and if she wanted sole control of her wardrobe, within reason, we weren't going to pay for it. [grin])
Posted by: Carrie at August 28, 2007 12:12 PM
Those are *gorgeous* Monkeys! I don't generally like them in variegated yarn, but your pair still shows the patterning beautifully through the color. Very nice work! (And with your daughter too! ;-)
Posted by: Beth S. at August 28, 2007 12:55 PM
I'm going to have to remember that - sounds like it resulted in happiness all around!
Posted by: Kim at August 28, 2007 1:22 PM
Cute socks! Leave it to knitting to make something like clothes shopping a little less painful. :)
Posted by: Jessica at August 28, 2007 1:45 PM
You certainly do deserve a reward, young lady. Something fibery...
Posted by: Betty at August 28, 2007 2:01 PM
What an incredibly smart idea! Way to go, Carole!
Posted by: caitlyn at August 28, 2007 2:21 PM
You're raising a smart shopper! And what a sweet mom to reward her with some extra jeans for a job well done...
Posted by: Danielle at August 28, 2007 2:55 PM
Smart lady.
Posted by: claudia at August 28, 2007 3:31 PM
What a great idea and I'm sure it made her feel good too.
Your Monkeys are beautiful!
Posted by: Kelly at August 28, 2007 4:15 PM
Dave had a pretty good idea there. Sounds like a perfect way to shop for back to school clothes. I remember how much fun that can be. Love your Monkeys!
Posted by: Karen at August 28, 2007 7:00 PM
My mom did something similar with me when I got into my teens. It kept us from having nasty public fights over high heels. I loved feeling so independent.
Posted by: elizabeth at August 28, 2007 7:28 PM
Can you be my mom, too?
Posted by: Lynne at August 28, 2007 9:09 PM
You are SO clever. I'm totally stealing that idea.
Posted by: Ruth at August 28, 2007 9:39 PM
Shopping can be very painful! I'm glad it worked out well for you - a happy daughter AND a pair of handknit socks. What a bargain!
Posted by: Beth at August 28, 2007 11:20 PM
I'm so glad to have knitting to fill the hours at times like these---and you illustrated the point beautifully.
Posted by: Alarming Female at August 29, 2007 12:33 AM
What a smart Mom and a smart daughter! Knitting, beautiful new socks and a happy teenager...all is right with the world!
Posted by: Debi Leshin at August 29, 2007 5:03 AM
Brilliant! Nice socks, too :o)
Posted by: JessaLu at August 29, 2007 2:01 PM
If I had to participate in back-to-school shopping, I'd definitely follow your lead. Brilliant idea!
The socks turned out very nice!
Posted by: ~Kristie at August 29, 2007 3:24 PM
