The Consumer in Me is the Consumer in You

Have I told you how much I really really like stuff? It must be contagious because Patrick seems to love consuming as much as I do (if not more).
I am definitely convinced by all of the research about how susceptible kids are to media messages.

• "Mom, I can't sleep. Maybe we should get some of that AMIEN (read: Ambien) stuff they sell on tv."
  
• One of his favorite things to say: IS IT ALL NATURAL?
• "Mom, Martha Stewart says...." He slept with his October Martha Stewart catalog for a week. It isn't Martha he loves so much as it is the idea of Martha and her love of Halloween. And he also loves to school me, hence the quote.

Okay, so none of those things are remotely age-appropriate. How about this.... Did I tell you that he has been scrapbooking his Christmas list since September? I got sick of trying to keep track of his WANTS and hatched a brilliant idea. Cut out all of the things you want from the catalogs and scrapbook them. It has gotten a little out of control. He has pages and pages of lists. He has everyone scrapbooking their own lists for Santa... The perfect Sunday activity for my little consumer.

Right now he is convinced that he needs cowboy boots AND spurs (as he says, the circle things with the spikes). Just what I need, a four-year old with spurs.

He also becomes oddly attached to things. I say odd and realize that I admitted to kissing my shoes goodbye (read the title again. oh, now I get it. you are me. heh.) After the first round of Halloween decorating, Keith,by a miscalculation on my part, managed to break one of my ghost votives (it was a pair, he only got his mitts on one). I wasn't home, Kevin was putting laundry away upstairs. Patrick came in sobbing, "Keith broke Mom's ghost! It was her favorite ghost! She is going to be so sad!" When Kevin told me about it I laughed and went about my business. Patrick repeated the story to me as well. The next day when I looked at my lone ghost I WAS really sad. I'm still not really over it and I still think about the shoes.

Mom and Patrick's Favorite Stores:
HomeGoods
Sur La Table
Michaels
Target

We have an awesome new project that we are going to start very soon. It isn't even a holiday project! Although I am sure we will have a few of those in the coming weeks too.

Happy shopping, my holiday shopping is almost finished! But by all means keep scrapbooking for Santa.