I am thankful to have a mall close by.
Several times a week Elijah and I head over to our friendly neighbourhood shopping centre and walk the loop of the mall. It has been a great place to meet up with people and enjoy shopping or pushing our strollers together.
It's amazing what a good workout you can get by pushing a stroller through the mall. (I'm told that walking the entire loop of the mall, including Sears, Walmart and The Bay, is 1.3 miles).
(I will offer this side note that the workout changes entirely when the 18 pound baby that was in the stroller decides that your arm is a much more comfortable place to be and therefore you end up pushing an empty stroller with said baby in ones arms).
So here are the specifics of why it brings joy to my heart:
1. Parental parking spots. These are wonderful and most appreciated when it's -40 out and you have crying child in your back seat. (I do realize that people may question the sanity of one taking a child out in -40 but seriously, we live in Manitoba, if you don't take a child out in -40, your window of opportunity for leaving the house decreases substantionally.)
2. Tiled floor with just a bit of rumble. Nothing like lulling a child to sleep when they're being pushed in a stroller.
3. Second Cup. Iced Mochachinno with whipped cream. Cancels out all the exercise from walking, but still worth it.
4. Family room. Great place to be able to feed in semi privacy with semi comfort.
5. Food court. (Does anyone else remember when it first opened? Somehow I recall Lisa Best on TV saying it wasn't a food court, it was a food experience. Ah yes, good old Lisa Best. What happened to her anyway?)
6. Walmart. For those of you that wonder, I did a price comparison and most stuff is actually cheaper at Walmart. My apologies to all the little guys who are still out there trying to make it. I'm cheap, I mean thrifty. Sorry.
7. Children's clothing stores. Thank you for your sale racks. You have fueled my addictions. Why do they make children's clothes so darn cute?
8. People watching. Have you ever stopped to notice the incredibly interesting people at the mall? Oh, how I wanted to talk to the lady with the side ponytail and the torquoise scrunchy.
I was going to make this a list of ten. It seems to be more complete that way. Unfortunately, right now I can only think of eight things that I am truly thankful for. I'm sure there are other things. I'm just not AS thankful for them.
4 comments:
I loved that family room. It opened just after E was born, I think. I remember trying to nurse her at Polo Park in one of those family bathrooms - not fun, particularly with all the people banging on the door and shouting "someone in there?!"
u have a way with words...i love ur "musings"...does Elijah ever ask about me?
I know what you mean! At Nordstroms in our local mall they have a mom lounge and was a life saver when I was breastfeeding! I still stop in there to change a diaper and let Anders get his wiggles out.
Your mall sounds pretty nice!
Elijah is getting so big. =0)
My "baby" is now five years old and when I was trying to feed my babies there were no "family rooms". Consider yourself very lucky. It's amazing how much people realize the importance of baby changing stations, family rooms, and family bathrooms once they have their own children. I'm impressed with your mall to be so considerate of mothers and babies!
Glad to read how much you are enjoying life with a little one, although he's not so little (kind of reminds me of Abby!)
Lori
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