A Tale of a Toddler, Target, My Little Pony and Goldfish

I've got two problems.  First, I'm becoming slightly obsessed with coupons.  Not in a I have a coupon binder and am dumpster diving for trashed coupon inserts kind of a way, but in a I'm finding myself buying things because I have a coupon rather than because I really want or need the item.  Second, I'm finding myself buying toys for my kids for Easter.  Toys.  Isn't Easter supposed to be about eggs, chocolate bunnies, jelly beans, Peeps and plastic strips of grass that end up everywhere and you're still picking them up from under the couch on the fourth of July?  Here's my tale of how these two problems collided.

While clipping coupons for Texas Toast and J-ello snack cups I came across a $5 off coupon for a My Little Pony Walking Talking Pinkie Pie.  Hmmm, do I  know anyone who would want a Walking Talking Pinkie Pie?  Yep, sure do.   It was just Quinn's birthday so the next real gift giving occasion is a long ways off and normally two grandmas would be asking me what to get the kids for Easter but this year the two grandmas are scaling back (which is a good thing) so that leaves me to get over enthusiastic and buy it and justify it by saying "I have a coupon!"  Cue a trip to Target.

My kid of choice for this trip was Sully.  We hit the shoe department and I tried on some super cute flats.

After not being able to decide what I would wear them with, or what color to buy them in (they come in blue and white and a pretty green too), we moved onto the kid's department.  There, I picked out a new spring outfit for Maren.  I figure she deserves a few new outfits instead of always wearing hand-me downs from her big sister.

A package of overnight diaper and six formula containers later, we finally found our way to Ponyville.  By this time, Sully was getting a tad antsy.  He was, however, fascinated once we found Walking Talking Pinkie Pie.



He quickly figured out that if he pressed the balloons on her back leg she would talk.  "Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie" and "Isn't it exciting? Aren't you excited? Are you? ARE YOU?"  Honestly, no, not so excited and even less so upon hearing that same question over and over and over again as we wandered through the books, garden section before making it to the groceries.  By this point I was getting glares and stares from other shoppers.  They had a pleading look in their eyes silently begging me to get Sully to stop pressing the damn balloon button.  I'd had enough too so Pinkie Pie was relegated to the back of the cart.  Cue screaming and crying.  My choices were to give him back the pony or what was that over on the shelf?  Goldfish crackers to the rescue!

All hail the mighty goldfish.

I opened the bag right there in the aisle, handed it to him and let him blissfully munch away while I finished shopping in blissful silence.  Sometimes you just do what you've gotta do.