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03.15.13 / IKEA Shopping List

Two of the three munchkins are sick. Snot and phlegm are everywhere. There are not enough tissues in the house. The everyday responsibilities that come with being a parent {piles of laundry, piles of dishes, piles of other stuff, putting something edible on the table, dentist appointments, school parties, wiping noses, changing diapers, helping with homework…why am I telling you this? You know the drill.} suddenly feel very monotonous and tedious. I blame cabin fever and there is no sign of spring in sight.

I’m craving a project. One that does not involve carving a bar of soap. Yes, I’m talking to you second grade art teacher. Thank you. Thank you for sending home a bar of soap to shave and prod and poke and toothpick and sculpt and cut into a work of art. Layne made the most beautiful pile of soap crumbs which Mabrey promptly ate. I understand why you made this a home project. Thankyouverymuch.

I’m fulfilling my parenting duties today then as soon as HH gets home from work this evening, I’m headed to IKEA. Alone. I warned HH last night. Please tell me someone else out there considers kidless outings to IKEA and/or Target mini vacations. And, mark my words, I won’t feel guilty. Listen up mommy conscience. I WILL NOT FEEL GUILTY.

Of course, I need a shopping list. Of course. If I don’t write stuff down, it doesn’t happen. Hell, sometimes even the stuff I do write down doesn’t happen. And that’s the kind of week it has been. A week of writing stuff down then nothing happening. Because of snot and soap. Both of which, I’ve discovered, Mabrey has an appetite for. Sugar and spice and everything nice, my a$$.

FYI – To fully experience my moodiness, please replace “stuff” with “sh*t” in the previous paragraph.

Here’s my shopping list.

ikea shopping list

IVAR shelving or RIBBA picture ledge? I can’t decide but I’m finally doing something about the surround sound speakers behind the couch.

BRANÄS basket I’m finally doing something about the clutter in the boys’ shared room.

LAPPLJUNG RUTA I’m finally buying this pillow after talking about how great it/the price tag is. But what a horrendous name!

NUMERÄR countertop + LERGBERG trestle leg We’re finally DIYing a table to put behind the sofa.

Seven o’clock can’t come soon enough.

Click here to see who won this week’s Jack & Ella Paper Press giveaway!

images: polyvore collage by Dana Miller, linked within

49 Comments

15.March.2013

Have a nice IKEA moment by yourself :) Take care !

15.March.2013

They are most definitely mini vacations! Things are the same in my house at the moment so I definitely needed your defiant leaving of the mommy guilt behind mantra! Enjoy your trip!!

15.March.2013

I hear ya! My husband always asks what on earth I do at Target for 3 hours on a Saturday! Answer: be blissfully alone! ( with all the other moms escaping)

15.March.2013

It’s a total vacation! Yes, yes it is! The way you talked about all of this has me laughing out loud right now. Honesty is the best medicine.

15.March.2013

PREACH ON! Take all the time you need, and then stop for dessert that you don’t have to share with anyone on the way home!

15.March.2013

I feel for you. I think we’ve all been there, but you have a way with words describing it. Thanks for the good laugh, enjoy your date with Ikea and don’t forget to pick up your remote control holder :) Thank you also for everything this week!

15.March.2013

We don’t have kids, but I still feel that a trip to IKEA is a mini-vacation! I could use a project right about now, too – altho there are a few around the house that I’ve been ignoring (ugh to wallpaper removal). I blame this cold, gray weather we’re suffering thru in Michigan. Where is our spring???

On a lighter note, I can’t wait to see the table you’re building! Love those legs!

15.March.2013

Hope you enjoy your mini-vacation!

To make you feel better about the name Lappljung, this is what it is referencing:
http://linnaeus.nrm.se/flora/di/erica/phyll/phylcae1.jpg

Quite pretty in my humble Swedish opinion ;-)

Don’t forget to make sure what you want is in stock before you head down there!

15.March.2013

I knew there was a good reason for it.

15.March.2013

Dessert? Alone? Yes, that sounds lovely.

Enjoy your mommy vaca! I’m kinda curious about those 12 basekets. One can never be too organized though!

15.March.2013

Laughing! I think we can all appreciate the *stuff you are experiencing (and yes, IKEA alone= total vacation)! BTW, instead of a Starbucks gift card or movie tickets for teacher appreciation, maybe the art teacher would really appreciate a giant mug with your child’s face on it for her end-of-the-year thanks!

15.March.2013

Oh Dana… same boat at my house but with 4 children! Your perfect words make me able to laugh about it all, so thank you for them! Wonderful choices for your IKEA outing; do you know the pillow cover has a matching rug?

I love trips to Ikea. Unfortunately I have never been by myself.

15.March.2013

Too funny! Been there! Enjoy your ikeacation! :).

15.March.2013

We made a version of that table with those legs (here: http://designingaround.com/2013/01/29/building-the-dining-table/#.UUOLFBzqmSo). Just a heads up, they don’t actually attach to the table, you’ll have to rig something up. At least if your kids are like mine :)

15.March.2013

Ah, shopping alone. Who knew how decadent one could feel by walking at your own pace through a store with a cup of coffee in your hand and no chance that you will have to hightail it to a restroom at the opposite end of the store with a full cart and one or more kiddos that absolutely did not need to use the restroom ten minutes before? I never appreciated shopping alone until I had my kids!

15.March.2013

Ha ha! Any Mom out there knows your pain. I just want a little time for myself and then when I get it I find myself dying to get back home to them. I wouldn’t trade it for anything but I understand! I totally get how you feel.

15.March.2013

Enjoy your trip to IKEA. I wish there was one closer to Cleveland!! We used to go all the time when we lived in Philly. Oh, and the second grade teacher that gave that project, WHAT!!!! I am a teacher and that just sucks. What was the point for doing this soap carving project???

15.March.2013

At the very least, grab a hot cinnamon role! My three are 14, 13 & 9 now & still have the audacity to ask for a bite of anything I’m eating that looks appealing to them! I’ve nixed most of that because I try to eat healthy & that’s not as appealing to them but I tell them where to go (that sounded way worse than it really is! LOL)…I shared almost every meal for a good 10 years…now leave me be! ;)
Have a great mini-vacay!!

15.March.2013

*roll (ay yay!)

15.March.2013

It was my birthday on Monday and for my birthday I asked Hubby to look after the three kids while I went shopping along at Ikea. :) So yes I can totally understand that pleasure.
I had a great birthday shopping with no pram or screaming children.

15.March.2013

Retail Therapy. Too bad you aren’t going to an Ikea in Montreal (the nearest one to us here in VT)- they serve wine and beer! Looking forward to living vicariously and seeing your haul.

15.March.2013

Oh, I needed to hear your blog-voice today. Thank you for making me laugh and keeping it real. I am ready for spring too! All I want is just a *little* green, I’m not too demanding. Have a wonderful time at Ikea tonight!

Haha my son is about a month younger than Mabrey and my idea of Saturday night fun is putting him to bed and heading to Target… Where I can get myself new clothes, grocery shop, browse baby stuff and decorate my house in one place. Though once 9pm hits I’m so tired that I once caught myself just zoning out in the laundry detergent aisle…

15.March.2013

I’m picturing you leaping through the aisles of IKEA in slow motion while music plays and Swedish birds sing. Get you some meatballs while you’re there too.

15.March.2013

Oh, Dana, thank you for allowing me to laugh a little tonight. Some nights I just want to hide out in the bathroom, but they follow me. Last night, the twins ended up in the tub with me! Our upstairs project is stalled because we need a trip to IKEA…alone would be wonderful. A girl can dream, right?!?

I’m such a fan of your blog. Always keeping it real which I absolutely love. We have the hugest Ikea shopping list too. Unfortunately the closet one is 4 hours away. Booooo!

;)

15.March.2013

My husband and I quote these insightful words often:

Parents live for the tiny vacation from their kids. When you put the kid in the car and you close the door. That little walk around to your own door, it’s like a Carnival Cruise.

– Louis C. K., Comedy Central, 10-4-08

15.March.2013

Schaumburg IKEA is one of my favorite places and I am blessed enough to spend a lot of time in Hong Kong where they also have IKEA’s but since the living spaces hover around 600 square feet for a 2 bedroom apartment the showroom section is mind blowing, its amazing what they can do for a bedroom thats 60sq feet…only caveat, you have to get there right as it opens or you’re stuck enjoying your vacation with a billion other people.

15.March.2013

Right on. I’m always trying to convince my husband to go to Ikea with me on those rare nights we get to go out on a date. He always looks at me like I’m crazy. :)

Please update when you have the table finished. We’ve been looking for an inexpensive table to seat our family of 8 and I think this could just be the ticket.

15.March.2013

Target with Starbucks kiosk at 9am on Saturday. Empty and quiet. Glorious.

15.March.2013

Oh! The Target vacation is my favorite kind. My evening was heading in this same direction tonight and in order to avoid locking my child in the closet I went to the grocery store. It was that bad. I usually avoid the grocery store like the plague but compared to my whiny, no-I-will-not-eat-that-dinner-that-I’ve eaten-a-million-times-before child, the grocery store sounded like a Hawaiian vacation!

15.March.2013

Dana, I just love you. I stop by often but I am bad at leaving comments. This post made me laugh out loud though because I SO feel you. I hope Ikea was what you needed and helped you recharge those mom batteries.

16.March.2013

Thanks for making me laugh. Love this post. Sorry you are having a rough week, but glad you have a sense of humor about it.

16.March.2013

Don’t feel guilty! Ikea is so hard to shop at with kids. Too much to look at…kids or fun house stuff? Enjoy your trip alone!

16.March.2013

I guess it’s one of those days. It’s perfectly fine that everyone needs alone time once in a while. The IKEA lappljung pillow is niiice. I’ve been eyeballing it, so let me know how the material feels. I’ve also been eyeballing the lappljung ruta rug, which I think would look nice in my living room, but I wasn’t sold on the material. Looking forward to your next post as always! Enjoy your shopping trip – just stay clear of the meatballs. Can we say neiiigh???

16.March.2013

Oh, so true!

16.March.2013

There’s no IKEA in my town. It’s Spring Break, so we’re taking the kids to Disneyland. the following day we’re going to IKEA, yea!

I love it all! Especially the trestle legs– so affordable! Do you think the size would look ok for a dining table? I would like to do a variation for our dining table and I know they carry several options.

Hope your snot free vacation was everything you hoped it would be!

16.March.2013

My face mini vacation:

Starbucks for latte
The to Target, Home Goods, and Costco.

Bliss for any mom!

I hope you enjoyed your trip!

18.March.2013

I consider driving in my car alone a mini-vacation. I almost don’t care where it is I’m going, but 20 minutes of alone driving time is bliss. No referree-ing back seat brawls, no nursery rhymes on the stereo, no risking life and limb to take my eyes off the road to administer snacks/drinks/DVD changes/death stares etc etc. Enjoy! (Love the Ruta cushion)

18.March.2013

I too had a trip to Ikea this weekend with list in hand! But mine was not a mini vacation. :-( Had to take the whole family. My kids LOVE the play area. And I needed the hubby’s muscles to load a couple of mattresses. I did pretty good sticking to my list. And of course got a cone to top it all off at the end, Hope you enjoyed a little bit of kidless time. I know how precious that time can be. Even if only at Target or Ikea. ;-)

18.March.2013

So sorry you’re dealing with sick kiddos but thank you for making me laugh on a Monday morning! That is definitely a mini vacation! Enjoy yourself! You totally deserve it!

Can’t wait to see the results of your much-deserved IKEA trip!

18.March.2013

Ohhh… glorious alone time! IKEA, Target, Publix… even going to the bathroom ALONE is a treat! Hope you had a fantastic time! all.by.yourself.

19.March.2013

LOL at the “Target mini vacation” because… OMG YES! I try to limit it to an hour, but it is such a sweet indulgence. And the fact that our Target houses a Starbucks? Double bonus.

21.March.2013

Why do we have to feel guilty, I even feel guilty when I go to an evening meeting that I’m getting paid to go to. I’m just so happy when I only have to take one kid with me when I go somewhere I consider that a vacation.