We found ourselves child free last Thursday - its not what you think actually we hadn't escaped and left the kids with a sitter or anything. Roy finished work early and asked us if we fancied a trip out. Roy suggested going to B&Q but I protested a little after the last trip we had to that store, well not really for that reason. Actually I have decided what I want to do in my hallway, I don't need to see yet another tin of paint.
We plumped for Ikea in the end, I love Ikea! You can get lost easily in the Ikea store and spending money is almost compulsory too! Ashley stayed at home because he was not feeling so well. We took the other children with us but had not reckoned on the creche being empty or buck shee. So the children got booked into the creche and we strolled around looking at this bedroom fitment and that. I enjoyed our 45 minutes that the children were booked into the creche for, then even nicer was the additional half hour the girl in the creche let us have because they were not busy. We managed to get a cup of tea and a funny looking bun from the cafe too. When we finally picked up the children it felt like the trip was over, I mean we walked the whole way round Ikea and managed to keep our wallets in our pockets (well Roy's wallet in his pocket). I saw a dining table which would be perfect for us, price was nice too .... maybe I will get it one day.
After creche out we took the children up to the seating area in the cafe, this area over looks the end of the George Best Airport runway. It was fun to see the planes taxing down and then taking off, we saw a couple of planes land also. Then down below the windows you could see onto the loading bays - we watched people going about their business and the trolley guys playing with the trolleys in flower beds.
On the way out of the store we stopped at the clearance section where they have the ex-display stuff or things that have got damaged. Never being able to resist a bargain we had a rummage in there - BIG MISTAKE. I mean we did get the whole wall covered in Toni's bedroom .... perfect for storing all her crates and things (which is an issue). It is a pale pine wood approx 6 foot tall by 6 wide. The price was less than £85 previously marked at £185 so we felt we got a bargain, it was all Roy's idea! The unit itself had a tiny little chip on one of the brackets so that's £100 off just for someone being bit careless when they were building it. It looks a bit like this one, its a nice pale wood which are like strips laminated together.
Getting the unit in the car was another concern. The unit in the store was already erected so we asked if we could dismantle it ... the girl said we could but not until it had been paid for. DUMB STUPID STORE RULES. Okay - trolley - large unit - 3 toddler size children - yeah yeah I hear ya its only stupid people who do stuff like that.
Navigating the unit through the check out was an experience. Waiting in the queue for customer services to get the tools to dismantle the unit was another experience. The people in front were so slow, I mean how long does it actually take to get a price for a vase? "Use your flipping legs and walk into the store to find out" DOH!
Eventually we got a couple of allen keys so we can dismantle the unit. We divided it into two initially because it was precarious stood up on a trolley. Then I parked myself and the two trolleys at the door while Roy and the kids went to bring the car round to the pick up bays. Whilst they were gone I was people watching. I always find it amusing to see people come out of DIY shops and like places with huge 8x4 sheets or something or other then struggle to get them into their little cars. I always giggle at those people and now the watcher was about to become watched and that thought was even more comical. I noticed a lively family struggle their way to their van. The family's 5 foot palm tree blew over in the wind, it spilled compost on the ground and they just left it laying there! The woman held a packet of what looked liked chocolate hobnobs and she just continued to munch away on them whilst the two men wrestled two trolleys worth of flat pack boxes into their van. Oh they did go back and retrieve the tree but not before it blew over again leaving another pile of compost on the path.
Roy and the children arrived back too soon spoiling my entertainment, and then it was our turn to entertain the world. It wasn't that hard really, dismantling the unit - we had to re arrange the seat configuration in the galaxy (minivan to my USA friends) but still after plenty of discussions we got it in and the children seated safely though not without complaint. I turned around when we were finished and I noticed the car behind us, the nice man in there watching - he was smiling at our achievement (at least that's how I would like to put it) ... we almost took a bow there and then.
The unit is in situ now - its still empty because I have not had time to put Toni's toy boxes on it yet. Maybe tomorrow ....
We plumped for Ikea in the end, I love Ikea! You can get lost easily in the Ikea store and spending money is almost compulsory too! Ashley stayed at home because he was not feeling so well. We took the other children with us but had not reckoned on the creche being empty or buck shee. So the children got booked into the creche and we strolled around looking at this bedroom fitment and that. I enjoyed our 45 minutes that the children were booked into the creche for, then even nicer was the additional half hour the girl in the creche let us have because they were not busy. We managed to get a cup of tea and a funny looking bun from the cafe too. When we finally picked up the children it felt like the trip was over, I mean we walked the whole way round Ikea and managed to keep our wallets in our pockets (well Roy's wallet in his pocket). I saw a dining table which would be perfect for us, price was nice too .... maybe I will get it one day.
After creche out we took the children up to the seating area in the cafe, this area over looks the end of the George Best Airport runway. It was fun to see the planes taxing down and then taking off, we saw a couple of planes land also. Then down below the windows you could see onto the loading bays - we watched people going about their business and the trolley guys playing with the trolleys in flower beds.
On the way out of the store we stopped at the clearance section where they have the ex-display stuff or things that have got damaged. Never being able to resist a bargain we had a rummage in there - BIG MISTAKE. I mean we did get the whole wall covered in Toni's bedroom .... perfect for storing all her crates and things (which is an issue). It is a pale pine wood approx 6 foot tall by 6 wide. The price was less than £85 previously marked at £185 so we felt we got a bargain, it was all Roy's idea! The unit itself had a tiny little chip on one of the brackets so that's £100 off just for someone being bit careless when they were building it. It looks a bit like this one, its a nice pale wood which are like strips laminated together.
Getting the unit in the car was another concern. The unit in the store was already erected so we asked if we could dismantle it ... the girl said we could but not until it had been paid for. DUMB STUPID STORE RULES. Okay - trolley - large unit - 3 toddler size children - yeah yeah I hear ya its only stupid people who do stuff like that.
Navigating the unit through the check out was an experience. Waiting in the queue for customer services to get the tools to dismantle the unit was another experience. The people in front were so slow, I mean how long does it actually take to get a price for a vase? "Use your flipping legs and walk into the store to find out" DOH!
Eventually we got a couple of allen keys so we can dismantle the unit. We divided it into two initially because it was precarious stood up on a trolley. Then I parked myself and the two trolleys at the door while Roy and the kids went to bring the car round to the pick up bays. Whilst they were gone I was people watching. I always find it amusing to see people come out of DIY shops and like places with huge 8x4 sheets or something or other then struggle to get them into their little cars. I always giggle at those people and now the watcher was about to become watched and that thought was even more comical. I noticed a lively family struggle their way to their van. The family's 5 foot palm tree blew over in the wind, it spilled compost on the ground and they just left it laying there! The woman held a packet of what looked liked chocolate hobnobs and she just continued to munch away on them whilst the two men wrestled two trolleys worth of flat pack boxes into their van. Oh they did go back and retrieve the tree but not before it blew over again leaving another pile of compost on the path.
Roy and the children arrived back too soon spoiling my entertainment, and then it was our turn to entertain the world. It wasn't that hard really, dismantling the unit - we had to re arrange the seat configuration in the galaxy (minivan to my USA friends) but still after plenty of discussions we got it in and the children seated safely though not without complaint. I turned around when we were finished and I noticed the car behind us, the nice man in there watching - he was smiling at our achievement (at least that's how I would like to put it) ... we almost took a bow there and then.
The unit is in situ now - its still empty because I have not had time to put Toni's toy boxes on it yet. Maybe tomorrow ....
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