Day 110 - Just Have to Laugh

Today is not my day.

I treasure my free time. I even pay for it. For instance, this week I signed my kids up for a camp that is 2 hours long each day for 4 days. 8 hours of near peace (I still have the baby) for $110.

Today I decided to use my 2 hours to buy water stuff since this week is going to be hot.

My first stop was Aldi, an unfamiliar store to me, to purchase a $200 Banzai waterslide. I quickly mastered how to scooch a baby stroller and a 50 pound box to the checkout. However, when the checkout gal said cash or debit, I got thrown off and had to make a detour to an ATM. No problem, I got the money, went back and bought it and hauled the thing to the car. I couldn't wait to get home and set it up.


My next stop was Target. They had a kiddie pool in their ad for $15 - 1/2 off the regular price. I was not surprised to find that section of the shelf empty. I asked if I could get a raincheck, and of course I couldn't because it's a sesonal item. No problem. I can live without the pool...I've got a cool waterslide. I checked out my other items and that's when I noticed a man (a man who I saw walk in with his kids after I'd been shopping for a while) holding the very pool I wanted. I asked him where he got it and he said he got the last one. Hmph. Oh well.

So, I picked up the kids, put the baby down for her nap (another precious time of the day) and decided to set up the waterslide. It took about an hour and in 90 degree weather was not a fun project...but the pay off was going to be great. Everything was ready to go. I flipped the switch to blow it up and it looked a little floppy. Really floppy. Not safe floppy.

(R.I.P.)

I spent 20 minutes on the phone with a customer service representative who needs me to fax this, cut off this, send it here, and wait for their replacements to come in since they are back ordered. I tried to rig it with some string, but it wouldn't support the kids, so I pulled the plug.

So, at this moment...I'm $200 down, wasted all of my free time, no pool, no hope for a quick replacement on a water slide, and I'm hot. It's just not been my day.