September 10, 2008

How much is your sanity worth?

Dude. I went to one of those Just Between the Two of Us Friends and Lovers (or whatever) consignment sales today. For those of you not familiar with this special level of hell reserved for mothers (perhaps, fathers have a better sense of self-preservation?), this is how these things work: A company gathers used baby and kid items from folks, prices them, and then takes a commission off the top (I have heard 40%.) Then, they pack all this crap into a teeny, tiny space so that a single stroller barely fits through, much less a double (which of course, half the folks are pushing). Then, they crank up the heat so that everyone develops a fine sheen of sweat the minute they enter. The best part? They hire like a total of four people to cashier for all this. FOUR.

Dude. These events are complete chaos with frantic bargain hunters pushing themselves through the mayhem. I have been to one of these consignment thingies before, with mixed results. They are such a pain in the ass, but the selections are fairly good, even though the prices are a bit steep (garage sales are The Way To Go for steals.) So, why did I bother going today? I happened to see the signs for it yesterday and it worked out that I could just run by it this morning since it was near to me. I had a doctor's appointment, but I carefully budgeted time to wait in line. After 20 minutes of waiting in line, I knew it wasn't happenin'. I had to chuck all of my selections because I knew I would not make it out in time and there was no point waiting. Argh. What a waste of my time! I was not even going to save that much money, it was just that I liked the outfits I had picked. Bah. I will never attend one of those silly blackholes of my time again. I would much rather peruse garage sales and hunt clearance racks.

Dude. Remember that one time when I wondered if I had plantar fasciitis? The doctor confirmed that yes, plantar fasciitis is probably the root of my current podiatric evil. The other day, I stepped on the lifeless form of Baby Jaguar and holy CRAP, I thought I was going to die. So, the problem has not gotten better and until some certain people in this house learn to pick their shit up, I foresee a certain beloved baby feline will make his way to the Humane Society. Hopefully, a more giving family will adopt him. Oh. My. God. The agony.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

I went to one of those sales looking for maternity clothes and was a bit appalled at the prices they wanted for things - some of which were not in the best of shape. I have also tried the second hand shops with mixed results - again mostly overpriced in the baby area but I can sometimes find some good deals for the big girls.

At one of the running stores in town they have these little rubber ball thingys with spikes on them that you rub your feet over and they are supossed to help with PF -the gal at the store swore by it. I will stop by there and get the name of them for you if you are interested.

aibee said...

My chiropractor was all "ICE!" and I was all "On the soles of my feet? Guess again, bucko", and suffered through MONTHS of that special kind of hell only feet know.

Finally I'd had enough of that shit and bought a bag of frozen peas and sat with my foot nestled in amongst the freezing for 10 minutes or so, twice a day.

It worked.

I'm not kidding.

So, there it is. The Story Of What Worked For Me. Maybe give it a burl with your feet?

You can also freeze water in a bottle (one of those knobbly coke bottles score bonus points for their almostafootmassagebutnot value ) and roll your foot over it for the same amount of time and for the illusion of a (kind of cool) foot massage.

:)

Jen said...

Thanks for your nice comment on my blog. I realized after I e-mailed you that I have met you at the Lawrence wading pool. Your son is the one with the gorgeous eyes and dark hair.

CPA Mom said...

dude. I had PF bad. for MONTHS. What works: frozen water bottle with ridges (like comment above). rolling your foot over a baseball bat. a wonderful foot massager that is heat and has knobs that go right over the painful area - hurts like hell but so necessary: http://www.amazon.com/Tony-Little-Deep-Kneading-Massager/dp/B001CS1GBG/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1221093723&sr=8-5

CPA Mom said...

And the consignment sale that I sell in and buy from every year, 2x a year, here locally, is awesome. I think it all depends on who runs them. Our "owner" is awesome.

Maternal Mirth said...

I have never heard of these sales ... sounds like quite a challenge.

Hope your foot is feeling better today!

Anonymous said...

We've heard of these blackhole consignments shops. They can be worthwhile...and sometimes not. Sorry you wasted your time!

Anonymous said...

so, I was totally a dork when I met you...seriously...I told you my middle name! Sorry, but you are so adorable in person! Keep up the great blog.

~Kenna in Larryville

Carissa(GoodnCrazy) said...

Taken me a while to get here, you've been on my BlogHer ad list all day, but...well anyway, here I am!

I don't know what you are talking about? Weird consignment thingy? At a house? A shop? What?

Once went to a clothing exchange...I knew I was going to have a boy (not pregnant even just knew..) so I brought bags and bags of girl stuff and I went home with bags and bags of boy stuff, it was killer worth it!

Find one O those next time? I'll go garage saling w/ya?

Anonymous said...

I'm no doctor and you didn't ask for my advice, but you are getting it or deleting it, lol.

Why I am qualified? I've worn a cast on each leg 3 times each for plantar fascitis, and had more steroid injections than most body builders. The best combo is a steriod injection, if it helps, great, but if you don't see major healing in 2 weeks, another injection and a ankle cast with no walking boot, crutches only the first 2 weeks. Sounds impossible but it works.

Secondly, when it is well, and not before it feels much better, get a can of something (old glass coke bottles work well, cans of veggies work well), basically something that fits under your foot comfortably that you can roll under your foot back and forth. Do it a couple of times a day at first, then once a day for as long as you can stand it.

So, that's my story....I know it sounds horrible, but I much prefer the "give me a shot and a cast method" as it will get "well" in 3 to 4 weeks, the other ways of steroids and wait, steroids and wait, simply do no good. The only way I ever got relief was to be in a position that I couldn't walk on it at all.

I played collegiate sports and I simply lived with it for a long time. After those days were over, I wanted it to get well and stay well. So, six casts and body-builder doses of steroids about......14 years ago ...never had it again...

Anonymous said...

My sanity is worth so much more than that. I won't even go to Wally World because it make me all twitchy. My husband can handle it. I can't make down 2 rows without Xanax.