Excursion with Mom

I did it. I did the unthinkable, the unbelievable. I went shopping with my mother.

She leaves for Korea Thursday, YES, this Thursday, and so she had some things she wanted to pick up for her family and asked if I would take her shopping. I agreed knowing how important this trip is to her. She turned 60 this year, and due to financial limits, I was not able to give her an appropriate 60th birthday gift. So, I agreed to take her, and in the process, get her a few things she wanted/needed.

Before stepping foot into a store/mall, I asked her to think about the folks she wanted gifts for and then to think about what she wanted to get them and make a list. I am a huge believer in making a list. My mother is a believer in grabbing anything and everything that catches your eye and then later when you are ready to leave, find a nice quiet spot at the back of the store and go through all your items again and make another short list. This is her list.

Surprisingly, she said this time she actually did make a list - however, a list doesn't help much if you leave it at home. Sigh. However, I seriously do not believe she actually made any list at all as I found the following to be true during my excruciating experience with my mother:

Coffee -
likes the coffee my sister and brother-in-law drink, and did *I* know what kind of coffee it was? Why would I know what kind of coffee they get?
What kind of coffee should she get?

Ground or whole bean?

Why don't they have everything in ground?

Do they have coffee bean grinders in Korea?

Should I get them a coffee bean grinder?

Vitamins - keep in mind I am NOT a pharmacist

Apparently any kind of supplement that promises to enhance joint/soft tissue health is all the craze these days in Korea. She actually found the kind she wanted quickly (I was pleasantly surprised by this), however....

How many should I get?

Which brand should I get?

Which is better for you?

Should I get one too?

Toothpaste -

"I don't want the gigantic tubes of toothpaste, I just need a small one."

"Then don't buy here in bulk. You're better off buying at Jewel, one tube."

"Why do they sell toothpaste by the box?"

"They don't Mom, they sell in packs of 4 tubes."

"Oh, then I want to get it."

"Why do you need 4 tubes?"

"One for work, one for the main bathroom, one for the master bathroom, and the other as extra."

Her bathrooms are literally five steps away from each other. "It's good to have toothpaste in every bathroom cause you never know where you're going to brush your teeth." WHAT THE HECK ?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Woodfield - I'll make the pain short and simple for you

Only planned on giving some people gifts and no gifts for others (forgot spouses, nieces and nephews and their children...etc.)

Made me decide what to get for half the poeple on her 'mental' list for gifts, and the only direction she gave me in searching for these gifts was it had to be cheap/affordable and the highest of quality. Sigh.

Argued Ralph Lauren clothing would be cheap and highest of quality. Lord help me!

Asked me how much items were cause she couldn't see the price on the price tag because she was not wearing her glasses even though they were already HANGING on her shirt!

Despite all of the above, we did share a fair amount of laughs and food (Mom likes Portillo's Italian Beef with hot peppers). And as always, when we returned home, she forgot about how tired her body was from being out for 6 hours and found herself gladly covered in Jack's drool.