azurelunatic: Seated baby in incubator shell with electrodes.  (Cyteen)
Azure Jane Lunatic (Azz) 🌺 ([personal profile] azurelunatic) wrote2006-08-06 04:07 am

Post-IKEA: new adventures in domestic Lunacy!

IKEA is huge. Like, all of Metrocenter mall crammed into one store huge.

Wisely, they have a child care facility. When [livejournal.com profile] chas_ emerged from same, one munchkin down, I was amused to see that they hand out pagers to the parents, in the form of those flashing vibrating coasters that they use at Fuddruckers. No matter where you are in the store, as long as you're in signal range of the transmitter, they will be able to hook you back to take care of any Kid Issues that might arise, so long as you're paying half-attention to that coaster.

We went wandering about the store. I got "lost" at least once. My back was the first thing to start hurting. My sense of the plausible just shut down and left my inner kindergartner to glee about the place. I eyed a $7 toy tent, and wondered if it wasn't something I should buy one of and stick in the car (still fully folded) in case of breakdown. I think an umbrella would be more effective, though.

(Incidentally, Naomi now has little appreciable age difference from the rest of the Collective. As predicted, since she's the Geek, she's beginning to inherit. We'll keep on melding if there's an absence of pressures, and keep splintering if there's a presence of pressures. Our mind is modeled like a lava lamp, except with memories that work with personalities like they were Venn Diagrams.)

There was examination of all sorts of completely unrelated furniture. I was looking at some of those model living spaces going "Yeah, I could live with that." One hilarious bit was finding The Lost Years in a "bookstore" fitness shelf. And I saw Second Lady too.

I restrained myself and did not get any large piece of furniture other than the folding wooden screen. Something like that is good for privacy, and with two people in a studio apartment, occasionally that might be required. (I reassured [livejournal.com profile] hcolleen that if ever a situation came up where Darkside and I were spending Personal Time in my bed without an opportunity to warn her, that screen would be UP, so that if she wandered in while things were going on, at least she would not have to see the proceedings before they came to an abrupt and undignified halt.)

[livejournal.com profile] hcolleen had said that the question that should be asked of me upon each Large Furniture Type Thing attempted to purchase: "Where, exactly, do you plan to put that?" Answers of anatomical unlikelihood were to be disregarded.

The plastic-crate-and-cardboard edifice in the hallway? Needs to go. Which means I need something For Shoes.

The kids were as well-behaved as one can expect tired and cranky kids to be. It transpires that I Know The Tricks of Four-Year-Old Boys, and have gotten decently good at anticipating when babies are going to want to throw things or upset things. The "attempt to drink out of a straw cup like it was a sippy cup" thing, I'm still behind on. Practice for if I ever have my own, eh? We were all getting pretty tired. My feet eventually did start to give out, which problem I chalk up to using the wrong shoes. Note to self: wear the newest lace-up shoes for any future IKEA expeditions, not the slip-ons!

Fun was had by all. I'd attempted to call Darkside before the adventure started, but my timing was poor. I never did get a viable chance to call him back. I'll call tomorrow and apologize. Dawn called me earlier on -- she'd been having one of Those Couple Weeks. She's got a little bit of Supernatural fic up at ff.net; I'll read it when I get a chance.

We re-convened at Fry's (Electronics) briefly. They were closing. It was bright and shiny in there! I did not see the gadget I'd been looking for (a car vacuum) but that was all right. Upon getting back into my neck of the woods, I went grocery shopping and got the makings for stew. Stew is now stewing merrily away in the big crock pot, and I'll have lunch for a couple days! Hooray stew.

[identity profile] smmc.livejournal.com 2006-08-06 12:21 pm (UTC)(link)
That 7$ toy tent? We bought one for little D. I need to reassemble it at some point once we have the living room reconfigured. But it isn't a very good tent. One screen vent up top and the door are the only source of air flow. It gets hot in the thing quickly even in good air conditioning.

And oh yeah... my big butt can barely get through the kid sized opening. *grin*

It's a great toy, really it is. But you'd be better off with a big humongous golf umbrella for sun protection. :) And maybe a small 2 person dome tent from Walmart for shelter purposes.

*le sigh* I do love the ikea kids department. I imagine how I'd do the boys bedroom up. If there were actually room in their supposed bedroom here for both of them to actually sleep. It's still filled with the inlaws crap, leaving only room enough for the crib. And when I say crap, I'm serious. Linens that need washing, magazines and newspapers that need throwing out, amongst various things that really should either be hung on the wall or packed safely away. They certainly don't belong slung haphazardly over a futon that's currently folded in couch position.

[identity profile] smmc.livejournal.com 2006-08-06 10:33 pm (UTC)(link)
Well see, there's a little hitch in the cleaning part. It isn't my stuff. It isn't hubby's stuff. And even though the MiL packed up amost everything out of there, I have a feeling she'd still be displeased that we packed up their shit in there even though they wanted us to use the room for the kids.

And oh yeah. We can't use the closet in there either. :P Because it's filled with crap they said they do not want us to disturb. Fucked up much?

[identity profile] hotarunokokoro.livejournal.com 2006-08-06 04:58 pm (UTC)(link)
ooo! you got the screen! i use mine for the same purpose. i just dont like the idea of my kids walking in while i am asleep..*ahem* or seeing something they really wouldnt want to see.
i wanted the stuffed dragon, but ended up with the improved shoe rack. a much more practical investment.