I called today to find out what the next steps are to enroll her...
I need to go and fill out an application and pick up some new information and leave a deposit to guarantee the space... They will let me know when I have to deliver the money to purchase the books she'll use...
I still have to decide what happens if, when tested, it turns out she should be in first grade as opposed to preparatoria...I lean more towards having her start in prepa, though, because school here goes to grade 11 now, instead of 12 (as it was back when I was at school) and, I don't know if I want Ale at University at 16!! ((faint!))...My niece will be out of school at 17, starting University at 18 and, I feel she's still a bit immature as it is...then again, maturity doesn't always go hand in hand with age...but still ...decisions, decisions, decisions!

Ale got two eggs and a chocolate bunny on Sunday morning...she ate one egg, gave one to her cousin and, the chocolate bunny she gave to me (as a present, so we could share it)...after breakfast, she wanted to eat some chocolate but, THE BUNNY HAD VANISHED!!...we don't know where it is!!...we highly suspect Fiona, but, the egg was on my nightstand, which is crammed with bottles and whatnots...and nothing seems to have been disturbed (there were no toppled bottles or anything!)...plus, if it was Fiona, there should be some evidence, right? (paw prints on my sheets, blond hairs on my pillow...the WRAPPER...)
This is a total mystery!

...at least, I hope I get up early enough to be the Easter bunny this year!!...Ale is ready, she has the paper bag they used to egg hunt at school (complete with a cotton tail bunny pasted on one side and her name on the other one!!...I have 2 chocolate eggs and one chocolate bunny...figured it's enough to cause sugar OD for one day!...I have to go set my alarm clock!!

Well, I taught my nephew how to dye clothes today....funny, I used the same huge pot I used back when I was 15, and used to dye clothes with my friends, and, then as now, faded, uneven colors were in fashion, so I didn't worry too much if the clothes didn't come out perfect and even-colored! LOL!...caught back in the swing of fashion!!

she asked me to cut it really short, and it's now in a bob to her chin (after having waist-long hair, it's a shocking change!)...the comments have been good, though!..and, after crying for about 5 minutes (when she saw how much hair I had cut), she now loves it!!...

Of course, she's made me promise I'll get my hair cut next week! ((faint))

...Aquapark, near La Costa del Sol in El Salvador...

LOL!...yesterday, Ale made a sign that said $12 (of course, the "$" was facing the wrong way! how cute is THAT!) and pasted it on a shoe box ("with glue, 'cause it sticks better than with tape") and she put in a bunch of "booklets" she had cut out of an old math-readiness magazine ...she then made me write (in small letters!) "If you buy one, they're $1")...she said for me, they'd be free, and for her aunts...but not for the rest of the people...the first thing she did when her cousin C came home from a school field trip was sell her one of the booklets! (of course, C didn't give her $12...or even $1!)...but, hey, Ale has the instinct!...

Now, how can I help her apply/develop it??

1. keep better track of my spending- I still having a hard time sticking to this one!

2. Send out at least 15 resumes in January(best time of the year to find a new job in ES!) and, at least one more per week for the rest of the year until I find a job that pays better! Interesting development in this area

3. FINALLY decide on a school for Alejandra, AND save money for her enrollment fee, uniforms and school supplies Went to see a school that had been recommended. Think it's a good fit for us!...reminds me of the first school I went to: small, few children, re-converted house conditioned to be used as a school...strict but loving owner/director...AND, the initial enrollment fee is $380, and the monthly fee is $110!!...(at the preschool I pay $200 and $70, so the differnce is not THAT much!--at least, it's not $1,000 and $200!!!)...I think this one's a go, so, now I can really do numbers and work on the rest! yay!! Have to take care of this before April ends, though, to ensure there's a space for Ale at the proper grade!

4. continue to lower my overall debt - I started Jan 05 with ~$17K (out of which ~$4K were for a loan and the rest -~$13K!-pure cc debt) and, am starting Jan 06 with $~11K (with ~$8K for a loan and ~$3K in cc debt)... expect to be able to end Dec '06 with ~$7K, which I expect to be purely for the loan... to come partly from the English classes/$20 challenge. Same as last month, all "additional" income going towards the "car account"...

5. Help Ale find a way to earn those $3 she's missing to open her account with HER OWN money...Pending...

...as soon as it is humanly possible..not only am I exhausted by Wednesday, but Ale is having trouble at school and I cannot really help her...I mean, I tried today, but, the poor kid was falling asleep on her notebook! (I arrived at 8:45 and, I had her practicing dictations and spelling until 9:15, which is a bit past her bedtime!)...plus, I feel like a drill sargent, Mom is not fun anymore!...she has a "graded dictation" on Wednesday...
And, I can't really expect the nanny to help..she's more than willing but, it's difficult for her... I had to explain the word "dictation" to her... after all, she only went as far as 1st grade herself...and at a public school, too!!...

because Ale is not doing well in her dictations and, because the teacher at her school knows that I don´t have a lot of money for private lessons,she sent me her notebook so I can try to work with her at home...obviously, the only days when we can really do this are Saturday and sunday...so, right now, Ale is working on the words that she got wrong on her dictation....less than yesterday, so it's progress...but, honest, I somdays feel that Ale is going to think that having me at home is worse than not having me, she hates it when she doesn't do it right, and starts crying, which in turn makes me mad...so, we are not the best of company to each other when we are frustrated!!...((sigh))
Hopefully, this will all be resolved soon...

I don't know which one prevails in me right now!...I just called the bank and, my loan application was denied...they say I'm reported with DICOM (the local agency that tracks your payment records)...since I got a loan in November, I'm sure my credit was "clean" back then...and, all my accounts are current now...except for the telephone line in my name that I installed at my cousin's...the one from which her son called Canada every day....totalling $975!! - which she can't pay!!...so, I guess the phone company has reported me (obviously, it's in my name!) and that's why I cannot get a loan for my car!!...honest, right now, if he were here, I'd kill him!...as soon as that line is paid off, I'm cancelling it!...I feel sorry for my cousin, because I know she NEEDS that line for her business, but...there is no way I'm going to let her kid ruin MY credit ...If I had the money, I'd pay it off today and cancel the thing! (I know she hoped that once she had paid it off I would just cancel international calls and let her keep the line, but, that's NOT going to happen!)

Forgot to "report" on this...her eyes are perfect 20/20 and 20/30 actually...she'll have to take additional classes in the afternoon until she catches up! ....((sigh))

Since my class was cancelled -and since I didn't have a car today- I didn't take Ale to her Scouts meeting...
We went to the eye doctor in the morning: her eyesight is perfect!...so, she has to go to classes to catch up!...she says she doesn't want to, and I tell her that is up to her...if she applies herself more in the mornings, there won't be a need for her to go, but, if she continues to get distracted when she should be working, then...
in the afternoon, a friend came to pick us up and we went to La Gran Via- a new shopping mall, with a huge fountain in the middle...the kids run around and, we bought them a ride on the kiddie train ($0.50) and then we went for cake and ice cream...we ordered a strawberry shake in two glasses for the kids (perfect size! they each finished their halfs!) and a piece of cake for each of us...so, it wasn't really a very frugal weekend, but, it felt soooo good to be able to have a more "normal" weekend for a change!

I just knew something was "off" (mothers DO have that instinct!)...I've been meaning to talk to the teacher, but, because of the car thing and the English lessons and whatnot, I haven't been able to do it...and today, the nanny at the school asked me to wait, as the teacher wanted to speak to me...
she says Ale has been falling behind, and suggested I take her to have her eyes examined....see whether it might be miopia or astigmatism...if that is not it, in case it's just that she gets distracted too easily, she'd have to take reinforcement lessons twice a week!...
I'll take her to her eye doctor (the one that operated on her about 2 years ago, when she had the "chalaciones") on Saturday...so, no church or swim lessons this weekend!...IF she needs glasses, I'd like to take her to one of the stores that have an agreement with the employee co-op, so I need to take that list with me...I can probably find a branch at the medical neighborhood!

**************
The doctor is out of the country attending a congress....so is my ex-brother in law (who is our family oftalmologist!) - ((sigh)) Will have to ask for referrals!

Mom passed away....I can't believe it's been a year....
and, I dreamt about Dad last night...it was a weird dream, and left me feeling lonesome and abandoned...not a good feeling at all!
I hope I donn't have any more weird dreams tonight!...

honest, the coverage is so bad, that I really don't have the money to use the insurance...I'm better off going to the community clinic...for serious things there's the Bloom Children's Hospital...that's where you end up anyway if things are REALLY serious (they have great doctor and the best machines, so if things are really bad, even private doctors and hospitals send you there, so...)
It's not that I pay much (about $25/month), but, given the use that I'm giving it, I don't think it's worth it (last time Ale was sick I took her to the community clinic because I just don't have the money for the copay anyway!)
I'll fill out the proper documentation tomorrow... ((sigh))

Ok, I sent in my application...I know if they are truly as deeply Catholic as they are said to be, a couple of things there will stand out...still, the worse that can happen is that they won't hire me...

Now, I was thinking (because another friend now has been asking around and told me that the friend of a friend - small city!- works there, and that she gets 50% off the tuition for her second kid, but that has to pay full for the eldest...)...what would I do if they did offer me the same salary as here, but NOT offered Ale's tuition??...or offered only half, which is still astronomical -imo- as the FULL tuition is ~$4K/year, plus the admittance bonus which is almost $2K!!....
You know what? I'd probably take it anyway! (I just wouldn't send my daughter there!)...I mean, the working hours would be infinitely better (say 7:30- 3 - let's say to 4) as opposed to 8-6...I'd still be able to find a second job, say from 5-7 and would be able to spend more time with Ale...

Dreams are free, aren't they??

along with a very nice (imo) cover letter....All I can do now is sit and hope...and see what happens!

Went to the Sheraton this weekend (finally!)...had a good time, although we did spend a lot of money....Ale was hungry and I bought a sandwich...which she then didn't eat....dinner was not included....then, because we were waiting for a friend to come pick us up and she was already hungry, I also bought lunch...our friend couldn't make it in the end and had to take a taxi!...total spend on this weekend was $43...
And the other OUCH! is my poor skin! Ale wanted to be in the pool all morning and, she had wasted most of our sunblock lotion on her dolls at home, so, when I tried to squeeze the tube, there was only enough lotion for one....guess which one of us got solar protection??...obvious, no? ...so, I am as red as a lobster....AND, my niece lost our aloe gel, so I will have to buy a new one (I REALLY REALLY need it!)...

Yesterday, in the teacher's lounge, somebody mentioned that there is a school that is hiring full-time teachers...at $800/month....now, that is more or less what I make here, but, if they were willing to throw in Ale's tuition, it might be worth it...the only thing I'm not so sure of is that this is a Catholic school....I'm wary of religious schools in general...in my own experience (the "B" class at the German School was made up of children -like me- who had come from other schools, and, honestly, kids from religious schools tended to be very close-minded and, also, they seemed to me, to be followers rather than leaders....) Being the daughter of a single mother might also pose a problem for Ale at such a school...so, all this is on my mind...I'm thinking I might go there and try to find out...what's the worst that can happen, right??

the Sheraton hotel sent our company letters for 1 free weekend for each of the admin assistants...they expire on Feb 28...so, I just made my reservation for this weekend!...I'm taking Alejandra with me!....we'll check in on Saturday afternoon, go to the English lessons/Scouts and then grab something to eat (probably pupusas, which are cheap!) before going to the hotel...Ale can enjoy the cable TV and the air condition before going to bed...after she has gone to bed, I can enjoy a warm bubble bath (I don't have a bathtub at home!) and, the courtesy includes buffet breakfast for 2...we'll probably wake up early and, Ale can play in the garden for a while (2 hours) and then we can hit the pool until noon! --aaaahhh!

On the 10th, I bought a new package of contact lenses - 3 pairs of lenses, because my last ones broke...I expected to pay this from the extra $$ from the teaching job (I had already been hired) and, so I used my store credit card to get them at Siman (although their interest rate is awfully high, they do not charge you if you pay within the same period, meaning if I paid for them before Feb 10th, I wouldn't pay interest on them)...the bill came today (Monday 23rd)...

On FRIDAY (20th), I came home to find that Ale had opened all the containers and played with the lenses, letting them all dry! - except for the pair I was wearing at the time, of course!...

I got sooo mad!...Plus, we've been having this discussion about NOT touching things that aren't ours (repeated problems with my niece's stuff!) ...

I hope I don't come off as a child beater but, I did hit her hands repeatedly (more for the shock factor than for actual pain), and, she is now banned from my room for 1 week AND I'm not buying her ANYTHING - until I manage to buy my new lenses (this month I have to pay for the ones she ruined...next month I have to buy the new ones)...

Banishment from my room means: no cuddling up in the mornings or at night (she has her own room, but likes to come to my bed early in the morning before breakfast) and none of her regular TV shows (the other TV's in the house don't get Nickelodeon, we don't know why, but, since DD is the only one that watches it, we haven't gone around fixin it!), no movies....so it IS a strong punishment for her!- just remembered: must call the nanny to let her know!

It might seem a bit harsh for contacts, but, they are expensive and, also, contact lenses are no vanity for me, I cannot drive with glasses at night because of the reflection!!

both on the biopsy thing and the job situation...
I'm soooo glad it was really nothing (well, not NOTHING, but just a minor infection!!)...I guess I can cancel my sister's idea of saving for a hysterectomy! LOL!...
The job situation in ES is really terrible...I've been lucky, I was only unemployed for 2 months after I was fired...some friends that were fired a few weeks before me (July 2003) still haven't found jobs...others have had to settle for temporary jobs or for jobs that don't pay more than 50% of what they were making...as for me, well, if I were debtfree, I could lead a very comfy life with my current salary....I will start a more earnest job search in January (people don't leave -or don't announce they are leving- their jobs before Dec 15th...why? Xmas bonuses are given out on Dec 12th, and, if you leave voluntarily, by law you are NOT entitled to it...) so January always has some good job postings....I've had a new call from the Embassy- not regarding the job I applied for- to ask whether I had a valid driver's license and whether I am proficient in MS Office (anser to both questions is yes)...They asked if they could consider my resume for another position within the organization (YES!!), and, if so, they wanted me to send them IN WRITING confirmation regarding the license and the Office issues...needless to say, the HR lady probably hadn't even hung up when I was already sending her the required fax!!...I don't expect to hear from them before January, though....but, all I can do now is hope!

If I got that job, I'd have to do some serious financial planning...by law, they don't discount for pension fund or for taxes, so I'd have to find a way to set up an account for when I retire (people who work at Embassies in ES do not have to pay taxes, so that money would be "free" to go into debt payment!!)...oh, well, no use stressing about that right now, is there??

Oh, and, I didn't manage to finish all my Xmas shopping yet, and the Xmas shopping season has been formally inaugurated- bummer! ...at least, I'm only missing my cousin's present, and my sister's birthday present!!

...and they are NEGATIVE!!!

wooo-hooo!

That's my sister's advice...I'm scheduled to go to the Dr. for the results of my biopsy on Thursday and, although the metaplasia is LIC, my sister says, eventually - maybe 5 or 6 years down the line - if pap smears are not clean, they'll do a hysterectomy....her advice: start saving for one, if you don't need it, you can always use the money for something else!...((sigh))...I must recognize, it's not bad advice...

(she started with metaplasia around her 20's and, after 3 criotherapies and a "cone" procedure, they removed her uterus)

FRIDAY
They scheduled the unit’s Xmas party for this weekend, THE one weekend when I really couldn’t stay up until dawn, because I had to go for a medical procedure early on Saturday…bummer!...at least, the prohibitions listed did NOT include drinks and/or dancing!!..I had thought of leaving work early (at 5:00pm) and going to my cousin’s to wrap gifts for a couple of hours, then arrive at the party at around 9:00 or 9:30…but, we got a phone call: the boss (VP) wanted us to be there at 8:00 SHARP…so, change of plans… I went home, took a shower – it IS unbearably hot lately! – and set out to find something that actually FITS…found it!!...and arrived at the party at 8:00:01pm….

They wanted us to be there before anyone else to give the traditional Xmas/ Year end speeches: blah,blah, blah, wonderful year, blah, blah, blah, very happy with the group, blah, blah, blah, great work, blah, blah, have fun!...then the directors spoke, and thanked everyone profusely for their great work and dedication – except the admins, of course!- I kept sipping my rum and coke and hoping I wouldn’t blurt out anything too harsh! …one of the directors came later to tell me he DID want to thank me for my work this past year (do you think he could read the lasers coming out of my eyes as a show of anger??) hmmmm…anyway…people finally started coming in at 9:00pm and the music arrived, too…first everyone stood around chatting and eating and then finally someone started to dance…so we did too….At around 11:00, we suddenly heard this wooooo-hooooo coming from the front door: the sales team made it!! (they had been at a dinner and thus arrived later and together as a group!)…they trotted in and immediately joined the dance floor!... I must have danced from 10:15 until 12:20 (I left while they were lighting the first fire works)…these younger generations…noone lasts longer than 1 hour anymore…c’mon!!!..It made me think, really, every woman should have a dance partner…someone that she can REALLY count on at a party…When I arrived home, my hair was soaked, as if I had been swimming instead of dancing!!... I had to towel dry it before going to bed, because it was too yucky to just sleep like that! ….at about 4 am, my sister’s cell phone started ringing and woke me up…I couldn’t hear what had happened, though, because my ears were still ringing from the music at the party!!

SATURDAY
I got up early to go to the clinic…the good news?? My hair did NOT smell like smoke!!...the GREAT news??...it looked really gorgeous, the waves really well formed and everything…I HAD to wash it, though, on account of all the sweat!!...The call in the middle of the night?? My sister’s friend, to cry because her dog had just died!...poor L, poor doggie!!...I went to my cousin’s, she was going to drop me off at the clinic so that I didn’t have to drive afterwards… We arrived at 8:02 am and found there was a loooong queue in front, and they still hadn’t opened. Shortly after, someone opened the door and asked people to make 3 queues depending on the medical care they needed. I got to be #7 to go into the colposcopy consultation…#1 and #2 didn’t take long, but, #3 obviously got some crio-therapy (we could hear the pppffffft! Sounds from whatever instrument they use to apply the chemical –no, I’d rather NOT find out!!)…and finally it was my turn…I was glad I had a “real” doctor (meaning she was older than me and, not one of those baby-faced doctors you usually get at the clinic…some still with braces on that don’t even look old enough to drive, let alone prescribe medications!)…she was very nice, and she kept talking to me and asking me questions while she worked (presumably to keep my mind off the procedure…If you know me, you know THAT doesn’t work! …a book and some music, MAYBE, but talk….) ….she ended up taking some tissue samples to send them for biopsy, so I have to go there again on Thursday for the results…if the cells ARE pre-cancerous, she’ll do a crio-therapy on the spot and, hopefully, that’ll be the end of it for at least 6 months…if they aren’t, we’ll just say good-bye and I have to go in for a new pap smear in 1 year, just as usual!...

After I scheduled my new appointment and paid for the biopsy, I waited for my cousin to come pick me up…we went to Siman (local dept store) for some quotations that we needed (checking the competition’s prices and availability for school supplies!)…it was packed!...Xmas shopping has officially started!!...at one point, I felt a small cramp – I still don’t know if it was muscular, from all that dancing, or internal, from the procedure, but I don’t really care!- I said: ok, let’s go home!...I went home for lunch –since I’m the designated cook on weekends, my sister bought food from McD’s…and then tried to get some sleep before going to Alejandra’s “pastorela” at church…no luck! I got a phone call from someone from the office – couldn’t have a ticket issued due it wasn’t authorized…at one point it looked as if I was going to have to go to the office and authorize it, and then, it just dawned on me: I have DELEGATE access to authorize, so I asked the guy to call either the VP or one of the directors to send a message for the ticket issuance to be authorized (plus, they have laptops, they can do it from home!!)…problem practically solved! (but it took 3 phone calls to make it go away!!)…so, no sleep…

At 4pm, we all got ready and went to the pastorela…it had the usual glitches when you are working with children: some fumbled their lines and started laughing hysterically…the smaller angels, those with no lines were all under 3 years old! - started wandering about and, one of the eldest ones (who did have lines) got pushed off the platform – luckily it wasn’t a very high platform, so he didn’t hurt himself…we being as mean as we are, I told my sister: Look, how allegorical, first an angel gets pushed off, then the fallen angel is quarreling with the others! (he WAS!)…ha, ha, ha, ha!... Ale didn’t forget her lines or miss her queues…but, at one point, she didn’t know who she was supposed to hand the microphone to, so she hissed: WHOOO into it, ha, ha, ha, ha!...after that we had some pupusas that the church ladies were selling – they were expensive, as pupusas go, since they were $0.50 and, generally they sell for $0.35, but, it was for a good cause, so we didn’t mind…the Children’s Ministry never asks you for money, not even for celebrations, and, for the pastorela, they lend you the costumes rather than making you buy one!, but, they “survive” on donations and on the sell of snacks after the pastorela….


From there we went to my cousin’s and wrapped some gifts…she must have wrapped about 50-60 Barbie dolls, and I wrapped 24 Lego buckets (hey, they were difficult, because their shape is so odd!) After that, we called it a night and went home…

SUNDAY
Got up early (sort of, for a Sunday) and left home to see the Christmas Time Parade (Ale had asked to be taken to a parade to see it live, rather than on TV…and, to me, if you are going to a parade you HAVE to be on the first row…being my size, if I’m not on first row, I don’t see anything!!)…we arrived in front of the stadium (halfway through the parade route) at 9:30.am…Now, the parade was scheduled to start at 10:00! So we were early…I had some water with me and we had brought our caps and an umbrella…we sat on the curbside to wait…I didn’t let Ale drink much water, though, just tiny sips every half hour, because there are NO bathrooms there!!...she wanted me to buy her a spinwheel (?) – one of those toys that spin with the wind??...I did get her one of those…we didn’t buy any food, because we had had a good breakfast at home…She really enjoyed the parade (and, YES, we were on FIRST ROW!!!)…the parade came by our spot at about 11:15….it ended at about 12:30, so I took Ale to Little Caesar’s, and bought a large pizza, two 500ml sodas and 1 lt of ice cream for $7.49…we took it home and had lunch there…afterwards, I lay down for a while…didn’t get to sleep, but at least rested a bit…Ale did, too!...then at around 3 we went to my cousin’s again…this time, to separate the toys into packages for each employee according to the lists provided…with each bag properly labeled….this took until 7:30 or so…we had dinner and then put all those packages into boxes for transportation – my cousin will deliver them on Monday – and we double checked the packages, making sure they had the proper toy and the proper names and everything…we were finally done at 9:00pm, and Ale and I went home…

She must have been very tired, because she started crying when I told her not to put some small toys in her mouth…she said she didn’t want to die…I told her I didn’t want her to die, either, and that’s the reason I don’t want her to put those toys in her mouth…and gave her the Pizza Pooch to sleep with instead…then I put her to bed…in the middle of the night, she crawled into my bed: I just want to be with you for a little while…about 10 minutes later she just said: ok, I’m going to my own bed now…and left!

THIS MORNING:
I should have gone for my morning walk, but I couldn’t get myself out of bed!!...I’ll go tomorrow!

my 5 year old daughter insists that I should buy X-brand lollipops because: "they have prizes, and you can win a DVD" - she's obsessed with a DVD player at the moment...no, it's not going to happen, I have other priorities/needs at the moment! - and, of course, being the mean horrible mother that I am, I haven't bought the lollipops!...but, the other day she went to a piniata and got 3 X-brand lollipops...not one of them had a prize sticker...not even for a "free lollipop" or anything...she was sooo disappointed...and she said: "Mom, you know, ads lie"....

Of course, being a 5 year old, now she wants me to buy her Y-brand of soft drink (sugar + water and coloring added! this is THE worst thing on the market here in ES!)...because the tops have prizes...you can win another soft drink bottle (that's a prize??) OR a $50 gift certificate to buy "all the toys you want" at Jugueton (large toy store)...

Oh, well, I'm back to being the mean mamma!

It's 5:35pm, and my stove hasn't been delivered...I'm trying to call the store and I'm going to tell them that if I don't get my stove tomorrow am, not to bother, I'll come by to get a refund!!...I bought it on Friday, so it is more than enough time for them to arrange delivery!

I found a stove for $160! (well, $159.99)...original price ws $215!...I paid CASH for it! (sooo liberating!- and you should havde seen the saleswoman's face when I said; "i'll take it" and she said: "I'll draw up the paperwork for the credit", and I said: "No, I'll pay cash for it!" LOL!)...it is sooo pretty! I'm happy with my stove, I'm happy with the deal I got and, I'm happy that I have no new debt on it - I paid with money that was supposed to go to the cc debt, but, I still have enough to pay all cc's on time and to pay a bit over the minimum payment...Plus, my sister owes me $60! - which she'll pay me on Dec 7th, so I'll pay that into a cc on the 8th!

We are selling the old one for parts!! - if anyone takes it!!

Ale wanted a Care Bear ($7.50 at Jugueton, which is the local version of Toys'R'us)...and I found them at Siman (dept store) at 25% off if bought with the store card....I bought her 2 for $10.53 (original price was slightly lower than Jugueton's!!)...Don't worry! I was good!...If I pay within the same payment period (9/11 -9/12 in this case), I don't get charged interest on those purchases...I marched to the next cashier and paid the card!
I already set aside the scooter and Barbie/Ken combo Ale wanted, and my cousin will get them for me with her 35% discount! I'm done with Ale!!...Now, I need to get the stuff for my niece, think of something for my nephew, find something for my best friend's son and I'm DONE!!! - oh, but I have to find my sister's B-day gift...have seen a couple of things that would be nice!