Shopping and microphones

Mark’s shopping style: go somewhere with good prices or good sales and buy at least $300 worth of merchandise. Take it home, try it on, and return at least 85% of it.

My shopping style: avoid shopping at all costs—especially a trip with Mark or Krista (both of whom will want to stay much longer). Buy next to nothing. Come home and go back to wearing my daily favorite outfit: tennis shoes, polo shirt (one of eight I have from Old Navy) and jeans.

I’m a pretty conservative shopper and spender. I rarely buy anything surprising. Is this for lack of imagination, or an attempt to minimize inevitable public tantrums by hauling through stores in record time? Maybe both. Mark, on the other hand, always comes back with something exciting. Often it’s a size XL shirt for himself from the little boys’ section for $2.99 or a box of mini crackers that was on sale. (Granted, if the sale is 10 for $10, we usually end up with 10 of them. But I’m grateful that he’s so willing to shop, and even with the kids!)

Today I varied from my usual conservative habits, and made some unusual purchases at Target. On a bit of a whim, I bought--not one--but two microphones. One was the big pink plastic microphone that echoes. The other was intended to be part of an “American Idol” Halloween costume. It’s basically a big Styrofoam blob covered in tons of glitter with a cheap plastic tube attached. I think I had microphones on the brain because at a Primary music training meeting last week, someone suggested a great way to get children to sing well. The chorister walks around the room during a song with a microphone (unplugged) which she holds up in front of various children. Apparently even an unplugged mike in one's face gets kids singing as if they were being paid for it.

Now that I am the proud owner of TWO microphones, here are my plans.

1. Get Sage to call them microphones and not speakers.
2. Speak into the pink plastic microphone when I actually want Sage to pay attention. (She listened attentively to ALL of my Family Home Evening lesson on prayer, because I spoke into the pink plastic microphone, and allowed anyone willing to make a comment to speak in the microphone. Is this sacrilegious? Hopefully not because it was SO effective!)
3. My first post-Primary program music time is already under construction in my brain. The prop: glittery microphone. The game: Primary Idol. [Like American Idol, only without the disgusting outfits and mean judges.] It’s gonna be great.

In conclusion, my $3.50 was well spent today at Target. Maybe next time I'll be brave and buy a shirt for myself out of the little girls' section. Well, probably not.