Going out

I went out last night on one of my first scheduled weekly mom's night off. I had errands to run and great aspirations. Why then, did I end up surfing the web, hungry, in the car in the garage? Yep. I went to Target, found out I left my debit cards at home, made a return and got roughly 16 dollars back in cash. I wandered around the store, looked at the new Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle Lego set, priced at a hefty 90$ and just drooled. I perused iPod speaker sets... I can't figure out what ones I want, eve after looking at the reviews online. In the end I bought a new Anchor Hocking jar for kombucha brewing with the change they gave me. I then left feeling blah.
I wondered why. When I stepped out of the car I was marveling at how it felt to get out of the car and not be toting a toddler who wanted to melt down, nor a baby who had to be held the entire trip through the store, even if in a carrier. It was amazing, really... the absolute convenience of it is mind boggling. Why then, did I not want to go to the 20 zillion places I have wanted to go in the past few months that were just too hard? I had wanted to go look at Birks, go to the coffee shop, so on and so forth... instead as I pulled out I went to World Market and wandered a bit more. Then I headed off to the coffee shop to work on the Muggle Buck. Along the way I decided to finally stop off at Plato's Closet to see what they had. Now I know why I haven't stopped in before. There is no way I could take the kids and be any sort of productive, even when they are so much better organized than Good Will. E Gads. I left close to closing, 9pm, after finding several things I loved in the wrong sizes.. off to the coffee shop, I had been out just under 2 hours so far.
When I got to the coffee shop, well... they were closed. They closed at 9. I tried to decide what else to do, but all the other shops I would have been interested closed at the latest at 9pm also. So, big bust there. I could have headed over to another local coffee shop, but last time I was there I just could not get their wireless to connect. It drove me nuts and the coffee is mediocre. I guess after home ground dark roast free trade organic SWP decaf... well... blech. Especially when I am a black coffee drinker/purist AND the Styrofoam cup they give you.
So, I headed home.
And when I pulled into the garage I just sat there. And realized I had a computer connection out there. So, I sat and worked, uninterrupted by kids, no one pulling at my shirt for attention or milk, no one calling my name, no one pulling at the computer cords or attempting to steal the mouse.... [excuse me while I retrieve my cell phone from the slobber monster] yelling that, oh... any number of things.
So, I sat in the car, working uninterrupted for 40 minutes before John called me to tell me that Jack had just signed to him that he wanted milk and that I should be on the way home. Jack apparently told John 2 times very clearly by signing milk. My brilliant 8 month old. We just started the baby signs last month. The only one I had been doing was milk. I've seen him do it, but as a request, I think this was a first.
Anyway, I came to the conclusion... for a productive and relaxing night off, I need to get out WITH someone else, or a VERY distinct plan.
Going out last night was a bit of a depressing bust...
[Off to retrieve my earbuds]