I Love Some Swedish Meatballs on a Hot Sunday Afternoon

The family and I made our way to Ikea this afternoon. With a few boxes put away and some design ideas in our heads (something to put the freaking toys in and cover our windows so we don't have to run and hide after we take a shower), we decided Ikea might be a good place to start -- you know, because it's small, manageable, and not a popular place to go on a Sunday.

Heh.

I can go either way when it comes to Ikea. I'm a fan of the modern design, and I think if you've got kids and you want stuff that looks great that you don't so much care if they cover in crayons and peanut butter, then it's a good place to go.

But if you've got a husband who has a crush on Ethan Allen, and a toddler who just wants to sample every single bed display, it's really not the greatest place. And if you're like me and get way to overstimulated and overwhelmed and instead of buying everything just want to run and buy nothing, I'd say pick another place.

Like the catalog.

But alas. We were determined to go out as a family and brave the "one-way only" rectangle that is Ikea. My husband complained that everything looked too "Northern European." (Good one, honey). My daughter just wanted to get food, mainly because there was a television with old Mickey Mouse reruns on. And I just wanted to go home because every single textile I picked out my husband would say "you really like that?"

Yes. I really like that. I have just never had an excuse to take more than 10 minutes to decorate anything. And now I can. So there.

pthhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

See what the flourescent lights do to a perfectly sane (okay, maybe half sane -- no sleep does that) mother?

Needless to say, I enjoyed my 50 cent hot dog and cinnamon bun.

Well worth the trip, wouldn't you say?

Comments

[Manic Mommy]

I like your description. I've always viewed IKEA not as good furniture but good enough furniture.

And I have anxiety attacks going in there, too.

That doesn't mean I'm not dying to go back.

[Fairly Odd Mother]

An Ikea opened about 15 minutes from my house and, while I would never, ever dare it on a weekend, I will go during the week with my three just so they can play. Yes, the older two go to the supervised, drop off play area for an hour while my younger one just plays in the kids' merchandise area. We are white trash like that.

Then, we go and eat cheap meatballs. They think I rock.