Yesterday was not the best day. It started by the big glass framed picture of Ash that I have been asking Ryota to put on the wall for at least 3 weeks smashing because it was resting against the wall. It really freaked me out because the night before, MIL dropped her mobile phone smashing the screen, so now we have her phone with a picture of Ash as her background all smashed and his little face behind the smashed glass frame, freaky!
Anyway, after the glass incident I accidentally fucked up SIL's camera somehow, not deleting the photos when I copied them to my computer, but for some reason they don't appear on her camera anymore when she switches it on. Then it all went downhill because we went to SSOK, or ソック in Japanese.
Has anyone been there?? It's in Mino, which I guess is about half an hour, 40 minutes from Osaka. There are lots of warehouse type shops but they are all waayyyy too swanky to get any real warehouse shopping bargains. I should have known.
5 reasons I don't like SSOK:
1) It looks exactly like a department store
2) It's really not that cheap
3) They don't allow bags of any kind or strollers, it's wallet only.
4) They don't allow strollers and I happen to have an incredibly heavy 4 month old
5) The name SSOK annoys me and sounds like sock
WTF is with the no stroller rule?! Discrimination much?? I wonder if they allow wheelchairs? I'm guessing not. Is it to reduce shoplifting??? Because if it is, they are sooooo silly, they have double the staff at the registers so they can seal your bags up with 400 meters of tape. The money they save on shrinkage from shoplifting is nothing compared to the overheads from staff salaries they must be paying.
You also need a card to get in and the lady informed us that only 2 people could enter on one card, so MIL went to register for another card but the lady got distracted and about 20 people strolled in without being checked if they had a card. Not. Happy. Jan.
On to the 'I was annoyed with MIL to the point my face flushed red.' Note that because I'd taken a disliking to SSOK I was probably cranky already.
Luckily for us, we have one of those BabyBjorn holdy thingies that we could have shoved Ash in. But nooooo that would be way too easy, becasue my family-in-law like to show off with Ash, BIL decided he would hold him. I grumbled that the baby sling had no meaning, but whatever, if he wants to get a backache from holding him on one side that's his choice.
After BIL complained about said backache (try doing it everyday wimpy!) MIL took over with holding him. when MIL's back got sore she said she would hold him in the sling. This is when I got peeved.
The sling is pretty annoying actually, it's not one of those nice, hippy, one piece of material ones, it's one with all kinds of hooks and belts on it, and me being a big boobed giant, it's set just right for me. I explained this to MIL and said I was fine to hold him, as the sling was already on my back and ready for him just to slide in.
MIL protested. I said I'd hold him. She said she would hold him. This went on for I swear about 5 minutes until I said strongly and with my flushed face that it was easier if I held him. Put. Him. In. Now.
There was no argument and it is a tiny thing, but sometimes I feel like my voice is lost in translation somewhere, I shouldn't have to say something a million times before I'm heard.
I appreciate all MIL's help, I really do, and I need it living here. But they sometimes forget that lived in Japan for 3 years by myself and did just fine. If I can do something, I want to try and do it myself.
I overreacted a bit to the holder thing but I really think it was a build up of a lot of things lately where I'm starting to feel like a baby who can't do anything by herself.
Anyway, Ashton boy is hollerin' so I'm off for a run! That 10km isn't going to run itself in November!
Hey Corinne, that does sound like an annoying experience with MIL. I know that they all mean well and try and help, but it is good to put your foot down occassionally. I do. It is good to have the in-laws close, mine live downstairs in one of the ground floor apartments of our building. Most days it is great, but there is always those few times when I feel I need to say something too. Hope you throat is fully healed now!
ReplyDeleteThat is crazy about not allowing strollers! I have never been to SSOK but I am a Costco girl at heart. At least they allow strollers and bags at Costco. Good for standing your ground with MIL. In-law relationships can be interesting sometimes. It drives me crazy everytime R cries and my say "maybe he's hungry" like I never feed my child! Happy you are feeling better :)
ReplyDeleteOh the drama! Isn't life fun over here? Simple things always become so complex, I guess it keeps life interesting. Aren't outlet shops over here disappointing? We use to always drive across the border when we lived in Canada to go outlet shopping in the US and get amazing deals but here I can't really find that much of a difference in price between the outlets and retail....kinda silly really.
ReplyDeleteCan't believe your still able to carry Ash in a Baby Bjorn, KK is not even 7kg and my back is already breaking. If you do use a carrier a lot you should really check out the ErgoBaby, all my friends swear by it!
Nooh~ Thanks, my throat is all good now, finally! Ahh you understand my in-law pain then, although it's fine most of the time, just those little moments.
ReplyDeleteBeamies~ I love costco too, fon't like the bag checks but at least they do allow strollers! hehe me too, I hate the comments when Ash is crying!
ChomChom~ Thanks for the baby holder tip, the babyBjorn does kill my back, I really don't use it that often. I know, I miss good outlet shopping too! :(
I had no idea you were sick!!!!! My damn RSS feeds are not updating! Humble apologies! That said, I have scars in my throat from when I was young and had strep... it was so bad swallowing spit hurt.
ReplyDeleteI don't get it anymore now, but the scaring was where the white mucus or hard, white puss was.. gross I know.
Finally you are feeling better, the antibiotics worked.. YAY!!!