Rita Book

My kids watch too much TV. They probably eat too many processed foods. I'm sure I don't play with them as often as I should (because I have a personal quota of how many hours per week I can pretend to be a praying mantis, a unicorn, or Widget from "Wow Wow Wubbzy"). But one thing I DO enjoy doing with my boys? Reading. We read all the time. I think it's because I'm something of a book nerd myself. The first thing I did when I found out I was pregnant with Colin - besides, like, nearly crapping my pants in disbelief - was rush out to buy a children's book, which I read religiously to my stomach. (I know. But it was my first baby - you know how it is.)

So last night I went to Hy-Vee to get a little break from the chaos some groceries, and you can imagine my overwhelming delight when I came upon a whole bin of children's books. Good books. Hardcover books. Even better? They were marked down 50%. And even better than that? There was a sign that screamed, "Take 50% off the already-reduced sticker price!"

Y'all? I think I almost fainted - I know I felt a little swoony. I love me some books, and I love me some bargains, and you put those things together and it's almost too much for me to handle. And then the man in the Hy-Vee uniform came over and was all, "Uh, ma'am? Please don't stand in the book bin any more. If you'd like to look, please just lean over the side."

I'm kidding, but seriously, if I could've stood in the book bin I totally would have. I rummaged through the books with trembling hands. It was like panning for gold and hitting the jackpot and not knowing which beautiful nugget to grab first. I got a hardcover book about bugs for Colin - retail value $17.99 - for $2.50. TWO FIFTY, Y'ALL. And that wasn't my only wonderful find. Colin just brought a book order form home from school (this type) the other day and I saw several of the same books in the bargain bin, hardcover, for cheaper than the softcover versions in the order form. Of course, I snatched those up.

I ended up spending $20 more than my original grocery budget, but it was on books, so I figure that evens out somehow (heh. Maybe that's why I'm always broke). And yes, I'm aware that this is a pretty lame topic to blog about - but you know when you get a deal you're excited about, you just wanna scream it from the rooftops? Yeah. This was that kind of deal.

PS - if you're a children's book freak lover like me, another great place to find good ones for cheap is yard sales.

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I know I will ... the boys and I have lots of new reading material. :)