In light of the fact that I only just recently returned from Ikea, I am going to finish telling about our expedition.
On Friday I left around 4:30pm; I hoped to return home from the store in time to watch the baseball game that was going to start at 7pm. It seemed a reasonable expectation at the time.
I should have known that things would not go according to my plan when it took an hour to get there. The traffic was not delightful. We arrived in one piece, however, and that is enough to make one grateful. After getting our return taken care of (And it went entirely smoothly...wonderful!), we headed to the starting point of the store and began making our way around the entire upstairs. We curved and wound around and walked through the many different set-ups and room arrangements until we were about halfway finished with the loop. This is when two (or maybe all three) of the kids said they needed a restroom.
Now, I really like this store. However, it would be helpful if, in the space of 856,924,753 million square feet, there were restrooms in each corner, or at least opposing corners. We turned around and went back to our starting point so that the kids could use the bathroom, and since we had already turned back, I went ahead and got them something to eat. Ikea provided us with a nutritious dinner (or not so nutritious), and after the break we got back on track.
We spent the majority of our time in the create-your-own-table-or-desk section and the kitchen section. One of my goals was to get an additional set-up to add to what we already had in our back room/schoolroom. There was some deliberation regarding the addition: were we going to do an identical table with drawer units for legs or a corner table that would link to the long table we had against the wall?
I know...it's thrilling. You are having palpitations because of the anticipation.
In Ikea, you make a note of where in the warehouse your large item is located, and once you cruise through the upstairs, you head downstairs (of course you still have a smaller section of display space and merchandise to go through, things like dishes and household organizational helps and linens), finally arriving at the warehouse. I'm pretty sure that we looped through the upstairs at least four times, between trips to the bathroom, getting turned around, going back to look at something for Mike (we were on the phone several times), and getting turned around again. Before we made it down, I experienced my personal highlight of the trip.
We walked toward the design-your-kitchen area and Christian all but broke into a run. He was so excited. I was following along behind him when I heard him gasp and exclaim,"My dream kitchen!"
He checked out every feature of this space, ran his hands over the cool, smooth countertops, and asked me when we were going to be able to redo our kitchen. Components that he loved the best were the corner cabinets which had a door that swung open on a hinge in the corner and revealed a double turntable, making use of an area of a cabinet that is often not used, as well as the deep pull-out pantry which was open on both sides. I guess I know whom to call when we do renovate.
For the most part the kids were very good; only periodically did they begin to fuss and bicker with one another. When this happened I told them to stop or I would start dancing. (Ikea does play some good music, and it truly enhances the shopping experience.) (Especially if one has the opportunity to embarrass one's children while doing one's shopping.) I only had to dance three times. (And I will say I got progressively, ahem, jiggy with it...)
Around 8:45, we heard the announcement telling customers to head to the check-outs because the store would be closing in fifteen minutes. I couldn't believe that we had been there that long, nor could I believe that I only had fifteen minutes to finish finding what I needed to find. (Stop looking at the lamps, Christina! And the mixing bowls!) We hustled through the rest of the shopping area downstairs, and picked up a flat cart, which was undeniably the second most exciting thing we did while in Ikea. Driving the flat cart around compares with driving a racecar.
We went through the warehouse and picked up all of the pieces that we would need in order to rebuild our back room (furniture-wise; no structural demolition and construction will be occurring) and create a wonderful school space for the girls. Our check-out experience was painless (I think), and soon we were back in the car and headed home.
By the time we were done in the line, the small cafe counter was closed and I couldn't get the kids a frozen yogurt like I had said I would, so instead we stopped at Sonic up the street from our house and I got two large milkshakes (half-price after 8pm!) for us to split. It was a fine substitute. Ha!
We pulled up out front around 10ish. I don't really know. It was late, though, and once we unpacked the car, had milkshakes, and the kids were showered, it was bedtime for them! Mike and I got busy putting a couple of things together, and I finally had to go to bed.
The only unfortunate incident during the whole experience was my own stupid fault. I was bringing in the last piece of furniture, the last anything in the car (okay, not the last ANYTHING, but the last anything from Ikea), and I rested the box, which held an unassembled bookshelf, on my legs just above my knees as I pulled the hatch door of the van down. For some reason, it started opening again, which I wasn't expecting; I had started to walk inside, but stopped and leaned back to get the door again. I'm still not sure what happened exactly, but my right foot slipped and I had to drop the box in order to catch my self with my hands. I was furious that I had done any of it, and I was afraid that I had broken part of the bookshelf.
The next day when I opened the box, sure enough, there was a crack across one of the pieces. I called Ikea to see if they had a spare piece that I could buy, as they often have extra hardware. The young woman I spoke with said to me that since it had been less than 90 days, I could bring it in and they would replace it. I had told her the story, and when I asked her,"Even if it may have been my fault?" she said,"Yes. They have to replace it."
We had to wait a couple of days. Sunday was Eliana's birthday; we went to lunch, and spent the day hanging out and putting furniture together and rearranging. We also watched parts of Finding Nemo, which is what she said she wanted to do. On Monday Mike helped me get the box with the shelf containing the broken piece into the car, and the kids and I headed back to Ikea.
We really need to go one time when it is not rush hour.
Of course we got there at dinnertime, so after I took care of the bookshelf (without a problem...their customer service gets two thumbs up), we grabbed a quick bite to eat. Then we began the now-very-familiar upstairs loop. Since we knew a little better what we were there for (obviously to replace the shelf, but also to pick up a few things for another project in our bedroom), I thought we might get home by around 8pm.
I ended up talking to Mike for almost an hour as we tried to figure out what kind of bracket I ought to get for a shelving system. You might think that the kids would have been throwing fits, but instead they were zipping between desks that were built and set up with fake computers. Eliana was writing emails.
That is what they did for 50 minutes. Michaela was reading in a comfy chair in a "bedroom" next to the desks. Once Mike and I got off the phone, I had an hour to finish looking through all the sections before hitting the warehouse. The kids and I took off, and I resisted that same adorable fat-yellow-stripe mixing bowl, stopping only long enough to get a lampshade for Michaela's room (that she will be able to decorate herself...fun!) and the brackets. We picked up the bookshelf and got in line. We even had time to get frozen yogurt on this trip before loading up the car.
After spending almost eight hours in Ikea during these two trips, they deserved it (even though I did have to dance at least three times).
Friday, August 23, 2013 at 7:16PM 
