As If I Need a Reason to Shop!

This post is sponsored by Nuffnang.

I am a shopper. Well, at least I was. In the days before child!

Back then I loved to shop, it was enjoyable, relaxing, an easy way to while away a few hours. I used to think shopping was in my blood (or maybe it’s just a matter of being female!) Clothes, shoes, bags, accessories, whatever I wanted…needed…liked.

Nowadays a visit to the shops seems to be born of necessity rather than pleasure. We need to eat or Immy needs new pyjamas or I need to buy a gift for friend or family member. And it can hardly be described as relaxing with a three-year-old-who-has-decided-she-is-too-big-to-ride-in-the-trolley in tow. Yep, even the days of popping a toddler in the trolley and handing over a snack to buy a quiet twenty minutes or so seem to be over *sigh* Now trying on clothes is a harried (and hurried) event as I try to get potential purchases onto my body before being exposed to fellow shoppers by a small person flinging back the change room curtain. And you are much more likely to find me purchasing a pair of fluoro pink, camouflage patterned sneakers in a size far smaller than my own foot size or a brightly coloured bag emblazoned with Dorothy the Dinosaur then something in my own size or style!

Yep, my shopping adventures sure have changed.

One shopping event I will not be missing however is Westfield’s national Give Ability Day on Saturday, May 21st. I never realized that 1 in 14 Australian children are living with a disability. To help make a difference in the lives of children with disabilities and their families, every Westfield shopping centre in Australia partners with a children’s disability service provider from their local community. On Give Ability Day, centre staff and volunteers will be collecting donations from shoppers with 100% of all donations going directly to the local charity. If you are anything like me, the thought, “there but for the grace of God goes I,” has crossed your mind more then once when it comes to children and disabilities and being involved in Give Ability Day is one simple way to be involved in giving back to your local community. You have to shop anyway, right?

So if you happen to see a tallish, brunette, partially dressed mama with a bright red face pulling a change room curtain from the hands of a small, smiley, blonde, curly haired gal at a Westfield shopping centre on May 21st, that will probably be me! Be sure to stop and say hi, preferably once I am dressed 🙂

Do you support a children’s charity?