It’s that time of the year. You know what I’m talking about.

It’s time to suck it up and go holiday shopping. Yes, yes, I know that this mere suggestion can cause stress in the strongest mothers out there. Your kids want everything they can’t have and your husband is the most difficult person to buy for. You probably have to get gifts for many other people, too, and just the thought of all of this makes you want to drive a pencil through your left eye.

Before you go ruining a fine writing implement, can I mention that I went holiday shopping this weekend and it wasn’t at all bad?

And no, I’m not on crack, suffering from a head wound, or mentally infirm.

Well, maybe a little mental, but in unrelated ways.

JCPenney and Blogher provided me with a $300 gift card to get my holiday shopping started, and I did just that. And let me tell you, it takes motivation like that to get me out of the house. This pregnant lady has become quite the hermit.

But as soon as I walked through the JCPenney doors I felt all warm and fuzzy.

I think it helped that I entered directly on the Women’s Apparel side. I don’t care how ungirly I’ve ever felt – being amongst clothing makes me feel like a giddy schoolgirl.

I spent the next couple hours walkin’ my pregnant self all around both floors of JCPenney, and hello? They have everything!

And I really got into the Christmas spirit with the Carols playing over the loudspeaker and all the holiday decorations and accents they had set up around the store.

I love shinies!

I picked up a cute blue waffle shirt for Braden (and I totally eyeballed infant clothing, how can a preggo not do that?).

Before I made it all the way out of the children’s apparel department, one of the many toy displays the were scattered here and there caught hold of me and shook me.

“Lady! Your son is dying for a laptop! He does American Sign Language and shouts out “DOODER!” whenever there is any indication of a computer! HERE I AM!”

And so I met the Bilingual Toddler Laptop. Over which Braden is going to crap his pants when he sees it and realizes it is his, on Christmas day.

And hey, he’s still in diapers, so that’s completely acceptable.

I also picked up some cologne for the man who is, apparently, completely unable to pick out cologne of his own that doesn’t smell like a dying hobo now that he’s married.

What is up with that? When I met him he was so hip. Darn wedding ring.

After the cologne, I grabbed three different shirts for him. Hey, if he can tell me to shave my legs more often, I can force him to smell nice and dress well, eh?

Before I gave in to the ache in my feet (so maybe pregnant ladies shouldn’t wear high heeled hot boots?), I had to hit the maternity section.

My pregnant heart soared as I picked through the clothes and found 2 lovely shirts to drape over my growing belly. I grinned like a doofus as I played in the fitting room.

Maternity clothes can be tricky, so finding 2 shirts I liked on the same trip was really groovy.

I had gifts for my son, my husband, and myself (shut up, no one else is going to do it!) and I was feeling pretty darn happy with myself. Oh, did I mention? Every.single.thing.I.bought.was.on.sale.

That’s right. Everything.

There are tons of sales going on! And I eyeballed lots more stuff than I bought this time. There are gift ideas there for everyone on your list. Boys and girls can be delighted with clothes, and quite an assortment of toys from Hanna Montana products to portable MP3 players for toddlers. There are scented candles, beautiful jewelry selections, and photograph collage frames for wives, moms and grandmas. Husbands, Dads, and Grandpas can be snazzed up with cologne and great menswear selections.

I left with my loot, happily loaded down.

And when I got home?

I hopped online, went to JCPenney.com and made our biggest purchase in quite some time – a toddler bed.

Yes. We think it’s time for Braden to transition from the crib to a bed. Someone, hold me.

At least it was easy to find online, and it is absolutely adorable. And I have some time while it ships to come to grips, right? So even if there are things you can’t find in the store, you can hit JCPenney.com and find your heart’s desire there.

Now if you’ll excuse me, my feet are still hurt from tromping around JCPenney in my high-heeled hot boots. I need to go back and get the Dearfoam Slippers that I kept eyeballing the whole time I was shopping. Really, just how many times can a woman walk past a slipper display?

Don’t tell John, though. Wearing those slippers, I might never leave JCPenney!

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Want to go on a $300 Holiday shopping spree? Of course you do!

Blogher and JCPenney are giving away a $300 Gift Card every week for the next five weeks!
Don’t miss out!

Disclosure: This is a compensated review. I received a $300 JC Penney Gift Card to shop with and review my experience, free of charge.