Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Oh, the frustration...

We leave on May 10 for a week in Oceanside, CA. We just booked the condo this past weekend and are fortunate to have gotten it at all since they usually book a year in advance. We will take the boys out of school for a week and hate to do that but, we also are going before summer rates go in affect June 1! I'll be doing "classwork" with the boys each morning hopefully, on our balcony overlooking the ocean! I'm so excited! However, I've had incredible frustration in ordering swimwear stuff for my boys! Because they are both so fair and I have already had numerous surgeries for different skin cancers, I am very protective of their skin. I purchase swimwear with build in UV protection of 50 and buy long sleeve, one piece suits. This year, I wanted to get suits that look more like diving suits. They are full length. Well, very few companies carry them. I have spent so much time online trying to find them! So, I finally find some and order them along with matching hats. I found matching water shoes at Lands End in their overstock section. (For some reason, bees are very attracted to the beach in Oceanside and I had the unfortunate luck of stepping on one our last trip. NOT fun! So beach shoes are non-negotiable!) OK, so I have everything ordered and coordinated. Then, I get an e-mail saying the suits are out of stock. I find another company that has some that will still match the hats and shoes and order from them, paying about $40. more for the suits... only to find out that they can't guarantee arrival before we leave since they are shipping from Australia. In the meantime, I also find out the the original company #1 now only has one of the hats I ordered! ARGH!!! I ended up cancelling orders from both companies, ordering identical suits they had last year which do have the long sleeves but knee length instead of ankle. I ordered matching hats at the same site and they all match the shoes. Everything was in stock and I paid extra for expedited shipping. The total was less for all of this with shipping that just the suits would have cost! So, if nothing else goes wrong, all turned out better in the long run. But boy, all the time I have spent on this computer over those suits! I think the suits may fit for two years but if not, then next season, I'll order swimsuits in the middle of winter!

3 comments:

Maija said...

I generally order my stuff for the boys (and myself) from Coolibar (is that the Australian one?).

Joanne Huffman said...

Have a wonderful time at the beach. I look forward to seeing the sketches I know you will make.

Joanne

Karen Owen said...

All's well that ends well, right? I know you will have a great time at the beach. We go at the end of June, and I can't wait.