"The Twilight Zone"

One of my errands this afternoon involved a trip to the book store (Salamander is *outgrowing* his library, and we are in desperate need of more age & reading level appropriate materials).

Met a mom and an adorable 3 year old girl there.

Mom & girl quite upset that they had 'missed The Easter Bunny' (apparently the darn critter had the nerve to go on lunch break).

And I couldn't help but laugh. It wasn't that long ago that taking Salamander to the mall with me was like planning Operation Desert Storm.

Quick Strike.

Defcon 1.

Mommy Radar fully alert for anything that could set Salamander off (and giant-sized strangely dressed humans/animals was no 1 on the 'set off' list).

If I had to take Salamander with me to a mall during holiday seasons I would always breath a huge big sigh of relief if/when the critters were on breaks...