So I waited. I thought maybe they’d get more. They didn’t. I waited some more. We were taking a day trip. Maybe we’d see another store in our travels with different merchandise, and I could avoid the Old Navy store in the mall in our area. Nope. We didn’t see an Old Navy store during our day trip (not that we looked that hard). I looked to see if I could maybe shop online. There were several dresses I liked online. They were also marked online only. I hate when stores do that.

The store at the Capital City Mall had a much better selection than the store just three miles from my house. There were several dresses that looked great on the rack. Then I went into the fitting room.

I wasn’t impressed. You can see by my pictures. I was most excited by the gray dress, but it just made me look fat(ter), and that’s not the look I wanted. Especially not when I’ve lost 11 pounds, and I’m still losing. I’m down about two pants sizes, so that was highly discouraging. None of the other dresses really fit that much better. The cotton dresses were really thin jersey fabric that was clingy and bunchy. It’s quite a feat to make a dress that’s saggy on my linebacker shoulders (see: red wrap dress). The quality of Old Navy’s clothes has quite frankly gone to crap. The prices are the same or higher, and the fabrics are much thinner and cheaply made. Target has better or clothes of equal quality these days.

Gray "fat" dress

Red warp dress - bunchy in the shoulders.

I finally decided on this dress, but in the black. I don’t have a picture because the smell in the store was so bad I had to leave before my headache got worse (my headache was also contributing to my “get me out of here look”). The red fit well enough, so I just grabbed a black in the same size to use as a cover up at the pool over my swim suit or around the house this summer. I look so thrilled in the red because I love red, but was so disappointed how this dressed looked on my body.

I got this in black.

*Yes, I got a free dress from Crowdtap and Old Navy, but as always, my opinions are my own. 

Get $30 OFF on quality auto parts worth $300 or more + FREE SHIPPING. Code:CYBERAPW.11/24-11/30 only

Thanksgiving Day! $50 off Xbox 360 Kinect Sensor with Kinect Adventures game $99.99 on sale 11/24

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Thanksgiving Day! Online Only Your Choice $2.50 – Maxell Color Buds or Headpones $2.50 on sale 11/24

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: Pre-Black Friday Sale – 20% off Holiday Food Gifts at Crabtree & Evelyn!

Black Friday/Cyber Monday, Get FREE Shipping on All Orders (Valid 11/25 – 11/28/11)

Black Friday Only! 20% off ALL Stand Mixers 11/25

Buy any pair of Heelys or HX2s, and get second pair for $25;

buy a Nano, get any pair of shoes for $25;

free ground shipping on all orders.

The Four-Day Deal is only available online at the Heelys Shop (http://shop.heelys.com) and is only valid from Friday, November 25, through Monday, November 28, 2011.

*This offer is for US customers only.

Some stores only give 30-days leeway, which means recipients can’t return purchases after Christmas. Happily, some merchants are changing these deadlines for the holidays but, because there are websites who truly believe “fineprint” means “itsy bitsy print in a very pale pastel,” FreeShipping.org compiled a list of major e-retailers and their return policies for 2011.

Ann Taylor
You’ve got 60 days to return Ann Taylor purchases but, if you don’t have the receipt, only a store credit is issued. Gifts returned online will result in an e-gift certificate, so be sure to include your e-mail address on the return receipt. An in-store gift return yields a hardcopy gift certificate in the amount paid by the sender.

Bath & Body Works
Because Bath and Body Works believes “no sale is ever final,” they don’t need to extend their holiday deadline. You don’t need a sales receipt or shipping invoice for gifts, but they can only be returned to brick-and-mortar Bath and Body Works stores.

Cabela’s
You’ve got 90 days to return a Cabela’s purchase, which makes everything nice and easy, until you learn you only receive a store credit or gift card when you don’t have a receipt. If you need to return a gift, print a return form and send it to Cabela’s customer service address or bring it in to any of their retail stores.

Coldwater Creek
There’s no deadline for Coldwater Creek returns by mail or to a retail outlet. If you’re sending it back and don’t have a receipt or packing slip, make sure you include your name and address on a note enclosed with the package.

Best Buy
Enjoy Best Buy free shipping now through Dec. 27, and return gift purchases — with no exclusions — from Nov. 13 through Jan. 4. The electronics behemoth is spreading the holiday cheer even further by removing restocking fees for all products, including special orders, within this timeframe.

Costco
Costco’s standard return policy is a liberal 365 days, so there’s no need to extend their deadline for the holidays. In addition, Costco refunds membership fees if a customer isn’t satisfied. Refunds for Internet purchases include shipping and handling charges.

endless.com
The online-only shoe merchant provides a generous 365 days for returns with guaranteed free shipping. Use the Endless online returns center for proper processing.

JCPenney
The best part of JCPenney’s online returns is they pay for shipping and handling, no matter what your reason for returning the product. You have up to 90 days and, with a gift receipt, will receive a JCPenney gift card in the amount of purchase.

Kmart
You’ll need an original receipt or email confirmation dated within 90 days of the original date of purchase. No exceptions, apparently.

Kohl’s
Return any item, anytime, for any reason. Have your receipt? You’ll get a full refund or even exchange. No receipt? No problem. Kohl’s will give you a refund, an exchange or store credit.

Lands’ End
Now through Nov. 15, enjoy Lands’ End free shipping plus take 25% off your purchase. For returns without an exchange, use the return label for a flat shipping fee of $6.95. You also can return your order to any Sears or Lands’ End store and entirely avoid shipping costs.

L.L.Bean
The sky’s the limit with L.L. Bean, which has no return deadline and doesn’t require authorization before you ship your gift back to them. Just download and fill out an online form or use the form printed on the packing slip.

Macy’s
The return deadline for Macy’s is a generous 180 days and you don’t need a receipt because they have a program that identifies products in their system. Too cool! Gifts will receive a store credit or exchange. Please note the deadline for jewelry purchases is only 30 days.

Mainline Menswear
Basically, you can return any Christmas gifts ordered from Nov. 1 to Dec. 24 up to 14 days after Christmas, which only gives you until Jan. 7.

Sears
Return the gift in its original packaging, with the original receipt or email confirmation, within 90 days of purchase for a refund or exchange. Alternately, you can return a purchase from Sears.com to one of their stores.
Earn 2X cash back every Thursday at Sears.com when you pay from your bank online with eBillme

Shoebacca.com
As with Endless, Shoebacca provides totally free shipping both ways and a 365-day window in which to return or exchange unwanted gifts.

Sierra Trading Post
Sierra Trading Post makes it easy. You have up to six months and will receive instant credit plus $2.95 shipping on your next order. If you prefer, STP will give you a refund.

Toys ‘R’ Us and Babies ‘R’ Us
Online purchases returned by mail within 90 days to their online Returns Center by mail are refunded to the original form of payment, which means the gift giver will know your dirty little secret and you’ll come up empty handed. Instead, make returns to a Toys ‘R’ Us or Babies ‘R’ Us store for a merchandise credit.

Victoria’s Secret
Now through Nov. 16, you can enjoy Victoria’s Secret free shipping, but you’ve got 90 days to return that lacy tidbit for cash. Ater that deadline, Victoria’s Secret will only provide store credit. To return gifts, check the box on the Return/Exchange Form attached to the original invoice indicating you’re returning a gift and provide your shipping information. If you don’t have the original invoice, use their printable return and exchange form.

Walmart
You can return or exchange most store items with a receipt within 90 days of purchase. Visit walmartstores.com to see exceptions for electronic and regulated items. You can return online purchases to any Walmart store.

Zappos
Another great shoe deal: Zappos free shipping is good both for purchases and returns. Whether you’re unhappy with a purchase or simply change your mind, Zappos will provide a full refund or exchange within 365 days of purchase. You’ll need the original packaging, however, to make the return.

*FreeShipping.org is the largest resource on the Internet linking shoppers to free-shipping deals offered by nearly 4,000 online merchants.

Zingo has been awesome. It’s seen much wear and tear over the years in our home. In fact, our younger son, who is now 5, is on a Zingo! kick himself. I’ll admit, he’s almost making me regret buying it, but that’s more of the autism, and less of the game. You see, once we start playing, we MUST play ALL of the cards on both the green AND the red sides, and we can’t stop until we do. See? That’s an autism thing, not a game thing.

We have many other ThinkFun titles. Some I have bought myself at the store, some they have sent us to review. All of them we play regularly and love as a family. All of them get the boys to use skills they need to work on, but they don’t realize it while they’re having fun playing.

We have Bug Trails, S’Match!, Snack Attack!, Flip Over! (I swear this one is rigged. My 5yo wins 99% of the time), and Swish.

Bug Trails makes the boys use problem solving skills. How many legs of the bugs you can match at one time determines if you must draw another bug or even discard one. Sometimes the game is fast, and other times it’s slow. It’s all in what you draw and how it’s played. Using the flag in this game helps the kids focus on where to play next. This is also a great game to take on trips because everything fits into a convenient pouch. It’s small and easy to take along.

S’Match
is a great way to get kids thinking while they play memory. The spinner tells you if you’re matching by color, number, or category. In our house, this gives the rest of us a chance at winning since our 5yo has a memory like a steel trap. He cleans up in the traditional version, but S’Match! challenges his abilities more.

*Note: We did have an issue with our spinner, but ThinkFun has awesome customer service, and instead of having to return the whole game, we were able to easily get a new spinner. Good customer service is hard to find these days, but ThinkFun has it, hands down.

Snack Attack I would say gets as much play as Zingo! in our house. The box tells the tale. Players race to match the foods on their cards, and the player with the most at the end wins. This is a great game for our boys because it gets them to scan the circle for the foods they need, it gets our 5yo using his speech, and most of all, it’s fun!

FlipOver is another matching game. My boys like it because the animals are split in half, and as they say, “head and butts.” This produces a lot of giggles while they play. It has gotten to the point where no one except my 5yo wants to play this game because he always wins. It doesn’t matter how many people play. The rest of us have even tried various cheating tactics. The child STILL wins 99% of the time. It’s just not fun when you know you’re probably going to lose every time.

Swish is awesome. It’s clear cards with circles and dots that you match in sequences of set numbers according to which game you choose to play. I LOVE how the rules lay out different levels of play, and each player can be held to a different level during the same game based on ability to level the playing field for everyone. I honestly can’t get enough Swish. It is for older kids, but it’s fantastic for getting them to try and visualize a sequence in their heads. We did start out playing where you could physically move the cards, but then we moved away from that. I know I’m geeky, but this is just a really fun game to play.

I think any of these games would be great for a family looking for new games to add to their collection. What are your favorite family games?

Update: I forgot that we also have Zingo To Go. The boys take this in the car. I don’t let them play in restaurants because the dice part is noisy, but it’s great for visiting the grandparents. It gives them an easy to take along game since everything fits into a pouch and there aren’t any small pieces to lose.

Restaurants

• Abuelo’s Mexican Food – Abuelo’s offerings vary by region, be sure to call ahead to see what the discounts or freebies are included.
• Applebees – All veterans and active duty military eat free from a limited menu at Applebee’s on Veterans Day.
• Chili’s — Veterans and active duty dine for free from a special limited six item menu on Veterans Day.
• Golden Corral — Golden Corral Restaurants’ Military Appreciation Monday free dinner will be available on November 15, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Military retirees, veterans, active duty, National Guard and Reserves are all welcome.
• Hooters — All Veterans and active duty eat free. The free entrees must be selected from a special Veterans Day menu.
• Krispy Kreme – All active-duty, retirees & veterans get a free doughnut on Veterans Day. Be sure to call ahead to verify your local Krispy Kreme is par-ticipating.
• McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurants — Participating McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurants offer a complimentary entree to vets from a special menu on a space available basis, online reservations are highly recommended.
• Outback Steakhouse — Veterans and active-duty military get a complimen-tary Bloomin’ Onion and non-alcoholic beverage on Veterans Day.
• UNO Chicago Grill — UNO is offering a Buy One Get One free offer to Service members or Veterans with a military or veteran I.D. or in uniform or with a photo of themselves in uniform. The Veterans Day BOGO offer includes a free entree or individual pizza, with the purchase of an entree or pizza of equal or greater value.
• Texas Roadhouse – Free meal from opening until 4pm. on Veterans Day. Call ahead to your local restaurant for more information.
• T.G.I. Friday’s – Veterans and Service members Buy one get one free from Nov 11–14. Contact your nearest location for more details on their Veterans Day BOGO offer.
• Retail
• The Dollar General — Veterans, Service members (Active, Guard, and Reserve), and their immediate families will receive a 10-percent discount with a Veterans Day coupon. The coupon may be found in store circular ads or by asking a sales associate.
• Home Depot — Offers a 10 percent discount to all Veterans during Veterans Day, Memorial Day and Independence Day.
• Lowe’s — All veterans receive the 10-percent discount on Veteran’s Day, Memorial Day and the Fourth of July. The offer is available in stores only and is limited to in-stock and special-order purchases of up to $5,000.
• Sam’s Club — Sam’s give away 36,000 collapsible Hugo Canes on Veterans Day to military veterans in need of mobility assistance. Sam’s Club will require membership for this offer, but proof of service may be necessary.
• Amazon.com – Free ―Veterans Day Honor‖ MP3 album download. The album includes 12 songs by The Bands and Ensembles of the U.S. Armed Forces.
• Cabela’s Outdoor Store – Offers their employee discount to all veterans, active-duty military and reserves, law enforcement, fire and EMS personnel November 11-12. Discounts vary from 5% to 50%, depending on the item.
• Build-a-Bear Workshop – Members of the armed services including the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Reserve Officer Training Corps, will receive a 20% discount November 11-15 on any one transaction at Build-A-Bear Workshop.
• Fashion Bug – 20% off all plus-size and misses clothing purchases with a copy of military ID or spouse’s military ID.
• Sports Clips Haircuts – The men’s hair salon chain is offering a free haircut to active military and veterans on Veterans Day.
• Foot Locker — Veterans, Service members (Active, Guard, and Reserve), and their immediate families with a Foot Locker Veterans Advantage Card receive a 20 percent discount every day of the year. That offer is good both online and at any store location, including Foot Locker, Lady Foot Locker, Kids Foot Locker, Footaction and Champs Sports — even on sale items.

From the CEO of Payless:

There is truly no way we can ever properly thank the members of the U.S. Armed Forces for all that they do to protect and serve our country and maintain freedom every minute of every day. This program is a small way we can show our respect and support to the soldiers that serve and to help their families by making life a bit easier for them.

I had given up on Zach riding since he’s now 10, but Aaron’s only 4. He absolutely loves to ride the old toddler bikes we have that he’s long outgrown due to his height. We have a Big Wheel that Zach really enjoyed while he fit on it, but Aaron’s not keen on the whole pedal/feet off the ground concept. Enter the Boot Scoot Balance Bike. Not only could Aaron practice on a “big boy” bike, but he could keep his feet on the ground. We could work on the whole balancing thing, and then move on to pedals.

A month later, Aaron likes the Balance Bike OK enough, but he has to be in the mood to ride. I think it’s still an assault on his senses. He has the most sensory issues of anyone in our house. What I didn’t account for was that having been told that he’s too big for the Balance Bike, Zach would grab the bike we had in the shed for him for the last 2 years and learn how to ride it in a weekend!

While we’re still working on it, I can see how the Balance Bike is chipping away at Aaron’s sensory issues, and teaching him balance – just slower than most other kids, and that’s OK. Each boy has a BCBA that comes to the house, and they have both commented on what a great product the Balance Bike is to make that transition to a bike.