IKEA

I finally went to the furniture mecca that I've been told 'I Must!' go to.

I went... I walked... I walked... I walked....

You see, I learned that the English translation for the Swedish word Ikea is: labyrinth!

They get you in, but you can't find your way out!

Sure, there are blue signs hanging from the ceiling that say: 'Exit', but they are really just a trick. A mirage if you will, leading you a seemingly never ending journey through a see of very contemporary, brightly colored home stuffs. (I hate the word 'stuffs' by the way .. but it fits here)

I have never in my life felt claustrophobic before, but I did there in that 100 billion square foot store. We did the top floor (hubby and I) and it was pleasant enough; sofas, beds, children's rooms and toys. But then when we hit the bottom level and I decided there really wasn't anything of interest to me, I wanted to leave. But after running through the isles like a science lab rat, I began to panic. It was all I could do to not yell out "I'm not going to buy anything!! Even if you force me to see every single floral lampshade, florescent rug, busy comforter, odd shaped plate, and every lighting fixture known to man! Let me out! Let me out!!!!"

Finally, we followed our noses to the source of the smell of cinnamon buns and we escaped, I mean we left the establishment.

Ikea... Not going in again with out a GPS system and a bag of bread crumbs!

On the plus side: We were not bothered once by a sales person (but don't know how easy it would be to find one for help if I needed one), they have a child care drop off (I'm not recommending this as we didn't use it - has anyone tried it? interesting idea though!!), and I did see some items I'd like for my home child care at very reasonable prices.