I don’t know why, but 3 years and 2 kids into this motherhood thing, I still think of Mother’s Day as a day dedicated to my own mother, not little old me. I’m still always surprised when the day rolls around and I realize that Hubby and the kids have already started a tradition of setting up something special, like a row of homemade cards and breakfast in bed.

So when I had the opportunity to shop for my own Mother’s Day gift at Macy’s in celebration of, uh, me, I was ecstatic … it’s about time I start owning this holiday!

I was especially excited about going to Macy’s for this shop since I feel like I have been single-handedly supporting the store since for the past few decades. Macy’s quality and affordable clothing, shoes, luggage, and housewares have taken me through my years as a young college student, a newbie lawyer on a government salary, maternity life, and recent mom years.

I kid you not when I say that I have at least 5 suits each in a size 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14. One of my favorite things about Macy’s is that you can walk in and find a $400 Tahari suit on the rack, snag it on sale for $79.99, and take an additional 20% off when you use the Star Rewards coupons Macy’s sends out to its Macy’s credit card holders. Amazing, right? I was just in last week buying a new Jones New York suit since *sigh* I will be returning to work this month. The best thing, though, was the huge selection, plus these little signs above what I wanted to purchase:

I’ll be back for a few more suits once I get can down one more size!

And I have little secret to share with you: I just might have the largest collection of Macy’s brand towels known to man.

Did you know that Macy’s carries the absolute best brand of towels? It’s Hotel Collection line is awesome - never pills or frays, stays soft, doesn’t fade, and lasts years and years. I know this because I keep all of the old towels I’ve had from each of the dozen or so apartments I’ve lived in over the past 15 years so that our house now has a dedicated linen closet filled with grey, blue, rose, white, cream, orange, green, and every other color Hotel Collection towel you can imagine! (I bought new towels every time I moved!)

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I really wanted to take my mom with me since we’ve had a tradition of hitting the Macy’s Super Saturday Sales for years now and it wouldn’t feel right to shop at Macy’s without her. We even have our favorite sales associates in different departments at all of the Macy’s stores in our area who keep us in the loop about new sales coming up and what to buy when! (Btw, don’t go on Saturdays - hit the Preview Day on Friday for the best selection). But mom couldn’t make it, so instead, the kids and I met Hubby for lunch before we went on our shop. It was a special day, so we decided on Gourmet Franks as a treat. Like me, the kids love the idea of hot dogs, even though they’re not crazy about them.

By the looks of it, I think they enjoyed them enough, don’t you?

With full bellies and Hubby back to work, the kids and I hit the store. One of the first things we saw were the makeup counters and the flock of aggressive salesgirls coming towards us. And this giant Clinique ad.

Jane asked, “What’s wrong with that egg, Mommy? Is it speckled and rotten?” The best answer I had off the top of my head was, “Yes, it has spots on it and they want to make it clear and white.” I’m sure there’s a whole ‘nother blog post on that topic coming soon!

I was so excited to look for something frivolous instead of an outfit for a specific event or something boring like work heels, which seems to be the only kind of shopping I do these days. (My shopaholic days are over after losing my pre-baby body, my freedom to spend hours roaming the racks, and the opportunity to wear heels or anything that can’t get dirt, kiddie fluids, or food on it). I really wanted to get another pair of 7 for all Mankind jeans since Macy’s carries the largest selection of them and is the only place I have ever been able to find my favorite pairs on sale, but just the thought of trying on jeans with Jane and Sam already had me exhausted.

Of course, I could have bought a few pairs and returned them - since another one of my favorite things about Macy’s is their awesome no-hassle return policy - but I totally spaced on that option while running in two directions after the kids.

We made the obligatory potty pit stop and luckily, with the rows and rows of stalls, Jane didn’t have to wait.

When we came out, I noticed they carry maternity wear now. Where was this department 3 years and 9 months ago?! Would have made life SO much easier.

The kids were great at leading me around the store

and we were able to tour a few departments before Sam started with the meltdowns.

If he hadn’t melted down, I would have loved to have checked out the children’s clothing department, so we could pick up new Carter’s pajamas for the summer months, the luggage department because I wanted to see what Tumi luggage was on sale before we head out on our summer trips, and the lingerie department for my favorite Calvin Klein bras after this display reminded me I need to refresh my lingerie drawer.

And even though I really wanted to comb the racks for something cute to wear this weekend on my first date night with Hubby since this one nearly 8 months ago, I kept getting sucked back into the makeup department where we started. I love that Macy’s finally carries MAC!

Of course almost everything I wanted was sold out and all the clerks were busy, but I managed to somewhat quickly grab a new lipstick, lipliner, and these eyelashes, which I am told are “soooo Kim Kardashian”

That sold me on the spot. Say what you want about the girl and her family, you can’t deny she has gorgeous eyes. Sign this tired mommy up!

Tip: The Stanford Macy’s MAC is super friendly. They totally take the time to help you choose the right products and will give quick, mini-lessons for application, too! Can’t say the same for MAC at Nordstrom.

Of course, when I was ready to check out, I realized I had forgotten to bring my Macy’s credit card with me. Luckily, all you have to do is enter your SSN into this handy little machine and you can go ahead with your purchase! I was bummed because I couldn’t use one of the gazillion Star Rewards coupons I had on a makeup purchase, but since I used my Macy’s credit card, I know I’ll be getting more of those lovely little red and white cards soon! The other thing I was psyched about during the transaction was that I don’t have to stuff another crumpled receipt into my already bulging purse - Macy’s sent my receipt to my e-mail account electronically!

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After dragging the kids home and putting one cranky one to bed and the other one in the sandbox, I snuck into the bathroom and broke out a tube of happiness

I think I’m liking this new tradition!

What do you think of the lipstick? Makes me feel much less mommy and much more me!

*P.S.* I’ll let you know how the lashes go on date night!

Disclaimer: This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias #CBias. As always, all opinions are my own - but I’m sure you can tell.

Parents and friends: for more ideas, activities, and inspiration for #RaisingThinkingKids, click on an icon below to join us on Facebook, Pinterest, Google+ and Twitter.

Fellow bloggers: join me at Bloggy Law, where you’ll find Simple Tips for Bulletproofing Your Brand and Blog and I’ll help you navigate the social media legal landscape a little more smoothly.

Chrissy – who has written 422 posts on The Outlaw Mom® Blog - Creative Living in a Conventional World.

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