Around Baton Rouge in ~Seven Hours

Yesterday Jane and I had to be out of the house all day because some plumbers were working. There was a lot of noise, and it wasn't a safe place for a 4-year-old. It was a holiday, since Jane's school is closed Monday - Wednesday this week for Mardi Gras (such a weird place we live). We left around 9:30 and came home around 4:30, so seven hours away from the house. Here's what we did to keep ourselves "entertained" around the Red Stick:

• After a swing through the bank drive thru to deposit a freelance check (hooray for banks not being closed for Mardi Gras!) we went to Old Navy to spend my Super Cash. It's such a racket, but I was able to get some things for Jane -- and she picked out a summer outfit that is super cute. I didn't fully peruse the clearance racks, but I did get a new black T-shirt for myself for $2 and an exercise bra for about the same.
  
• Then we scooted over to Target for a quick buzz around and use some coupons I had. I almost walked out without paying for the TP that was riding in the bottom of the cart. So that meant two trips through the check out line. D'oh.
  
• Went across the street to McAllister's Deli for lunch. YUM.
  
• I had Googled "movies in Baton Rouge" to see what kid movie might be playing to kill a few hours in one go. (Answer: Kung Fu Panda ... NO THANK YOU.) But Google also reminded me that the butterfly movie plays at the planetarium at the Louisiana Art & Science Museum downtown. We wanted to see it when we went last time, but we did a morning trip and it didn't play until 1. Since Google said it would play Monday at 1 I oriented our time to getting to the museum by 12:30.
  
  Long story short(er) - LASM is closed on Mondays. ALWAYS is, and this is not the first time I've tried to go on a Monday (and I HATE going downtown -- parking is the worst). And I had parked in a garage, so we did a big 20 minute round-trip walk in the cold windy weather for nothing. Jane was disappointed but OK with the alternate plan, which was to...
  
• Head to the mall. We went to JC Penney's because I had a $10 off a $10 purchase coupon, and we found a few things for Jane (of course!). She isn't the BEST shopper, but she is getting better and enjoyed picking things out a little bit. She loved looking at herself in the mirror once I showed her that. I was carrying a bag with her picture on it, and a cashier asked me if that was a picture of my daughter/she's so beautiful! I said, yes, thanks - she's right over there. HA. After Penney's we did a few coin operated rides, played at the play area for 45 minutes then got a snack at Starbucks. I was exhausted and really needed to sit down (and could not face the carousel). Back in the car I got one more burst of power so we went...
  
• To the library to play on the computer and read books. We didn't have our books to return so we just played and read but didn't check out anything new. The librarians were surprised to see us (we're such regulars they know we'll always be there Wednesdays around 1 p.m. after school).

If you're counting that's SIX times in and out of the car seat, which is about five too many. OMG. Even thought the plumbers weren't completely finished it was safe to come home and wait it out in Jane's room for another hour or so. It was an exhausting day, but Jane was a trooper with only a bit of fussing and crabbiness. I was probably more irritated by the whole thing, but what are you going to do?