I had great ambitions for my Saturday (after a fun Friday night with our friends, Jo-Lynne and Paul- Thanks you two for getting a babysitter last minute).

A month ago I decided that this last Saturday I would finally clean out our basement storage. But Saturday came and that didn't sound like fun. Something else (or should I say some little persons) needed cleaning up and I knew in my heart it would matter more to my two pre-teen daughters to spend the day doing the things they needed done (haircuts, new Sunday dresses, etc.) and so I learned a few things about life as a pre-teen mother.

Leaving the house at 10:45 AM, we first stopped by a local salon willing to take the girls last minute. The woman trimmed, conditioned, scolded the girls for not brushing their hair more, and charged me extra for a conditioning treatment on both girls which I didn't request.

Now tell me this, I have always heard that you don't tip the owner of a salon since she is already getting the full price, not salary plus tips. When I asked if the woman cutting my girls' hair was the owner, the counter girl said yes. When I whispered, "So, that means I don't need to tip her, right?" She said that everyone tips the woman ever since she started working there and that she never heard of not tipping the owner. This is also a salon with a vinyl banner for a sign though I was told the business had been there for over 25 years. Not sure I'll be going back there.

Despite the expense, my girls did come out with beautiful, fresh haircuts that my mother-in-law will love me for. After that we went to the Hannah Montana movie and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Leaving the movie theater, next stop was the mall where I learned that my eldest daughter, nearly twelve, doesn't like prints, solids, ruffles and anything that isn't jeans and T-shirts or anything that Mom likes. Wanting my girls to choose something a little nicer for Sundays and dress-ups occasions, we walked and walked. We went in chic stores, hip stores, teenage stores, kid stores, preppy stores and sloppy stores.

Finally, we found some cute sundresses at J.C. Penny's where I learned that 1) my older daughter needed a strapless bra for the first time in her life, 2) I would need to teach her to shave under her armpits when we got home and 3) when you buy a polka dotted bra at the request of your still girly pre-teen it will show through a sundress with a floral print on white fabric — forcing you, on Sunday morning, to pull your own chic short white sweater out of the closet and drape it around your child eliminating the need for a strapless bra altogether. Did you get all that?

After walking the ENTIRE mall and making our purchases, we ended up at our old favorite TAR-JAY (Target) for cute white shoes with little wedge heels for the girls which I learned don't stay on my kids' feet very well.

And, so, instead of having a clean basement closest, I have two cleaned-up no-so-little daughters who have been inspired by Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus to dream big dreams but not lose who they are – and when they get really good at something and make a name for themselves, no matter what it is, the greatest satisfaction comes from turning it around to use it for the good of others.

Now, head over to Jo-Lynne's for more "What I Learned This Week."

(Ohhh, I also learned about Walmart's Blog Talk Radio FrugalCoast2Coast where I heard Lynnae and Jenn's "Living on the Corner of Frugal and Green" last night. I called in and talked to the ladies of the hour about gardening and other frugally green topics! How fun! Of course the minute my line was live, the dog starts barking, the kids are out of bed and my husband comes up the stairs yelling, "Whatcha doin'?" Life.) Lynnae's regular blog is Being Frugal and Jenn's is Frugal Upstate.)

(Did I say that I found I LOVE the Magic Eraser and Purple Power – two cleaning products that changed my life this week – and no I am not getting paid to write that! Some things are just worth writing about. Maybe I'll add a review to Reviewsings about them this week. We'll see.)