Florida is sooooo 1990's: Part 2

I am not a shopper.

My husband thanks me periodically for this.

I'm not a 'girly-girl'.  

I'm not into clothes, purses - or do we call them handbags now?, 

shoes, or make-up.  

I'm not into getting my nails done.

I get my hair trimmed 1-2 times a year.  

I don't color my hair.

I can't wear perfume - it gives me headaches.  

So spending money on myself is pretty rare.  

BUT

I do spend money on good food and on

my boys!

Reason #2 that Florida is behind the times compared to Columbus, OH:

WHERE ARE ALL THE STORES??

Now, I know I could drive an hour to Orlando 

and probably find everything my little heart desires.

Who's got time for that?!?!

Columbus, OH is known for it's shopping.

I'm definitely not a 'mall shopper', but 

Columbus has really, really awesome malls.

Easton Town Centre

http://www.eastontowncenter.com

This is not a typical mall.

It's made to look like a little town with 

inside shopping and outside shopping...
with cute little streets...

plus lots of yummy restaurants like

Cheesecake Factory, California Pizza Kitchen, 

Cafe Istanbul, Ocean Club, etc.

Some stores include Lego Store, American Girl, 

Nordstorms, Tiffany & Co., Apple, 

Tesla, Gap Kids, Children's Place, etc.

Polaris Fashion Place

http://www.polarisfashionplace.com

This is also an indoor/outdoor mall with

an abundance of stores and restaurants.
It houses my favorite kid clothing store = Crazy 8.

There's also a couple of 'regular shopping malls'.

http://www.simon.com/mall/the-mall-at-tuttle-crossing

http://www.eastland-mall.com

It's been said that Columbus has a specialized store for everything =

Looking for batteries....there's a store for that.

Looking for beads....there's a store for that.

Looking for scraps of everything...there's a store for that.

Looking for a.....you get the idea.

What do I miss, though, that this part of Florida does not have?

1)  Once Upon a Child (there's no Plato's Closet

 or Clothes Mentor either)

2)  Whole Foods (Columbus has 3)

3) Trader Joes (Columbus has 2)

4) Cato's

5) Target that is closer to us.

6)  Kroger!  (I miss the 'Simple Truth' brand).

7)  Gap, Gap Kids

8) Old Navy

9) Crazy 8

10) Cookie Cutters - hair cut place just for kids

11)  Lakeshore Learning Store

Also, it should be noted that Columbus, OH is home to

Victoria's Secret, Express, and The Limited headquarters

which equals lots of jobs.  
http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/destinations/2013/07/11/columbus-ohio-shopping-boutiques-stores/2508723/

Henry's input on the shopping difference was, 

"The grocery store (Publix) closes at 10:00 pm!"

Florida is sooooo 1990's: Part 1

Who would have thought that Florida would be 

'behind the times' 

compared to the Columbus, OH area?  

I've been thinking about this blog post

for a while and how to word it just right.

The simplest way to describe it is:

Florida is behind the times.

I should be more specific.

The area of Florida that we have been 

in for the past 5.5 months (east coast Florida)

is behind the times. 

Is this a bad thing?

It's not a bad thing if it's all you know.

You don't know what you are missing.

Henry, who grew up here, agrees.

He said, "I remember when I left Florida and moved to West Virginia 19 years ago how I thought how 'behind' WV was compared to Florida.  Now that I'm back in Florida, I'm surprised how it seems it hasn't progressed in those 19 years.  Columbus, OH is definitely more advanced now compared to Florida."

This is such a long list that it will be broken 
up into 'Parts' in different blog posts.
This post will discuss the comparison of the library systems.  

1)  The library system:  http://www.columbuslibrary.org

The Columbus Metropolitan Library system has won awards 
for being best in the country and for good reason.  
When you are an avid reader AND a homeschool family 
who utilizes the library twice a week, a great library system is imperative.  

Why am I'm not impressed with the library here in Florida?

1)  They only take cash or check for paying fines!  

So not convenient.

Hello....it's 2014.  Accept debit/credit cards.

2)  Once you hit $5.00 in fines, you can no longer check out 

materials until you get the fine under $5.00. 

 In Ohio, it's $10.00.

3)  You receive an email AFTER your items are due 

letting you know that your item is now overdue.  

In Ohio, you receive an email 1-2 days 

BEFORE your items are due so that you have time 

to return them BEFORE you rack up fines.  

4)  In Florida, you can only check out 25 items TOTAL at a time.  

25.  

Seriously.  Whoever made that rule, is NOT a homeschooler.

In Ohio, it's 100.

Yeah, big difference. 

5)  When reserving an item, even if it is already in the very library that you are asking it to be sent to, it will takes days, even a week, to get the item.  

6)  In Florida, there are NO self check-outs.  
It's so weird to me to have to stand in a line to check out my books....
and then have the library staff make comments about my book selection.
In Ohio, self check-outs are plentiful.  Quick and easy.  

7)  Book/movie selection is slim. 
There have been multiple items that I have tried to 
reserve only to find out that the
 library doesn't even have it.

I have paid more in fines here in 
Florida in 5.5 months 
than I did in 15 years in Ohio.  
For real.  

The library system in Florida seems to be here to benefit the library.

The library system in Ohio seems to be there to benefit the patron.

I am thankful, though, that a library exists here.  
It's not all bad.  
There's no way I could ever 'hate' a library.  
I might have to get a job to pay for my fines, though.