Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Lessons Learned - The Grocery Store With Kids

  1. When you have small children, you will put off going to the store as long as possible.
  2. After trying to make a dinner out of a can of peaches, ranch dressing and 3 olives, it's time to go to the store.
  3. Gummy fruit snacks and coffee are the most important items on the 4 foot long list.
  4. You will go to the store that has the cool race car shopping carts, not the one with the best prices.
  5. You take extra diapers and clothes along with your coupons.
  6. Since you know your kids, you already have a pre-written apology letter to the manager of the store.
  7. The first meltdown occurs right inside the door when the children discover that all the cool race car shopping carts are being used.
  8. A trip to the free cookie counter will appease them for 20 minutes.
  9. You spend more time trying to put back the things the kids throw in the cart, than actually shopping.
  10. You will lose a child on Aisle 4, 7, 9 & 14
  11. Someone will break something on Aisle 3
  12. Meltdowns occur on the cookie, cereal and bakery aisle.
  13. You wonder why your child feels the need to poke the fresh meat packages.
  14. At the checkout line you are so busy explaining that the kids can't just eat the candy off the displays, that you forget your coupons.
  15. Once home you realize that you forgot the fruit gummy snacks and coffee.
  16. Somehow 3 boxes of cookies, a pack of frozen bagels, bottle of Fish Oil supplement and a bottle of Cinderella hand soap made it into your groceries.
  17. You are so mentally wiped from shopping, you order a pizza.

16 comments:

Judy Whatilivefor said...

Don't forget:
-Just when everything is going ok for once, you hear the click click click of jelly beans spilling all over the candy aisle.
-Or the looks of alarm from other shoppers when your 3 year old runs down the next aisle screaming in excitement
-Or how irritated the poor cashier next to your lane is when your child tries to share their work space, or press their buttons
-Or how you just pray that the eggs your child grabbed and threw in the cart to be helpful didn't just crack and spill all over everything.

Aren't kids great? :)

Bethany said...

And the toddler who won't sit down but would rather perform circus type stunts in the cart.

Yeah, we been there.

Kisma said...

LOL...

- those stupid coupon dispensers in the aisle that are placed just right for little hands to grab!!!

This is an awesome post!

Brandie said...

That sounds oh so familiar!

Mama M. said...

See?!!!

I laughed...out LOUD at this post! I loved it! You sound like me, forget the coupons and the most important items!

Tyler said...

hahahaha... loved it! Sounds exactly like a routine shopping trip to me! Thanks for the smile today

Unknown said...

My favorite is when we are ALL the way on the opposite side of the store and my two year old needs to go potty NOW!! So begins the race across the store to the bathroom. Once we are finished we head back to our shopping (on the other side of the store) only for the 4 year old to now decide she must go to the bathroom.

Or as we are buying fruit my four year old decides to help by pulling about 30 produce bags off the roll.

The grocery store is my enemy! I cannot think of anything more torturous!

TIFFANY said...

Which is why you will usually find me doing my grocery shopping by myself at midnight after the kids and husband has gone to bed. :)

becomewhatyouare said...

It helps to record yourself saying, "no, I'm not buying that" on a portable recorder to be played on an infinite loop. Saves some needed breath... needed for running down the aisle after an escapee.

I am blessed to be at the point in family life where I most often go shopping alone. Whew!

Jen H-Running Free said...

Hello - this is my first visit over here - I have seen you on Mama M's and MckMama's sites previously and find you quite funny! This post is hilarious! Those dang race car carts are the bane of my existence. Good stuff! I will be back often!

Heather said...

Sounds like great run. Thank you for reminding me while I wait till mine are asleep!!

Erin said...

Or your sleepy 5 year old (who is in a wheelchair and usually sleeps at the store) decides he wants to be awake and let the entire store know that he hates shopping.

Or your 3 year old insists on pushing older brother in his wheelchair and runs into 5 people in one aisle.

Or your 7 year old gets lost in the clothes section because she's reading the tags and is in Jahnna land. It's a real place I promise.

Or you get to finally go shopping with no kids and you are so well known at the local Wal-Mart that at least 5 cashiers and 3 aisle straightner people ask you how you managed to get out of the house with out the kids and why didn't I bring them. They are always so entertaining.

Someday they will forget me. I hope.

Snapshotsofhappiness said...

Or you could just go the bulk stores where they have carts with two seats right next to each other so that the children are too busy smacking each other and fighting over which side they get to sit on to realize that you just walked through the snack aisle. :)

My Mercurial Nature said...

You've been watching us at the grocery store, eh? Yup, that's us, too!

Anonymous said...

Let's not forget that when hubby tags along for the trip, we are adding another child. One that will sword fight with the pool noodles, push all the buttons on the talking toys, try on all the goofy hats, let the kids do whatever they want and make the trip twice as long and twice as expensive. ;-)

Claudia said...

This sound SOOOO familiar!

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