Groceries
Kate is both hilarious and utterly frustrating right now. The tantrums about every little thing are just ridiculous!
I had to take both kids grocery shopping with me today. I made a list beforehand since I knew my brain would be fried and I would be racing to complete my mission before meltdowns occurred. Ember went in the mei tai and then I took Kate out of the truck, walked her inside to the car cart, and strapped her in as securely as I could. (I am very glad she has grown a bit so she can’t just slip out anymore.) Ember blessedly fell asleep, Kate was chatting at me about foods that she saw, and I started thinking maybe I can do this… this is going to work! But then Kate wanted the bananas. I said no. She cried. I gave her the bananas. (Yes, I know, consistency blah blah crying toddler in grocery store. Bananas were a small price for quiet.) But then she wanted the lettuce. And the chicken. And the milk. And the bread. I said no to all of these… especially the bread. I was even trying to be good about it, saying things like, “The milk has to go in the cart. You can carry the bananas! See? Bananas!” It didn’t work very well.
By the end of the shopping trip Ember had woken up and was crying a little bit and I knew my time was rapidly running out with her. Kate was hanging out the side of the car cart in an overly dramatic (but thankfully unsuccessful) attempt to escape it. She twisted in her seat sticking her fingers into the cart trying to grab food and crying things like, “Stuck!! Bread!! WAAHH!” when it didn’t work. Then she threw an utter fit when I went to the cashier and started putting all the food on the belt. I’m trying to give my rewards card to the cashier, run my debit card through the payment machine, bouncing up and down to try to keep Ember calmed down, and trying to ignore the toddler that was sobbing “Out! Out!”
When at the car I decided got the food in the truck, which caused another round of freak-out from Kate when she saw the stroller back there and started yelling for a ride in the stroller. I had to lift her into her carseat (while Ember was still in the mei tai – I didn’t want to leave Kate sitting in the cart in the parking lot while I strapped Ember in), and basically hold her down to strap her in. Then I put Ember in her car seat, she started crying.
I got in the truck to drive home, both of them sobbing, and decided that I am never doing this again.
Oh, I can so understand your resolution. But you know you’ll have to do it again sometime.
But don’t you find you have a higher tolerance for crying. With the first child you rush at their side with the first whimper, with the second you wait until it get’s serious, because the first one is either throwing toys at the tv, or banging the truck against the furniture, denting it. Or is that just me? :-)
If you can, doing Peapod is really a great help (we do that like once a month, more when we are busy). (Before then–some Shaws had play areas for the kiddos, but I don’t think they do anymore!)
Even today, with my kids at 13 & 4, my time in the grocery store is limited with them. :-)
lol..I´m sorry to giggle,but this has reminded me of something I saw YEARS ago before I had kids.
I had popped out to get some biscuits and some chocolate,and at the supermarket,I saw a mum and her two kids (they must have been a year and 3 years old).They were both screaming (how obnoxious right? lol),and she as trying desperately to calm them down by passing them stuff from her trolley..by her face,you could tell she was so pissed off,yet upset all at the same time and she seemed to spend more time trying to get her kids to calm down than she did shopping.I remember seeing that and thinking “I DO NOT WANT KIDS..EVER!”.Seeing things like that used to anoy me,because I didnt get why the mums in those situations were always so bland with the kids…”why isnt she doing/saying anything to them?! My kids will NEVER be like that!”…HA!! :P
If I had a Euro for every time I´ve been in that situation now that I´m a mother,I´d be a very rich woman lol.
Going shopping with my kids is NOT fun..it just isnt,and they´re 15,13 and 4 years old! Noelia is usually being her usual demanding little self and driving me crazy,my older kids are usually arguing and/or anoying Noelia,which makes her cry,and I spend most of my time telling them to pipe down and let me shop in peace or I´ll go home with stuff that I dont need and forget bunch of stuff that I do (this is usually the case).I swear we must look like the munsters to other people and I end up just wanting to go home and rock back and forth in a corner lol.I AM that mother I saw all those years back..go figure ;)
Just wanted you to know that every mother that ever exsisted is right there with you nat! ;) You´re doing fantastic considering you´re on your own for these little trips ;)
Store outings with kids get easier the more you do it. I have a 10-month-old, 2-year-old & 3-year-old and we go grocery shopping together multiple times a week and I find it to be quite easy (much easier than staying at home, that’s for sure!).
Ember is at the perfect age to stay in her carseat carrier – just plop it in the shopping cart with a small rattle or chew toy & you’re all set. She’ll most likely sleep the entire time. Kate (who is the same age as my daughter) will become less distractive the more you do these outings, so keep at it!
It’s a challenge at first, but don’t get discouraged.
I hear you.
I’ve been through grocery stores many times with my twins but I avoid it at all costs. They are better now that they are 4 but if I sense a meltdown coming I speed through the store to get it done asap.
I have a vivid memory of both boys screaming (age 3) as I went through the checkout. They wanted out of the cart but I was not about to let them out so they just screamed through me putting my food on the belt, the food being scanned, me bagging it and paying. At that point I was used to their tandom screaming but I knew that the other shoppers were not. I tried very hard not to look at any one else but caught one lady looking at me in pity and telling me she had been there. Made me feel a lot better.
Good times.
Carrie