The Grocery Store

Why is it that if I go to the grocery store with my husband and children, the children are little angels? The will sit in the race car cart and happily drive the car for the duration of the shopping trip. Even the baby, who has never sat in anything more than 5 minutes in her entire life, without trying to climb out, will ride contentedly. They won't ask for anything and they won't cry. They will let you shop peacefully until you have everything on your list and then they will even remain patient while we pay.

Now I don't often attempt to grocery shop with both my kids. While I realize that it is not impossible, it is much more conducive to my productivity and sanity, to just go in the evening, after Tommy gets home. But today, with the memory of our weekend family shopping trip fresh on my mind, I decided to venture to the grocery store. Even without the vivid good memory, I really had no choice, as we had ONE diaper left in the entire house.

So, we arrive at the King's Soopers grocery store, just after 1:00. Mistake #1, too close to nap time. Addison remembers the race car cart and I do too. It worked so well this weekend, we give it a try. Well, they weren't in there for five minutes before Addison has climbed out and taken off to the floral section for a free balloon. Reagan also didn't last, and now I am carrying her, while trying to maneuver the over-size, hard to steer, race car cart. Addison insists we get balloons for her and her sister, though I don't know why. It seems we go all over town collecting the free balloons people hand out, but never actually play with them. She held the balloons for about 10 seconds and then handed them to me. Now I am pushing large, oversize cart, carrying Reagan and holding 2 balloons. We return to the front of the store and trade race car in for normal size cart. At this point we have been in the store for 10 minutes and have NO GROCERIES. Addison notices and asks why we don't have any "tings". Hmmm, I wonder?

The rest of the trip is fairly uneventful, I continue to carry Reagan and the balloons while Addison puts the things we need in the cart, while asking for one of everything that we don't need. 20 minutes later, we have what we need, my arms are dying and we head to check out. Addison finds something in the aisle to play with, Reagan wants down and is doing back-bends from my arms and I look up to see what is taking so long! The lady in front of me has apparently not yet joined the 21 century and is writing a check!!! Who in the world writes a check at the grocery store anymore?

Finally we pay and all that is left is the task of getting all of us loaded into the car and loading up the groceries, all while making sure the balloons don't fly away.

And, did I mention it is 26 degrees outside?