The Joys of Grocery Shopping

Saturday is usually grocery store day for me.  Today Hubby was going to watch the kids so I could go alone because I had a huge list.  The only teensy problem was that he is on call today.  We always have high hopes that he won't have to go in on Saturdays.  We convince ourselves that he's not really working since he's only on call.  I don't know why we do this since it's almost never the case.  I guess we're optimists.

Anyway, today was no different.  Right on my way out the door, his pager starts buzzing.  Sure enough, it's the ER calling with some orthopedic emergency.  The kids are coming with me.  I will admit that I spend way more at the grocery store than I need to.  I go the expensive store for 2 reasons:

1.  It's VERY close to my house
2.  They have these really cool shopping carts that they don't have anywhere else.  Not only can they both fit, they both have steering wheels!  I wish every store, especially Target would get these carts.


So anyway, I load them up in the cart.  They both drive very aggressively and the old folks in the store smile at us everywhere we go.  The kids eat up all the attention and they swing their little steering wheels even faster when they realize people are looking at them.  One person asks me if they are twins.  (They are 3 and 1, almost 2 full years apart, but Little Buddy is huge and Munchkin Girl is tiny).  She puts her arm around him repeatedly.  He puts up with her attention for awhile but finally starts to push her away as she invades his space. 

The only problem with the shopping cart is that it is seriously HUGE.  I keep running into things and knocking cans over.  Oops!  Of course it's 10:00 so they're starving and start begging me for food.  I decide granola bars are a good choice.  Soon they are both covered in chocolate.  It's all over their hands, their faces.  Crap!  I forgot wipes!  I take the cart over to the baby isle and open up some wipes and clean the kids up.  Now I have 2 wrappers, 2 dirty wipes, and the crumbly remnants of 2 granola bars.  Why don't they have trash cans handy in the grocery store?  I shove everything in the side pocket of my purse.  Yuck!!

We finally make it to check out and everyone around us is staring and smiling.  Munchkin Girl is very aware of this and starts singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star just to show off.  Everyone continues to smile.  Even the lady scanning our groceries can barely concentrate and keeps talking to them and asking questions.  Munchkin Girl looks at me and says, "I love you Mommy."  Wow, she's laying it on thick now!  We walk out of the store and both kids wave at their adoring fans. 

When I pull up at home I'm faced with a dilemma.  I have about 20 grocery bags to bring inside but what to do with the kids?  Hubby is still at the hospital in the Operating Room.  I can't leave them outside to play in the street.  I can't really leave them inside totally unsupervised either.  Plus I really need to leave the door open so then they'll just come outside anyway.  I open up the Graham crackers and give them each one.  It's probably best if they stay in their car seats while I put everything away.  They whine a little at having to stay in their seats, but they aren't too bad.  I finally get all the sacks on the counter and now begins the real work.  Time to put everything away.  This sounds easy right?  Well, look at my competition. 



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