Tuesday, February 27, 2007

A Trip to Costco

Sometimes I sit back and laugh at how we must look out in public. First, there's me with my diaper bag of snacks, toys, extra clothes, kitchen sink on my back. I have my list in hand and the corners are all torn and soggy from the baby trying to eat them. I have a determined, tight expression on my face as I simultaneously try to find where they moved the Cheerios and make sure Sarah doesn't lose my car keys.

Sarah sits in the front of the cart. She will play with a a baby toy clipped to the handle for about 30 seconds and then bark at me for entertainment the rest of the time. Oh, and try and eat my list. She's pretty happy if I let her play with my keys. However, yesterday she broke my Swiss army knife that was clipped to my key chain. (Shut up, it's perfectly safe to give a baby a knife to play with as long as it's folded up.) Sarah is at a beautifully charming age where "hi" is her favorite word. She says, "hi" to everybody we meet. It is very cute and gets us lots of smiling looks from seniors.

Jack, on the other hand, usually rides in the "trunk" of the cart. I like having him in the cart so he is contained, and he seems to like the "trunk." From there, he helps me by examining everything we buy and then sitting on it. Yesterday he also provided the added service of standing and pointing to fellow shoppers and telling us all to "watch out" so we didn't crash into one another. (Shut up, it is perfectly safe to have a two-year-old standing in the back of the cart.)

Since I have two kids in my cart, it makes it hard to really load up on all the things we need to buy in bulk. By the end of the trip, Jack is being squeezed out by an abundance of frozen chicken in various forms and gigantic boxes of diapers.

Their patience for riding in shopping carts is limited, so by the time we are done, I have pushed them to the breaking point and am soldiering through gritted teeth to check out and load the car.

But then, they both fall asleep on the way home. And it is quiet. And maybe? I just let them sleep in the car for a bit while I unload our stuff. And take out the trash and get the mail. And maybe drink a soda. And sit on the garage steps for a minute. Alone.


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P.S. This is my 100th post! Send cake!

7 comments:

Swistle said...

Happy 100!

I know just what you mean. It's like this if I try to grocery shop with the twins. Edward also helps me by adding things to the cart when I'm not paying attention, so that I get up to the check-out and have to keep saying, "Oh...not this. And not this either. And oh dear, definitely not this."

Anonymous said...

Happy 100th post! woohhooo!!!

I hear ya on the costco/store trips - abbie wants to eat my list, pull everything out of my purse and then throw it on the ground. Do you have the double wide carts at your Costco where you put both kids up front? I am not sure if Jack would fit though. And yes shut up to all those that say its not ok for your kids to stand in teh card and play with knives. We have to get our shopping done right??? I had someone giveme the evil eye for letting Abbie play with a produce bag - Hello - I tied off the open end and I was standing right there watching!!! I also leave her in the car in the garage while I unload and sometimes glance through the mail etc.... and then I try to get her in the house asleep and in her crib so I can go to the bathrom in peace! The joys of being a Mom!

Anonymous said...

YAY for happy 100 post day! How great! OMG... the trip to Costco! Arrgghhh!!! And I only have an 8 month old to deal with. Can't imagine how much fun it is with 2 of them! It truly sounds like you have a system all worked out though. Isn't the soggy shopping list the best?

Anonymous said...

Happy 100th.

I think you're brave just for attempting to go to Costco with both of them.

Anonymous said...

Woooohohohooo Happy 100th post! And oh lord no on the Costco with kids. Sounds insane!! :)

frannie said...

happy 100!!!

you are a brave, brave woman to go to Costco with the ankle biters.

Anonymous said...

Happy 100th!!

Whatever it takes to keep your sanity is good for the whole family.