How we . . . Survive the Grocery Store

i thought it might be fun to do some posts about

how we do things.

not that we have a great system or anything -

but just so i have it documented

and it may help give ideas to someone in a similar situation.

so please hear me -

I AM NOT SAYING THAT WE DO THINGS GREAT -

this is purely because i have gotten ideas off of different blogs - so i thought i would do the same for whoever reads our blog :)

The first: HOW WE . . . post

is

How we . . . Survive the Grocery Store (or target)

this is not about money -

it is purely how i survive going to the grocery store with 3 kids 4 and under

1. Make sure to find the cart with the car.

tom thumb (where i shop) thankfully has a double seater -

so it is perfect -

the two boys are "driving the car"

while campbell sits in the front and talks to me

2. bring plenty of snacks/drinks

*when going to the grocery store i pack my own snacks (and sometimes open an item we are purchasing)

*when we go to target i have started buying the goldfish in the box. yes it is VERY overpriced - but i have come to the conclusion that $2 in goldfish is better than multiple meltdowns in the store

($1 each so both boys can have their own box - i tried having them share and this just caused more stress when trying to survive so i have decided to start letting them BOTH get their OWN box - life got a lot easier this way!)

small disclaimer: this is not my mode in life and how i parent, so if you are judging me then please don't :) i do teach my children to share and that they don't get their way all the time - in fact we teach them that we are to "lay down our life for others" but there are some instances when it is easier to not work on that lesson and to try to set them up for success in a store. this is one way that works for me.

okay. hope you understand.

3. go after naps

this is a new one for me, but it has worked out so nicely that it really has revolutionized my shopping experience.

i use to go in the morning before naps - but i realized that they would start to get cranky and tired and we all know how that ends up - not good!

the other bonus about going after naps is that it is not that crowded - so this is a major plus for us ogdens!

4. let them have fun while at the store

for instance - if the boys did a really good job at sitting in their cart and not getting out, i might let them do the random car ride that is outside of the store or pick out a special item that we might not normally get.

5. realize that this season is so very short and enjoy it!

i am realizing that more and more each day -

it really isn't that long and i want to enjoy my time with them -

soon enough there will be a time when we go to the store all by ourselves and wish we had a little one in the front cart to talk to or smile at the other customers.

here's our group at target

hope you enjoyed our first ever "how we" post :)

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