I think my least favorite thing about being a mom is taking three kids out shopping with me. But what can I do? I have a husband who works long hours and not many options for childcare, so I can often been seen lugging three unhappy kids around while I grocery shop and run other errands. Especially now that I am couponing. I save a ton of money, but it does require more trips to different stores to use certain coupons while things are on sale. As you can imagine, my kids just love running errands (yeah, right!) Some days they do great, but other days are a disaster.
Yesterday was my least favorite kind of day, because we had a few errands to run and I had all three kids with me. We had to take our kitty to the vet, and the boys did fine there. We had to make a stop afterwards at Walgreens and Kohls. I only needed to get a few things at Walgreens, so I thought we’d be pretty quick. The boys immediately found the toy aisle and started trying to sneak toys into our grocery cart. They were not happy with my firm, “no, maybe for Christmas.” We got up to the check stand, and the checker was an idiot (sorry, I know that sounds rude, but it was true). She didn’t want to take some of my coupons, which were valid. She forgot to take some of my coupons on one transaction. The manager ended up having to come up twice to answer coupons questions and void a transaction. Meanwhile, Marius brought up every toy imaginable to the check stand, asking, “Mom, can we get this one?? Please??” Every time I would answer no, he would start crying, begging, whining, and melting down. I was trying to talk to the checker, and Marius kept bringing up this ball he wanted me to buy and interrupting me. Another checker had to open a check stand because my line was taking so long. The boys started jacking up the display by the check stand, piling little boxes up and knocking them over. Christophe came over to me with greasy, white hands, because he decided to help himself to a bottle of lotion he found by the check stand. The boys also found some little flashlights that kept them occupied for a minute. We were quite the sight - two wild boys running around causing havoc and a mommy arguing over coupons. Jacques was pretty good; I only had to take him out of the cart once when he got bored. By the time we got out to the car, I was pretty mortified and very upset with my kids. I know they are just kids, and maybe I am expecting too much of them. But I am not sure how to teach them that we will not buy a toy every time we go to the store.
I must be a glutton for punishment, because I still took the kids to Kohls. I really needed to get some clothes for Marius, I had a coupon for Kohls, and honestly, I didn’t want to make another trip later. So after a stern lecture, we headed into Kohls. Marius found some Matchbox cars that became his new obsession while I browsed the clothes. Marius kept begging me to the buy them. The best line was when he said, “But Mommm, I said please so you have to buy them for me.” The lady standing next to me and I both bursting out laughing. That was a good one, huh? We finished shopping and averted any more major tantrums. When we got to the check stand, my boys found the carts and started driving them around like race cars and putting stuffed animals into the carts. They also found some purses. Marius desperately wanted me to buy him a purse (a pink and black one). I had to tell him ”no” again, but I agreed to let him use some of my old purses at home. Olly’s gonna love that!
Today, we made a couple more quick stops after Marius’ soccer game. We headed into Old Navy on the search for more clothes for Marius. (I am finding that the selection for older boys is more limited and the prices are a lot higher, hence multiple shopping trips to search for some winter clothes, which seems funny since it is over 90 degrees today!) While I was checking out, the boys were playing up front by the benches. Somehow, Christophe fell down and bumped his head. He started crying at the top of his lungs. I was holding him and trying to figure out if Marius pushed him or not, while paying for a pair of pants. I told Marius to go sit on the bench, but he wouldn’t listen and took off to pet a mannequin dog that was on display. As I was telling him off, one of my good friend’s mom walked in. Gotta love it when you see someone you know and your kids are totally misbehaving.
Lastly, we headed over to Target, which actually turned out to be a smooth shopping trip. Until we got to the check stand, and Marius saw all the little hanging toys. He kept asking for a couple toys he wanted. When that didn’t work, he put two toys on the check stand and said, ”But Mom, I am gonna get these for your birthday. These are for you. I’m gonna make you a basket for your birthday.” Well, that’s a new one! Isn’t that funny? This kid is so manipulative (just like his mommy!)
How do you stay sane during shopping trips with your kids? How do you make it fun for your kids? (Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!)
