A Trip to the Grocery Store

This might be a better story if I was a good writer. I am not writing this because I want you all to think I'm tough or amazing, because you all have experienced every bit of the following story. I write this so that one day I'll look back and laugh. And also I need to vent a little bit.

So, I needed to go grocery shopping today. I was planning on leaving right after Jason's morning nap (so he would be happy for the majority of the trip). I know, some of you might wonder why I would take all four kids to the grocery store instead of wait until my husband got home to go alone...well, because the kids are USUALLY pretty good, and because I don't want to waste the time I have with my husband in the evening to go grocery shopping. So there you have it.

Jason finally woke up at 11, then I needed to feed him some rice cereal and we were off. I also just need to preface this by saying Ashley was feeling fine this morning...


As we get in the car, the kids want to know if they can have a tattoo at the quarter machines at the grocery store. I tell them if they behave themselves, they can get one at the end of shopping. We're driving, Ashley tells me she doesn't feel good and lays down. We go to the store anyway.

We get to the store--they have ONE, count it, one grocery cart in the entire store with the car on the front--it fits two children in the car, then Jason sits in the front of the cart by the handle, and Tyler will walk or switch off riding in the car. Hailey still is walking a little slow and limping since the cast came off (hence the need for her to ride), and gets upset as I'm trying to cross the road to the entrance--I'm going too fast. I calmly tell her she needs to ask me nicely to slow down and not to cry about it. Anywho---my cart is gone. I usually get this cart because we're not in Utah, and people just don't need it as much here so it's always available. But wouldn't you know it, it's not there. Blast.

I get a normal cart and put Jason in the front, Ashley inside the basket part because she's not looking too hot, a little green actually, I tell Hailey she can ride on the front. Tyler can walk. Hailey's mad because she wants to ride inside the basket, and so starts the waterworks. I tell her no tattoo. She cries harder and begs for a tattoo. "Give me one more chance." Ok, one more chance, but she'd better show me she can behave and talk like a big girl if she has a concern. "Ashley, are you OK? Do you feel like you need to throw up?" She says no. She doesn't feel like she has a temperature. So off we go.

I have quite a lot of groceries to get, and I don't know what I'm going to do with Ashley in the basket once it gets too full. It didn't take long before she got upset with the stuff piling up beside her. I ask her if she wants to walk, she says yes. All through the grocery store Jason's getting more and more upset at being stuck in the cart. Despite the toys I'm giving him. What, you don't want to still suck on the pen after 45 minutes? How about this box of fruit snacks? It's fun to chew on. So I get Jason out to hold him, and Ashley's resting her head on the cart. Poor girl. "Ash, do you want to ride up here?" (By the handle) She does, I put her in while holding Jason in the other arm--he's happy to be held. Now I need to pull the cart, it's too heavy to push and steer with one arm. Hailey has asked about 29 times if it's time to get a tattoo and if she's behaving OK. Yes Hailey, when we leave you can get a tattoo.

We finally make our way through the entire store, up one aisle and down the next. When it's time to checkout, I decide it would be easier to just hold Jason while I pile my overflowing cart full of groceries onto the belt. A nice clerk helped me from the next checkout line. I've now asked Ashley about 10 times if she's ok and if she needs to throw up, because she's laying on the handle of the cart. She assures me she doesn't. I tell her we'll lay down when we get home and we'll hurry.
Almost there. Trying to fish out coupons and debit card out of my purse while holding Jason. I swipe the debit card and out of the corner of my eye I see Ashley losing her breakfast all over herself and the floor of the grocery store. I try to catch some of it. I don't know why--reflex? Because one hand obviously couldn't hold it all, and I caught her mid-stream anyway. Now what? I'm holding Jason in one hand and Ashley's breakfast in the other. The clerk hands me some paper towels to clean it up. So I get to work one handed. Meanwhile Tyler and Hailey are telling me if they smell it they will also throw up. I tell them to go over and look at the pictures on the redbox. Hailey wants to know if she still gets a tattoo. I promised her she could, apparently. I ask Tyler is he'll come over and take Jason--that's a funny joke. Jason weighs about as much as Tyler (I'm exagerating, but he can't hold him while standing up) and Tyler says he can't because he'll throw up. I guess this is when the clerk decides I need some help, despite her aversion to my daughters puke on the floor, and takes Jason from me...so I can continue to clean up. Then she hands me some cleaner. Thanks. She also mentions Jason is really heavy, but she'll hold him anyway despite her back problems. I'll probably get sued.

Paper towels and glass cleaner just don't do a good enough job. But I get it mostly wiped up and stored away in a plastic bag to throw away on the way out. Ashley's feeling much better and wants a piece of gum at the quarter machines. Ugh. I don't want to touch anything with my hands till I have sanitized (in the diaper bag in the car) but I dig out some quarters that I put in my back pocket--knowing I had to have them handy at the end of the grocery trip. Hailey gets her tattoo, Tyler (and yes, Ashley) get a piece of gum. I take off Ashley's clothes in the car to put in a plastic bag (DANGIT, I just put in the LAST batch of clothes before we left) and sanitize everything. Get the kids all belted in and the groceries in the back...all the while the popsicles are melting. Jason's crying now because he's tired again.

We get home and I carry Ashley in--wearing only panties, no shoes (Ashley, not me). Start the bath water. Hailey wants me to put her tattoo on. I get all the groceries in and turn off the bath water, get Ashley in, put away the popsicles and refrigerated stuff. Get Jason in bed. Put Hailey's tattoo on. Put away the rest of the groceries and switch the laundry. Then blog :) Now Jason's awake and I have to fold laundry. So, there you have it. What a day. Thanks for letting me vent, I feel much better.

PS Ashley's feeling much better, ate quite a bit just now, but Hailey just fell asleep on the couch. Great.