Grocery stores

The grocery store has become one of my least favorite places to visit. I enjoy having food in our home, but obtaining it is such a task. The other day I needed cubed ham and some bananas. Dilemma: Do I take the time to put the boys in a cart and gather my two items or do I let Canon walk, carry Boaz and pick up my two items. I decided on the latter. I really was hoping I would bump into a friend and ask them to wait in the van with the boys while I ran in quickly, but this did not happen. So, off we go. Canon is always excited for the opportunity to walk through the grocery store and his curiosity gets the best of him. Boaz does not hold on one little bit and is getting quite heavy. I had my I.D. card and debit card easily accessible and picked up our two items. Thankfully I did not need milk! We made it to the check out line and I went completely crazy and thought I'd try the self check-out since I only had two items....... hello and two children attached to me. What was I thinking?!? I completely forgot that I was going to have to search for the bananas on the produce page and Canon was going to notice the Tic Tacs....... I was ready to leave. We did survive and eventually made it out to the car and back home. When we got home I unpacked the bag and noticed there was more there than just my ham and bananas. Apparently the bag that I had chosen, due to it already being open, had two packages of batteries in it. I felt terrible that I had not noticed before, but have decided there is nothing I could have done. I did not see the person who checked out before me and I'm not sure there would be a way to track them down. So, we will just enjoy our free gift for surviving the grocery store and probably will not be making any trips like this when the baby arrives.

Now, today I lost my mind again! The boys have been sick for several days. Boaz's nose started to run yesterday and he has been coughing for several days and Canon has been on the illness roller-coaster. One day he has a fever, the next he is fine, coughing, runny nose, he has the works. So, Monday he stayed on the couch all day. This is the day I normally go grocery shopping. I have been wanting to switch to Thursdays, but thought I would go on Monday and Thursday to make the transition without running out of food. I had a doctor's appointment at 11:00 and was sure I could get all of my grocery shopping done before that. Until my little guy came up so sick. So, we have been scrounging for food the last few days. Albert has needed the van because he has to go to work so early and it is 40 degrees or below outside and we have stayed home to clear up this cold. This morning Albert needed a vehicle again, but planned to ride with a friend to their meeting. This left me the van for the morning. I was again hoping to get several errands done including grocery shopping and a little Christmas shopping. The curve ball came first thing this morning when Canon woke up with a fever and Boaz was ready for his morning nap at 7:30. I thought this would be another day at home without any food. OK, we do have some food, but not the meals I had planned on fixing. By mid-morning both of the boys were more playful and seemed to be feeling a little better. Boaz had taken a nap and Canon's fever had gone down. I decided we would run to Target and the Commissary. I could use our stroller to help confine the germs and get a couple of things done. I did not take into consideration the insane wind or the fact that it was 41 degrees outside. These are not exactly the best conditions for dragging out your sick kids! We made it through Target with good temperaments and Albert called just as I was buckling the boys into the van to head to the grocery store. He has been my hero this week. He said he would watch the boys while I went to the store. This never happens and it has happened twice this week! So, I brought the boys home, rushed to the grocery store, found a parking spot, went inside, and realized that I did not have my list! I have worked very hard the last few weeks to make sure my list is organized and complete. This morning I brought it with me to Target, put it in the sunshade so I could check off what I needed and what I picked up. Took the stroller out of the van to have room for the groceries and left the list at home. My grocery trip that should have been relaxing felt like I was digging for dinosaur bones in my memory. I don't think I've thought that hard to remember something in quite a while. This coupled with all of the elderly who have been retired for 50 years clogging up the aisles led to another frustrating shopping trip. I checked the list when I got home and to my surprise, I remembered almost everything. I did have my Thanksgiving list with me, thankfully! But still, very frustrating. 

Here are a couple of really funny shopping stories: LoraLynn, Kim. Hope you enjoy.