Going to the Grocery Store (and not pulling your hair out)

Maybe your kids are not like mine. Maybe your kids are "normal" but mine see the grocery store as a glamorous destination. "Can we go to the store today mom?" I don't see it in this light. I prefer to go without them, and quite frankly I think that's the better way to go if that's an option available to you. But sometimes it has to be done during the day, it's unavoidable, and besides, the kids WANT to go. And you do want to get out of the house.

So how can a mother of young children stay sane at the grocery store?

First of all, if at ALL possible go to Fred Meyer or someplace else with a playland. I like Freddy's because they have other stuff besides food, and I get some mini "me time" where I can look at pillows and ferns and float away to window shoppers paradise. You have got to go at a time though when the playland isn't too busy (lunch time is NUTS). If you can get there right before it opens, that is ideal, you might have to wait 5 minutes, but your kids will get in. If they are full when you get there, find out when they expect to be open again and come back and check. Half a grocery shop without kids is better than nothing.

But we can't all have playland, can we?

I recommend then going to a store with some kind of cart that is either a) a car or b) designed to hold multiple children. If they don't have them, then don't bother (unless your kids are older and well behaved). With multiple small children, it is such a struggle at the store that you simply must have room for all of them to sit. If your local supermarket doesn't have "car carts" you might even want to suggest to the manager of the less than kid friendly store that they get some and explain that you would be more likely to shop there if they do. It might not change anything, but you never know unless you ask, right?

Okay, so you've got the kids, you are at the store and they are in their special cart. What now? If you are at Target (I so highly recommend the land of red), you get the popcorn soda special for, I think it's $2 now. For me (with three kids) it costs me $6 and the dental bills, but for 30 minutes of peaceful shopping totally worth it. If you aren't at Target, bring snacks. Bring snacks anyway. Maybe even something special that they don't normally get. Being around all that food is going to make them hungry, so it's best to be prepared.

And when the snacks are expired, get the free cookie from the bakery.

Some other ideas for making the grocery store more tolerable are these:

*Give each child an allowance. 1 or 2 dollars that they can spend on anything they like. They might pick something and then change their mind, but at least they won't be constantly bugging you about things they want. You can just say, "you can use your money? Do you have enough?" Easy Peasy.

*For children with a grasp of numbers, you can play the ten for ten game. (This is best for when they have decided they are all done with being in the cart). You tell them to look for labels that say ten for ten, or any number you decide. If they need the challenge have them seek out all the products that cost $2.59 or whatever. Just make sure they know that just because it only costs a dollar it doesn't mean you are going to buy it.

*Scavenger Hunt-- on the aisle you are on ask them if they can find the yogurt or the cheese or whatever you need. Talk about the colors the flavors and let them help you choose what goes in the cart.

*If you are really well prepared you could make a visual grocery list with pictures of things you are going to buy. I would even go so far as to laminate a couple using things you frequently shop for, and give the kids a marker they can scribble them off with when they get added to the cart. A variation of this would be a bingo game. So FUN! Can I play?

Well those are my limited ideas. Anything you want to add? Here's to a sanity filled shopping trip!