Tick Tock

Does everything take longer after you have kids?  Well, I guess I should have enough kids by now to know that the answer is yes.  Yet sometimes I still fall back into the habit of underestimating how long things really will take.

Case in point.  I put off grocery shopping this weekend until I could drive into town (the "town" where we shop at Costco, WalMart, Safeway, etc. is an hour away) when it was still mostly light out and the roads wouldn't be totally icy.  Sunday afternoon was really my only time.  When I started out the morning trying to get ready ahead of time for church and still walking in late, I should have known...

We finally got home from church ( I had to stay late to tape labels on my Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes that I had procrastinated on) and settled in the car to drive to town at 2:15ish.  We didn't make it to Costco until  almost 4 because I had to stop at the bank and check the oil.  The car was dry (I drive an oil-guzzling Subaru that I love), so I am glad I checked!  So I added oil.

Costco - potty break and then ate first and then had another potty break.  That took about 40 minutes.  Then I let Leilee play in the little kitchen display (is that what "bad" parents do?)- 10 minutes.  Tantrum aversion tactics took about 5 minutes.  We didn't get out of Costco until 6:15!  What?  I had wanted to be "done shopping and on my way home by then".  Rude awakening.  So, by then it was already dark, so I gave up hope of not driving home alone with three kids and a car packed full of stuff on icy roads.  Doomed to happen at that point.  Got gas at Costco.

WalMart - potty break, someone stole our cart from outside of the bathroom, had to walk back to front of store and get new cart, forgot things on opposite sides of store at least twice and spent more time walking around than actually purchasing anything.

Safeway - purchased way too much, only looped back through store twice.  Skipped potty break against better judgement.  Sent kids back through line to buy a $10 food bank bag - another 10 minutes.

Wendy's - went through drivethru to get kids a free Jr. Frosty.  At this point, it was their real bedtime.  I had long since given up hope of getting anything else done today. 

Drove home 5 miles under speed limit most of the way.

Total trip with three kids - 7 hours.

Now I still have to put everything away! But at least the kids are sleeping in their warm little beds, so it shouldn't take me quite as long!

Comments

  1. Julie DeMilleNovember 22, 2011 at 4:03 PM

    I hate shopping with kids. I avoid it at all costs. Luckily, I now have teenagers who can watch the little ones while I go. (Did I just say 'luckily I have teenagers'? Insanity.)

    ReplyDelete
  2. NicoleNovember 24, 2011 at 12:07 AM

    Ha ha! It's not usually so bad when my husband goes with us... but when we all have to go potty together everytime Leilee feels like she needs to pee, it gets a little crazy! I still have a few more years until I have teenagers... whew!

    ReplyDelete

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