Just because you can do something, doesn't always mean you should do something.
With a household once again of only two toddlers, I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to go to the grocery store. The pantry and the refrigerator were looking a little bare, and my breakfast of champions (bagels) were gone! And I thought, only two little guys, why not?
Why not, indeed! Have you ever taken two toddlers to the grocery store? I have, but clearly I blocked it out. Because I made my ridiculously long list, pulled the coupons together, packed my Dum-Dum suckers and wet wipes (courtesy of this week's BW3's meal), and off we went.
First, the big family carts are all inside the entry way. You cannot possibly park near where they are, which means I carried two 30-lb. plus toddlers, one on each hip. Surely you don't think I would trust them to hold my hands and walk in the parking lot with all those crazy drivers, now do you? Xander most likely would have taken off running the minute my grip slipped, and Sawyer would have sat down in protest at not being carried!
We make it inside, and the moment the straps are clicked into place the whining begins. It's mild at first, but you see where this is going, right? Two suckers appear instantly. Happiness ensues, for about five minutes. Hands are wiped, trash collected and stored, and we continue on our way. After picking up about 1/4 of the items on the list, we pass through the toy section (by design) and pick up two hot wheels cars to carry around. $2 is worth every bit of sanity it buys, I promise. We shop a little more. About 1/2 way through, more suckers are required (and I've brought three each, so I still have one in reserve).
We make it through the rest of the time without any serious tantrums or whining - just general boredom and chatter, and we still have that all-important one sucker each remaining. You see, I have done this before, and some part of me knew to save them. The wait at the check-out line is endless, absolutely endless. And, of course, I have once again picked the slowest line ever. So we wait, whining begins in full force, and the final suckers appear. They barely make it to the point where I can actually put the groceries on the counter for check out - no small task with the amount of stuff we picked up. A little bit crankier whining as well, as some sneaking out of straps and standing, occurs. Almost there. $300 and quite a few groceries later, all meticulously stacked so that they don't fall out of the overflowing cart, we're finally on our way.
The boys seem to understand and begin smiling and clapping as we move toward the doors. Either that, or they truly do recognize that Mommy just said the magic words - McDonald's, french fries, nuggets, ice cream!
So we make it to the car, and I get them and the groceries safely stowed away. We head to the McDonald's that I'm hoping will not be as busy as the one that's actually closer to our house. It's not, and it has the double-drive through deal, so it's relatively painless. But it's also the McDonald's that frequently has trouble with its ice cream machine. There will be no Oreo McFlurry for Mommy and twins today. Perhaps another time, because I'm absolutely not entering the mess on the other side of town where we live to try that one. Connor would demand it if Mommy had already mentioned it, but he, of course, is not here. He's at the lake bossing his grandparents around for a change.
We make it home. The boys eat their lunch while I carry in and put away all the groceries. They finish a little early, but a little bit of candy helps buy me some more time. Now we've all had McDonald's yet again minus the best part. We're also all a little cranky, a little hot, and a little tired. It's nice to have the groceries, but I'm not sure it was worth all the trouble. Perhaps I'll be more thankful in the morning, when my bagels are there and I don't have to share dry cereal with the little guys!
