Challenging Times with the Kids

Let me start by saying I love my kids. I love them to pieces. However, I am not one to sugar coat stuff. If things are bad, I'll tell you. If they are great, I'll tell you that too. Lately, things have been challenging . . . like teeth grinding challenging. Their recent sleep patterns bring me back to the times when they were newborns. Though I loved those times, it's a bittersweet reminder that I am perfectly content with my family of four. I'm tired, go back to sleep kids!

Recently my kids have entered into a monkey see monkey do phase. You know what? It sucks. I try my best to keep them busy and engaged in activities that are fun for them, because this monkey see monkey do crap is less likely to present itself. To be completely honest though, life isn't always about fun and games. There are obligations . . . like buying groceries. Shopping with my kids, sighhhhhhh. Somebody might as well throw a brick at my face, because it would probably be more pleasurable.

Over the weekend I thought we'd kill two birds with one stone. The prior week had been filled up with several play dates that included apple picking, pumpkin picking, the mall play place, and several visits to the park. I figured taking a "me" day wasn't out of the question. My mom had offered to get me a new purse for my upcoming birthday. You know, a real bag, a nice one! I've always been into nice bags, but for the past three years I have been sporting around the "trendy" diaper bag. I was ready for a change, and she wanted me to pick it out. The 45 minute drive to my mom's house is always more fun with company, so I opted to bring my kids along. Plus, my mom was excited when I said I was considering bringing them both. A visit with Nana and a new bag. A win/win, right? Who was I kidding? That shopping trip was a nightmare.

It all started when we arrived at the store and I took the stroller out of the car. My oldest hasn't ridden in a stroller or shopping cart for a very long time so I no longer tote the massive double stroller around. She does a great job holding your hand while walking, so I now stick to the single stroller for my youngest. Let's just say, that doesn't go over so well. Naturally, my youngest wants to follow her big sister's lead and walk. I warned my mother about this, and she has always said to me "Remember, you're the boss." Charlotte is still little, and in my opinion at her age, in situations like this, she should be riding in a stroller but, like I've said before, with small kids you pick your battles. I figured this would be a quick trip in and out. I'd put her in the stroller, she'd cry for maybe a minute, then be fine. Of course, I was wrong, very wrong!

Well, as we all know, no shopping adventure with kids in tow is a quick trip. (What was I thinking?) Secondly, Charlotte didn't cry for a minute, she wailed for five minutes before I finally took her out of the stroller. I figured since my mom was there to help out it wouldn't be too bad. Once she was freed from said stroller she immediately greeted a fellow onlooker with a great big smile and a "hello!" Okay. . . so all is well now, I can get my bag, right? Wrong. During the couple of minutes that I took to look around, my kids set off at least 15 security alarms attached to these purses and they did this while under the watchful eye of my mother and I. I'm not joking, we were right there and it turned into a game of who could set the most alarms. Now, I'm not sure when or who invented these snazzy new security devices that attach to the bags and have a button that, when pushed, sends the alarm into panic mode. (Whoever you are, thanks buddy!) At any rate my kids figured out exactly how to make these things screech and they found great joy in pulling away from my mom and I to do so. With several alarms going off all at once, the store sounded more like a birds of prey exhibit at the ecotarium than your standard department store. I was mortified, and figured it would be best to get out of there . . . quick. We went to another department store where this same thing happened, again. I'm not sure which kid started this awful button pushing nightmare, but the noise was horrid. We left that store too but not before getting my bag and dealing with two massive temper tantrums because we did not buy the black and white polka-dot shoes.

Oh, well. Kids will be kids, so the saying goes. Lesson learned from my unfortunate adventure in shopping . . . when you take your next "ME" day, LEAVE the kids at home!

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