groceries

do you just dread going to the grocery store with your kids? i just dread going to the grocery store. i'm not sure why, but i do. being a mom of 4 young children, i rarely ever go alone, well lets just say, i'm rarely ever alone for anything. a few weeks ago, i was dreading a saturday afternoon trip to super target with all 4 kids, why, the babies are no longer in infant seats, it was a saturday busy, and the afternoon even busier. we have less than 1.5 hours to drive there shop and drive back between baby feedings. but we needed milk and salad along with other items so i packed up my brood and away we went.

as always, in the car i reminded my big kids "no crying, pouting, whining, or fighting. we listen and behave." "yes, mommy. we know" they chimed. okay good now that we're all on the same page. i put both babies in the stroller, big kids holding onto each side, grabbed a cart to pull behind. i gave them a snack and away we went maneuvering in between all the people, pushing a double stroller and pulling a shopping cart. i would find the item i needed and one of my kids would put it in the cart. away we went up and down aisles, getting stares, smiles and many comments {my thoughts.} since time is limited i don't engage in conversations with strangers, i just smile.

"you got the troops today" {"yep everyday"}
"wow, you have your hands full" - {"not really, my kids aren't crying like yours"}
"great helpers" - {"yep they are, i'm so lucky"}
"you're a brave woman" - {"no, just a mom of 4"}

anyway, p&a know that if they behave while we get groceries they get to check out a couple toy aisles. they are fascinated to to see if there are any new toys and play with whatever they can. then after 5-10 minutes we say bye to the toys and off we go to check out, where my little helpers LOVE to unload the cart.

after another successful shopping trip, i wonder why i was dreading it when we had so much fun together.

for me the following leads to a successful trip:
1. tell them my expectations prior to getting out of car
2. make sure they are well fed and bring snacks
3. ask for their help
4. positive reinforcement for good behavior

do these steps work for you? or do you have others that you find work? please share your experiences.