I'm just another working mom seeking a few moments of Zen and zinfandel between soccer practice and supper. My former beach bartender husband founded 
I risked entering the Retail Circle Of Hell yesterday, otherwise known as the grocery store between 5 and 6 p.m., with the girls. I’d been home with Miss C all day, who was sick, and we’d just picked Miss A up from daycare so it made more sense for me to hit the grocery for a few things for dinner than the hubby, who was on the other side of town.
A cookie from the bakery usually keeps them occupied until the frozen foods section and then I make a mad dash to get whatever items are on my list as fast as humanly possible before the sugar hits their blood stream.
Yesterday we made it to the checkout line in record speed but then Miss A spotted the restrooms and started doing the “I gotta go, I gotta go NOW” dance.
For the record, I hate that the restrooms at Publix are located at the front of the store in plain sight from all the checkout lines because as soon as Miss A and Miss C them they insist they have to pee. They could have peed right before we left the house, but there’s something about the Publix restrooms that’s as enticing as the play zone at McDonalds. I don’t know if they pipe in bubble gum scented oxygen or subliminal messages for free cupcakes with pink sprinkles but they can’t resist the restrooms there.
As I swiped my debit card I convinced Miss A she could make it the two miles home to pee, but then I remembered I’d forgotten an ingredient for the recipe I was going to make for her Thanksgiving lunch at daycare today.
CRAP.
I shoved our behemoth car cart full of groceries aside and we headed toward the dairy aisle when I realized I was down one child. Miss A was distracted by a Barbie and the Diamond Castle toy and was lovingly touching the fuschia box as if she didn’t have enough Barbies at home to start an Olympic volleyball team.
“Miss A come on, mommy needs to get unsalted butter. Come on! I can’t leave you there!”
Mommy I can’t. I need to look at this toy.
“Miss A I can’t leave you. Come on. I’m in a hurry. I want to get home and start dinner and it’s almost 6 o’clock.”
By now I was starving and I knew they were teetering precariously on the edge of child hunger freak out. We were running out of time! Must. Avoid. Grocery. Store. Meltdown.
Mommy, just a minute I need to look at this toy, okay?
“Miss A if you come here now we’ll go use the restroom!”
OK!
She came running toward me, I grabbed the butter, paid for it, and we headed to the restrooms.
I’ll spare you the details about how she can never figure out how to unlock the bathroom stall and refuses to let anyone help her unlock it but it’s why a 5-minute grocery run with the girls turns into 45 minutes.
Good times at the grocery store ya’ll!
They need baby-sitting services in grocery stores.
And restaurants!
Coma Girls last blog post..If This Were a Real Job, I Would Have Been Fired Already
Coma Girl is clearly onto something!
My husband took over grocery shopping for 4 months after I had Bear, because that whole birth thing didn’t go so well for me that time and you need to be able to like, walk, and drive to go to the grocery.
Then he just sort of kept doing it. And now Bear is 23 months old and I’ve been to the grocery like 6 times, cupcakes for school party and misc. stuff like that.
If I could only get him to learn to cook.
Gotcha on the grocery store bathroom- Would u like to hear the story of how I had to shimmy all 5ft 7 of me under the public restroom door to get my daughter out? EEEEEEEEEUUWWWWWW
Feel your pain, dear. I still can’t decide if the race car carts are a helper or a hinderance at the store. Thoughts?
Lisas last blog post..Conversations around our house….
Grocery shopping with a girl is such a different beast from with a son. The bathroom thing happens with my daughter like clockwork around the same aisle at our store. It’s like subconsciously a little bell goes off in their head that says “mommy’s cart is almost full, but not quite, you need to PEE NOW.” ARGH! Ha!
Steph.s last blog post..Oh, the monotony of it all
If we go out to dinner Hannah pulls the bathroom thing all the time. I sear she just wants to check the bathroom out.
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