I like to plan. I like to organize. I like efficiency.
I am not sure if these are skills or neurotic habits, but either way, I am strong in them.
I used to have such a hard time coping with plans going awry, that my husband once said to me, "Let me introduce you to a new word: tentative." Five children later, I have grown to expect my plans to go awry. I plan for that. Efficiency often goes right out the window too...especially with Jersey #4, because she has no concept of "hurry". She takes her time at her pace, without feeling any sense of pressure from a time constraint. (but that is probably another blog topic altogether) I'm still working on accepting the loss of efficiency. It is a growing process. Thankfully, organizing serves me well with managing a large family. I have not been able to convince them to be organized too, but I am able to put my organizing skills into action daily.
I said all of that to explain my misadventures of grocery shopping yesterday.
I stayed up late the night before to type up my grocery list. This is not a regular activity, but instead one that I decided I was going to organize and put into place to streamline grocery shopping...thus making it a more efficient process. I tend to buy the majority of our groceries in bulk at Sam's Club. I am also working hard to operate on the lowest grocery budget I can accomplish, in order to put more money toward debt. So, I took the time to list out all of the regular staples I purchase, then looked on the store website to list the prices. Then, I browsed the weekly circular from the "normal-sized" local grocery stores to see if any of the items I was planning to buy could be found cheaper elsewhere. I was a little surprised to see that Sam's Club still topped the sales at the other stores on everything on my list. I was pleased that I could then accomplish so much shopping at just 1 store. (The rest of my shopping typically happens at the day-old bread store and at the Farmer's Market and/or farm co-op).
I printed my list. Since I had typed it up in an Excel spreadsheet, I also include the total sum of my expected purchases. I like knowing exactly what to expect at the cash register. It also helps me stay on budget, and not be tempted to add extra items that were not on the list.
As I was serving the kids breakfast, I explained to them my pre-planned schedule for the day. We would eat breakfast, brush teeth, get dressed, complete chores, load up in the van and be at the front door of the store by the time it opened. We had the dining room table cleaned off an wiped down, so we had plenty of space to unload the groceries when we returned home. We would breeze through the store and buy only what was on the list. (I did plan for 2 trips to the restroom while we were there, because I have little kids and also a heart patient on diuretic medication). When we got home, we would unload and put things away quickly, and have just enough time to grab scooters before walking over to the park, for the free lunch program.
Everything went smoothly and according to plan until after we parked in the store parking lot. As I was gathering up the diaper bag and shopping list, I caught sight of Jersey #5 starting to wander away. I asked Jersey #1 to hold his hand. Normally, he is happy to comply with his siblings, but in recent days he has been resisting them greatly. He is certain that he is all grown up too. As soon as she offered her hand, Jersey #5 said "no" and turned to run away from her. On reflex, I leaped for him, closing the van door in the process (so I could get around it faster). I caught his hand, pulled him close, and we waited for Jersey #4 to take her sweet time climbing out of the van, one easy going step after another. When she was out, I closed the passenger doors and started to walk to the store. That is when I realized I did not have my diaper bag on my shoulder.
Oops!
I turned back to the van and all the doors were locked. The diaper bag was locked inside the van. My wallet, cell phone, and KEYS were in the diaper bag. Oh No!
I explained the situation to the kids and had a good laugh at their reaction. Jersey #2 suggested we break in through a window. Jersey #3 was very concerned that we would not be able to buy the groceries if we did not have money.
Thinking quick on my feet, I explained that we would enter the store and borrow a phone to call The Referee. He could run over to the store from work and open the van with his key. I had no idea if he was going to be available or not, because he has a lot of work lately, and a lot of meetings to go with it. I left him a message on his voice mail and hoped he would get it soon.
In the meantime, the kids and I went through the store and filled our cart with all of the grocery items. The Referee still did not arrive, so we browsed furniture, outdoor toys, and movies. The Referee still did not arrive. I was beginning to fear he was in meetings and we would not be rescued very soon.
40 minutes before the park lunch program was suppose to start, I explained to the kids that if we could unload our groceries quickly, we could walk over to the park and have lunch there while we waited for Daddy. The kids love going to the park lunch program, so they were eager to help me put everything back. We raced through the store and completed the reverse of shopping. We put the final item back, parked the empty cart, and started toward the door....
....just as The Referee walked in, armed with the diaper bag. He had gotten my message afterall, and came to our rescue! Hooray!
I put my keys in my pocket.
I took the kids home, let them get their scooters, then we went to the park for lunch. While they were eating, I explained to them that we had to return to the store again, and actually buy the groceries. We cut play time a little shorter and headed home to get ready to load up in the van again.
Only, Jersey #5 was not on board with that plan. He started to whine, so I picked him up and held him while I waited on everyone else to use the restroom. He promptly put his head down on my shoulder and fell asleep.
Change of plans again.....we let Jersey #5 nap first. That should only be about an hour or two, and we would still have time to complete the shopping and make dinner on time.
3.25 hours later!!!!
My children nap best when I have somewhere to go.
Thankfully, after that great slumber, Jersey #5 woke up in a fabulous mood. The other children were quite cheery too, since they had enjoyed an afternoon of play and relaxation. So, I rushed them all into loading up in the van and headed back out to Sam's Club. As we got out of the van, Jersey #1 asked me if I had my keys, and I assured her that I was placing them in my pocket this time. I also personally assisted Jersey #5 out of the van, and kept a constant hold of his hand. (Clearly it is time he learns my parking lot behavior expectations....especially now that he wants to walk instead of riding in the cart....because such privelages also come with responsibility).
We were very efficient at finding all of the groceries on the list the 2nd time around.
I am not sure if these are skills or neurotic habits, but either way, I am strong in them.
I used to have such a hard time coping with plans going awry, that my husband once said to me, "Let me introduce you to a new word: tentative." Five children later, I have grown to expect my plans to go awry. I plan for that. Efficiency often goes right out the window too...especially with Jersey #4, because she has no concept of "hurry". She takes her time at her pace, without feeling any sense of pressure from a time constraint. (but that is probably another blog topic altogether) I'm still working on accepting the loss of efficiency. It is a growing process. Thankfully, organizing serves me well with managing a large family. I have not been able to convince them to be organized too, but I am able to put my organizing skills into action daily.
I said all of that to explain my misadventures of grocery shopping yesterday.
I stayed up late the night before to type up my grocery list. This is not a regular activity, but instead one that I decided I was going to organize and put into place to streamline grocery shopping...thus making it a more efficient process. I tend to buy the majority of our groceries in bulk at Sam's Club. I am also working hard to operate on the lowest grocery budget I can accomplish, in order to put more money toward debt. So, I took the time to list out all of the regular staples I purchase, then looked on the store website to list the prices. Then, I browsed the weekly circular from the "normal-sized" local grocery stores to see if any of the items I was planning to buy could be found cheaper elsewhere. I was a little surprised to see that Sam's Club still topped the sales at the other stores on everything on my list. I was pleased that I could then accomplish so much shopping at just 1 store. (The rest of my shopping typically happens at the day-old bread store and at the Farmer's Market and/or farm co-op).
I printed my list. Since I had typed it up in an Excel spreadsheet, I also include the total sum of my expected purchases. I like knowing exactly what to expect at the cash register. It also helps me stay on budget, and not be tempted to add extra items that were not on the list.
As I was serving the kids breakfast, I explained to them my pre-planned schedule for the day. We would eat breakfast, brush teeth, get dressed, complete chores, load up in the van and be at the front door of the store by the time it opened. We had the dining room table cleaned off an wiped down, so we had plenty of space to unload the groceries when we returned home. We would breeze through the store and buy only what was on the list. (I did plan for 2 trips to the restroom while we were there, because I have little kids and also a heart patient on diuretic medication). When we got home, we would unload and put things away quickly, and have just enough time to grab scooters before walking over to the park, for the free lunch program.
Everything went smoothly and according to plan until after we parked in the store parking lot. As I was gathering up the diaper bag and shopping list, I caught sight of Jersey #5 starting to wander away. I asked Jersey #1 to hold his hand. Normally, he is happy to comply with his siblings, but in recent days he has been resisting them greatly. He is certain that he is all grown up too. As soon as she offered her hand, Jersey #5 said "no" and turned to run away from her. On reflex, I leaped for him, closing the van door in the process (so I could get around it faster). I caught his hand, pulled him close, and we waited for Jersey #4 to take her sweet time climbing out of the van, one easy going step after another. When she was out, I closed the passenger doors and started to walk to the store. That is when I realized I did not have my diaper bag on my shoulder.
Oops!
I turned back to the van and all the doors were locked. The diaper bag was locked inside the van. My wallet, cell phone, and KEYS were in the diaper bag. Oh No!
I explained the situation to the kids and had a good laugh at their reaction. Jersey #2 suggested we break in through a window. Jersey #3 was very concerned that we would not be able to buy the groceries if we did not have money.
Thinking quick on my feet, I explained that we would enter the store and borrow a phone to call The Referee. He could run over to the store from work and open the van with his key. I had no idea if he was going to be available or not, because he has a lot of work lately, and a lot of meetings to go with it. I left him a message on his voice mail and hoped he would get it soon.
In the meantime, the kids and I went through the store and filled our cart with all of the grocery items. The Referee still did not arrive, so we browsed furniture, outdoor toys, and movies. The Referee still did not arrive. I was beginning to fear he was in meetings and we would not be rescued very soon.
40 minutes before the park lunch program was suppose to start, I explained to the kids that if we could unload our groceries quickly, we could walk over to the park and have lunch there while we waited for Daddy. The kids love going to the park lunch program, so they were eager to help me put everything back. We raced through the store and completed the reverse of shopping. We put the final item back, parked the empty cart, and started toward the door....
....just as The Referee walked in, armed with the diaper bag. He had gotten my message afterall, and came to our rescue! Hooray!
I put my keys in my pocket.
I took the kids home, let them get their scooters, then we went to the park for lunch. While they were eating, I explained to them that we had to return to the store again, and actually buy the groceries. We cut play time a little shorter and headed home to get ready to load up in the van again.
Only, Jersey #5 was not on board with that plan. He started to whine, so I picked him up and held him while I waited on everyone else to use the restroom. He promptly put his head down on my shoulder and fell asleep.
Change of plans again.....we let Jersey #5 nap first. That should only be about an hour or two, and we would still have time to complete the shopping and make dinner on time.
3.25 hours later!!!!
My children nap best when I have somewhere to go.
Thankfully, after that great slumber, Jersey #5 woke up in a fabulous mood. The other children were quite cheery too, since they had enjoyed an afternoon of play and relaxation. So, I rushed them all into loading up in the van and headed back out to Sam's Club. As we got out of the van, Jersey #1 asked me if I had my keys, and I assured her that I was placing them in my pocket this time. I also personally assisted Jersey #5 out of the van, and kept a constant hold of his hand. (Clearly it is time he learns my parking lot behavior expectations....especially now that he wants to walk instead of riding in the cart....because such privelages also come with responsibility).
We were very efficient at finding all of the groceries on the list the 2nd time around.
I hate it when I lock my keys int he car. Luckily the current vehicle has a key fob - I am a lot less likely to lock the keys int he car with that.
ReplyDeleteGlad you found the humor in it all!