Monday with Pictures: Shopping with Kids

It’s never a good idea to go shopping with kids.  Shopping with four kids. 

In the early days when there was just one of them and two of us, we had the perfect solution.

He was strapped in and he stayed put because he had no choice. 

Up until recently we had another solution. 

IF ANYONE WANTS TO BUY THIS - PLEASE CONTACT ME!!!

But downside.  We had to keep track of the two that were out loose.  Out loose to run round 

and cause damage.

Our boys have a fascination with mannequins. They like to feel their legs and put their hands up their dresses.  Have you ever noticed how mannequins always wear dresses?  I don’t think it is possible to get trousers on a shop dummy.  Is it?

I am also always amazed at the interest our boys express in a size 0 cold to the touch, pink coloured fake person.

I mean, that’s me.  Except I’m not a size 0.  So where is all this interest coming from?

In fairness, the iron bar stuck through the back of the dummies leg gets them every time.  Smallest Boy has started to extend his forefinger in ET fashion and say “ooooohhhhhh,” with a pained look on his face and bashing me on the back of the head to make sure I’m looking too.

Then they like to come into the changing room with me on the rare occasion I decide to try something on.  I don’t know why I bother because usually I always sometimes talk myself out of buying it. 

The boys are loud and fond of commenting on “bums” and “boobies” and in general making me feel like this.

The supermarket isn’t much different.  Big problem straight away.  Trollies just aren’t big enough.  They only fit two.    One sits in the front where he is supposed to go and the other stands in the back.  In with all the groceries. A little co-pilot going “Look!  Go back. Go back!  Bin Weevils!”  

These are bin weevils.  Their latest annoying craze.

Sometimes I can buy a few minutes silence with a sugary dough nut.  And then we’re approaching the sweets and biscuit aisle.

The sweets and biscuit aisle is akin to the toy shop.  We do not spend much time down there.  Just enough to get these for me.

Kids are weird.  They will pick up random things and ask if they can buy them.

It could be anything from a coconut to a pack of clothes pegs.

I have, however, found a way to stop the demands for stuff.  Now I say, “If you can tell me what that thing is, I will buy it.”

They never can so it goes back on the shelf.

They’re not bad though.  In all fairness I can, hand on heart, say none of them has ever had one of those drop everything and throw yourself on the ground tantrums. 

 Yet. 

We had a lucky escape once though.  I whizzed down the home wares aisle muttering out loud to myself what I wanted to buy.

The brightly coloured toy aisle was nearby. The boys and their attention spans were otherwise engaged as a result.

“Can we have……………?”

“No!  Stop asking for stuff!”  I found the item I was looking for and feked it into the trolley.

“Did you just buy yourself something?”

The cheek! 

“Maybe.  So what if I did.  I never buy myself anything so maybe this is my treat to myself.”

Red rag to small bulls. 

“But that’s not fair.  You never buy us anything!  You're always spending all the money on yourself!”

I helpfully reminded them of all the happy meals, toys, magazines and smoothies they get.     

They weren’t having any of my plamausing.

“How comes you get a treat and we don’t?”

My treat sat winking at us all from its position on top of the toilet rolls. 

Jesus, I thought at the usual time of place in between the dairy and pasta aisle, why don’t I just leave them at home so I can do this in peace?

More winking from my treat underneath the overhead bright supermarket lights.  I was almost tempted to put it back just for peace and quiet. 

But no.  Why should I?  The boys were wrong.  I never buy anything for myself.  If they had been any older and a little bit handier around the kitchen they would have seen my treat for what it really was.

What was it?

A jaysus potato peeler is what!