Outing for groceries

To take my 3 children to the grocery store is quite an event, as you can imagine. Thankfully, Von's has a great cart with a car attached to the front of it, and the girls love to "drive" it. Up until this point, I have always worn Lucas in my Ergo, but he is getting big and, well, the real reason is that it pulls my pants down and I am fighting them the whole time, so I decided it is time that he sits in the cart with the cart cover on. Well, before we even get out of the car, I scan the carts to see if the "car cart" is even available. Once it is spotted, we all unfold out of the car, Emma grabs the cloth bags, Joy grabs the cart cover, and I grab Lucas and my purse. The girls climb in the car, I put in Lucas in the cart and grab my list and away we go. The girls are very good in the cart while it is moving, but the moment it stops, it is like an invitation to explore, so I have learned that the first few moments we are in the store, I push slowly and scan my already prepared list (in the order that the store is laid out). Then I try to keep that pace, grabbing things on my list as I go by. The girls at this point are still having a ball just "driving" and Lucas is busy looking thru my purse to see what he can find. I give him my sunglasses and that keeps him busy for a while. So then we reach the produce department, which takes a little longer then the rest of the store as I actually have to stop and put stuff in baggies, etc. The girls are now getting tired of "driving" and decide to get out of the car and see what's going on. So here is where they have their jobs. I give them each a plastic bag and they get to help count and put in the bags the different produce as we talk about what each one is. Then comes the dreaded check out! At this point, they get to help me empty the cart and put the stuff on the check out stand. Once that is done, they get their long awaited snack...a granola bar. They sit in the "car" and eat their bar, and I give Lucas a bottle, or water, or soon to be a snack as well.
My full cart:

One funny thing about the "car carts" are the static they produce!



Then I always ask for help out to the car, and usually the bagger has already loaded my groceries and I am still buckling in my children. Then we sit and take a deep breath! =) Drive-Thru Starbucks, HERE I COME!