getting them groceries.

let's talk grocery shopping, shall we?

for some, it's a nightmare. for others, who have their stuff together (not me), it's painless with all the perfectly planned meal plan shopping lists.

insert three kids into the picture. what do you get? a hot flashing momma who huffs and puffs through the aisles like a mad woman.

ah you thought this was going to be a post on meal planning? nope.

this is a post on not pulling your hair out, while dragging one child by the hand and simultaneously trying to maneuver the shopping cart...*inhale* and the two other kids constantly asking for every sugary item they see.
I realize that I may come off as a tad bit dramatic, and maybe. maybe.

see i'm not the kind of mom that will drive to a store to replenish the family's groceries to only leave a half filled cart at the store because one child is misbehaving. not unless he/she has a few dollars to pay me for the gas spent, of course. moving on.

 

to keep my sanity and theirs as well, since I perfectly well know grocery shopping doesn't make the top ten on their list of fun, I keep them busy...with their own list.

<feel free to print for your personal use>

here's the gist. I have three kids, so one kid gets the fruits, another gets the veggies, and the other dairy items, bread and such.
the rest is all you.
 

this last trip we got everything we needed in about an hour. usually with them it takes an hour and a half, sometimes a little more. it's a win - win. they stay busy and agree that it's fun, and you stay collected and cool while getting a to do item off your list.

there are a couple of things to consider of course. so let's digest them a bit.

 

age :  the list making would need to be age appropriate. mine are already a bit older and can read and write, so i allowed them to make their own list. for the younger tots, if they don't know how to read yet, you might want to use pictures.
 

<feel free to print for your personal use>

 

time: you may not want to go at the busiest times of course. some people might not appreciate a toddler or a kid taking a little longer to check for the best avocados, which i thought was super cute. but i'm their mom, so i would.
in addition, it might be a little overwhelming for the kiddos when the store is packed.

overall, i think it was fun for them because they said so, and it was a great learning experience too.
if i'm up for the challenge, i might give them a budget next time to stick too. that might be interesting to see. we'll see whether they inherited my thrifty, coupon when i can ways, or their dad's...

what kind of methods do you use when grocery shopping with kiddos?