Grocery shopping with 3 kids… please stop gawking.

Here we go… mentally prepping for a grocery store trip… with (gasp) my children.

     The hubs and I must have been crazy, out of our minds, insane, psycho, circus people to have, wait for it, THREE children- and on top of that- oh yes- they are all boys… can you believe the horror!!!!  Yes, people, I have 3 children, who, luck would have it, are (gasp again) BOYS- insert scary movie scream!!!  One of the fun parts of having boys is that they eat. a.lot.  I am constantly worried about how we are going to afford to feed them when they are teen agers, but right now I'm keeping up with feeding little people and it is hard enough!  If we would like to continue to eat- we have to go to the grocery store- since it is frowned upon to leave little people at home alone- we must ALL trek to the store.   I'm not going to lie- there have been, and will be again, times where I wanted to stick a kid (or two) on the shelf and leave him for someone else to buy.  I many have had a time when I wanted to spend a few extra bucks on bungie chords and duck tape to strap a child to the front of a cart and tape him up to keep him quiet- ha ha, I could just imagine the faces of people as I gingerly strolled down the isle with a hostage taped to the front of my cart!!  Those who don't have three boys 4 and under- don't judge me… they were only thoughts!!
     Lately, the boys have been pretty fun to go places with.  We talk, we joke, we play games… we may look like a hot mess, but we are usually having a pretty ok time.  This particular trip to the store started like any… I needed milk.  I said it- one thing… Milk.  I go in and instantly think- we should get a watermelon, and cereal, and yogurt… annnd, It spirals out of control from there… you know how that goes.  So, since it was the last stop on our day of errands, the kids were tired and not really feeling it, but they love their milk, so in we go. On to loading them up in the cart. Ahh, the grocery cart…  A trip to the store with 3 kids pretty much goes two ways when it comes to the cart.  You either have room for 1 kid in the front of the cart and the other two have to either walk or hang on to the sides… not the front- that ends up with fighting on who gets the front and then the cart pulls to the side where the other kid is and it's like driving a car with one flat tire and then somehow there is some type of intricate display of something fragile at the end of every isle.  Not awesome- so my rule is one on each side.  OR, all 3 in the cart and you have absolutely no room in the cart for any groceries so you now have to push a cart with all three kids and pull an empty cart for the groceries.  Personally, I have tried the pull a cart thing once or twice.  A person can only tolerate catching your heel on the front of a cart so many times while trying to navigate the store and keep 3 kids happy before your head explodes and you lash out at a unsuspecting deli person… "I said OVEN ROASTED turkey, seriously, OVEN-ROASTED!!!" So we stick with the two hold on method.  This particular trip- Cooper J, after about 10 min in the store (perfect amount of time for if I was really only getting milk) says his legs are tired and he can't hold on anymore.  I get it- it's dinner time, and we have been at it for most of the day.  If I had someone to carry me while I shopped- you better believe I would make.that.happen...  For me- it is way easier to grocery shop, push a cart, and hold a kid by putting him on my shoulders.  This doesn't work for everyone, but for me- and for Cooper J- it works like a charm.  No whining, no crying, he is happy to be up high, and I am glad I can continue on with my shopping without a major melt down.
     Apparently this scenario, Cart of groceries, one kid riding in the front of the cart, one hanging on to the front (approved spot now that he is the only one hanging on) and one kid on my shoulders, makes people feel uncomfortable.  Uncomfortable is the only word I could think of to use because people stop, practically in their tracks, when they see us coming and then I guess feel like they know that they have starred too long and now must say something to combat their rude gawking.  This is the part I don't understand.  I have three kids- not 15 running wild and crazy.  I have one shopping cart- not 8 with luggage straps holding them together.  My kids are usually happy and/or laughing trying to help me shop and pick out things- not screaming, crying, throwing fits, or being rude.  So why do people and their comments make me feel like we just escaped from a loony bin or that three kids is such an imaginable concept in todays society.  Maybe we look like more of a mess than I feel like.  Maybe we have come such a long way that I don't realize that we are still an absolute mess. Maybe my kids are so cute that people find any excuse to strike up a conversation and spend more time looking at them.  Maybe it is me and not the kids that they want to talk to/look at.  Either way, "WOW, you have your hands full", "What isle did you pick them up on", "Wow, you must have some serious patience", "Wow, really, ALL boys!!", I could go on for a while longer, but it all seems to make me feel like a freak of nature for having three kids and that I do not have it as together as I think I do. Not a great feeling.
     So the next time you see someone cruising the isles with her brood, train wreck or not- but especially the train wreck lad- and you feel the need to say one of those above comments, maybe substitute it for "You look so good- no way ALL of those kids are yours!!" or "You look like you could take over the world- go girl!"  Or pretty much any type of cheesy compliment would be awesome.  Telling me that I look like I have my hands full just makes me think that I have food in my hair, look like a rolling train wreck, or just stating the obvious because I do literally have my hands, and shoulders full.
     So, my new response to these kind of statements will, from now on, be… "Hands full- no way, I've got this"…. because I do… most of the time.  Followed up with a high five. Boom.