Friday morning JJ had speech therapy. We were out of a bunch of important food/household items so had gone back and forth over the past couple of days on if we should get them at Walmart 20 minutes away or go to Sam's Club 1 hour away. We decided on Sams. Superman and Faith got done with school on Wednesday, so we left Superman home with Buddy. He was thrilled to get to spend the day reading and relaxing (although several of his friends ended up popping over for fun). I personally think he was the most happy that I wasn't home to tell him to do any more cleaning like Thursday's big cleaning day lol! Anyway, we took Faith with us and after Speech Therapy we headed to the town with Sam's Club.
JJ doesn't do the greatest with car rides. Thursday night he looked at me with surprise on his face and said, "I haven't thrown up in forever!" Well, 2 blocks from the restaurant he informed me he was going to throw up (usually he doesn't get car sick after about 10 a.m., but he has now twice in the past month - but has not the vomiting after eating so that is a plus. I don't think I will ever get this kid figured out!)... I had a bag ready since that is our reality and that got done. We threw the bag away in the restaurant's dumpster and headed inside to Carlos O'Kelly's.
JJ loved that he got to eat unlimited chips and salsa and chowed it down. Then he wanted tacos, but didn't like them when they came. He did, however, like the shrimp on my husband's fajitas and ate.them.all. Then he started in on my husband's beef and chicken. My husband had to hurry up and eat so JJ didn't eat it all lol! Faith and I shared chicken fajitas and she ate JJ's taco. Goofy kid.
Then we made a quick trip to Menards. Faith and I tried to keep JJ occupied while my husband got what was on his list. He was done at the agreed upon time - that must have been a first lol! Once he found us I found other items to throw into the cart and we headed to the check out (I love that Menards now sells cereal!) and Faith was excited to find a discounted a movie:) We got to the front and I learned something else new. I am usually the one who "gets" to watch the children while my husband pays (and shops). I have the children taken to the vehicle and buckled in before he ever gets done paying and to the van. So today I was in the checkout line just waiting with him while trying to keep JJ in one place and he made a comment to me, "it would be helpful if you bagged the items." I stood there looking at the Menards set up and realized...that I have never ever been in the Menards check out. I have always had to take the kids out before that part of the process so did not realize he had to get the items both out of the cart while simultaneously bagging the ones already checked lol! It took me a few minutes to figure out why the process felt so awkward to me - I wonder if, in maybe another 10 years, if I will get to relinquish the role of child watching and rushing to the vehicle lol! I think it will be a stretch for me to actually enjoy shopping through. Right now all I do is flit my eyes from kid to kid to kid with a lot of "don't touch that" "get back here" "stop bothering your siblings" thrown in;)
We left Menards and headed to Walmart. We had 3 things on the list (THREE!!). We made a plan and I told my husband where we were heading. He didn't show up. Then he called and said he was waiting for me up front. We booked it up front and...he wasn't there lol! I finally found him and we got out of there.
Then...we got to Sam's Club. We had a list there too. However, JJ had hit his limit. My husband took off to get the items on the list. I was trying to just browse with the 2 kids. The problem with browsing to keep kids occupied? JJ saw something he actually wanted and would not return to me. Faith and I had to head down 2 different isles to corner him. My husband wasn't answering his phone to tell me where he was or to come help me.We got him wrangled, found my husband, and I got JJ and Faith buckled into the car while...yep...my husband checked out;)
To be completely honest though, this was actually a much better shopping trip than most. I did not actually lay down on the floor and have a tantrum. No, I mean that he, HE, did not actually have a tantrum lol! He did not kick or hit me. He did refuse to come to me and he did try to pull away from me. But it was a pretty low key day compared to the usual. I think that the kids are...finally...growing up lol!
And he didn't get car sick again on the way home. Yay!
If you see some harried mother with her children acting up in a store, please do not assume that she does not discipline her children, and think rude thoughts of her. Extend her mercy;)
I often think of the verse in James in these situations, "Judgment, without mercy, will be shown to those who have not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment." I have to remind myself of this verse plenty myself...
Grace gets out of school next Wednesday. That will be the big test. Grace by herself is great. Grace with any other combination of kids is...explosive. (I don't know if any of you have noticed that we have a very specific order that we sit in our church pew? It is the same every week for a very good reason. Keep Grace FAR away from Buddy and Superman is our peacekeeper). Today was intentionally our last "hurrah" with JJ and Faith before...before...before the realities of summer vacation with all of the kids thrown together 24/7.
But that is for another post;)
