I actually used to like grocery shopping (even with poppet in tow)...that is until yesterday!! Sit back I as tell you a tale of Woolies woe. It all started like this......
Up early with bag packed with necessary snacks, extra nappy, wipes etc. Shopping list completed the night before. Me showered and dressed. Poppet dressed. Enter pooey nappy number one. No worries...let's just get you all freshened up before we head out the door. Red bottom...swipe on a little bit of sudocrem and she's apples! "Yes honey, I'd love you to stick your finger in the sudocrem and smear it all over the change mat." Out the door.
Arrive at shopping centre and begin the circumnavigation of the car park...ah! there's one. Carry poppet and bag containing trolley cosy (I know it's a bit over the top at her age but I can't erase my Year 5 teacher's words from my mind "If you sit on cold surfaces you'll get piles!!! Can 16 month old get piles??!!). Whilst wrangling a desperate to escape toddler in one arm, put trolley cosy into trolley with other arm....backwards. Repeat this process! Finally get little worm into trolley and lo and behold...the safety strap is broken. Goody!! I'll just redo all that last bit again with a new trolley. Enter pooey nappy number two! Think happy thoughts, think happy thoughts!
Add pension day (I ALWAYS forget!!), scattered sultanas, poppet sticking her fingers in the mince and eating it while I wasn't looking, an elderly (and rather grumpy) lady tsk, tsking me because I fed poppet a few grapes from the bag, only 3 checkouts open, my checkout operator needing change.....and a wonky trolley wheel!
Home at last! Lug fifty bags of groceries upstairs and unpack them whilst my little Bijou pulls out the contents of the pantry. Poppet to bed. Change out of shopping clothes and what's this....little white sudocrem fingerprints all over the arm and shoulder of my favourite leather jacket. Can I please return to my real life! This weird dimension I've managed to transport to is really scaring me!
A nice hot cup of tea and a some therapeutic sewing of some more eco fold-out bags for my Mum and Mum-in-law and I'm starting to see the funny side. I said "starting" ...I'm not a saint!
For more creative spaces please pop over to Kirsty's inspiring blog. Just drop into Wooolworths on line first...I beg you!
Hahaha! I totally understand! That's why I don't take my 3year old shopping and haven't for about a year. I still take the 8month old cos she's still little enough just to sit there and look around. I can feel your exhaustion! Love the bags by the way - now there's a nice thing to take shopping!
ReplyDeleteOh, the joys of shopping with young ones....! Unfortunately I've never been able get into the whole online grocery thing.....
ReplyDeleteOh what a day! Lucky you have those lovely eco-bags to take away all the horrible memories.
ReplyDeleteI feel for you! It all happens at once sometimes!
ReplyDeleteI love the fabric inside the doilies!!xx
It is hilarious (well it will be...) just another day in the life of a supermama! Too many of those tsk, tsking & I might just have to say something I'll regret!! Love your bags, especially the doily detail...
ReplyDeleteReally very rude of you to make me laugh out loud whilst trying to get the baby back to sleep, Steph. I took 5 of mine to the market today, and I feel your pain. Eat chocolate, take Valium, and for pity's sake, leave her home next time!
ReplyDeletehahahah, but you'll miss all these funny moments once the little one grows much bigger!! Lovely bags by the way! xoxox
ReplyDeleteOh, classic. Yes, sometimes you just HAVE to take them along...but it's painful. Cute bags.
ReplyDeletei started grocery shopping online after my second baby was about 3 months old- she used to be okay all the way around and then go crazy at the checkout. feel a bit bad because my toddler loves the supermarket and was always good but its soooo good getting groceries delivered to the front door esp on rainy days!! love your eco bags they are very clever :)
ReplyDeleteI'm right there will you Steph - ahhh the joys. My little girl likes to eat raw mushrooms and my son thinks he can run up and down isles shouting out every number he sees (and there is a lot at good ol' woolies). I think next time you just stay home and sew - really supermarket shopping is a dangerous hobby and we'd much rather be crafting! Hope your jacket is ok too ;-)
ReplyDeleteheheee, I so do not miss those nappy changing days. we did cloth nappies...so even worse.
ReplyDeletenow it's more, "me want to pee" at the worst of times.
love LOVE your bags Steph.
have a wonderful end to the week
♥
How were we at the same shop and not see each other? Oh I so could have written this - but my boy had sodocream in his hair before we left the house - nice! Number two poo for the day was completed in the teachers room at kinder, lovely smell to leave linger with her for the day! And to top it off did you know that I have been on a plane trip, eaten out and caught a cab in Egypt? No nor did I - resulting in credit card being cancelled and Frued Department doing my head in because said primary card holder is away (What until I tell him where I have been this week - or maybe he is not out bush at all)
ReplyDeleteHi Steph, thanks for leaving such a nice message on my blog, I was thrilled to read it as I had been checking in on your blog after seeing your amazing mushroom tent featured. I love your bags too, practical & pretty! Fortunately for me I am past the shopping trolley horror days with my baby starting school this year, but it's still burnt into my psyche and remember it like yesterday! Enjoy your week too.
ReplyDeleteJust one thing, from an experienced mother of 4 . . . you'll wish she was still in nappies once she's toilet trained & you're 75% through your grocery shopping & she needs the bathroom. You're stuck in the "i've committed too far into the shopping to leave now" territory & start speed shopping, willing the queues through & bladder control!! I still take all my children grocery shopping & even as primary schoolers, barely any of them can make it through a whole shop without a toilet break - it's torture. I use one particular supermarket which has - by saving grace - a handicapped toilet you can see from a check out!! I send them in a group, brilliant!!
ReplyDeleteI hope you get the cream out of your leather jacket, oh, the humanity!! Love Posie
oh my...you related that terrible experience so well i remember things i had blocked out for years...realising i was out (at the theatre no less) with baby vomit down my fave black velvet jacket was probably the finest...so funny now though...err 12 years later!!
ReplyDeleteOh Steph I hope you poured yourself a large glass of wine this evening. You definately deserve it. I swear my two have trigger that goes off everytime we go into a department store that makes them need to go to the toilet (and it's always bloomin miles away.) I LOVE the eco bags you are making. They are fantastic.
ReplyDeleteOh Steph! What a day......I hope tomorrow is a better day. I'm sure it will be. Hope to see you again soon. xo
ReplyDeleteOh no! Boy did you have a doozy of a morning shopping. I say go online shopping next time for sure.:) I'm glad you got to do some crafting making some very pretty shopping bags. xo
ReplyDeleteOh no! Sudocream is very difficult to get out I imagine. Sounds like a regular day in my life! xo m.
ReplyDelete*sigh* the joys of parenting hey? Sounds like our regular shopping adventures. Exhausting isn't it.
ReplyDeleteGood that you got to do some creative stuff when you got home. Hope you managed to have a little nap too. Take care.
You had me in stitches and the sudocream I figured out is what we call desitin,That stuff is horible to get out, your so cute. I hate to tell you once their potty trained now I spend half the time trying to find a toilet...
ReplyDeleteExcellent story - been there myself - still not fully recovered!!! Ya just gotta laugh!
ReplyDeletePainful! But you survived and made the most gorgeous fold-out bags I have ever seen!
ReplyDeleteI completely understand how awful it can be out going shopping with bub in tow. My youngest is now toilet trained and that can be quite tricky too. BTW I love those bags and purses!
ReplyDeleteHa Ha! I'm hearing you, and that's exactly what I do "Nice cup of tea?". It slowly begins to be funny when you share it with someone else, but alone with the kids in the middle of the shop it can just be awful! Have a great day today :)
ReplyDeleteHi Steph, thanks for the lovely message you left on my blog yesterday. I was very excited to hear from you as I had been admiring your work on your blog after seeing your amazing mushroom tent featured and think your creations are grogeous. I love you shopping bags, practicle & pretty! I remember the days of supermarkets with toddlers well. My baby started school this year but it is still burnt into my psych like it were yesterday, thank god we can do a little crating to relax and forget about it...
ReplyDeleteah the joy of little ones. Loving the bags.
ReplyDeleteYou would think with both my boys at school now that I would be able to get the groceries done without them in tow? Well its 30kms to the shop so I try not to make unnecessary trips to town and also Thursday is my creative day so I stay as long as possible at the studio so that I get something done. Sacrifices have to be made and sometimes I wonder about my sanity as I drag the boys around woolies on Sat afternoon after Hockey...what was I thinking? Especially when a check out operator who is so young there is no way he would have children himself comments to me that "that was bad" Hmmm...even the games on the mobile phone for distraction didn't work that day! LOL, we have to keep laughing or we would be lost :-)
ReplyDeleteyour bags are gorgeous. I know it's not funny but it did bring back memories for me (mine are 17 and 11 now) Maybe you should consider Coles shopping online it's great and I know a lot of mums of little ones are doing it, it doesn't cost much as little as $5 for delivery and I am doing it sometimes now and it's fabulous, delivered to your door
ReplyDeleteyour banner is sooo pretty!
ReplyDeletei have lots o vintage images like that on my freebie section.. hope you like!!
oh honey, I have SO been there. And the old lady tsk tsking GRRRR makes me mad. Last time someone did that to me I loudly announced "clearly you two didn't have any children" (alternatively, poke your tongue out at them). Two grapes = one quiet child, would they rather a screamer? Hope today is calmer for you x
ReplyDelete