Pet Peeves

Recently I read a friend's Facebook status and learned that I commit a pet peeve of hers (unknowingly). She hates that people don't return the shopping cart to the store or cart catch. She thinks it is lazy. I want to start off by saying that I am not lazy and she is not wrong in saying that it's lazy. It is lazy - for the single, non-child-toting adult.

Of course this friend doesn't have children. She just doesn't understand the issues associated with returning a shopping cart when you have two children with you. I used to think the same thing - return the darn cart! Then I had Savannah and Luke. I just attempt my very best to park next to a shopping cart return that isn't miles from the store entrance. In the case that isn't possible, the shopping cart doesn't always find a "good home" before I leave. Here's the problem: Savannah can walk. And run. She is really generally very good about staying by my side, but who wants to take chances?

So picture this: You get done shopping and have a cart full of groceries (especially when you are shopping for a family of four!) which also had an infant seat in it. You have the little babe in the cart and push it with one hand (killer on the wrist!) and then in the other hand you hold the toddler's hand to keep her in safe proximity to you. So obviously your cart is full and you can't carry all of the groceries and children to the car...so you take a full cart to the car. You of course want to load everything in the car before returning the cart. Well - before you load the groceries to the car you need two free hands. This entails putting the toddler in her car seat for safe keeping. Say it's possibly raining or snowing or windy...all of which happen often here in West Virginia. Thus, with the poor weather, you also need to put the infant in his car seat in the car. So, the kids are loaded and safe - they can't run off. Now you can (finally!) unload the groceries from the cart. So now you are left with an empty cart but children strapped in your car. You can't leave the kids locked in the car (Hello visit from CPS!)...so do you unstrap both children from the car, put them back in the cart for the trip back to the store/cart return and then carry the infant back to the car one-handed while you hold the toddler's hand? Or do you just put the cart as much out of the way as possible?

So when I shop alone, if I can't find a parking spot near a cart return...well the cart doesn't make it back. I can understand how someone without children wouldn't think of these things - I didn't really until Luke came along.

I've been thinking about how people on the "no children" side of life seem to glamorize or falsely understand those of us on the "children" side. I happened along this blog post the other day. I honestly could have written this myself! Just today I was up at 4am, then 7am, then rushed through the house to get Savannah to preschool (which means I have to be dressed to), feed all three of us, pump extra breastmilk (and store it safely)...all before 8:30am. I had errands to run, pack for a trip, pick up Savannah, laundry to do, food to prep for dinner...it is just one thing after another. I often have to eat while I'm nursing Luke...otherwise I don't eat. Even trips to the bathroom are limited! I often forget that I was heading that way (when of course I was side-tracked by Savannah or Luke) and then it's hours between trips to the bathroom.

My grandmother is ill, which weighs heavily on me. I want her to see Luke - but she lives 5 hours from here. She's in the hospital now. So making the trip with the two kids is going to be hard. A family member offered to watch the kids while we are there so that Carl and I could have some time at the hospital (because, again obviously, Savannah won't be patient and lovely in a hospital for hours on end). It was so very sweet of her to offer - but it was also clear to me that she didn't know what she was signing up for. She said she'd watched her husband's nieces before, and they can be a handful, so she could handle Luke and Savannah. I don't think I'll subject her to that. We'll be driving 5 hours (and that is without stopping) or more to get there...most likely much longer time since we have a breastfeeding newborn and a potty training 3 year old (dry for 4 days now!)...I see many stops in our future. So when we arrive we'll have two cranky kids. One who has to be with me because I'm his food source, and one that is incredibly shy and won't stay with someone she has seen very rarely in her short life. So we are going to have two irritable little ones...drive up to see my grandmother and then drive home the next day. Needless to say I'll be exhausted come Monday.

I love being home with my kids - a lot. When I go back to work it will be REALLY hard. Much worse than when I went back to work after Savannah was born. I wouldn't trade any of this craziness for anything...I just wish those who didn't have my life wouldn't act like it's a simple, relaxing lifestyle. Those who think things are cut plain and clear most obviously haven't experienced it!