Breaking Up With Wal-Mart

I should have done it years ago and if they didn't have groceries (read: milk) I would never set foot in the place.  But the problem is that Wal-Mart does have the three basic necessities (diapers, milk, and saline solution) for reasonable coin and my life is not conducive to running to multiple stores when those items share the list.  There just isn't time.

Side note:  I did avoid the place for years because for some reason the colors/design/layout is maddening and senseless and made my head hurt (it still does), plus Target (lovely, lovely Target) is right next door and there really is no decision to make when those two are up against each other.  The problem is - and this is a huge problem - The Boy believes the milk from Target "tastes like cheese" and he's right.  I have no idea why it's gross, but there must be a milk-purchase option when I shop because we're holding steady at 9+ gallons/week around here and it is always on the list.  In fact, it is so on the list, all the time, that the word "milk" doesn't even make an appearance because it should always, always be assumed that we need the stuff.

But I've had it and what was the proverbial straw?  Those silly turn-table bag thingies at the check-out have robbed me of too many groceries I have purchased.   I really, really needed that onion this afternoon and had to change dinner plans on the fly because one of my bags was forgotten and left on the turn-table.  Very, very uncool.

When the triplets were two-ish, they (Lizzy especially) would throw down a fabulous, multi-super-tantrum if we turned right to go to Wal-Mart as opposed to left for Target.  I still wish I had video of it: three kids screaming their heads off and begging to not go to Wal-Mart. It would have made a perfect commercial.

I'm done.  Officially done.

My Cart Monkeys

It's stinkin' hard to push the buggy when my sweet babies are hanging all over it.

Love them.

I Think We Need A Bigger Mudroom

I'm thankful we even have one.  They don't exist in most houses in our area, and it was one of my favorite last-minute details we included when we put our addition on several years ago. Until then we didn't even have a closet on the first floor, so you can imagine how over-the-moon I was to have something as luxurious as a 4x8 place to toss shoes and hang coats.

But, you see, when the addition was in its design/pre-building phase, we were a family of three. We are no longer that family and our place-to-toss-our-shoes is barely adequate.

It snowed and this is the aftermath with 5 sets of snow boots, snow pants, accessories, rocks for treasured collections, back packs, grown-up stuff, sticks, shoe bins with covers to prevent the contents from being mistaken as chew toys, etc.  It would be one thing if winter was clearly defined around here because we could keep it simple. But winter in our neck of the woods means 61 degrees one day, stormy and mid-50's the next, followed by 8 days straight of temperatures so cold they'd make a polar bear shiver.  Because of that, we never really put away the spring or fall stuff until it simply becomes outgrown. 

I can't imagine what this will look like five years from now, when the shoes, jackets, and backpacks are even bigger.  And let's not forget about sports equipment. 

Yikes.

Triplet + 2 Public Service Announcement

It takes more than twenty minutes to get five children, ages 8 and under, out the door when hats, coats, mittens, boots, lunch boxes, and backpacks are involved.  And today, the last two items were for only three of them. 

I really don't know how this is going to work next year when we'll need to get 4 of them, with all accoutrements, to school by 8:35.  Without copious amounts of yelling.