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The night before
Lay out town clothes and shoes for everyone. Put everyone to bed at a decent time if not earlier than usual.
The morning of
Load the crockpot so you do not have to worry about supper. Leave immediately after the breakfast table chores are done so that you can be home as soon as possible for the little ones to get their naps. Everybody has to use the toilet before leaving.
Being efficient
Plan your stops so that you do not have to back track around town. Do the most necessary stops first so if the little children begin to meltdown you can cut your losses and head for home.
Do not give the children anything beyond water to drink unless you like to go into the bathroom of every store you visit. Take along a drink cooler of water and paper cups or water bottles. I like to keep a case of water bottles in our van.
In the Store
Baby goes into the cart�s seat. Toddlers go into the back of the cart and have to sit. It is nicer to sit on a coat or a package of toilet paper, paper towels, or diapers. If you need a lot of items at the store then your biggest kid will have to push another cart.
Store Rules
Go over the Store Rules before you leave the vehicle; review them again between each stop.
� When you get out of the vehicle do not rub your coat against the cars and get dirty
� When you get out of the vehicle be careful not to door-dink the next car
� In the parking lot hold hands with your �buddy� and stay together (more on the buddy system later)
� �Do not run around in the parking lot unless you want the most severe of consequences!�
� Walk in age order behind Mom, oldest last to make sure we do not lose anyone
� No crawling on the floor
� No wrestling
� No yelling or screaming
� No asking for things
� No hiding in the clothes
� No fits
� Do not touch the price tabs in the grocery store
� Do not touch items in the stores unless we are buying it
� Do not touch each other
Lest you think I am a big meany, I do reward for good behavior. Disobedience is dealt with at home. I have found that the way the shopping goes is largely dependent on my preparation for the day and my attitude. I try to make it fun and we take time to smell the fresh strawberries in the produce section and window shop a bit. On especially good days, we will stop for ice cream on the way home.
Eating out or not
Drive through eating costs a lot of money for a large family, leaves the children hungry, and is extremely unhealthy. Try to eat at home or pack along sandwiches. It is a treat to stop at a park for a picnic.
When you get home
Put the little ones down for a nap first. Have the older children unload the bags and put away refrigerator items while you feed the baby. Then let everyone go to Quiet Time, they need a break from running around and so do you!
Get your salad veggies washed. Cut up the dry stuff and toss, this will keep for several days if you don�t add tomatoes, mushrooms, cucumbers, and other moist items. Cut those at each meal. Put your older children in charge of salad prep.
When you and the children do the Afternoon Chores have them distribute the shopping items to their proper places.
Recovery
If it was a very rough day in town, and I know you know what I mean, thank the Lord you put food in the crockpot. The bare minimum is to get the cold items put away, and then everyone goes to their Quiet Time place until supper. The chores can wait until tomorrow. Rest restores the sanity like nothing else does.
The Next Day
Balance the checkbook again. Keeping on top of this small chore keep the finances under control.
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