Surviving the grocery store... with 3 little ones in tow

A few weeks ago after a very long, tiring, patience-testing trip to the grocery store, I swore I would never take all three of the kids with me again. I guess over time the pain of the experience wore off, because I decided to try it again. But this time I was more prepared. I decided to try and get the kids more involved instead of having them do their own thing and me my own thing. I assigned Dan to be the helper and and gave John the responsibility of crossing the items off my detailed list as we got them. I was more than surprised by how eager they were to help! Dan helped pick out the fruit, carry the milk, decide which yogurt to buy, where to put things in the cart, etc. while John sat in the cart with clipboard in hand, making sure everything got crossed off the list. Then about halfway through they decided it was time to switch jobs and try something new. And Joe? He got buckled in tight and I was more thoughtful about the toys I brought for him: magnets to play with on the cart, a small toy that plays music that he likes to dance to, and a book. I'm not quite ready to give him the freedom the older ones have yet, he's not very good at staying close and obeying me. But he didn't seem to mind staying put this time. Finally a shopping success! No one was crying by the time we got to check out!