Why I Should Always Take Charlotte Grocery Shopping

Once upon a time, we were much like other families.  There was a mom and a dad and a bunch of crazy kids that drove their mom insane.  At nights our dad would come home from work and divert the attention of the crazies so that momma could regain some sanity.  Sometimes, that sanity regroup involved grocery shopping, ALONE.  For the past year however, we have been building a new house (by we, I of course mean Zac), and he never comes home anymore, which means that I have to take the crazies grocery shopping with me... the horror.

And to make things extra difficult, we have a baby.  There appears once or twice a day a "Magic Hour" when the baby is both awake and happy.  It is during this magic hour that any excursions out of the house must be made, which means that when it is time to grocery shop... we go in a hurry.

Today, being one of those days when I had put off grocery shopping until we had nothing in the fridge but a box of Baking Soda, I decided that we had to go.  Magic hour hit and I yelled to Ian and Charlotte to get dressed and get their shoes on and then we hustled out the door as fast as we could go.  I fretted in the mirror in the van as I drove along and worried about any chance encounters that I might make with anyone I knew, as I had not had time before magic hour to slap on any makeup or do anything productive with my hair.

As we pulled up to the grocery store bus loads of children were pouring into the store, including Ian's Kindergarten teacher with her morning class... drat, so much for not running into anyone I knew... but then for the first time since we left the house, I really LOOKED at Charlotte.  I had not thought to take the time to make sure that she was matching or coordinating today and this is the outfit that she came up with...

Needless to say, no one was looking at me!

Later, as I was typing this in fact, she added to her ensemble by applying makeup with the leftover corndog sticks from lunch and some water color paints.

She does her makeup just like mommy.  I am so proud.

And that is why Charlotte has got my back when we go grocery shopping... also, sometimes she sneaks bags of extra chocolate chips or candy into the cart that I don't find until it's too late... oh well, I guess I will just have to eat these M&M's and not share them with her to teach her a lesson.  Yep, it's good having Charlottte along.