Saturday Morning Fresh Market

Kevin and I were talking sometime last week about our weekend plans. I mentioned that I wanted to go to the market we used to go to and let the kids run around in the nearby park afterwards. He then suggested going to a smaller one that is closer to us. We decided to give it a try. It's def smaller, but the fruit/veggies I bought were so much cheaper! For $5.50 I bought 5 yellow apples, large container of strawberries, 1 mango, and 1 large head of cabbage. Parker was in fruit heaven! He ogled the strawberries before his eyes finally landed on the mangoes. He asked for a mango and who am I to refuse my sweet boy...especially since he's asking for yummy fruit instead of a cookie?!? I wish I had gotten a picture of all my produce - they all looked so good! But I already felt foolish taking the pics I took below. Kevin did criticize my cabbage and asked if I could have gotten an uglier looking cabbage. Umm, cabbage is supposed to be pretty?!? I rolled my eyes and told him to peel off the outer layers...that's all Publix does to make them look "pretty".

no these aren't the size containers of strawberries I got - mine were bigger, but these just looked so much prettier. lol

Lot of lettuce to choose from. I would have bought some b/c they just looked so fresh and vibrant, but I was getting tired of salads. lol 

so annoyed...I took this pic of the tomatoes and then realized I took a pic of PINK tomatoes and the brighter red/orange ones would look nicer...I had a great pic...until I accidentally deleted it when going through my pics at home. UGH!!!

Parker wanted to hold the bag with his mango

The market also had a few food trucks. We tried these soba noodles and soup. Both were delicious...and expensive! Kevin wished they had a taco truck and walked away with Avery who was starting to have a meltdown as I finished the yummy soba noodles. Then I glanced at a truck I had seen when we had first walked through the market. The sign indicated BBQ, but in smaller letters, I saw "fish tacos". I pointed it out to Kevin and he actually saw that they had gumbo. He tried it with the taco guy's homemade hot sauce. I wasn't too impressed with the gumbo and it was way too spicy for me, but Kevin loved it all.

It's like Lo-Mein, but with soba noodles

the kids watching a performer who was not that good. Both markets tie when it comes to performers who just aren't that good! lol

pretty girl was all smiles here, but she was being crazy and for some reason kept tripping - her knees look terrible!

So my impression: I'll go back to buy produce b/c it's cheaper and not as crowded, but I liked my old market even though it's grown quite big and is very crowded. There are a lot more options as far as food trucks, vendors, and goods go.

nightmare on aisle 5...

aka shopping with young kids...or at least my kids. One if not both usually drive me nuts while we are out shopping...and no I'm not at the mall buying clothes or shoes. By shopping, I mean getting groceries or other needed items (shampoo, diapers, etc). Friends and family tell me all the time that the only way to get my kids used to shopping is to take them. I get this. I do. And don't get me wrong, they go to the store with me, but only when I really have to go. I mean, if you had a choice of being able to wander down the aisles in blissful silence as opposed to flying down the aisles with a 3 year old and a 1 year old constantly asking for a snack, a drink, to be held, to be taken out of the cart, to be put back in the cart, kids going through the diaper bag, kids going through the items in the cart, kids grabbing things off the shelf that you don't need/want...and the list goes on...what would you choose?!? Yeah, I thought so. Kevin and I prefer to go to the store either on a weeknight (usually after Avery goes to bed) or nap time during the weekend. Although it's an errand I also consider it "me" time. It's quiet and peaceful. It's wonderful!

I'm off tonight and working for the next 3 days and likely on Sunday too so Kevin and I decided to take the kids to see Santa. Plus I'm hoping Santa won't be as busy tonight as opposed to during the weekend. But I also volunteered to make peanut butter sandwiches for Parker's Christmas lunch tomorrow. Unfortunately, I forgot about this and did not add an extra loaf of bread or extra jar of peanut butter to our regular grocery list over the weekend. Plus I needed to pick up a few things including a couple of Target gift cards for Parker's preschool teachers' Christmas gifts. So I decided to just bite the bullet and go to Target...with both kids...by myself.

Here's my must do/have when shopping or running errands with kids:

1. First thing: As we are getting ready I talk to Parker about where we are going and that I need him to be a big boy and to listen to Mommy; that I don't want any crying or want him to ask for things. With Parker, repetition is key so we have the same conversation while driving and then again while walking into the store. If he misbehaves in the store I remind him of what we talked about. It works about 70% of the time.

2. try to buy everything at one store. If I was going by myself I would have bought the bread and peanut butter at Costco b/c it is cheaper (it's in the same shopping plaza as Target so there's not a lot of extra driving). But when shopping with kids I prefer to only have to get them in and out of their car seats once. That's a chore itself!

3. make your shopping list according to how your store is laid out so you don't have to run back and forth.

4. bring lots of of snacks and drinks for the kids

5. bring a favorite toy or book to occupy them - my kids love their iPod or to watch movies on my phone. I also play "I Spy" with Parker - he loves this game and def keeps him occupied for a while.

6. give them one of the items that you are buying to hold - Parker feels special especially if it's something he wants. Today it was a box of hot cocoa. He had hot cocoa for the first time at Sea World a couple of weeks ago and he has been asking for some since then. We are having a few "cold" nights so this will be perfect! Avery played with a set of chip clips.

7. Bribery...yeah I said it! I tell Parker he can have a "special treat" if he is a good boy. He knows that Publix and Target's bakery give free cookies so he asks for a special treat. I usually try to do a little shopping first then when he remembers about the cookie and he has been good we go and get it. This will occupy him for a bit. If he starts to act up after he finishes his cookie, I remind him that he got a special treat and needs to continue being a good boy. It usually works. If it doesn't then I try any of the above items. Today we skipped the cookie...and made it out alive without any melt downs!!! Woo hoo!!!

These usually work, but when all else fails I've left carts full of items (if there's anything perishable, I tell a store employee - they usually give me a sympathetic and grateful look) and drag my screaming kids out the door). As you can tell from the above pics, I can't really go grocery shopping for a whole weeks worth of food b/c there's no room in the cart and Parker just cannot be trusted to walk by the cart and not run off or grab every other item he sees on the shelves.

What's your must do/have when running errands with your kids?

shopping is tiring work...

My Xmas Wish List

Ok, so Kevin and I aren't exchanging gifts this year, but I still have a wish list...it's like window shopping! lol

1. Immersion Blender $17 at Bed, Bath, and Beyond - not necessarily this, but I want one of these b/c I've been on a soup kick lately and this would help minimize the cleanup!

2. Zinnia Measuring Spoons $10 at Pier 1. These were on sale just a few days ago - back to full price now. Should have bought it then!!!

3. Zinnia Measuring Cups $15 at Pier 1. These were on sale too. Sigh!

3. Plug in Wax Warmer $8 (currently on sale - $10 regular price) at Wal-Mart. LOVE these - have one for my vanity area and want one for the kid's bathroom. I'd rather not have one with a cord attached - ya know, b/c Parker washing his hands by himself means water everywhere. 

4. Wax Warmer $12 at Walmart - same as above, but it's not a plug in. Well it plugs in, but there's a cord. 

5. Wax Cubes $10 for a pack of 5 at Walmart online, but the store sells them for $2/pack. The cupcake scent is my favorite scent and for cheap wax, it really makes a large room smell yummy. Much better than some of the more expensive wax out there!

6. Tervis Tumbler $19 at Bed Bath and Beyond for a 24 oz tumbler w/ a lid. I have cheap knock offs, but you can't put hot drinks in them and I want to use it for coffee too. Not necessarily this one, but a cute one. LOVE that it's plastic and has a lid - a must when you've got a 19 month old who loves to grab your cup when you turn your head the other way. She can drink out of a cup, but sometimes gets too excited and spills it all over herself and the floor

7. Bed Rest Pillow $20 at Target. I didn't know what these were called. I googled "reading pillow". I had one ages ago, but Kevin threw it away during one of our moves. I don't know why! I want one b/c I love to read or watch TV in bed and this is the perfect pillow. It's a lot more comfy than folding up a couple of pillows behind me. Not necessarily this color. 

8. Glass Apothecary Jars $27 on Amazon.com. To put decorative items in it. My fireplace mantle is in need of some decorations.

9. Germ Guardian UVC & True HEPA Air Purifier $150 at Target. This is my big ticket item - I want it for our living room. The kids have one for each of their rooms. I bought it earlier this year b/c they were sick on and off for a few months and I was tired of it. I thought I'd try anything - plus we can turn it on high and use it as a white noise machine for naps and bed time. It may be coincidence, but the kids got better within a week. The kids haven't really been sick after I bought the air purifiers except for a handful of runny noses that disappeared within a few days and I think those were allergies or teething. 

Hmm...I just realized that my list comprises of things for the house with the exception of the tumbler and the pillow and even those can be considered household items. I've become BORING! Ok, so to become un-boring...I'm gonna add some "me" stuff.

10. Madison Leather Tote $298 - Papaya color. LOVE the bright color. Sigh...I haven't bought a new Coach purse in a while...not that I NEED a new one, but now that I've looked, I do WANT one.

Ok, kids life intruded...I only have time to search for 1 item. It's a bit sad that I only have 1 "fun" item. I guess I've gotten to the point where I don't really want things for me - I just want some cute stuff for the kids and for the house. WOW! I feel so grown up! lol 

Black Friday

I worked today...BLACK FRIDAY...at Old Navy. I was a bit relieved when I was scheduled from 4 pm - 1 am. I didn't want to deal with the crazy wackos who stand in line for over 4 hours to shop at midnight and trample over people who get in their way. Then I realized I would have to close the store and "recover". Recover basically means folding/hanging clothes in the right spot. The store would be upside down!

I got to work and saw this! This was nothing compared to some of the tables I passed on my way to the back of the store! What drove me nuts is that people would grab a shirt, walk literally 2 feet away, decide they didn't want the shirt anymore and just plop it down on the nearest surface instead of walking 2 feet back to put it away! GAH!  

I "recovered" (no worries, I fixed the sweaters on the bottom shelf too) and as I was "recovering" the $4 long sleeves in the back, a crazy man started picking up random sweaters to see if he liked it and would just plop it back down all crumpled. Hello, the stripes are gonna look the same at the bottom than they do at the top! I may or may not have given him a horrified look.

As I took my dinner break, I looked at my cell and saw a text from Kevin w/ a pic of chicken noodle soup (all of us sickies needed some comforting soup) and asking if I wanted him to bring me some. It was 1 hour before I went on break. I called him and said no worries about the soup since I had eaten a quick bite already, but if Parker was still awake, can they come up b/c I barely saw this sweet boy all day b/c we were out running errands before work and he was napping when we got home and was still asleep when I left for work. Parker was excited b/c he had been asking to come to "Mommy works". He said hi to my co-workers, danced and played with a little girl, and fell in love with an army jeep (Old Navy always has nifty little items by the checkout line and something always catches Parker's eye). I told him he didn't have his coins so he couldn't buy it. His reply: "Oh man! I want gween jeep!". That reply made me think of a big boy - not my little baby! They stayed for over 30 minutes so I got my cuddles and kisses and Parker told me: "I wuv you. Miss you!". That boy broke my heart and I almost just went home with them!

By the way, getting that Lightning McQueen thingie that snapped onto his Crocs that I mentioned here has been fantastic! When we got home I started to think that maybe we should have maybe gotten Thomas (the Train) to put on the left shoe. But the next day as he tried to put his shoes on the wrong feet, a BRILLIANT idea popped in my head: I told him that McQueen goes on this foot and tapped his right foot. He seems to have remembered this since he hasn't put his shoes on the wrong feet that I know of since then. Now if I can just get him to remember that the little pocket/window on his undies goes in the front then we'd be golden!