My Two Cents: How to Get Into the Store with Kids...

So last week I shared my tips on how to get out of the house with kids but what happens when you reach your destination??  All of that hard work and planning to get out of the house won't do you a lot of good if you can't get yourself into the store.  Having spent the last two years running errands with two young children, I have learned some things.  Here is what works and what doesn't...


1.  Always park near the cart corral.  I used to think parking near the front doors was the most important thing but I have learned it is much better to be near the cart return.  That way you can grab a cart and return it quickly all while the kids sit safely strapped in their seats.  Otherwise you will have to juggle your kids and your bags while you try to steer the cart with one hand.  


2.   Tell your kids the game plan before you enter the store.  I try to let my kids know the general plan and what my expectations are before we head inside.  I tell them things like, "We are here to get 5 things and while I am shopping I need you to sit down in the cart."  I let them know up front what the consequence will be if they do not follow directions and even more importantly I tell them the incentive for behaving: a cookie after we pay or a treat from the dollar bin once I have gotten everything I need.

3.  Get them involved.  This works great for toddlers and above.  I ask them to help me find things (I spy...) or let them toss non-fragile things into the cart ( a favorite of my boys).  I also ask them to help me make decisions on what we are buying: "Do we want grape juice or apple juice?"  Usually this keeps them entertained long enough for me to get through at least part of my shopping.

4.  Utilize the buckles.  If your children are saints and will walk obediently by your side I give you kudos. If your kids are anything like mine and make a simple shopping trip a full on cardio routine, then you are already well-aware of buckles.  Whether its your stroller or the grocery cart save yourself some drama by buckling your kids in as soon as they get in the cart.  Make sure that at the very least they are strapped in tight when it comes time to check out.  The cash register is where my kids usually break down so I tighten that strap and pull out the holy grail (cookie) at that point.  At least if my child is screaming bloody murder I know that they can't jump out as I enter my pin number.

The only other tricks I can offer is to come prepared...bring their sippy cup, pack a small snack, distract them with stickers, and always carry wipes.  And once again I will preach the power of organization.  Having a list and being clear on what you need is crucial to making it to your destinations as well as through the store quickly!

Q & A with Beth...

One of the recent questions we received in the emails to Adrienne actually pertained to me.  A fellow mom is in the midst of debating if she should return to her corporate job or start up something on her own.  She wanted to know...


                          "How do you balance family, writing, cooking, and all other activities 
                            in your life?  What does a typical day look like for you?"


I am so glad you asked Jamie!  My daily schedule differs a little from day-to-day but every day tests my abilities to multi-task!  In addition to being a mom and wife I obviously write Momsie.  I also have my other blog for design POST which is just one facet of the interior design business I started up this year!  As if all of that wasn't enough, I have continued to work part time for my dad.  I started doing office work for him after my oldest was born and because it is not an outrageous amount of work I have continued to do it. I also can do it all remotely from my computer so that makes it feasible.  Oh and did I mention that I would like to still be a good wife, look pretty, cook good meals, and spend time with friends?! 

7:30-9:00:

• The house is awake...breakfast for my sons...stick a granola bar in my purse for later
• Get my sons dressed, wiped down, and occupied so I can get dressed
• If I want to be productive I shower
• I quickly check voicemail for my dad's office, return any urgent calls if possible 
• If its a preschool day we are in the car (hopefully!) by 9:15.  For this to occur there must be a lot of screaming, running around, and crying by me not them.

9:30-12:45:  

• On the days when both sons are in school these are my golden hours!  I usually have a detailed "to-do" list.  Most of the time it involves errands for design POST.  This might include shopping for furniture, hunting for fabric or working on some DIY project.  If I am not doing those things you can usually find me at Target or Harris Teeter.  If I am am not at one of those places I am most certainly cleaning up around my house.  

• On the days when I have one or both of my boys we are usually on the go.  Playdates at a friend's house, Imaginon, or the park are favorites.  I try to keep them busy so they are ready for a nap!

1:00-4:00:  


Sweet precious nap time!  I don't know how I will survive when my kids stop napping.  I squeeze a lot into these 3 or so hours:

• Make dinner or at least prepare it so all I have to do is pop something in the oven later
• Do my work for my dad: lots of phone calls and scheduling
• Write, edit, and finalize posts for Momsie and design POST.  I do most of my writing in large chunks on the weekends.  You can usually find me at some point on a Saturday or Sunday sitting in a Barnes and Noble typing away.
• Catch up on reality tv while eating lunch!
• Some days just call for throwing all responsibility to the wind and crashing for a nap of my own!

4:30-bedtime:  


Probably like most of your houses, this time of day seems to drag on forever!  My kids usually eat before we do so I usually have to prepare two meals; kid food for them and a real meal for us.  I am working towards everyone eating one meal!!  Most of this time is spent preparing food, cleaning up after eating, and straightening up the house from that day's chaos.  When my husband gets home it is a tag team effort to get the kids bathed, in pjs, played with, read to, loved, and IN BED!  Then its usually back to the laptop for me, cruising the internet for blog inspiration or just zoning out on Facebook.  I watch ridiculous shows on tv and then try to get in bed before 11:00 pm, which is really hard for me because I am a night owl.  Even though I savor that quiet time in my house I try to remind myself that I will need that full 8 hours to get through the next day when I do it all again!

**Disclosure:  This schedule does not reflect what happens when one of the following inevitable situations occurs: a sickness, boo-boo, lost blanky, lost passy, accident by the dog, spilled milk (yes we all cry), ruined outfit, toy left in the driveway, a last minute emergency run to the grocery store, screaming fit in Target, doctor's appointment, burnt dinner, and many other typical situations of motherhood!

If you are considering going back to work, my only advice is to choose something that you love!  I, luckily never had to go back to my pre-kids job but I decided I did want to pursue my other passions.  The only reason that I am able to accomplish the work for Momsie as well as design POST is because I am passionate about both.  When I have "free time" I actually want to put my energy into those jobs.  I love writing and I love interior design so these things fit into my life.  If you are considering a "side job" of this sort just make sure it is something that brings you a lot of happiness and that doesn't create so much pressure that it affects how you handle the rest of your life.  Hope this helps and goodluck!

Adrienne Patterson: How Do I Organize All of my Pictures?...

I just returned home from a fabulous week at the beach with my family and all the way home I was dreading what awaited me….unpacking, ugh!!  However, upon returning from a trip there is always one single thing that motivates me through the unpacking and that is uploading all my pictures!!  I love, love, love pictures and getting to see how they actually turn out is the best. 

I remember back in the day snapping pictures on my little camera and then unloading the film and dropping it off to be developed.  The wait (and yes there actually used to be a wait to see your pictures) was torture.  Then there was the 1 Hour Photo at Wal Mart so the wait got more bearable and then in college there was actually a Half Hour Photo, even better!  How far we have come from loading and unloading that precious film and carrying it across town and having to actually wait to see what the pictures look like.  (Nothing like snapping a roll of 24 pics only to have them developed and discover closed eyes, unfocused and off centered. Or like me, take a fabulous ski trip with your boyfriend in the beautiful NC mountains with the bright blue sky standing in contrast to the stark white snow and you look super cute in your new colorful ski jacket only to discover upon pick up that you used all black and white film!!)  Yes, digital cameras have been one of the best inventions ever but I must say that websites like Shutterfly run a very close second!! 

I would be totally lost without Shutterfly, in fact if the website goes down my children will have no memory of their childhoods, LOL!  While Shutterfly is an amazing place to store photos, edit them, turn them into gifts and share them you actually do have to do the legwork of downloading (or uploading…what IS the difference??) the pictures.  In some cases there are actually people (Beth) who wait and must download 2000+ photos at one time and then you have a gazillion pics on Shutterfly but how do you organize them??  A few simple tips can help you stay on top of the job and have a Shutterfly account that is akin to Martha Stewarts linen closet…neat, precise and well organized!

• First, organize your Shutterfly (or photo site of your choise) account.  Figure out how you want your pictures organized.  By season, event, date, etc.…I have a folder for each of my girls for each age.  I also have a folder for family pictures and one for each holiday.

• This step is crucial if you plan to make photo books or calendars!  Once they are sorted you can go right to the pics you need and for the photo books you can even simply select the folder and make a book instantly since all your pics will be in dated order!!

• Download your pictures as soon as possible!!  This is probably the most important and crucial to staying organized.  For me if I have a picture of all 3 of my girls I put a copy in each girls’ appropriate folder and if it is also a picture of them at Christmas I put another copy in the Christmas folder.  So sorting can be a bit time consuming but if you do the pictures as you take them the task is much more manageable. 

• Take the time to weed out your photos. If you took 17 shots trying to get the perfect Christmas card picture just keep the one you choose and maybe 2 or 3 of the imperfect ones to remind you of the hell it was to get that 1.  Take the time to edit your photos and just keep the ones you really want to remember.

Pictures are the one thing we all treasure, it’s what we would run back into a fire to salvage.  Now, thanks to websites like Shutterfly, we can not only store tons of memories but we can keep better track of them and they are preserved forever!!

FYE (For Your Entertainment): 1/7/11

My very first FYE post...YAY!  I want to leave you with a smile on Fridays so that you go into the weekend on a positive note.  We all know that 2 solid days with everyone home can be overwhelming at times (read: you wish everyone could go back to school and work) so I hope that I can help you start it off right.  We all know the saying, "happy wife, happy life" and music makes me happy so hopefully it will make you happy too.  

Budget Help from a Financial Advisor

I am not afraid to ask favors from people around me, especially if it could bring some good to the readers here.  My husband is not safe from my requests either and this week he had a giant bulls-eye on his back.  Just so happens that I am married to a financial advisor and he has earned himself the nickname "the human calculator" by me.  Truly opposites do attract!