Shopping at Ross

1:00 pm Entering Ross C1 is confused at the TJ Maxx shopping cart in the parking lot and doesn't understand why I say we aren't taking it in to the store. He asks, "Why?" to every explanation of the explanation that I give him. (side note: When a store puts those tall bars on their shopping carts so they can't leave the store, you know they take their carts seriously). Once in the store, C2 wants to ride in the cart. L is sleeping in his carseat propped up in the cart. C1 wants to push the cart.

1:03 While trying to direct the cart toward the kid's shoe section one-handed, so C1 thinks he is the one pushing, I get distracted at the men's ties, remembering I need to pick up a few for D. We stop for a moment. I pick out two ties. C1 touches a few clothing items and then gets excited that we are getting ties for D. C2 is happy in the cart. L is sleeping.

1:08 C1 still pushing the cart, comments that running in to the clothes is fun.

1:10 At kid's shoes, find some pink tennis shoes in C2's size, she looks at them and says, "Those are cute, Mom." That's a plus.  She starts yelling, "Want to walk, need to walk."  Meaning she wants out of the confining cart.  I let her out to try the shoes on, she has no intention of going back in. I spy a pair of Lightening McQueen shoes in C1's size -- they are hideous as all character shoes are in my opinion... but I think they are in his size and I know he will love them.  Immediately I have to decide if I am going to look more closely at them because once I do, there will be no turning back - he will want them.  I notice they have a clearance sticker on them, although I can't see the price.  I decide to go for it.  They are his size and WIDE, which is hard to find and much better for his sweet-not-so-little feet. He falls in love and tries them on and wants to wear them forever right then.  C2 in the meantime has found pink Disney Princess boots... No, the line must be drawn.  I continue to check out the shoes to see if there are any deals too good to pass up. C1 in the meantime is finding every pair of shoes with Lightening McQueen on them, gathering them in a huge pile on the floor.  I notice this and ask him to put them back - put notice that the clearance tags on all these shoes are half the price of the ones we have picked our for him. So I start searching for a cheaper pair... no luck. When I get back to C1 he has tried to separate the pairs (they just have them tied together with that stretchy twine stuff), he says he likes it better that way. Uh-huh. In the meantime C2 has lost interest in the shoes, I see her over in the "intimates" across the aisle. L sleeps through the whole shoe section adventure.

1:25 We start to make our way to the kitchen stuff - where I intend to get a pie plate (aside from the shoes, this was the reason for the Ross visit).  I walk and herd C1 who has reluctantly left the blessed Lightening shoes.  I look back to herd C2, she has pulled as many pair of lacey undies off the rack as possible. I hang them while she gathers more off the rack.  L continues to sleep. I can't see C1.

1:29 We (C1, L and I... C2's pitter patter is behind me) make it to the kitchen stuff.  I find a pie plate - $3.99, Bingo. Cade's questions start. Why are buying that? Why are we making a pie? No, don't cut my apples... etc. etc.

1:31 We see C2 in the aisle next to ours, she is carrying something orange.  She comes around the corner it is a big plastic cupcake carrier - which has a little handle she is fascinated with. C1 notices the picture of the cupcakes and squeals.  C2 decides it is a "cupcake maker".  I ask her to put it back. "Need cupcake maker" she yells, quite loudly.  I try to take it from her, "NOOOO. Need cupcake maker." L wakes up, quite unhappy.

1:34 In the kitchen stuff, calming L.  C1 has found a mirror on the back wall, has knelt in front of it and is talking to himself. Telling himself about these great new Lightening McQueen shoes he has found and is going to buy.  C2 sits down next to him, still clutching the Cupcake Maker.  I decide we need to pay and leave, asap.

1:37 C2 gets distracted with the mirror and I somehow sneak the cupcake carrier away and hide it among the kitchen wares.  I herd kids toward to check-out. Meanwhile C1 and C2 decide to hide near those leather-like stools and ottomans, crawling under, knocking one to the floor. I retrieve them and herd, again.

1:38 C1 starts off in the wrong direction, C2 follows. He heads back to the shoes (he's obsessive like that). C2 gets distracted at some Disney Princess book packs, pulls several of the shelf. I come cruising after them.... carrying L, who is at least calm and trying to push the cart at the same time.

1:43 Books picked up, kids heading the right direction. C1 calls out that his shoe came off (he was once again wearing his old shoes and keeping his new shoes in hand).  I can see that in order to put his shoe back on, he will have to stop, sit down, and may or may not need my help.  This seems like just too much work. I just want to get to the register. So I say, "Just carry your shoe and come on."

1:48 Heading to the register. C1 is in front of me, C2 is behind me. L in my arms, still pushing the cart. I stop to hurry C2 along and see that she has picked up two vases - so conveniently located on the very bottom shelf of the endcap... really, who puts vases there?  I stop and tell her to put them down.  She gets one down, successfully. I scurry back, still carrying L... just as she topples the second one into the other vases on the shelf... and there they go, domino style, one by one until, in slow motion the last one falls to the ground........ shattering.  I bend down to move C2 back away from the shards, C1 comes running over, carrying three shoes. I position myself between him and the vase remains.  An associate comes over and I can only assume she thought "Yep, I thought it was going to be you." She makes a call. A manager walks by in the mean time. He takes my place standing over the broken pieces. I apologize, pull my kids back, offer to pay, apologize again.

1:52 C1 strikes up conversation with the manager. Telling him that he is buying new shoes... they are red - his favorite color, they have Lightening McQueen - his favorite race car. C2 is hanging on my leg.  A very nice grandma lady stops and asks if I need help. Boy, do I -- at the moment I decided to come in to the store, someone should have stopped me, that's what kind of help I need.

2:00 We make it to the check-out. There is of course a line. Two registers open. One has a couple in line who have 2 carts full, I mean full, of stuff. As we wait, C2 for some unknown reasons starts to have a bit of a fit. She throws herself to the ground, sprawled out, face-down crying, or rather, wailing. And then of course, C1 says, "I need to go potty."

2:05 Our turn to check out.  I walk over to the register, still carrying L and pushing the cart. C1 comes along and immediately starts a conversation with the clerk, telling her about each item we will purchase. Who it is for etc. C2 stays behind still screaming on the floor. I put L down in the carseat praying he won't start screaming and go to retrieve C2.  Back at the register, C1 has talked the lady into putting his shoes in his own bag. She offers to put C2's shoes in her own bag too, while adding, "We don't want her to get upset again."

2:10 I momentarily think that letting C1 have an accident (on purpose, is that possible?) would be better than going to bathroom, but decide against it and we head off to the bathroom.  We leave the cart behind - since that tall obnoxious tall bar won't fit through the bathroom door, which means I must carry L again, putting me at a disadvantage at successfully helping (or herding) the other two.

2:12 C1 is using the potty and talking, of course. C2 is checking out the bathroom. L needs a diaper change and since the changing table it there in the stall with us, I go ahead. While I'm trying to keep L on the table and change him as quickly as possible you would have heard these words, "C2, don't touch the toilet, C2 get your hands out of there (the little trash can next to the toilet), C2 get up off the floor, C2 get up off the floor, C2 get up off the floor." Oh, how I hate toddlers in public restrooms!

2:20 After hand washing (and really wanting to sanitize every part of C2 before touching her ever again), we leave the bathroom and head toward the door. L in the car seat again, C1 asking to put on his new shoes right then, again. C2... where is C2? I look back, she is in front of the dressing rooms carrying her own bag of shoes, spinning circles and letting the bag twirl around her, happy as a daisy.

2:25 In the car, C1 has his old shoes off and his new shoes on. L sweet and buckled in, C2 restrained now in her car seat, not realizing this is the last time she will ever go anywhere, ever!

Sorry no time to take pictures of these events, although I'm sure there is some store security footage that would be quite fun to watch, for somebody else at least.