Adventures in Motherhood

I attempted a trip to the grocery store, before dinner with four kids the other day. It felt like a courageous act, but we needed bananas, among other things.

It was a relatively smooth experience until it was time to leave.

As we were checking out our groceries, a clap of thunder resounded through the grocery store, followed by the sound of stampeding cattle (aka pounding rain). We paid for our groceries, rounded the corner and saw an avalanche of rain bombarding the parking lot.

What to do?

Do I try to entertain four tired and hungry kids in a grocery store entry way until the rain slows down or do we make a run for it?

I opted for the run. With the baby in the seat at the front and one child clinging to each side of the cart we attempted to venture out into the downpour.

That is when I learned an important lesson. You cannot fit through a single doorway with kids on each side of the grocery cart without ramming your kids into the door frame. It made quite a spectacle for the store patrons without children who opted to wait for the rain to stop. (It was one of those "what kind of mom must they think I am" moments!)

We eventually made it outside, with one child crying (the one who got rammed), one child laughing (the one in the seat) and two children who were not sure what to think. We got soaked, but we were on an adventure (at least that is what I kept shouting as we ran to our van).

Which brings up the second lesson of the day, one I am continually learning as a mom. Attitude is important and if I am going to enjoy my days as a mom I need to be able to turn an inconvenient run through the rain into an adventure.

If only whining kids were as easy to see as an adventure, I'd be set!