The Ozmerican Life

I've made a goal to take the kids out somewhere once a week. Sometimes I forget that when I'm at work, the kids stay home. Not going anywhere the other days of the week mean my kids stay home all of the days. And especially now that it's too cold to get outside...they really are stuck in a lot.

So yesterday was the day. It also happened to be the coldest day of the winter yet. It was single digits. Yuck. I really just wanted to wrap up with a blanket and lay on the couch all day and watch movies. Yeah, that wasn't happening!

I told the kids early in the morning that we would go somewhere after lunch so I would have to go. I'm an adult and I still have to trick myself into it!

Quaid asked where we were going. I replied with Costco. You could imagine his response. Since when is grocery shopping considered somewhere fun for kids? He was not happy. I did add "then somewhere fun after" and he was okay with that.

Not only was it cold but there was also fresh snow on the ground. We arrived at Costco and all jumped out of the car. I parked next to a curb. Jentzen hopped out of the car and immediately right into the ankle deep snow that was previously untouched. The sort that just says, "Come on...Jump in me!"

I was a smidge irritated because it was cold and I was holding Keira and trying to make sure that Quaid and Ava weren't playing in the traffic and trying to get Jentzen out of the snow. So he came running down the curb coming to grab my hand....

And well we all know that curbs eventually end and we all know that there's about a 6 inch drop off. Turns out Jentzen wasn't aware of that. And it also turns out that the snowplow didn't get very close to the curb because the snow was at the same height at the curb for a few feet longer...You can see it already, can't you? He comes running up and hits that drop off and goes sprawling out into the 6 inch snow. He is covered from head to toe with snow. Luckily for me...he even had his coat unzipped! So he's standing there crying, trying to shake the snow off and because of his coat being unzipped, it was shaking his whole coat off. I could see that him pulling it together enough to walk himself into the store was not going to happen. So I grab him up and carry him screaming with his coat off in one arm, and Keira in the other arm. And that leaves me no arms to hang onto Quaid and Ava.

Normally this would be a worry for Ava. She has a tendency to start looking around, not pay attention to where she is going. I was just waiting for her to be taking a look at the birds and walking herself right into a parked car and then she would be laying in the snow crying and I would be out of arms. Thankfully Quaid and Ava were great and followed right along. I think if that had happened I would have gone straight back to the car and drove straight home as quick as possible.

Judging from that start I had no idea what would be waiting for me as I stroll through the isles of Costco with their oversized cart and 4 kids. Amazingly enough it went extermely smooth. And just when I thought I was a bit nuts...I checked out next to a lady that had 5 kids about the same ages of mine...now she was nuts!!

So now to the fun part...the Eden Prairie Mall has a play area that's for kids 48" and under and while Quaid is still short enough, I make the most possible use of it I can. The kids were excited about it and I managed to make it all the way through Kohl's without Jentzen's radar arm knocking anything off the shelves....which is a good thing because I really wasn't in the mood to buy any ugly broken Christmas ornament.

All was well playing. Keira just walked and walked. She's really getting good...even in her shoes.

Up comes Jentzen, "Mom my pants are falling down." A common problem with my no-bummed children.

I reach around to pull them up from the back and stick my thumbs in the waistband so I could roll them over. Baby soft cheeks is all I feel. Really?

Me: "Jentzen you have no undies on!" (quietly enough so no other mother will hear me ask my child why he isn't wearing any underwear)

J: "I know that." (thankfully he took note of my quiet tone and answered in the same tone)

Me: "Why not?"

J: "You told me to change."

Me: "Your pants, not to take your undies off."

J: "I dripped in them a little bit."

Me: "And you didn't go get a new pair."

J: "Nope!!"

And that was it...off he ran.

And in case you were wondering, we made it out of Kohl's and home with no incident as well. Ava only walked into a center isle display once with no casualties :)