Mundane Monday

I hadn't been to Costco for a couple of months. The cupboards were looking pretty grim, and I really don't like grocery shopping enough to do it every other day. So I made arrangements for Soso to have lunch with a friend and packed up Omega and headed south. Thanks to our city council we don't have a Costco (or a Target, grrr). The nearest one is a 40 minute drive. This presents some scheduling challenges, since it doesn't open until 10, I have a child that gets home at 11:30, and five more that need picked up at 3. This does not leave enough time to drive to Costco, shop, load, and drive home before somebody is left waiting. It just means that there is an extra layer of planning involved in stocking up the pantry.


Today was the day. I decided to drive the little van since I only had one passenger. I had a short list from my friend that was taking Soso, my usual list and a few Christmas presents to boot. I find my Costco runs pretty exhausting. It has gotten vastly easier since I am no longer pregnant and trying to load fifty pound boxes into carts. It is still quite a work out. If you think about how much weight you lift to get all of that food off the shelf, into the cart, out of the cart, into the car, and then into the second floor of my house, that is a lot of walking and lifting. This particular trip I needed lots of bulky stuff. I purchased all of that first.

Round One

Here is the van with everything loaded. You can't see the extra box that is in the seat next to Omega. The kiddos were very relieved to see the cupboards full again. We had salmon for dinner to celebrate. I know it isn't like I have to walk 50 miles in the rain or anything, but it sure would be nice to have a local Costco.

It was slightly overwhelming to see all of the holiday stuff they offer. I kept thinking of N, and how simple his Christmas will be. It helped me to keep perspective. I kept asking myself, "Do I really need this?" I put many things back, but I also threw in a few goodies. We will get N a stocking, and some gifts, and be very thankful that next year he will get to help us celebrate.