Moms of three or more...

[Karly]

... please tell me at some point this gets easier! :lol: :bitenails

[Karri]

:shuffle:

At times, yes :nod: At times, HECK NO.

[Karly]

Karri - how do you do the store? I've vowed to never go to the store again alone with the kids! :lol:

[Karri]

:lol: um..... usually alone :dunno:

seriously, though, if i have to go to the store, i have to get The Big Cart. Either a truck/car cart or one of those that Target has w/ the big 2 seater-thingeys attached on the front. So everyone MUST be strapped in. And they all get a bribe :shuffle: if they behave in the store, they get something like a lollipop or a few MnMs when we get back to the car. Hey...whatever works.

But seriously...I wait until the weekend and that's my alone time. Me and the grocery store=a date :lol:

[Bonnie]

I think in some ways it has gotten easier, but in some ways harder... I don't think it's going to be easier consistently for at least another year or more likely 2 more years... Tatum is just way to busy and into everything! I never take all 3 to the store... never! I will take 2 at a time if I must, but never all 3.

[Clare]

... please tell me at some point this gets easier! :lol: :bitenails

Okay....but I'd be lying :lol:

I never take kids to the store if I can help it. Like Karri, grocery shopping is my alone time :nod: Taking 3 shopping is a special kind of torture that I only subject myself to if I absolutely have no other option!!

[Nadine]

There are times when I feel outnumbered (OK- I am LOL) and overwhelmed but if you establish a routine then things get easier - most of the time.
About going to the store - while I was in mat leave, I took all 3 of them along. Ever since I am back at work (2 weeks LOL.... so we'll see how this will go), I decided I better go shopping while they are in school etc early in the morning (MUCH less people there!) and go to work a bit later (9:30ish). The only other option I'd have would be shlepping the kids with me on Wednesdays at 5 pm... and that is too much to ask and gets complicated if M needs to nurse.
IOW - try to find a way to go alone. Even though it IS doable to take all 3 (but mine are older), it is MUCH better not to.

[Cami]

Karly, I'm sure going to the store is really hard now because all the cart space is taken up with the infant seat or a child! And with a newborn, you never know how much time you'll get before all hell breaks loose.

It does get easier because you get used to how difficult everything is! :hug1:

[Karly]

Thanks everyone for helping to "calm" my fears! :lol: I was thinking of attempting the store again today, but maybe I won't. :lol: I did tell Josh the other night, that I'd plan to go alone at night after he's home. Otherwise it's just too difficult at this stage...

[Trish]

Ugh, I'm still waiting for it to get easier, too :lol:

Actually, it has gotten better, but we sure have our days around here :rolleyes:

We actually do the grocery store as one big family of five :) Chad takes the older two and I take Owen and off we go. We do use bribes and I'm all for them, anything to make my life easier, but Chad is good at entertaining the Aden and Evan, while I do the serious shopping and as long as Owen is content, we are golden :aok:

Like Bonnie, I keep waiting for the next two years to pass, in hopes of things getting much easier :lol:

Good luck!

[Jayne]

I don't have my own three but I do have at least three 3 days a week. I often do store runs with them and now that Timmy is 1 it is really not bad at all. He sits in the cart and the other two walk. Granted they are older but I have found that putting them in charge of things has really made a difference. Tylor's list usually is Milk, poptarts, carrots, bread those sorts of things that are spread out throughout the lanes. Alyssa's are usually cereal, cheese, juice and (usually she only has 3-4 items). This makes them pay attention and help and it works out really well. I bet Ty and Alexis could do these things!

[Trish]

Yes, Aden and Evan love helping us pick out things at the store, too :nod: Aden really is into that these days.

[Karri]

Dang Trish...your kids must be well behaved :lol: I'll be honest and say that we've tried family shopping on a rainy weekend and it doesn't work. Inevitibly, someone ends up melting down and throwing a big tantrum (and that's with us splitting up!) and chris has to haul 1-2 out to the car and that makes him crabby. Not worth it.

Karly, I don't know how Alexis is. From what I've read, she can be like Norah...a little stinker at times. I know I can't always trust her to be my 'helper' at the store. Aidan, yes, unless he's in a mood. But not my 3 YO. If I let her out of the cart, she RUNS....runs like the wind. And thinks its funny. Me? Not so much.

Like Cami said, you learn how to make things work. You learn what you can do with 3 and what you shouldn't do with 3. And that makes it easier. Think about how it was with 2, just before Carsten was born. When he's Alexis' age, it'll be a bit easier. He'll be able to walk, listen, etc. But until then....

Finally, I remember a story I posted in my journal maybe 1.5 years ago or so. I was at the grocery w/ all 3. I had Aidan in the cart, N in the carseat in the basket, and E was in the sachi on me. He was throwing a tantrum and the other 2 were, as well and in the midst of it all, my drawstring yoga pants came untied and the next thing I knew, I realized my bum was hanging out.

[Karly]

Oh my goodness, Karri! That is hysterical! (Although I'm sure at the time you were mortified and frustrated at the same time!)

Yes, Alexis can be a spit-fire, that's for sure. There is no way she can be out of the cart. She'd be gone, too! :lol: Sometimes I think her and Norah are woven from the same cloth! :lol:

So I made an attempt again today to go to the store with the kidlets. It went much better this time because I didn't decide to go on a whim and I was actually prepared. :lol: I had a big talk with the two oldest about how I needed them to listen to me and behave in the store, AND if they did that, I'd have a special treat for them afterwards.

We rushed through and I got the few things that I needed (though I forgot trashbags which we are out of! :duh: ) and went through the self-check out. Carsten did okay. He was awake the entire time and did okay sucking his pacifier. When he started to loose interest in that, I gave him a bottle of some of my expressed milk. That made him happy for a bit, and by the time he was feeling done with that, we were almost through the check out.

I put A in the front part of the cart, and C was in his carseat in the back of the cart. T walked, and did fine, except he didn't know where I was trying to go to and kept walking in front of me. :crazy: But they both did well enough that I allowed them each a Starburst on the way home.

One trip down, 9873897 more to go! :heee:

[Karri]

:aok: Good for you!!! It'll get better. :nod: I've learned that when I have to run errands, I actually write out my lists in order of the aisles in the store, as not to miss anything :lol:

[Trish]

That's great, Karly! Yes, it will get better :nod:

Karri - I wouldn't say my kids are that well behaved, but Chad is really good with entertaining them and making them laugh and yes, they do have our moments and that is when I break out the treats that I have brought or even, break into something at the store (and, of course, pay for it later ;) )

[Marcella]

You all are scaring me! :lol:

[Trish]

you'll be just fine :nod: it just takes some adjustment ;)

[Mandi]

It does get easier, Karly. :lol: Don't worry, it just takes some practice. I personally prefer not to shop with all 3, but I've done it more than my fair share of times when necessary. It sounds to me like your trip was a success so you're on the right track. :aok:

I think like anything you'll have your hard days and your easy days. I think those first few months are the hardest and then they get a bit easier.

[DarcyT]

It gets a bit easier as they get older - depends on the ages I guess. :) Now I have two older and one younger that wants to do what the older ones do.

[Lora]

I try to avoid shopping with all three of the boys especially since Patrick can be a terror. Lately, I have been doing my shopping on the days that Patrick is in preschool. Christopher loves to help me shop and is very well behaved so it's not too bad with him. Nathan is still happy sitting in the shopping cart. I know that it will get harder once Nathan refuses to sit.

Lora

[MrsPeacefrog]

I try to do the shopping with only 1 child, but I have done it with all 3 more times than I can count. I must say they have gotten better with sticking by the trolley, but after about 4-5 aisles they are running up and down them like lunatics.

General shopping is fine, banking and so on, they stick by the pram and are fantastic, I really drummed it into their heads when we were in Italy about how dangerous it is if they run off and they must hold the pram at all times, and they do a great job of it now. (an extra bonus that came out of our holiday)

Over all though I find 3 to be alot easier now than it was in the first few months. Although I can't say it's drastically easier :giggle: