Grocery, Shopping and Holidays

I saw this the other day and thought it rang so true.

From the way I see my sister-in-law, who has 6yo twin boys, shop at NTUC with such wild abandon, I'm sure she would surely and confirmly (if there was even such a word) agree with me!

Years before motherhood began, a vacation was purely a time of fun and enjoyment. Of places to see, to go, and people to meet.

So it is quite a downgrade change when current situation equivilates a trip to the supermarket alone, as a mini vacation. Oh, but let me tell you, it is most true. At least in my opinion.

I don't know when it all started but somehow along the way, going shopping no longer meant an exclusive trip downtown looking for pretty dresses.

Or shoes.
Or bags.

Shopping somehow evolved to become a trip to the nearest supermarket (in my case it was NTUC), or for a more self luxuriating experience, a trip to the hypermart, to look for the best bargains, the fresher perishables, the value economy packs, the price savings between house and premium grocery brands, and the criterias go on.

Yegads! Somehow, sometime, it seemed that I had progressed into a full fledged auntie.

Anyway there is a HUGE difference in going grocery shopping alone, versus going grocery shopping with the kids.

(Hassled Mothers of the world unite!)

With the kids around, I can only afford a tiny amount of attention to whatever I'm supposedly buying, constantly being peppered with questions of "what is this?" (It's a chocolate for goodness sake! And no, we're not buying that), "can we buy that?" (Again, no. There's like 3 more packs of kitkats in the fridge still.) A bulk of attention is also needed to make sure the inquisitive hands do not touch the detergents or corrosive  bleach, or for screaming "STOP TOPPLING THAT STACK OF TINS!" from the-end-of-one-aisle-to-the-other kind of incidents.

You get the drift.

So imagine the glee I felt when I got home slightly earlier that day, and thought I'd drop by NTUC for a short while to pick up the grocery list!

Here was me at the 'exotic' aisle of chips!

I LOVE going down this aisle. Even if I didn't buy anything, just walking down the chocolates, chips and sweets aisles would be  enough to brighten up my day. I just cannot resist them! I  remember once when I was more crazy, I mean younger, I led my unsuspecting hubby (yes, he didn't know me as a nutcase then) there and told him that the chips and chocolates were all calling out for me to buy them!

Anyway, craziness aside, the undescripable carefree feeling of being able stop at whatever aisle my heart chooses, and taking my own sweet time making decisions without constant queries of "are we done?" or "can we go home yet?" interruptions can get very fulfilling and satisfying.

This were the damage items I bought that day.

Although it was a mere 45 minutes, the supermarket jaunt felt like a breath of fresh air, perking me up at the end of a tiring day.

On the issue of going on a holiday being compared to work, we had just returned from Hong Kong a week back, and while it was an enjoyable trip with the kids, it was most certainly a tiring one. Traipsing along the streets with a 3 and 6 yo has its definite joys and feats. Mundane concerns like feeding, bathing, carrying the younger one because she is tired (and lazy) to walk, are most definitely backbreaking (literally,) tasks.

So, yes. A trip alone to the supermarket does seem more enjoyable in comparison here. And I don't want to sound ungrateful, but while I do miss the perks of the cool weather, the food, the sights and sounds experienced during holidays, nothing compares to the feeling of being back at home.

Hub and me will need time to recuperate physically, mentally, and financially after these trips. But it's the joy and smiles on their faces that will keep us going for these backbreaking, tiring, expensive holidays again, and again, and again. :)