Tips to have a successful grocery trip

So, the other day I went shopping late at night since I hadn't been able to go on my normal Saturday trip and I wanted to avoid having to take a toddler after day care when he just wants to go home and play.  I've been disappointed in general by the customer service at my local Safeway, but I save a lot of money by shopping there, so I put up with it.

So, I'm cruising around the store at 9pm gathering what I need and finding, to no great surprise, that grocery stores aren't very well stocked at 9pm.  Many of the cheaper items that I was hoping to pick up were stripped from the shelves by earlier shoppers and their (slightly) pricier analogs were sitting there waiting for me.  Rather than causing a fuss over my 20 cents, I picked up the can of name brand chilies and carried on. 

As I did, I thought back to my experience as a grocery employee and thought I'd share my 5 tips to ensuring that you have a pleasant experience at the grocery store:

1) Make a list.  I especially recommend this if you have a toddler or child with you.  My mother taught me the life-changing trick of writing produce on one side, meat/dairy products in the middle, dry goods and frozen goods on the other side.  This way, you can see if you've gotten everything you need as you walk down each aisle rather than realizing you missed something and continuing to wander in circles. 

2) Fill your cart the same way.  Put like items together.  I put cans at the bottom/back of my cart and produce up front.  Eggs and bread go on top.  Then, when you unload your groceries, you'll already have them sorted for easy bagging - this will speed up the checkout process for you and ensure that your bread doesn't get bagged with your frozen veggies. 

3) Think about when you shop.  If you shop on Saturday morning (my usual time), it's going to be busier.  If you shop late at night, it's going to be quieter - but you won't have the full selection or ease in finding an employee to help you (if needed).   So, find a time that works for you and make sure you aren't expecting an experience that can't be provided at that time of day (like me just buying the more expensive item rather than trying to hunt down an employee and send them to the back to save me 20 cents - but, if having the cheaper item is important to you, shop at another time or be prepared to be patient).

4) Be kind to your checker.  If you've had a problem with your shopping experience - share it with the manager at the service desk after you are done checking out.  Getting mad at your checker, for whatever reason, isn't going to be productive.  It's just going to make you look like a jerk to everyone else in line.  If the lady on aisle 4 was rude to you or the line was too long, your checker won't be able to fix that for you.  If you are mad because there was no Chobani vanilla yogurt,
handle that in the back of the store with an associate when you notice it's missing, not when you get to the check out.  Your checker can call an associate to go look for vanilla Chobani, but now you are mad and delayed - and so it everyone else in line.

5) Be careful when you go express.  Unless it is a very slow day at the supermarket, don't go through the express line if you have a cart or plan to write a check (but, seriously, don't use checks at the grocery store).  If your items fit in your arms or a basket, you are safe to go through the express lane.  If what you want required a cart, you should let the people with fewer items use the express lane.  Odds are they are picking up that one item they forgot last time or the milk they need for a cranky baby at home or the dessert for a party and truly are in a hurry.

Bottom line, be considerate.  The workers (well, most of them) are really doing their best to get you in and out with what you need with as little hassle as possible. 

The grocery store is there to provide you with an important product.  Food.  If you are making it out with at least that much - then you accomplished your goal when you walked in. 

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Perfect!

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and I've decided that I really like my doctor.  He speaks my language.  This mostly means that he overuses words like "perfect" and "awesome" and, although I haven't seen his words in writing much, I assume he's a fan of the exclamation point.  For a pregnant lady who feels pretty exhausted most of the time, it's delightful to hear him talk about how great everything is looking for my little gal. 

We reviewed the ultrasound report in which everything came back "unremarkable" (which he assured me was a good thing, but I corrected him and let him know that this little lady is certainly remarkable).  The ultrasound report didn't include gender, but he was thrilled for me when I told him it was a girl - as he knew we had a son at home - and he remarked "You guys are living the American dream!"  That made me smile.  Two kids in your mid-twenties doesn't seem to be the American dream any more, but it is exactly what we want in our lives.  To have our little boy and, now, a little girl on the way - he was right - that is our dream.  We are so lucky to be living this wonderfully blessed life of ours with our awesome little family. 

Will is doing great.  He's learning new words every day and it blows me away how big he is getting.  I can't believe that just a couple years ago, I was still pregnant with him.  Time is an amazing thing.  He's just 6 weeks shy of of his 2 year birthday - and you can tell.  Just in the last few weeks, he's starting transitioning into a "two-year old."  He's still a really laid back and sweet guy, but he's apt to get a little more easily frustrated (and equally loud) when things don't go the way his was expecting.  Luckily we've only really had a couple of major meltdowns and as he gets even better at communicating his needs verbally, I think we're going to have a pretty good kiddo on our hands. 

Oh, and for anyone wondering, we won't be having the same naming dilemma with this little lady like we did with Will.  We already have a name all picked out - but I'll wait a little bit to share it, as we do want to share it with our families first.  :-)

Otherwise, things are going pretty smoothly around here these days.  Geoff got assigned "his" store, so in another week or two he'll graduate from "Manager in Training" to "Manager."  I'm excited for him.  He's worked really hard to get his training and certifications completed and it's going to be great for him to start managing his own store/team. 

The A's are getting ready to wrap up their season shortly and are in the midst of their last home stand of the season - so Geoff and I are going to head to the game on Friday (for Star Wars themed fireworks after the show as well!) to celebrate this great season.  There's also a chance they could clinch the division on Friday - so it would be awesome to be there when they do. 

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Gender Reveal!!!: A Photo Essay

After the ultrasound, we joined the fam for Matt's birthday dinner.  And, a little gender reveal with these adorable cards.  

Everyone anxiously scratching their cards to see the results!

Mama G realizing what she might be seeing.

That's right, folks!  It's a girl!

Freaking out just a little - first grand dot.

Mama G was even prepared with gifts.  An ADORABLE, teeny little polka dot dress!

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Busy, Busy!

So, somehow Geoff and I got busy!  I don't even know what happened.  I mean, we are typically pretty busy because of work schedules and a toddler, but our evenings are rarely filled with too much after Will goes to bed.  But, we've been having some fun the past week and upcoming weekend! 

Last week:

Playing at the Stomper's Fun Zone. Go A's!

• For Labor Day, my parent's treated the fam to an A's game versus our division rivals (Texas Rangers).  For anyone who doesn't know, I'm a HUGE A's fan and it's so fun to be back in the Bay, especially for a pennant race.  It's also very stressful.  Every loss feels like the end of the world.  Luckily, the A's won on Labor Day 4-2, so it was even MORE fun to be there. 
•  Geoff and I went to a surprise birthday party for our friend Danny.  He is married to my BFF - so it was fun to see both of them.  Mama and Daddy G watched Will for us while we went, too, so it was nice to be able to hang out kid-free.  Although, Geoff did spend the whole party holding Danny and Amanda's baby girl, Rylen.  He had the magic touch - maybe it's time for him to get a daughter of his own?
• I went to the Backstreet Boys concert with my friends Amanda, Krista and Mia.  It was great.  So fun.  And especially great to get out with those awesome ladies.  Hopefully we'll find an excuse to get together soon.

Jam on 'cause Backstreet's got it.

Upcoming:

I don't know why he's just chillin'.

• 20-week ultrasound TOMORROW!  I'm hoping, hoping, hoping that this little one will cooperate so we can find out if baby is a boy or a girl.  If you still haven't voted - do it now! (You have to view it from a computer, not a mobile device, to see the poll).  Girl is winning right now by a teensy margin. 
• Friday night we are going over to our friend's Robert and Melissa's house.  They are are first real "local" friends that we have made and it's so nice to have friends around.  They have a girl Will's age and they have a lot of fun together.  They also have a set of 4 month old twins - so that helps us be glad I'm only cooking one baby.
• This weekend is Geoff's company's employee appreciation event.  So, we'll get another child-free evening to stuff ourselves with free food and I'll get to meet Geoff's coworkers.  It should be fun!
  

  

  Sliding!  Would you believe that view behind him?

We've been having lots of fun and are grateful to be settling in and able to make friends and plans.  Phew.  Now we just need time for naps.

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How Pinterest-ing

So, last night I rolled up my homemaker sleeves and tried a couple of new recipes from Pinterest.  I've made Pinterest recipes before and they have typically been successful and delicious.  But, I've recently had a Pinterest reawakening, you might say, and have gotten really excited about trying some new things.

So, last night I hunkered down and made these two beauties (captions are links):

Cheesy Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

 

No bake s'mores cheesecake

The casserole caught my eye because it didn't use any canned cream of "whatever" soups or mayonnaise.  And it was delicious.  I even cut some corners and used minute rice and wild rice in those Uncle Ben's pouches and it's great.  The sauce is cheesy and creamy, but not overly fatty or greasy as they can be sometimes. 

The cheesecake wasn't quite as successful, but it was still super delicious. I think my primary failing is that I don't have a food processor, so I was using my blender and acting like that's a suitable replacement for a food processor.  I should have just used my kitchen aid, but by the time all the ingredients where in the blender, I wasn't going to dirty another dish.  Secondly, I have no patience.  It wanted me to let it set for 6-8 hours.  "Ain't nobody got time for that."  :)  So, I may have snuck a piece after 3-4 hours.  It wasn't set up very well - and even this morning after setting all night, it's not a cheesecake texture.  But, it is DELISH.

Once we find out the baby's gender in 6 days (don't forget to vote!), I'll be starting a quilt I pinned, so we'll see how my continued Pinterest inspiration goes!

P.S. Sad (read: pathetic) Story: After I made the delicious casserole and sat down with Will to eat, he refused to even try it and ate grapes instead.  I asked him to take one bite before he got down from the table which resulted in him throwing his bowl and spoon.  I cried.  I'd worked really hard and it was really delicious!  Pregnancy with a toddler can be rough some days people. 

However, after getting down from the table and seeing me upset, Will brought me his blankie, climbed on my lap and proceeded to take my spoon and feed me my dinner.  He even took a couple bites.  I'm a lucky mama, even if a little overly sensitive right now.

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Bouncing Baby...

Boy or Girl?

It's that time again!  In just 13 short really long days, we are scheduled for our 20 week anatomy scan of baby Parker.  And, hopefully, we have a cooperative little one and are able to find out if this baby is a he or a she.

But, before we do, it's your turn to weigh in.  Vote in the poll to the right whether you think this little nugget of love is going to need pink or blue booties!

To help, here are my answers to some of the common gender myths, if you feel inclined to make a more educated less random guess:

• Baby's heart rate: 150 (at my last appointment at 12 weeks)
• Morning Sickness: More than I ever had with Mr. Will (none), but nothing terrible at all. 
• Carrying High/Low: I feel like I'm definitely carrying higher this time then last time, but there's still not a lot of bump to see.
• Craving: I'm not really craving a lot.  Occasionally I'll really crave fruit or yogurt.  But I am STARVING all the time.  
• Mood: I've been much crazier this pregnancy.  My mood is all over the place.  
• My age + number of month of conception: 31 (odd)
• Chinese Gender Predictor: Says boy.  I would have given you the info to go calculate that yourself, but it's too complicated.  haha. 

Good luck!  

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CA Check-in

So, the Parker clan have been Californians for about 4 and a half months now.  I figure it's time to check-in on how everything is going for us out in the good old C-of-A. 

1) It is so beautiful here.  There's something magical about waking up to a hoar frost covered Fargo, but I am in awe of the North/East Bay Area.  Even looking out of the window of my house I can see 6 different types of trees with leaves in varying shades of green and red.  The water is minutes away.  There are bridges and redwood forests and beaches and lakes and mountains and so much to explore just around the corner.  There's so much diversity of landscape and beauty that I feel privileged to have so close. 

Just a 5-10 minute walk from the house.

2) It is more expensive.  This is not going to come a surprise to anyone, I'm sure.  But, our rent and grocery budgets have gone up (albeit, not as significantly as some might think).  Lucky for us, neither of us really have a commute, so we don't actually spend more on gas now than we did before.  I'm about ready to send Geoff back to school so we can't stop paying his school loans (ha, because MORE loans are the answer!) - but with so much to enjoy outside (see point one) there's more cheap entertainment for us. 

3) Summer is different.  When I was growing up, summer was warm and sunny while winter was chilly and wet.  It was that simple.  Summer storms did not register on my radar.  Then, after 7 years out of the area, I got used to hot summers with thunder storms rolling through and cold (frozen, really, in Fargo) winters.  I love that I can expect every day to be in the 70s and the skies to be blue and sunny during the winter.  We do get some clouds/overcast days (especially in the mornings) here and there, but generally we are mild and lovely.  I'd be lying if I said we didn't miss a good thunder storm every once in awhile, but we'll make do without them. :-)

Will's new backpack kills me.  He likes to make it fly and say "Buzzzzz!"

4) Work is going well.  For both of us.  Geoff just finished his manager training curriculum and completed his GIA (Gemological Institution of America) certification, so he's legit.  And things are going well for me.  We are both really happy in our current positions and are happy about the changes for us career-wise.

5)  We miss our friends.  Everything with our move happened so fast that I feel like we didn't leave things very "finished" in Fargo.  We had a great life out there and it's weird that it just up and ended!  This move has been good for us, especially to bring us closer to family and where we wanted to be long-term, but it's been a longer adjustment than expected because of the circumstances.  We had a visit this weekend from some of our best friends (who aren't in Fargo anymore, either), but it was SO good to see them and we miss all our Fargo friends.

Overall, we are trying to enjoy every minute of this new life we are building (and it's not hard to do so).  We are excited for our new little one to join us in January and are, admittedly, glad it won't be negative 10 (or colder) on the day our little one is born.  But, there is joy to be found no matter where you live - you just have to make sure to look for it! 

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