The two-hour grocery trip

Part I: The Good News

So, we took the van in to Tires Plus to get the tire fixed on Saturday so we could take two cars and I wouldn't have to be stranded at the "car-fix store" with two littles (Trust me, two days without wheels was better, besides, the spare was on in case we had a bona fide emergency in the interim). While it was there, we went ahead and got an oil change, too. Well, we got it home and went to run errands on Sunday afternoon and noticed that the "check engine" light was on. It seemed more than a little coincidental that someone was dinking with the engine and the next time we drive it, the engine light goes on. So we stopped by Tires Plus to ask if the two events could be related (e.g., a loose cap, a bumped meter, etc.). They informed us that it would be HIGHLY unusual for the two to be related, but offered to do a $90 diagnostic test. Since it would be a wait to do it the same day, we deferred. So today, just for kicks and giggles, before going to the grocery store, I popped the hood, loosened and retightened any lids I could find and did the same with the fuel tank lid. Guess what...no engine light! Not related, my granny's corset cover.

Part II: The Bad News

We continue on to the grocery store. The grocery part was pretty standard. Kids in the cart. Kids out of the cart. Repeat ad naseum. When we unload the groceries on the conveyor belt and I start digging around for my money and discover no purse. Left the house without it. Apparently, the two brain cells that I still have after having kids are currently out of commission by way of the same stuff that is stuffing up my nose. The nice cashier finishes ringing up, suspends the sale, and the gentleman bagging steers our cart back to the cooler. We trek out, pile in the van, drive home, retrieve the purse, drive back, pile back out, and go to the service desk to finish our transaction. Get that taken care of, trek back out, pile the kids in the van, settle in for our post-grocery-doughnut-reward. While noshing, I take a look at the receipt since the discount with the store card wasn't as much as I had expected. Our grocery store occasionally runs "Meal Deal" specials: if you buy the item they are pimping out, you get several items to round out the meal for free. For example, today we bought a Stouffer's Frozen Lasagne for $10.99 and got a 2-liter soda, a bag of salad mix, and a bottle of salad dressing for free. Or, it was supposed to be free. So, unload the kids, trek back to the service desk to ask about it. As an aside, if it had been something I had been planning to buy without the discount, I would have just lumped it, but I wouldn't have gotten any of these four items if it hadn't been for the special. Anyway, we got the money back ($5.53, so worth the trip) and finally got to go home and unload our groceries.