Shopping at IKEA may be one of my favorite pastimes. Chasing children around IKEA might be a level of purgatory! The amount of things available for them to touch – and break – is just astounding! Yet like any fool mom I still VOLUNTARILY chose to put myself through that small amount of torture for the ultimate reward!
IKEA PRODUCT!
It was Saturday morning and it was raining at the beach, so EM and I decided to pack the boys into the van and road trip our butts up to Northern Virginia to get baby girl a dresser – and maybe a few, other things.
*Definition: FEW. What one says when you go to IKEA and come out with bags full of things.
Now let’s use that in a sentence. “I went to IKEA and only bought a FEW things, that filled 3 bags.” Few.
Boys buckled, sippy cups filled – with chocolate milk, because why not hype them up for the day – and off we went!
We ended up having the perfect morning! Sunny and in the 60’s! Something we didn’t expect when the weather man called for rainy in the 40’s and 50’s, but alas it is Virginia and I’m pretty sure they just guess the weather here.
*Let’s call this the before shot.*
EM got to wear his Star Wars shirt and nerd out and mama got to sit and enjoy the Moana Soundtrack over, and over, and over!
Now any smart shopper knows two things! Don’t shop on an empty stomach, ESPECIALLY if you have kids, and make sure you load your iPhone with MOVIES! LOTS. OF. MOVIES!
First stop, Red Robin. Second stop, Buy Buy Baby to look for stroller attachments which they were out of. I love when stores are out of things and they tell you that they can order it for you. Well thanks, so can I. I know they’re only trying to be helpful, but when you schlep your screaming kids into the store – that isn’t what you want to hear. You want to hear “no ma’am, I’m sorry we don’t, but I can have our little worker elves whip one up for you if you’d like.” I mean really, is that too much to ask?!
After that failed trip, across the street to IKEA we went! Like a big blue and yellow beacon of budget design hope! It was a glorious sight!
This pretty much sums up the day!
Sebastian running. Sebastian wanting things. Sebastian rejoicing he gets things!
He carried those popsicle molds around the entire time. Stopping to ask me “mama, take my picture.” To which I said, “say cheese,” the following face was expressed! EM was a total gem and let me enjoy the small little things I normally miss out on as I run down isles saying, “No Bastian! Get back here Bastian! You need to wait for mama Bastian! Bastian are you listening?!” In the end he was mostly good – good enough that mama got him cookies to keep quiet while in the checkout line, because this mama is not above bribery. His brother on the other hand, was more of a screeching pterodactyl.
Now let’s call this the after shot. Can you see the slight eye twitch?
All in all we left with the dresser and both of our kids, and that made it a win! Oh and a few other things…
We can’t leave any IKEA trip without our favorite jams and marmalade! All the boys eat for lunch are jam sandwiches, made with the Lingonberry Jam! To make it even better – they’re all organic! Hollar at me crunchy mamas!
VIRSERUM Frame. DEKAD Alarm Clock. Custom Fawnly artwork. All of which currently adorn EM’s nightstand.
How stinking cute are these pillows? Bastian has the matching bedding for the sun and cloud – so this was a must! Sadly not available online, so get to a store!
HEMNES 8 – Drawer Dresser
Sadly none of these other items are online either – step up your game Big Blue Store!!! The straw hat, which is perfect for summer, was $2.99!! S called it my cowboy hat! We got two of these baskets and are now using them as the boys laundry baskets. They’re not too big, so they’re easy for them to help carry to the wash. Start them young I say! And who can’t use a throw… or three?! We figured they’d make great in-car blankets for the kiddos.
So to recap!
Martina’s 3 Step Guide to Surviving IKEA
1. MOVIES! Load your phones, ipads, what have you, with movies you know your kids will love. It will successfully calm down a meltdown and keep the tots quiet, for at least a little while!
2. FOOD! Never shop on an empty stomach. Mama gets cranky when she’s hangry and you know toddlers do too! Difference is, we can TRY to act normal – little ones, go buck wild. So to avoid the “I’m hungry” “When are we leaving” whine fest… FEED. THOSE. TUMMIES!
3. BUY ALL THE THINGS! You may not even know that you need it, but you probably do! Like the awesome PRODUCT Milk-frother I forgot to post, because yes there are things I didn’t even show you, $2.79 – you just can’t beat that!
– MB
Shell and Olive 