5 Hacks that Make Life Easier with Small Kids + $10 off $50 Grocery Walmart Coupon #GroceryHero

“This post is sponsored by Walmart, but of course, all opinions are my own! Read my disclosure policy for more information.”

When you have small children. Life is crazy. I mean, you have these mini humans that like to throw fits about everything. For example, when my daughter was young we were inside the store getting our groceries and I bribed her. (Yes, I use the heck out of bribes.) I told her that if she were really good throughout the time we were getting our groceries, I’d let her pick a treat up at the cash registers. Well, she was good, until they didn’t have the treat she wanted and we held up the line because of her tantrum. And guess how long her tantrum lasted. UNTIL WE GOT HOME. Well that’s not true, it lasted well beyond that, but that’s how long I had to endure it in public. All the way to the car, and inside the car all the way home. When we got home she went straight to her bed and continued to throw a fit for a few days. OK, maybe not a few days, but it sure seemed like it to me. She is a stubborn little bugger, and she still is, and she’s 16. (It never ends, so just be prepared). One bit of advice I have for you mom’s who are so embarrassed when your kids throw fits in the store. All those people who are looking at you are not judging you (at least 99% of us aren’t) we are all just thinking to ourselves, “I’m so glad that’s not me!” and “I feel for ya!”. Every child is different, and with some children, you just can’t do anything about the fit throwing. They have to grow out of it. And I promise it will get better. So just hold on.

So after telling you that whole horrific story, I’m sure you have anxiety about shopping with, or living with, a small human. Am I right?

Well, since I’m an old fart now and have lived through 5 kids toddler years, I have a few hacks that will make your life so much better. And I’m not even going to charge you for this advice, aren’t I nice? So let’s get started.

1. NEVER go into the store unless you absolutely HAVE to. Why would you put yourself through the torment of dragging all your kids in the store? Or for that matter, ONE toddler. NO. Just don’t do it. It never ends well. This is where Walmart comes to your rescue. With Walmart Grocery Curbside pick up. And I mean the royal treatment curb side pick up. You literally don’t get out of your car. The most you have to do is roll down your window and sign a computer thingy. HEAVEN! Especially because when you start driving the baby falls asleep instantly, right? You don’t want to risk waking her up to drag her into the store. Let me tell you why I love Walmart Curbside Grocery Pick Up.

1. Since it is the Christmas Season, Walmart has added a whole bunch of awesome Christmas products to their curbside pick up list. I got all of my kids stocking stuffers using the curbside pick up. They also have cake stands, table cloths, serving plates and so much more! They also sell some games and toys available for curbside pick up! So smart! 
2. As soon as you are out of something at home, you just open your Walmart app, or head to Walmart.com and add that thing to your cart. No more list making. And you’ll never forget anything!
3. You won’t over shop when you go shopping while you’re HANGRY. You know, when you’re really hungry and angry at the same time, you start throwing things into your cart that you wan to devour right then and there. And you end up spending $50 more than you intended.
4. Peace of mind that the Walmart team will choose the best and freshest produce or I’ll get my money back. I ordered apples, bananas, cucumbers and a salad kit and each one was perfect!
5. There are no service fees for Curbside pick up and you get the best every day low prices!
6. You schedule a pick up time so you know exactly when you will be able to pick up your groceries. I usually schedule my grocery pick up time for right after I get the kids from school. That way I only have to pack the kids in the car once! I just pull up to one of the designated Pick Up Parking Stalls and call the number on the sign. They will come right out with my groceries and I’m on my way back home in minutes.I even got a cute little gift bag because it was my first curbside order. So fun! Just look at how many groceries I didn’t have to go into the store for! My whole trunk was full!
7. The Walmart Grocery app does not tell the store your exact location, but it will notify the store about how many minutes away from the store you are so they can be prepared for you.

How amazing does this sound? I feel like I have a personal shopper that works for me. And to not even have to load the groceries in my car makes me feel like a queen. It’s seriously the best.

If you haven’t tried Walmart Grocery Pick Up you really need to! And you can get a $10 of $50 discount on your first order by clicking here: http://r.wmt.co/eI9fm

If you live in Utah County, you can use Curbside Pickup at the Lindon, Orem, American Fork and Saratoga Springs locations. If you live anywhere else, just head to the Walmart Website and see if it’s available in your area.

2. Don’t worry so much about messes.  Kids will make messes, and there is no reason you should stress out about how your house looks to other people. Now, I’m not saying to let your house get gross and dirty, but if there are toys all over the floor for most of the day, who cares. Seriously. If your friend cares about you having a clean house, time to get a new friend. Kids make messes. That’s their job. They are learning and growing and toys help them do that through imaginative play. Just use some of these brilliant storage ideas and clean up ideas to make your life easier. 

1. Store the big toys out of sight in a closet that is designated just for them. Make sure you are using a closet that is in the room in which they are allowed to make messes.
2. Use drawers on wheels to hold toys so the kids can move the toys out of sight after cleaning up. 
3. Be sure to label the drawers with text and pictures so when the kids are putting away toys, they know exactly in which drawer their toys belong. 
4. Above all, the best way to make sure you don’t have huge messes in your house is to go through the toys regularly and put away or give away the toys the kids don’t play with as often. If you decide to put them away, you can start a toy rotation going. Then every month switch out the toys for new ones and the kids will think it’s Christmas all over again.

3. Plan and prepare your meals ahead of time. Dinner time is the most stressful time at our house. It’s usually when the baby is hungry and tired, and so is the toddler. Not to mention how DONE I AM with solo parenting for the day. Everyone is in a bad mood and no one has time to cook a nutritious meal. That’s where planning comes in. When you are adding things to your Walmart Online Grocery Cart, think about the meals you want to make that week. Make a list at home that you can put on the fridge of the family dinners you can make with the groceries you are getting. I always forget that I bought something and then I’m mad that I can’t think of anything to make for dinner. Look at the list in the morning, when everyone is fresh and happy, and decide what you want to make for dinner that night. Then, if needs be, you can get the prep work done while the baby and toddler nap. That way when dinner rolls around, all you have to do is throw everything together and bake it. SO SMART! If you are uber organized, why not make freezer meals too?

4. Have a snack drawer stocked and ready. Nothing can compare to a toddler that is hungry. You can’t reason with them so have a drawer full of healthy snacks that you can throw at them until they start acting normal again! Ha ha!

5. Take advantage of nap time. Order your groceries online, prep your dinner, answer emails, eat something, clean the house, watch a show, read a book, get a massage, get a pedicure  . . . oh, well those last two might be kind of hard, but you get the picture. Use nap time to your advantage and get done the things you can’t while your kids are awake. Which is everything. So use this time wisely and do what you need to survive the rest of the day.

Above all, remember that mom life is stressful. You are not alone. Get some friends who have kids too and schedule play dates to get you and the kids out of the house. Meaningful adult conversation goes a long way. And when you can share your pain and joys with someone who is going through the same things you are, it’s magical.

You are amazing. If you’re kids are happy and healthy at the end of the day, and even if they aren’t happy, you’ve done your job. You’ve done your best. And tomorrow is another day.

You better check out Walmart Curbside Grocery Pick Up. I’m telling you, it will change your life!