Julie Jay: I have taken my kids to the supermarket and lived to tell the tale

Every time I head to the supermarket with my children I arm myself with a list and bags for life and convince myself this time it will be different. Spoiler alert: it never is

Having to bring your kids with you on any shopping expedition is the stuff of parental nightmares. Picture: iStock

Though I have never caught a wave in my life, this week I had to carry my two-and-a-half-year-old out of a local SuperValu store surfboard style, so one could say I am technically a surfer now.

Aside from being mistaken for a professional sports person, I have also been doing a considerable amount of reading up on Tom Crean and his Antarctic explorations. I have decided that, though his escapades were no doubt impressive, they have nothing on my own personal heroic struggles. If courage is feeling the fear and doing it anyway, somebody had better hand me the non-problematic/Irish equivalent of a British Empire Medal.