My Grocery Shopping Buddies

When my girls each went off to kindergarten (by the way, they're six years apart), I felt like I had lost my shopping buddy. I always enjoyed going grocery shopping with my little girl. I still remember the first time I put my six-month-old into the front seat part of the cart. She gripped the handle, looked suprised, and then grinned the biggest toothless grin you ever saw. Over the next few years we enjoyed so many fun times at the store. We'd sing songs, I'd imitate Calvin from "Calvin and Hobbes" - "OK Mom, run really fast and let go!" We'd hunt for green things or yellow things. She'd hold the bag while I put apples in, or vice versa. I'd give her a macaroni box to shake like a rattle, then I'd give her a different box to see how the sound was different. We'd discuss the merits of Rugrats macaroni and cheese versus the regular kind. Maybe I'd give her a box of cereal and ask her to find the letter H. One hard and fast rule though, we never bought stuff from the checkout stand. If I was going to buy her a treat, I told her before we entered the store, and if she ever whined for something, I told her "Now I absolutely can't buy it for you because I'd be rewarding your whining." She got that lesson pretty quick.

I'm sure you moms of little ones hear all the time that you should enjoy your kids now because they'll be gone so soon. IT'S TRUE!! I watch a two or three year old go by in a grocery cart and I WISH I had one to push around too (in a good way, of course!). Problem is, I had my kids late, so now I'm super ready to be a grandma, but my kids are too young. Patience is a virtue, patience is a virtue, patience is....