The Trouble with Groceries

After I get my act together and get a menu planned for the week and my list made (love the "Zip List" app!) it is time to actually do the procuring.  When it was just Elizabeth it was pretty easy and I still had plenty of room in the cart, however, when Grant came along he's infant carrier only fit it the basket part of the cart, leaving Elizabeth to ride in the top or to walk and very little room for the goods.  Then Grant out grew the infant carrier stage and he rode in the top and Elizabeth would walk or ride in the basket.  She would sit scrunched up in one corner to make room for the groceries.  Then one day I decided to let them both ride in the basket together.  Oh how they loved this!  It was ok, I still had room under the cart and in the top.  A lot of times I go shopping during snack time so I let them have a snack while in the cart and it keeps them occupied and happy.  Last week I decided they didn't any snacks and could surely manage a grocery trip without food.  Grant's newest trick is to begin opening the groceries while sitting in the cart.  One time he bit into a chocolate bar.  The next he gnawed on the corner of a cereal box.  This time in particular he started to puncture the shrink wrap around the pork chops.  I quickly removed him from the cart in hopes he would just walk.  He decided to throw a temper tantrum instead...right in the middle of the produce section.  I tried to pick him up and he put his arms straight up, the way that makes it next to impossible to wrangle them.  My only saving grace was that I just put my last item in the cart and was ready to proceed to the check-out.  I'm pushing the cart with one hand, Grant squirming fiercely under my other arm and all I can think is, "how fast can we get out of here!"

Now, Target shopping is a whole different experience.  Elizabeth requests they sit in the "shop-along" carts, where they sit side by side and it feels as if I am pushing a tank through the store.  However, Target's aisles are wide and I am getting better at maneuvering these beasts of a cart! We pull into the lot and Elizabeth says, "I want to sit by Grant!" and I reply, "What's the rule?"... she says, "No picking!"  That's right, no picking at each other and they can sit next to one another.  Let's be honest, Target is just simply more enjoyable than Wal-mart.

Sam's and Aldi really have my favorite carts.  They are large and the kids can sit next to each other in the front and for the most part don't irritate each other too much.  Kroger and Menards have the "race car" carts and at Menards they are Ok, but at Kroger I am always running into something.  Kroger's aisles are just too narrow and they have a knack for setting up cardboard displays right in the middle.  Not to mention they have slow shoppers that I can no way get around given the tank that I am steering!

I am not really sure that this rambling has any point.  Shopping with two kids is something that I do every week, typically more than once and as long as everyone is happy (which is most of the time!), it really isn't that big of a deal.