Friday, August 27, 2010

The little cart

There is only one thing that I hate more than laundry, and that is grocery shopping.  I loathe going to the grocery.  I try to go at night, after everyone is asleep, I can go by myself, get out of there faster, and not have to deal with the little cart.

We all know what the little cart is.  I can remember when I was little going to Brewers store with my mom and pushing the little cart.  In this day and time, not only do they have the little cart, but they have the car cart as well.  The car cart is a great invention, but is a cess pool of germs I am sure.  Every time that we  pull into the parking lot at Kroger the debate begins with Livi protesting about what cart she will choose.  The only thing that I have on my mind is exactly what I need to get, how fast I can find it, and the need to swing by the deli so that they will give the kids a free cookie to entertain them! 

So the debate begins, the little cart vs. the car cart.  I will start with the car cart.  While it can somewhat contain your kids and keep them from running wild in the store, I am sure that the roto virus is lurking on every inch of it.  The thing that I had never noticed about the car cart until recently is all of the potential hiding places on the inside of the car. 

I was doing my shopping and was amazed at how quiet and good Livi was acting.  I didn't hear her demanding something from every isle, and I was actually enjoying my shopping experience.  While unloading the contents of my cart at the check out isle I told Livi that she could pick out a treat for her and Frankie for being so good.  I thought that a bag of M&M's were appropriate.  I gave her the bag of candy, she watched ever so carefully while the lady scanned it, and to her delight, she handed her the bag of M&M's.  She got back into the car and quietly was eating her snack, or so I thought.  After unloading all of the cart, paying for the groceries, and starting to go out of the store something rolled out from the bottom of  the cart and made the wheel stick.  I bent over to pick it up and realized that it was a package of batteries.  I thought to myself, I didn't buy any batteries, and then it dawned on me.  I looked in the car to see Livi with all sorts of "paraphernalia".  Eight packages of batteries to be exact, a kit kat, a pack of lighters, and gum all under the bottom of the car cart.  About $40 worth of stuff.  What a little clepto! I asked her why she took all of these things and she just said "But mom, I needed that stuff".  To my horror several people were standing around and were witness to the almost shoplifting experience.  That was the last time we used the car cart. 

The little cart is a different ballgame completely.  Instead of the confinement of the car cart the little cart enables them to roam independently throughout the store.  While this can be a good thing because it will wear them out and they will be ready for a nap, it also allows them to be "that kid". The kid that gets in everyone's way, the kid that runs over your heels, the kid that demands that you need three jars of peanut butter and proceeds to put all three of them in the cart.  One day when Liv had the little cart she was actually being very polite, saying "scuse me" when she would pass other shoppers, even asking before she put something in the cart.  I knew that it was too good to be true and wouldn't last long.  While wondering down the chip isle she spots one of her favorite snacks "puffs".  She asked if she could get a bag of puffs and I told her that was fine. I watched her reach on her little toes up high to grab them, she did reach them but accidentally dropped them on the way to the little cart.  Upon dropping the bag, she looked up at me with the most serious expression on her little face and said "s#@t, I dropped it! "  My face immediately turned three shades of red and I scanned around to see if anyone could have heard her.  My luck, a man was standing there and just started to laugh, I was mortified!!!  We try to refrain from profanity at home, but you know as well as I do, sometimes those 4 letter words just pop out, and  now I knew that they had fallen on little ears.  I calmly explained to Liv that we don't use those words and tried to finish my shopping as fast as I could, puffs and all.

I have come to the conclusion that no matter what cart you use, there are always going to be times when a root canal sounds more appealing than a trip to Kroger.  So, the next time the milk jug is almost empty and only the heel of the bread is left, I will choose the little cart.  Although you come out with at least 5 things that magically appeared in the cart and the occasional bummed up heal, the look on that little face when she gets to push it just like Mommy is priceless.

2 comments:

  1. Ahhhh Rach just wait til she is old enough to stay home while you go but still insists she must come with you which means her little brother must also come. at that point in time she will be big enough to silently slip away and place multiple teen magazines, mascara, lip gloss and monster energy drinks into the cart without your knowledge, and will then politely offer to unload the cart onto the conveyor belt, this eliminating you catching these items and putting them back. It is only when you get home and have to put everything away alone that you notice them......yes motherhood rocks!

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  2. My biggest complaint about the car cart is that (at least at all the stores here) they don't steer! The thing is huge, the wheels lock up and I'm always careening wildly from one side of the aisle to the other, narrowly avoiding hitting people and taking out cardboard stands full of bacon bits! Matilda is my grabber--she reaches out from the front basket and snatches stuff up, throwing it in the cart or out on the floor--while Adelaide likes to walk directly in front of the cart (and she's a small fry so I can barely see her) and then stop without warning so that I plow into her. I love Sam's because they have the cart with two seats in the front so I can confine them both together!

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