I took Asher and Madeleine to the Grocery store yesterday. Talk about multitasking. I have to simultaneously try to get out of the grocery store with ingredients for actual meals and avoid toddler melt downs. For those of you who have ever had two kids under age three I am sure you know what I mean. To keep Maddie from melting down I have to constantly present exciting toys and snacks and keep Asher from invading her personal space, but she has a seat belt so at least I don't have to worry about her personal safety.
Asher on the other hand, has full reign over the basket of the cart. If left un-entertained, he likes to pile the groceries onto one end of the basket (particularly bread, chips and other soft items) and leap onto them repeatedly with all of his force. He has also been known to secretly snack on food that hasn't been purchased yet. Keeping him entertained means keeping him involved with all aspects of decision making. We keep a running dialogue about everything from the variety of produce to the color of the trucks that most likely delivered the food. If Asher thinks he is in charge, he is happy. We have wonderful sweet onions that are grown locally all summer long and I always pick a few up. I parked the shopping cart so that the onions were within Asher's reach and he got a look of glee on his face. He had spotted "the one". The biggest onion I have ever seen. No manner of reasoning could convince him that it would take us a whole week to finish this onion; it was nearly as big as his head and he had to have it. I ended up giving in and we are now the proud owners of one huge onion.
8 comments:
That is one HUGE onion... enjoy that sucker.
You are one brave Mama, going to the store with two kids under 3. Just one word of advice, DON'T EVER let them out of the cart, once you do they'll never want to ride in it again. At least not until they're 7 and are WAY too big to be riding around in grocery carts...or at least ones that are supposed to be holding groceries. That onion is HUGE. He looks so cute and proud holding his hand-picked onion!
Timing is vital, you have to give enough time to not approach a nap or meal time, because then the meltdowns are more frequent and intense. Life is never easy as a mom, is it?
I often feel like I live in a parallel universe with you. Every one of your posts has either happened to me in the last week or I can envision it. Weird.
You are such a great mom!! I love reading about your kids. Next time you grocery shop, let me babysit!! I mean it!!
Holy cow, you have just described my attempts at grocery shopping exactly!!! Sure am glad to know there is someone like me who feels like going to the store is a test of physical, mental, and emotional strength! Now you just need to work on talking him through what you do when you are cooking that onion, and before you know it he will be able to do the shopping and the cooking for you!
oh my goodness that's a big onion... Keith says, "that's why only one goes to the grocery store. Only one, if that." LOL enjoy the huge onion. Good thing we're far enough away... oi onion breath. LOL
Great stories! Your kids are so cute. I love how excited Asher looks about the onion!
Shopping with two kids is always quite the adventure. I have to remember that when my three year old is screaming her head off having a melt down I just have to smile and remain calm and patient. Thankfully for us her melt downs have almost always been at the check out when she sees all the candy and doesn't understnd why she can't have one of each kind!
Post a Comment