From Shopping Carts to Bumper Cars

I usually take my 5-month-old daughter with me to the grocery store each week. I have some experience taking young kids to the store because I used to take my son with me as well. However, maybe I didn't take him when he was this young...or maybe I've just blocked out the memories.

Since I can't drive a stroller and a shopping cart at the same time, I'm forced to put her in the cart while I shop. But, since she can't sit up yet, she has to stay in her baby car seat. I could put the car seat in the big part of the cart, but then I wouldn't have enough room for a week's worth of groceries. So, I'm stuck putting her car seat into the child seat portion of the cart.

Now, don't get me wrong...this part of the cart is NOT meant to hold a car seat. But, not having much choice, I do what most other moms do and balance it strategically in there and never walk far from the cart just in case.

In case we haven't met, I should tell you that I'm not a tall person. The five-foot-one on my driver's license is probably exaggerating, but I'm sticking with it. By putting the car seat in the cart that way, it makes the baby-cart combo just a little bit taller than I am. Which, if you're paying attention, means that I can't see where I'm going.

So, while I'm pushing the cart, I have to lean to the side a little so that I can see past the little bundle of joy and all her gear. I still don't have a perfect view, but it's better than seeing nothing. Still, the trips have their moments of infamy. Apparently, in their vast intelligence, the grocery store marketeers thought it would be great to put short display stands of items in the aisle in front of the shelves. So, they stick out and get in the way even when you have non-impaired sight. But in cases like mine, they are down right hazardous.

And now, I bring you the list of things I didn't run into at the grocery store last week...barely.

• Cans of okra (like the display is helping sell those, anyway)
• Glass jars of gravy
• The bread tables (stock was low, so they didn't stick up like usual)
• An abandoned, empty cart
• A few cases of Bud Light
• A kid with a kid-sized cart (they should SO put a flag on those carts!)
•  Easy-Mac, and lots of it

And lastly, here's what I did hit...a display of cotton candy. Who knew they sold that stuff at the grocery store? Oh well, at least it wasn't anything that would break...this time!