Tough times at the summer's end, call for creative measures.
At the beginning of summer, my children happily sat together in the over-sized race-car shopping cart during our weekly trips to the grocery store. They seemed to enjoy talking, sharing a snack and pointing out new and interesting sights together.
Now that we have been doing this for over 3 months now, together, they are getting very tired of the routine {and each other}. Little spats erupt and our semi-calm shopping trip turns into a nightmare that ends with Momma dragging an over-sized {and fully loaded} shopping cart, carrying a screaming toddler on my hip and instructing the older one to just sit still as we high-tail it up to the register to get out of the store without causing a tremendous scene.
So, we had to get creative to endure these trips until school begins and I can go back to shopping with only one child. My big girl and I sat down and made a little list of the items we needed at the store. We drew pictures and wrote words to help her identify the items. When we got to the store she held the list and a pen and guided me through the store based on the items on the list. She and the little one enjoyed marking off the items off the list as we put them in the cart.
Yes, this took a bit more time and planning but it was wonderful to visit the store again in a peaceful fashion.
