Mommy's Project 52:21 Shopping

Shopping has changed since I had kids. With a 5 year old and an almost 2 year old with me in most cases, shopping has become a very planned process. Things I think about when preparing to go shopping with my kids.

Do I have a fully loaded diaper bag including snacks, drinks, and activities?

Does the place I am going have carts? Even better if they have big kid carts and/or carts in the shapes of cars or spaceships.

How wide are the aisles of the store? Bed, Bath, & Beyond, Michael's, or Hobby Lobby have way too narrow aisles.

When I get to the store I look to see if the cart is dirty, wet, cold, or has broken safety belts.

I check for sanitary wipes to wipe off the front of the cart.

I try to park next to a cart return so when I am finished shopping, it is easier to deposit kids back in car seats and return cart to the cart keeper.

While I am shopping, my attention is always split between quickly finding the items on the list and keeping up a conversation or eye on the kids. Someone is always losing a shoe, dropping a snack, or reaching for something.

You might think all of this takes a lot of time but it really doesn't. It is something I do without thinking. What made me think through this was my husband took the two kids alone to shop for Mommy for Christmas. I can't remember the last time he was out alone with the two kids shopping because if he is along, we are usually out as a family. I thought about running through my this-is-how-you-take-the-kids-shopping list but I decided that he really didn't want me to tell him how to do it. So I just kept my mouth closed. I will let him find his own way. I know they will have a great time shopping with dad.

I didn't have any pictures of us shopping so I call Dad on the cell phone and told him to snap a couple of pictures of them shopping. Here is what I got from his cell phone. Looks like fun!