I Remember Shopping Being Simpler

Ok, so we're having tea this Saturday, so I had shopping to do. I went to one store for some jams and scone mix, but they didn't have clotted cream. My darling 1 year old decided to poop. So in the middle of shopping, we stopped, went to the bathroom, and I changed my squirmy, poopy child on the tiniest counter in the universe. Then we came out to see that the efficient staff had taken away the "abandoned" shopping cart to replace the items on the shelves. So we started over again.

Then I went to Whole Foods for clotted cream and tea sandwich bread, and other supplies, and Mr. Baby decided to play with his juice cup. Then he got very angry with his juice cup because the straw came out and he couldn't get it back in. So he threw it on the floor where it broke open and spilled juice all over the high traffic deli area. So I grabbed some napkins at the counter to wipe up the spill, but Mr. Baby felt very neglected and he was missing his juice, so he started screaming and climbing out of the shopping cart. A very nice man told me he would clean up the spill for me so I could take care of my Mr. Angry Baby (or maybe he just wanted me to make the screaming stop). I ended up carrying my upset, tear-stained child in my arms, pushing the shopping cart with one hand, and grabbing whatever I could reach. While we were at the deli counter, my darling boy managed to pull down the display containers (scaring himself in the process which made him cry again), which the deli staff were kind enough to pick up for me. I took my veggies and ran to the checkout counter where I stood in line with a snippy childless woman behind me who asked me if I could go any faster. I politely informed her that she could stand in another line. I got groceries loaded into the car, strapped my poor crying boy into his car seat, handed him a new cup of water - and he magically transformed into a good, human child again.

*sigh* .............I used to love shopping.