Sunday Scribbling: Fridge Space

Lots of fridge space means it's time to go shopping. Shopping with a 2 year old can be a bit of an endurance test for all involved, but not without a shortage of interesting moments.

The last time we stopped into the little local grocery store, K discovered the new child-sized shopping carts parked near the ordinary standard-sized ones. Since we had only a few items to pick up that day, I let K push one.

She knew just what to do. She tucked "bankie" into the front, gripped the handle and took off. The child is fast. She is a power-walker when she's got a cart to push. I lumber along after her, trying to get in front of the cart so I can put on the brakes when we get to aisle intersections. The other shopppers meandering along will not be expecting this tiny tot careening down the rows.

Even when we have the little cart filled to overflowing, the little shopper is not slowed. We plow our way to the checkout where she solemnly helps unload the items.

If only she had a cart to push when we cross a parking lot. When holding onto her mom's hand, K's pace is rather glacial, even when I try to hurry the pace. Why is this--when she is so fast at running through the house? When a bitter winter wind is blowing, I tell K, "Let's walk fast." She begins doing a little stomp/dance step that is her version of fast walking and we go ever so slightly faster.

Inside a large groccery store that has no alluring pint-sized shopping carts to chose from, the shopping moments take on a different flavor. A glimpse of the restroom doors reminds K that she HAS to go potty. When I finish crossing an item off the grocery list, she takes the pen and paper and makes her own markings, making the items I have left a bit hard to discern at times. She has a fondness for some of the food that goes into the cart, especially the cheese, cereals and bag of "franola" that comes from the bulk section. These are carefully stored with her in the shopping cart seat.

When we get home from a big shopping trip there are bags and bags to unload. Little K jumps in to help. We've reached the point where if I put all the canned goods in front of the low cupboard where they belong, I can depend on her to take over and stack them in. She also puts herself in charge of stuffing all the empty plastic bags together into one. For some reason, she thinks the final stuffed bag goes somewhere in her parents' bedroom, in some carefully chosen corner.

She also likes to help put the food away into the refrigerator. Soon the fridge fills up and there is no more extra space. Until next week, when the shopping moments will commence again.