Sleepy girl and shopping carts.

Joyce is still a bit (OK, a lot) jet-lagged, but despite it, she manages to be a cheery little toddler. I just lover her. We spent the morning shopping, and she sang something about "Myyy Peeeterrr, myyyyy Peeteeeer, mmmmyy Peeeteerrr" up and down the aisles. We then raced home to unload stuff and went to a delicious local Turkish restaurant for lunch with a friend.

I was proud to be taking care of Joyce-- people really seem to like seeing well-behaved children in public. Imagine that.

Costco's entrance is more than well-stocked with the latest high-definition TVs, plasma screens and portable DVD players. I giggled out loud to see someone's two young boys comfortably situated in front of what looked to be a 103" TV watching the newly-released Toy Story 3. I giggled because well, this is absolutely something my little brothers would do, and I liked seeing that others' children have the same great ideas. I'm thinking whoever the mother was had a more-than-peaceful shopping experience and her sons will soon be asking to go back to Costco.

I always hate pushing shopping carts.

Especially the ones at Costco because I can barely see over the top! Sometimes, like today, it's best if I just give the cart one hard push and let it roll right along down the aisle, while I toss items from the shelf and into my cart. Quite frankly, I don't have the strength to stop a cart full of food, let alone one with a child in it.  And, well sometimes I look like a little mad-woman hurrying up and down, not bothering to stop at the end of each one. Really, it's just easier to roll right along to the next aisle.

My back actually hurts from this trip.

And, though their carts are so big I am convinced Joyce and I could have comfortably napped in the thing together, I tossed my over-sized package of toilet paper to the bottom of the cart. When I got to the register and unloaded everything, I realized I'd forgotten the toilet paper. So, as I was bending down to pull it up onto the counter, the cashier said, "Oh please!! Ma'am! Please! Leave that there for me to get!"

Good grief.  Perhaps he saw me shopping and thought I was Schumacher racing up and down the aisles...


-A.H.