F: Fidgety Fingers

One of the greatest joys of having little ones around... their unpredictable fidgety fingers.  Sometimes I wonder that perhaps I keep too close an eye on my kids, but... so far I haven't lost anything in the toilet or garbage can (at least not permanently, although there is always the possibility that something went in that I didn't catch), nothing overly important has been broken, and when I'm missing something it's generally because I put it someplace so safe and out of reach that I can't even see it.

But the disaster prevention is harder to stop when you are out and about.  Shopping is one of the greatest challenges, especially when you are adorned with an overwhelmingly lengthy list of need-now items.  You turn your head for one second, just one second, to grab some chocolate chips and before you know it there are five boxes of cake mix on the floor in the aisle and you've got one guilty looking two year old looking at you with her 'oopsie doopsie' face.

Cleaning up after disaster number one, you quickly leave the aisle, thanking your lucky stars you managed to escape without drawing any extra attention to yourself.  Then, thinking this time you'll be smarter, you keep one eye on your darling little devil while grabbing a jug of orange juice, but with only one eye on the orange juice you almost drop the whole damn jug in the aisle, nearly creating an even bigger mess than your clever little monkey probably could have.  So you take a deep breath, shake your head, snapping yourself back into your 'it's okay' space, and walk away from the silliness.

Great, just one more thing on your list and you've nearly made it through the store all in one piece.  You've got both kids in tow, you're still in tact, and you haven't forgotten a single thing.  You breeze through the aisle, swipe the loaf of bread you always buy, like a pro in a super shopping competition, and you're on your way to the checkout.

But... while unloading your cart, you happen to notice SEVERAL items that you did not strategically place in the cart.  Double checking the inventory with the list in your hands, you have received confirmation that you are not losing your mind.  Once again you look to those two darling yet mischievous smiles looking back at you, convinced that their giggles are uproarious on the inside.  Sure you hate a mess but are you going to go all the way back through the store just to place those items back in their homes?  Uh-uh.  At least not today. 

You slyly sneak the extras into those handy dandy magazine cubbys and keep your eyes focused on your children, ignoring the accusing presumptuous glares that you're sure are hunting you down.

Happy with yourself for thinking to give your little monsters a couple of unimportant points cards from your wallet to keep those travelling fingers occupied, you breathe a sigh of relief as you walk away from the checkout, down the narrow aisle, out the doors, and towards the safety and comfort of your vehicle.  Not until you've loaded all the bags into the already crowded interior, gotten the kids buckled, and run the cart back as fast as you could so your kids wouldn't be left alone for more than ten seconds, do you notice that your sweet little angel is holding a small toy.  Releasing a sigh of defeat, you know you didn't pay for that but are you really willing to go through the whole rigmarole of unbuckling the kids, lugging one in each arm, trundling all the way back into the store, waiting in line at customer service, just to return some not-even-cute toy?  Or are you just going to shut the door, jump into the front seat, start the vehicle and pretend you didn't notice?  You could always return it tomorrow...


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