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I'm having a moment of overwhelming gratitude.  Why?  Because I went grocery shopping.  What was so special you might wonder about my trip to Meijers?  Because the only person shopping with me was Roland.  He is strong and he pushes the cart.  Nor does he interup my train of thought of "what do we need?"

And gloriousness : no one asked me for sugary nastiness, No one begged me and pouted for the special cart with the TV that is IMPOSSIBLE to push.  No one hung on the side of the cart before it was filled with groceries and totally top heavy and likely to tip over on that particular child.  No one hung on the cart and made it difficult to steer.  No one was IN the cart sitting on the bread or squishing the produce.  No one was IN the cart that wanted to get OUT of the cart and then 30 seconds later wanted to get back in the cart because maybe another sibling wanted to get in the cart.  And then get back out again.  No one got their foot stuck in the front seat of the cart.  None of my kids were chasing eachother down the aisle.  None of my kids ran their fingers through the pistachios so that a Meijer employee comes over and scolds them.  And then when I repeat the employee's admonition -- I don't get a half smile "oh you are the mother that wasn't watching close enough."  Simon wasn't repeatedly asking me if he could please buy gun today with his birthday money from Beppe. No one was trying to lay on their belly on the bottom of the cart.  No one begged me and begged me if they could please push the cart and then run the cart into the back of my heels.  I didn't have to tell anyone of my children to please not make snow angels on the grocery store floor.  I didn't have to tell anyone to please not eat the coffee beans, or spilled cheerios or green onion that has been stepped on off the floor.  No one sighed while I tried to compute ounce for ounce if namebrand on sale was cheaper or not than Meijer brand not on sale.  I didn't even have to smile and say "excuse us"  when I mean:  excuse my child who is standing or lying in the middle of the aisle.  It's not that I mind -- but it's just that I didn't have to...

And such beauty when you have a child at home old enough to babysit and a husband to push the cart and load the groceries in organized fashion onto the belt so you can just smile and socialize with the the cashier and watch the price scanner like a hawk so you don't buy anything you really didn't want to pay that much for -- or that you thought was on sale but isn't scanning that way.  I didn't have to threaten time outs for young chidlren who refused to grab the older sib's hand while we crossed the parking lot full of "mechinas" (amharic for car).  I didn't have to load groceries or children into the van or mediate who gets the front bucket seats and who is on the back bench.  I didn't even have to bring the cart to the coral!  No one asked me for a banana or for chips on the way home.  I didn't even unload the bags and bags of groceries into the kitchen!  (I did however put them away but that is because I am slightly "detailed"  - not a control freak -- just detailed and I would  actually be troubled if anyone else put the food away.)

But next time I think I will bring them with me... boring is a treat only if it happens occasionally!