New Grocery Carts For Kids

Kroger's New-Kids Grocery Carts

Our local grocery store (Kroger's) has gotten smarter for today's market. They got new children's carts that look like small cars for little children to ride in with their parents to make it much easier to shop. They think that they are driving the buggy and they are more content.

Then they found a bigger basket with a race care sitting on top of the basket and the children were sitting up much higher and the baskets were bigger for more groceries and that baskets were much easier for the parents to steer through the store.

 Making Adjustments For Heavier Items

Then the got smaller baskets for shoppers that wanted to just make a quick trip through the store for just a few items and not have to carry the portable baskets around.

Finally they got children's grocery carts just like the big ones, but just right for a child to push and not get bored while shopping.

Yes, their are some little kids that get a little out of control pushing them for the first time and they may bump into you but they are learning how to shop.

We have seen them in the store for the past few trips and our nine year old grand daughter begged to go shopping so she could use the cart to shop. She has a smaller one she plays with at home but this new cart let her feel more grown up compared to the toy cart or other carts in the store.

 Filling Up Her Cart

She wanted to hold the grocery list and get items as she went down each isle in the store. We started out in the Produce Department. The first item on her list was the seedless watermelon, but it wasn't the first item as you came in the door. I explained that you shopped according to what came first in the store and then struck the items off of the list so you didn't miss items as you shopped. Next was the pineapple, I explained to make sure that it was firm and not soft and that the green on top looked fresh and not dried out. Next were cucumbers, I told her not to pick the large ones but to make sure that they were firm. We came to the watermelons and she asked why some had large yellow spots on the bottom. I let her know that is where they lay on the ground as they grew. I showed her how to thump them to hear how to pick them from the thumping sound. (when we got home it was perfect.) I showed her how to get the bags to put the vegetables in and how to tie them up. Then we went to the Meat Department, where she selected some different selections of meat. I let her know to put it inside of a plastic bag and tie it up to keep the other groceries from getting wet in the basket. As she shopped she was smiling, because she was learning how to be a good shopper and to find items on sale and pick quality items. As she shopped she had to adjust items in her cart to keep the heavy items on the bottom and lighter items to the top. When we got to the Dairy Department her basket was almost over the top and she started adding things to my basket. She looked up at me and said next are eggs and how do I pick them out. I said, grandmother likes cage free eggs, and she likes them to be brown. What are cage free eggs? Why are they better? How do you pick out them? After I selected the eggs, I showed her how to check for any cracked eggs before putting them in the basket.

 She Is Still A Little Kid At Heart, Checking Out The Toys

Yes, this first time took a little longer, because of her many questions and learning to read the isle boards to find items in the store. But Kroger's you have hit the mark with this basket, you get the attention of the younger buyers as they learn to shop and yes they add things that they want to their baskets as they shop.

 Ready For Check-out

When we got to check-out I let Chloe give the Cashier our Kroger's Card and the coupons and when it came time to pay, I gave her the money to complete the purchase.

She couldn't wait to go to summer camp on Monday, and tell to all of the other kids about her own shopping trip to Kroger's and their new shopping carts.

I believe you made a new customer for life today.

Picture Perfect

My grand daughter has always hated to have her picture taken, because she said, "You are just snapping away all the time.

I guess it goes back to when I was young and we only took pictures on Special Occasions or Events and we had so few pictures of us growing up. When our son came along, we took many pictures of him and we are glad to have all of the ones that we took.

 Such a Beautiful Little Girl

Now with grand children and the smart cell phones it is much easier to take pictures of everyone that maybe we have gone mad at taking pictures.

I started this blog in 2007 when my grand daughter was born to be like a Journal for her of her years growing up. As she gets older she can look back on the years and see her journey of growing up and the changes that she has made over the years.

Stories or things that she has said, I have blogged them so that she can remember them.

 Flexing her Pecks

So I got me a new Smart Phone and as usual, I have had to spend many days learning where and how to use everything on it. I loved my other phone because you could zoom in and take a close up picture of someone when they were smiling and they never knew that the picture had been taken.

The other day I was taking pictures with the camera on the phone and accidentally hit the phone volume button and it increased the picture size, but I was unsure of how to make it go back to the original size. So I hit the volume button to lower the volume and the picture went back to the original size. I found out that you could zoom out to five times the original picture while taking the picture. 

So today, I finally got some great close ups of my grand daughter.

Happy Father's Day

My Dad

 My father-in-law

Sometimes I feel like Father's Day is all year long. I have been fortunate to have been married to the same woman for almost forty-four years. I have been blessed to have a son and a grand daughter and my son has us another grand child on the way. What more could a father want?

My grand daughter asked me the other day, "Poppy, what do you want for Father's Day." I just told her that I have Father's day all year long but I would just love to have time to spend with my family and enjoy them all together.

We live in such busy time and we all have things to do everyday, but it is great when we can take time to enjoy each other all over again.

My dad, was a great father to me and I have always tried to pattern his example when raising my family. Sometimes everything is not perfect like you want it to be but that is life.

In 2004 my dad died and two days later I lost my mother as well. They had been married for over sixty years and I just hope that I can live as long as they did for us kids.

When I married my wife, I gained a father-in-law, who has been the best father-in-law that a son-in-law could ever want. After my dad passed, he was like my substitute dad and I have always felt that I could go to him and he would guide me in the right direction. For this I have always felt blessed by both of these "Special Dads."

I just hope that my example to my son and his children is one that they can follow and they can be thankful for.

Poppy, May Is A Special Month

Chloe, was telling me the other day that May was such a "Special Month," for her. When I asked her why, I got an answer that surprised me.

Usually in May the thing that she looks forward to most is school is out in late May. But this was not what her answer was to my question.

She let me know that it was grandmother's and my Birthday's that she looked forward to most of all. I asked her was it the cakes and ice cream that may be served. And her reply was, "No Poppy, it is your birthdays.

Everybody looks forward all year long for their birthdays and I know that each one is Special to you all because you become another year older.

Well, after I thought about it, I said you are exactly right about that. A birthday is a whole lot better than a dirt nap. Yes, when we look at the number each year, the numbers are going higher and we know our time is less than the year before.

So in the future I will share her outlook and look forward for the next Birthday, knowing I have made memories for her for one more year. I will be glad for each day that I get to spend with her, just like my parents did for me. It is those memories that boost me whenever I think about my age.

Going To McDonald's With My Dad

Almost every weekend I go to McDonald's with my Poppy. This is our regular routine every weekend unless there is company here from out of town. Sometimes my dad comes by and I go home with him and this makes a wonderful weekend. It's not that I don't want to be with my Poppy, because he understands, I want to spend some "Special Time," with my dad.

This past weekend my dad was there as well as his girlfriend, Tina. I like Tina very much. She is so cool and makes me feel like such a young little Princess.

Dad, got on the playground with me and it reminded me again of when I was just three years old and got on the playground for the first time and I got scared because of the web tunnel. I thought that I was going to fall through the web mesh. I just set in the middle and let out a cry and Poppy had a girl come to my rescue.


The next time I was there, my dad went through the playground with me and never again did I fear any part of the playground and the most fun was going down the slides.



After we ate and played a while I left with dad and Tina for the weekend. I know that my Poppy missed me, but I knew that he would understand.

Chloe Visit's Grand-Mothers Work

Looking Toward the Deli, while sitting at the tables.

Here are some more pictures from my old phone, of Chloe visiting Grandmother's work when she was just three years old.

 She is excited about getting her free cookie.

The have since remodeled the store and everything is much different than in these pictures.

 See, I told you I ate it all gone.

She has always loved to go for a visit, so she could get a free cookie from the Bakery and see her Grandmother.

Look there is grandmother busy working.

My First Pony Ride

Getting ready for her first ride.

Here are more pictures taken off of my old cell phone.

When Chloe was only four years old she decided that she wanted to ride one of Pop's ponies. She had always loved to feed them and be around them but never wanted to ride one.

 Grand-Mother leading Chloe on April.

So with her grand-mother and her Great-Grandfather (Pop) they saddled up a pony and let her take a ride. They led the pony for her and she really enjoyed the ride.

 Grand-Mother, I've got this

Pop, led her around the yard many times and she thoroughly enjoyed the ride, until the horse hair got to her nose and she started sneezing.

 This is so much fun, I don't know why I was scared.

After this ride, she has enjoyed many more rides on the ponies as well as the bigger horses.