Shopping

Today I took the kids to the local kitchen store and the local health food store, and I learned some very valuable lessons.

First (at the kitchen store), that it is a bad idea to bring a three-year-old boy who has just had a sugary snack into a store with lots of glass objects -- it's kind of like bringing a bull into a china shop (and that analogy is pretty close to the mark.) It is even more hazardous if accompanied by a five-year-old girl who is fascinated by said glass objects.

"Mommy, look at that pitcher -- it is so colorful!"

"Miranda, don't touch! Xavier, stop butting me in the bottom!"

"And look! There's a pig cup, too!"

"Xavier! Get away from the glass display and get off your sister!"

Second, at the health food store, nothing gets the blood pumping like having a pair of small maniacs racing around your merchandise chorusing, "Mmm-Mmm -- Drink! Mmm-Mmm -- Drink! Mmm-Mmm - Drink!" Of course, being a typical health food store, it is pretty much a hole in the wall loaded with merchandise, so there isn't a lot of room to begin with; in addition, the other local health food store just burned down, so there were a LOT of people there, reducing a small amount of space in which said small maniacs could run. On top of that, consider that when they weren't chorusing, my constant refrain was, "Xavier, stop trying to hide under my skirt!" I think everyone in the store felt like they's had a cardiac workout by the time we left.

Oh, well. I am starting to research cars for 2008, when we plan to replace our much-abused Civic Hatchback. Miranda has been following this research with interest. Her first pick was the Volkswagon Beetle. When I found out they did not come with a real manual transmission, she was very disappointed that it was no longer in the running. Now I am leaning toward the Honda Civic sedan EX, but Miranda and I cannot agree on colors (I like blue, but she insists on white.) But if I left it up to her, we'd be getting a Blaze Orange 2007 Honda Fit (well, probably the 2008 Fit, but it comes out in 2007.) Considering it looks kind of like a baby minivan, I hope not ... but given my attempts to break out of the hatchback motif, chances are she'll have her way.

I guess a roundish Orange car would at least match my license plate.