Saturday Fun at Target with Momma

Fun on the Target “Hamster Wheel”

This afternoon, my youngest and I went on an adventure.

We went to Target!

That may not sound like a big deal, but it’s actually a lot of fun when just the two of us go somewhere together. My little one is such an easy-going kid, it’s fun to spend time with her.

Today we were going to run some errands with Dad, while her older sister and grandma stayed home. Unfortunately, Dad came down with a stomach bug, and he ended up curled up in bed, miserable.

Poor Daddy!!

We decided we’d still venture off without him, but before we left, we settled George the cat with him. To help him feel better. You know–because cats are good at that.

Target is a great place to explore for a five-year-old. Even the outside is an obstacle course of awesomeness: the big open circle out front makes an excellent “hamster wheel”, and the big round red cement balls are perfect for climbing. Today, she saw a boy leapfrog over one, and vowed that someday, she’d be big enough to do that, too.

Once inside, every aisle brings some new delight–fresh crayons, a box of her favorite Z-bars, the dollar bins full of rubber toys and other goodies, and the giant bean bag chairs are all particular favorites.

Of course, there is also the absolute “best” part of the whole store:

THE TOY AISLES.

We had a great time today, picking out new shower curtain hangers (our whole reason for going), and checking out the DVDs and books. She went for a ride in the shopping cart, then squealed with infectious laughter every time the cart rolled off of its own accord. Everyone else around her smiled right along with her.

It’s shocking, really, how often that darned cart took off on its own…and it always seemed to happen just when I stopped to look at something!

When we were done, we took one final detour, heading through the freezer aisle to pick out a couple of Kid Cuisine frozen dinners for her and her sister. Kid Cuisine definitely falls under the heading of “rarity” in our family because, frankly, they just aren’t all that healthy. However, “all things in moderation” is a good motto to live by, and of course I remember being a kid, and how exciting it was to have a frozen dinner now and again.

Hot cocoa at Starbucks

After our Target adventure, we stopped at Starbucks, conveniently located inside, and we each picked a special treat to fortify ourselves for the 15 minute drive home: I got my favorite “half-caf” grande mocha, and she ordered a kid’s cocoa, “with whipped cream, and chocolate sauce, and caramel sauce, please.”

She’s a girl who knows what she wants.

These are the days in which happy memories are made; these little hot cocoa moments are the ones that make me smile.

And this is also why, no matter how tired I get, or how hard it is to be shepherding around a five-year-old when my friends’ kids are already out of the house and having kids of their own, I’m delighted to be the 46-year-old mom of a funny, friendly, busy preschooler.

Below are a few of the snapshots I took when she was having fun with her hot cocoa.

Aloha!

Silly girl posing for Mom

“This is good cocoa, Mom!”

“Smile? Again? Okay…how about this?”

Time to finish the cocoa. What a nice adventure!