I made a Costco run today in 17 minutes. Total. It was a personal record, and I walked out with ten items. How? I was shopping solo. No kids in tow, which meant I probably shaved anywhere from 3 to 45 minutes not having them with me.

Shopping with your toddler doesn’t have to be a nightmare. In fact, the rare times (like my Costco run) where I’m without my 3-year-old it seems quite boring.

The child is usually quite pleasant when we’re running errands. Of course, I try to plan our outings around little sister’s naps and make sure the Child is well-fed with a potty run under her belt before leaving the house.

I did, however, recently discover a tactic that I can’t believe I’d never tried before.

I made the Child her very own grocery list. It was genius. I cut out a few items I needed from an old newspaper, taped them to a piece of paper and told her she was in charge of finding them.

She had a task. She took it quite seriously and actually helped during the shopping process.

Give it a whirl and let me know how it goes.

You’ll need four things that I’m willing to bet you already have:

1. Newspaper grocery section
2. scissors
3. paper pad
4. tape or glue

We happen to have a toddler-sized shopping cart that goes with us on most errands and enhances the experience. A worthy investment, in my opinion.

How do you keep sane when shopping with the kiddos?

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Seven months ago I wrote about entering the phase of the Terrible Two’s with the Child, desperate for advice and a way to cope.

I know every parent says this, but the Child really is great. I find that she typically melts down when she’s tired, over stimulated or hungry. The hardest part in dealing with the so-called “terrible two’s” – which are age-appropriate reactions! – is reminding myself that I am the adult in the relationship.

Around the time I wrote the post about my challenges disciplining the toddler, I experienced one of the lowest points in my parenting experience thus far. The Child was melting down in her room. She wouldn’t put on her shoe or something insignificant like that. Frustrated, I told her I was leaving without her, walked out of her room and shut the door.

I will never forget the way her cry shifted from frustrated to so unbelievably sad, and even worse, the look Manfriend gave me when he went in to console her.

“You can’t say stuff like that to her. She feels abandoned by you.”

I felt tiny.

At that moment I knew I needed help. I wasn’t myself, and most importantly was not being the mom I wanted to be. A friend of mine recommended a book that I swear by and I now recommend to everyone I meet – parents and non-parents alike.

Raising Happiness did wonders for me. I communicate with my toddler in a way I never thought possible, which in turn has helped us both work through the times we both need a time out.

I took pages of notes that I often reference and firmly believe the key takeaways would benefit anyone and everyone.

• You need to be able to find happiness within yourself before you can expect to teach someone else to do it.
• Start a daily gratitude journal. The simple act of writing it down will bring you so much joy.
• Leave the guilt at home and ignore your judgmental friends. Doing something without your kids to nourish your soul is important. 
• Forgiveness is a skill you need to teach and practice.
• Eat dinner as a family.

Read the book and check out the author’s blog while you’re at it.

Has a book recently touched you?