Brody and Brooke

Brody and Brooke

6.30.2011

A new leaf

As of tomorrow I'm going to turn over a new leaf!! (I really wanted to do it on Tuesday, but it's always best to start something at the beginning of the week or month)  My goal is not going to lose a certain number of pounds, because all scales are basters and lie to you!

But rather gain this:

And it's not going to be to fit into a certain number on a tag inside my pants, because that is complete Bull Shit too ..... that changes with the color of fabric!!



Honestly this is me every morning:


and I hate it!!!  So I get one of these:
 and it turns into this:

Sorry.....I Googled a pound of FAT
And results are this:

*not a complete true story, but I had to add some "drams" to my blog*

UGH!!  I hate it!!  So that 's why I'm going to change!  I need to! Emily and I have been measuring ourselves since January of last year and on Sunday I measured my thighs, hips and waist - 1 inch everywhere!!! ONE INCH....that's 4 inches!!  I've thought about diet pills, but since I'm convinced (because seriously every other day I hear of someone who went to the dr for something small and came out with cancer) that I probably have cancer floating around in my body and opt not.

WTF is my excuse now......

  • People say water aerboics are great....Um I have pool, do you think I ever once exercised or swam laps-NOOOooo
  • I have so many workout DVDs that Jillian Micheals herself sent me a membership card (not really, but I'm sure it's on it's way)
  • I don't have to be at work until 10 am, therefore I really don't have to start getting ready until 8:00 am, so why can't I get up by at least 6:00 ?!?!?!
  • I have 2 dogs who LOVE to walk
  • I have a kid who LOVES walks
  • I have 2 dogs so I can walk at night (because their protect me....by licking the attacker to death)
So that's that.....I'm F'd up in the head thinking I'm 300 lbs, so maybe I should make an appt with a therapist instead getting up at 6:00 am and live off Frappes!  Ummmm, I'll keep you updated on what I decide!!  =)

6.29.2011

Hey There

So.....I'm back on Facebook  and honestly I'm bored with it already!  Matt keeps saying he's going to get a can of dip now...but I really hope not!

The Weekend:

The fireman's picnic.....this weekend used to be the highlight of my summer, but not really anymore and espeically with a kid!!! 

Friday: I was so ready and excited to take Brody to his 1st picnic and we debated on whether or not he would like the rides....because one time walking out of Wal Mart we put him on the elephant and he freaked!! First I went to go buy tickets and was already pissy about the price - $2 for a ride that goes for MAYBE 2 mins!!  We put him on the cars and he LOVED it!  When it stopped he did his sign for "more".....precious!  So he had to get off and he threw a fit!!  We moved over to the big blow up slide.  I ask 
Me: "how many tickets"
Carney: "2 (aka $2)"
Me: "How many times does he get to go down?"
Carney: "once" 
You have got to be kidding me!!!  $2 for a slide!!  WTF.....so I walked up the slide with him and sent him down-loved it again and threw a fit AGAIN!!  Needless to say I had a very stressful night and spent $40!!!  ugh....never again!!

Saturday: After Brody went to bed super late on Friday I thought for sure he would sleep in....NOPE-up at 6:00.  So I took him and the dogs on a walk and by 9:00 he was horribly tired and super crappy.  Did someone say "morning nap!?!?!"  Him and I both slept until noon!  I rented Matt and I a movie "The Switch" - it was GOOD!!!

Sunday: Brody got his pictures taken with his cousin Chole in Sparta and they turned out so good!  You can check them out HERE (email me for the password)  After that Brody and I went to the parade....he loved it and was only really scared of the people dressed up.  He LOVED the bands....he was clapping and marching! 

6.24.2011

Confessions

I confess that when I have to do errands at work I get my 1000+ calorie Starbucks Frappe first so I'm done with it before I go back to work, so no one knows I drink 1000+ calorie Starbucks Frappes! 

I confess that coupons don't save me money they make me buy stuff!  Example: I had a $1.50 huggies little swimmer coupon from Huggies & Target....save $3.00 I should buy them!!  BUT.....I don't' need them because Brody has a reusable swim diaper.

I confess that I love to spend $$!  I don't even care if it's toilet paper.....I like to buy stuff!!

I confess that I spanked Brody this morning and really feel bad about it.  I don't want to spank him (not that I think poorly of anyone who does spank their kids), but I don't hit my dogs to discipline then so why would I want to do it to my kid?!?!  I was on my swiss ball doing sit ups with a weight and he came on top of me and pulled my hair (those little hairs on your hairline)  It hurt so F'n bad!!!

Hope everyone has a great weekend and hope you see you a the good 'ole Fireman's parade!! 

6.23.2011

Legally Blonde

I went to the Muny last night to see this:

It was the BEST musical I've ever seen!! 

6.22.2011

Almost 2 weeks....WITH PICS

....good lord I haven't blogged in almost 2 weeks (hope I still have followers)

Here's what's been going on in a nutshell:

The concrete project is DONE!!!

Josh did that design free handed  


Brody's farm SLIDESHOW is DONE too!

I caught the lil princess of the house bathing by the pool.....



I surprised my mom with THIS this last week (She's only been asking me to make one for about 6 months now) It was great...Tuesday when she came over I had Brody bring out the book for her to "read"  Of course she cried, so I know she loved it!  I wasn't too impressed with Snapfish, tho.  It was hard to fit the pictures in the layouts.  I wish I could have made my own layouts!  Oh well, I'm still happy with it!

Brody kept going back and forth from the dog basket to his toy box and I was wondering what the heck he was doing....
Poor kid needs some blocks I think!!!
Other than that.....not much going on!  I planned my first all employee meetings last week and it went off without a hitch!!

6.10.2011

Stylish Blogger Award

Holly B Jeeze!!  Look what I got:


Thanks Meagan for the award and the compliments about my blog!!!  I have to admit I was getting a little bummed that everyone else's blog that I follow was getting one and I wasn't!  But....now I have one!! Whoop Whoop!

So here's the 7 random things about me:
  1. I don't know what my natural hair color is.  I've been dying it since grade school!  It used to be bleach blonde, but now I perfur it dark.....I like to think it makes my eyes stand out more and when I feel old I highlight it.....it's highlighted now!  LOL 
  2. Spiders-HATE them!  I'm so scared of them I don't want to even kill them.  Maybe because I got bit by one on my butt and my side....2 constitutive summers when I was younger!
  3. I never had a dog growing up and sometimes I still look at my 2 beast and think "gosh I really have 2 dogs living in my house"
  4. (You probably already know this, but....) I love to clean!!!  One year for Valentine's Day Matt got me a new vacuum and it was the best gift ever!!  He left me a note and was like I spilled some granola on the floor and didn't want to wake you to clean it up, sorry.  I'm like big deal...."ZOE!!!" When I left that morning he asked me how I cleaned up the granola, I said called the dog over.  What I was supposed to do was use the new vacuum to clean it up!!
  5. When Emily and I were growing up her fav color was purple and mine was pink.  Even now I think twice about buying something purple, because it's "her" color!
  6. I'm not a chocolate fan.  I mean it's OK, but I would take vanilla cake and ice cream over chocolate anyday!
  7.  I think since I have this award I should probably style up my Blog....if I can figure it out!! (Heather you might be getting an email!)
I'm going to pass the award to Stacy at Two Adults, Two Kids and a Highchair she is a super MOMMA!  She has 3 kids all under 6 and she stays at home with them!  You deserve this award!! 

6.09.2011

Children's Re-Sell-It-Sale

I got this flyer today.....

*CHILDREN’S RE-SELL-IT SALE*

SATURDAY, August 13, 2011
8AM - 12PM

$1.00 Admission everyone over 12 years

75 VIP Entries Available $10.00 ea. 7am. (in my option, Jackie correct me if I'm wrong, VIP entries are a MUST)

Call for details on VIP List 618-806-9820 beginning June 13 (In the past you don't have to pay in advance just have your name on the list.  Last year I waited too long to call and they were sold out, so I didn't go)

1 GATEWAY DR. COLLINSVILLE, IL

Clothing: newborn thru 12/14 Fall/Winter & Maternity
Toys, Books, Games and Videos
Baby Equipment
Other misc. children’s items
(Everything is super organized like a department store)

This is a Fall/Winter sale. There will be an abundance of great deals on
everything for child from infant up incl. snow apparel, Christmas clothing
& Halloween costumes.

We accept cash or checks – no credit cards. ALL SALES ARE FINAL. Driver’s
license/ID and phone number are required on ALL checks.

Strollers are permitted on premises. (Funny story, so the 1st time I went was with my Mom when I was pregnant and women were pushing strollers, carrying laundry baskets, shopping bags.....we were clueless!  It was so they could stuff more stuff-BRILLIANT, I might have to bring the 'ole stroller this year!)

Sponsored by MOMMES (Mothers of Multiples in Metro East & St. Louis) www.mommes.org

Questions call Jennifer Meyer-Ashauer 618-806-9820.

6.08.2011

Wordless Wednesday

Picking the meat out of his Ravioli's last night....WTH!?!?!?

Susan G Komen

So for the past 5 years I have been participating in the Susan G Komen Race for the Cure in St. Louis.  I LOVE IT!!  Matt and I ran our first 5K at the race in 2008 , I even walked in it when I was pregnant!  I can't wait until Brody can go and he can understand why the hell we are up and walking/running 3 miles at the butt crack of dawn in June!!  I heard a great story today on the Bull (this year their team is 7,000-amazing) A lady called in to thank Corn Bread of doing the team, because just yesterday she was diagnosed with breast cancer.  Early stages.  Corn Bread asked her what she wanted to tell all the people who will be out on Saturday and she said, "thank you".  I about lost it!  I'm not sure why this race is so special to me.....no one in my family has had breast cancer.  Maybe it's because in High School my best friend's Mom had it.  Or maybe because I worked with a lady who beat it and she truly has the best outlook on life.  Or maybe because Matt gets up at 6:00 every year to run in it (and trust me he is NOT a morning person) Or maybe because over 70,000 people do it every year and I love the sight at the top of one of hills when all you see is solid people in both directions.  Or maybe it's the sign a kids back that says in memory of my MOM.....  Every year I tear up at least a few times during the run!

If you haven't signed up you can still donate!  Tomorrow is the Dine out for the Cure in St. Louis!  Most restaurants donate .35%, but some donate 50% of their sales!!  Here is a list of participating restaurants

6.07.2011

Truthful Tuesdays


The truth is that I've been bad about confessing!!  So here is goes.... The Truth is:

  • that THIS cracked me up today!  Thanks Cassie!  
  • that I have been feeling down on myself because I've really been slacking lately on exercising and eating right, so I made a calendar.  Everyday I'm going to do some kind of cardio, strength training, and a wellness activity (like whiten my teeth or put a mask on, things that make you feel so good when you do them, but forget to or don't take the time to do them)  I'm on day 2 and so far so good!!  Wish me luck! 
  •  I'm already bored with my swimming suits this year
  • that the only reason I remembered to share the egg-free ice cream recipe is because I can't stop thinking about the batch I made on Sunday!
  • that I'm getting baby fever....bad!!  Everyone around me is having a tiny baby and Brody is growing up so fast!!  It makes me sad, but I really do want to wait until he is a little older....so if anyone needs a babysitter for the newborn-Call Me!!
  • I sent a secret blog email last week when I was pissy, sorry if I offended anyone
  • I wish I would have lived in the city at some point in my life....although I'm sure I would be 20 lbs heavier having a Starbucks at every corner
  • I'm so excited that my sister is going to Mexico next week!  Yay for them!  I joke (but I'm serious) that if she comes home pregnant then I'm calling that kid Jose for the rest of it's life!  Bahahaha
  • I don't catch up on my Sunday TV until about Wed or Thur

Egg-Free Home Made Ice Cream

So the summer I was pregnant I craved Home Made Ice Cream, but I couldn't eat the raw eggs that were typically in most recipes so I found this  and have used it ever since.  I love it!!

6 cups of milk
1 cup suger
a pinch of salt, I always forget it
a can of evaporated milk
a can of condensed milk

throw it in an ice cream maker and let it do it's thing!!!

6.06.2011

Whata Weekend!!

So this weekend was supposed to be the ONLY weekend in June that we had nothing planned!!  Ahhh, it was going to be so relaxing full of resting, swimming, lounging....I couldn't wait, until I got this call about 4:00 on Friday afternoon:

Matt:  Hey I think we're going to start tearing out the driveway in the morning.
Me:  What??  Who, How....I'm not ready for this!!
Matt: I know that's why I called you so you could mentally prepare yourself (he knows how much I hate project mess)
Me: UGH, ok!

So I came home from work, excited that we were going to be able to go see Baby Mason then Matt's like I still feel sick....UGH (He wasn't sick he was still hungover.......) so we didn't go and I threw a fit and  Brody and I went to Waterloo to drop off my produce basket, got some Thai food on the way home and a Tropical Snow.  It was fun....just Brody and I sitting in the back of my car with the hatchback up!

Matt made up for his "sickness" and got up super early on Saturday to work on the pool before they started the driveway!!  =)  The jackhammering started about 8:00 and Mr. Brody was in 7th Heaven!!


It was pretty amazing....I have an awesome Father in Law!  It only took him about 20 mins to bust it all up then they cleared it away and started with some dirt work.


They really had a system going....after the rock was delivered then they up the dirt in that truck and it was hauled away!

Now don't think for a minute I was just hanging out in the AC taken pictures.....My mom came up for a bit and I was finishing cleaning the back so it would look like this:


Brody was hanging out with his future Uncle, it was cute to watch Brody "play" the Xbox with Nathan.  Nathan had the remote and Brody had the TV controller..... When it was lunch time I asked Nathan what he wanted to drink....tea, lemonade, water?  He chose water (strange for a 9yr old) so I'm like we also have Milk or Apple Juice.  His reply:  What percent?!?  I'm like...what??  What percent of Milk? 2...  OK I'll take Milk!!  So funny!

The driveway project ended like this:


and now we will wait until the concrete truck and finishers can come!  It'll be soooo nice when the project is done! 

So onto Sunday night.....the dishwasher wasn't draining, so when I woke up from my nap at 10:30p Matt was still working on it....not fun

  


Check out that old school flooring!!
This is how the weekend ended:
Matt: Well I guess we need to get a new dishwasher
Me: What....how am I supposed to do the dishes
Matt: By Hand
Me: What's that?!?!?!?

6.03.2011

Operation Tommy #1

So we packaged up our 1st care package to send over to Tommy in Afghanistan!! We got a ton of stuff....not all of it fit, so we're going to have an ongoing care package bag of stuff so we can send something every month.  Matt found this great list online from a Marine who has served 2 deployments!  It was a great list to go by!

PERMISABLE ITEMS FOR MILITARY SUPPORT PACKAGES

Drinks:
" Instant Coffee
" Powdered Gatorade
" Plastic Jug to mix powdered drinks
" Powdered hot chocolate
" Kool-Aid, pre-sweetened
" Tea bags
" Country Time Lemonade Mix

Snacks:
" Tuna in the "fresh pouch"
" Crackers
" Easy Spray Cheese
" Slim Jim’s
" Triscuit and Ritz crackers are great
" Potted meat and crackers
" Plastic knives for spreading Plastic Spoons for eating
" Single servings of bagged chips - The small bags stay fresh longer
" Cookies
" Candy - M & M’s, hard candy - anything that won’t melt
" Little Debbie snack cakes
" Graham crackers
" Gobstoppers Jaw Breaker Candy
" Little Debbie Cakes
" Chocolate-dipped pretzels
" Pre-packaged brownies
" Licorice
" Bubble gum
" Snack mixes- Chex Mix, Gardetto’s
" Cashews, peanuts, etc
" Pretzels
" Rice Krispie Treats
" Goldfish crackers
" Applesauce, pudding or fruit cups with the pop-off lids
" Raisins and trail mix in several small Zip Lock bags for sharing

Non-Microwave Meals:
" Non-microwave meals have some hot meals listed that require access to boiling water - i.e. a coffee pot - most people do have access to one or to some sort of electricity or camp fire. You can send them a one cup coffee maker - they’re very small and worth it!
" Cup ’o Noodles soups (made with hot water)
" Dry cereal the small, individual serving boxes stay very fresh
" Bowl Appetite dinners (made with hot water)
" Instant oatmeal or grits (Made with hot water)
" Breakfast bars Granola, cereal and power bars
" Pop tarts
" I’ve discovered that there is an enormous number of different soup mixes available that they can just add hot water to.

Microwave/Campfire Meals:
" Campbell’s Chunky Soup - They have pop-top lids They’re perfect and they can even be eaten out of the can if the line at the microwave is just too long :)
" Pasta Anytime dinners
" Dinty Moore Dinners
" Kraft has a line of Mac & Cheese Dinners
" If you send more than one package a month
" Microwave Popcorn - Send quite a few of these, because it gets passed around
" Small Cup Microwave Dinners

Toiletries:
" Clorox Wipes
" Razors & Shaving Cream
" Foot Powder
" Shampoo, Conditioner & comb
" After Shave & Body Lotion
" Soap or Body Wash
" Mouth Wash
" Deodorant
"
Comfort Needs:
" Gel Insoles
" Foot powder
" T-shirts, underwear and socks MONTHLY-trust me, they’ll need them
" Sachets for their lockers to keep clothes smelling like home
" Glade Stick-Ups These are easy to hang in their racks
" Blanket from home
" A good sheet set
" A big fluffy towel
" An egg crate mattress pad Those racks are thin and not very comfortable
" Small bottle of Febreeze It helps to spray down the bedding once in a while
" Toilet paper
" A small battery operated fan
" Baby wipes are good for fast, easy clean-ups
" Eye drops
" Sneaker Balls--they’re like sachets for your shoes
Sundries & General Goods & Ideas:
" Board games-the ones they have made into key chains They’re small, light and just as fun as the full <myspace><myspace> size </myspace></myspace> versions
" Use your computer to print onto magnetic paper They can put these directly onto their racks
" Send favorite magazines
" Disposable cameras They can take pictures then mail them home for you to develop
" A Walkman with extra batteries
" With a CD burner, make a CD of favorite songs You can also make a cassette tape
" Always write letters, but in addition you might record your letters onto a tape (or onto the computer to make a CD)
" Send a few toys Slinky, sidewalk chalk, squirt guns, etc.
" Theme packages Make it all one color scheme with ribbon and confetti
" Send electronic games There are some little games that are about $10 each
" Make your own custom crossword puzzle!
" Use small baby food jars and fill them up with dirt from their backyard. You could also put sand from their favorite beach with a shell inside It’s oddly comforting
" Two words - Silly Putty. They love it and it considered a premium
" Use your computer graphics program to create a cool calendar with magnetic dots that they can use to mark important days (like homecoming!) and print on magnetic paper
" GameBoy Color (a handheld video game system) is $69 at most stores (although buying online with coupons you can get it for even less) and the games are $10-$30 each There are some great games, and the guys can trade when they get tired of playing
" Books on tape are nice, or for an avid reader send small paperback books that they can give away when they’re done That way they’re not having to store it
" If they’re gone over their birthday, send a birthday box with streamers, hats, noise makers, a birthday card, and a birthday cookie decorated with icing (refer to the Tips section on how to ship cookies!) Record yourself and the kids singing Happy Birthday and of course, decorate the outside of the box with birthday stickers :)
" Foam footballs and basketballs, the miniature <myspace><myspace> size </myspace></myspace>. These will get played with all the time by the whole platoon
" A Frisbee The flexible ones are best
" A hacky sack (a little bean bag for kicking around)
" I found a keychain version of the Super Soaker squirt guns it shoots 20ft away! They really work and they’d be great to take to work, since they fit in a pocket
" Very carefully open a box of Cracker Jacks and remove the prize Put your own prize in the box (use the prize somewhere else in your care package) Put in a little note or a bigger prize--maybe something personal that only your marine would understand Then carefully seal up the box so they don’t see that you’ve tampered with it Craft glue works best
" A small stack of Dixie cups
" A small battery operated light with a clip
" Dryer sheets, in a Zip Lock bag They can use them in their lockers to help things smell fresh, or they can rub them over their clothes before they go out It’s just a nice thing to have
" Send
" If they didn’t take one with them, send a cordless electric razor The best ones have the option of using them corded, in case the charge runs out It will make life so much easier
" Sun block
" A small sewing kit
" A stain remover stick (Shout makes a good stick)
" A stress ball
" CD/DVD disk cleaning kit, since the players and the disks will get a lot of use
" Stamps, paper and envelopes
" 5 padded mailing envelopes, just in case they need to send home
" Eyeglass cleaner wipes
" If you send store bought cookies like Oreos, something that cracks easy, take them out of their package and pack them loose in plain popped popcorn. The popcorn takes the shock of traveling and the cookies get there in great shape.
" I recommend sending packages Priority Mail It does help to get it there faster Priority mail will get it across country and into the hands of the FPO workers faster, and the FPO people respond quicker to Priority mail packages (maybe because they stand out more, who knows?) It’s also cheaper in a lot of cases
" Place anything that could spill (shampoo, cologne) inside a Zip Lock bag and then tape that bag to the inside of the box On the outside of the box, write "This Side Up" and even though it will never stay "that side up", it will help! Taping things to the side also helps to distribute the weight and keeps heavy things from crushing smaller or breakable items
" A good source of boxes is the post office. Visit www.USPS.com and order free boxes, labels and shipping tape and they will deliver it right to your door.
" When you send food of any kind, try to send a lot more than you think they’ll eat Most food gets shared and they may not get much if you only send a single serving
" This is the most important tip I have It takes a special skill to write a letter during deployment. Avoid writing phrases such as "Everything is falling apart and I can’t handle it without you" or "Everything is falling apart and I don’t need you any more to fix it for me" Either of these will cause your spouse, sibling or child terrible anxiety, and it’s dangerous for them and for anyone they work with also I know how hard it is, but I also know how important it is. No bad news, nothing upsetting. Considering what they are going through, it is nothing that cannot wait until they return home.


Here's all of stuff!!  We also sent a card with a family picture and an outline of Brody's hand!  
Stay Safe, Tommy-we love you!!!

6.02.2011

CoUpOnS

Ok so every time that Extreme Couponing advertising, Matt's like I just don't understand why you don't do this?!?!  I'm like hello because I don't have time....it takes times, planning, (ugh) and Math!!!  But I have jumped  on the Target + Manufacture Coupons train and I love it!!  I always do it with Diapers (because I HATE wasting my $$ on them) SO this week I got a coupon book from Target so now I have to find Manufacture ones to match them!  =)  I looked yesterday and didn't have that much luck.....any of you have any inside?!?!?

Memorial Day Weekend

We had such a great holiday weekend!!!

Friday: notta, went to Wal Mart (Yippy)

Saturday: We had a wedding in the evening and one of Brody's favorite teachers from the old daycare was going to come watch him.  We got all jazzed up and headed to the city to the most amazing old Catholic Church....it was beautiful!  Then the reception was at the Botanical Gardens-super nice!  They also had a complete open bar and my drink of choice was vodka and ruby red grapefruit juice!  Yep (you guessed it) I had way too many of them! 



Sunday: We went boating with some of Matt's family and Brody got to have a sleep over and his Great Grandparents house.  We took Matt's 21 yr old cousin and he decided to keep up with her the whole day drinking (I still felt like crap from the night before so I was the DD)  It was a blast tho!!  Very rarely do I see Matt drunk (probably blc I'm drunk), so it was hilarious!!   It was one of the kind of drunks where he's was like take a picture....they are so cool with the sunlight shining though them....for the love of god they are yager bombs!!


Monday: Well since I'm 30 now I still felt a little hungover!  Matt felt A LOT hungover and couldn't eat anything.  We BBQ'd anyway, but didn't eat much!

Hello Again.....

.....I'm being a total Blog Slacker lately!  Sorry  Here's a of what's been going on in the Blind Household:

Pool:  We took that nasty cover off a few weeks ago, Matt scrubbed it down and we fill it up!!  Just to realize our pump had cracked!  wonderful. So Matt tried to fixed it, but it didn't hold and it was leaking like crazy.  So we had to order a new pump and waited and waited for it to come (I swear sometimes I don't think free shipping is all what it's cracked up to be)  In the mean time the weather got hot and the algae took off.....so on the Holiday weekend not only do we have a full pool that we can't relax in it's a SWAMP!  The pump finally came yesterday!

Locusts: Those little basters have taking over at our house....and I'm scared to death of them!  They are so noisy and they are all over our trees.  Anyone else have that problem with them this yea??

Grocery shopping:  I used to love going grocery shopping with Brody....he would be such a delight and we could wonder around aimlessly and he didn't mind.  Well......until he realized the grocery store had this:
OMG....I swore I would never push one!  But, on Saturday we went to the store and hopped in and was SO excited I couldn't make him get out.  He beeped the horn and waved to everyone-so sweet!  Until we had to leave.....let's just say I walked out with him literally kicking and screaming!  So we go again last night....I was smart about it (so I thought) I grabbed a cart in the lot and we went in with a cart.  It worked for about 2 mins then he saw them....thank god the deli worker gave him a piece of salami to take his mine off of it.   We're good (even tho he won't sit in the front he sat in the back) until we were checking out.  He saw a little girl get in one!!  The tears and the whining and the trying to jump out happened....I completed ignored him and walked out pushing the cart and carrying him.  Good Times!!