Off to the Shops

We popped into Lidl this morning. I just couldn't face the cavernous 'big Tesco' with its bright lights, long aisles, acres of tantrum-inducing toys and hordes of people. Ted has been a trolley-refuser for a while now so I thought I'd try giving him his own little basket, so he could help me with the shopping...

Hmm, well, within 2 minutes of entering the store he had filled his basket with tubes of white chocolate buttons (from the child-height display of Christmas confectionary just inside the shop door), and was heading off with great purpose towards the biscuits! He was actually remarkably compliant when I removed the chocolate (although we might have kept a little...) and encouraged him down the aisle to the fruit, veg and meat that we actually needed. He was very excited by the large photo of a tractor and combine harvester displayed at the bread section, and generally extremely helpful from then on, helping me put the shopping onto the belt at the till, and waiting patiently while I paid and packed. Feeling ever-so-slightly smug, I then took him over the road to Wickes as I needed some paint, where he proceeded to run around shrieking and attempting to pull cans of paint off the shelves, making me feel in an instant like an appalling parent who can't control her toddler... I should have quit while I was ahead!