When our children were younger, going the grocery store with the kids was just a part of life. To make it a fun experience for the kids, I would turn grocery shopping into a scavenger hunt. The rules were that the kids had to stay in the same isle as mommy and use their "walking feet" and "careful hands". I would cut the front of used cereal boxes, snack boxes, pasta, soup labels, etc. out at home and give the labels to the kids as we entered each isle. They would then have to go and find those items on the shelves. It made it more fun for them and made the trip at the store shorter. I also think that it helped with their early literacy skills! My other trick was that I only shopped at our local grocery store that employs adults with disabilities as check-out baggers. This SAVED my life! In addition to effectively bagging my groceries, these wonderful individuals would also talk to my children while I was managing my coupons, store discounts, and paying for the groceries. Our favorite bagger would talk to the kids about the Pirates, Steelers, or Penguins games or anything else that they were interested in (like what new movies were playing). The best part was that while I was buckling the kids into their car seats, the employee baggers with exceptionalities would load all of our groceries in the back of the van. It was a win-win situation for everyone involved and that is why I still shop at that grocery store exclusively over a decade later.