Mastering Mommyhood Monday *ahem* Thursday

So my close friend, Mrs. P (over at Growing Jacob) has finally started linking up her Mastering Mommyhood Mondays!  I'm excited, because now I finally get to chime in on some of the things that I have learned so far on this crazy mommy-journey. 

I would have to say I was raised a bit non-traditionally (okay, that's an understatement). I've always been opinionated and never afraid to share it!  So when I was pregnant, I had all these ideas about how I was going to raise my baby.

I had it absolutely set in my mind that I was not going to be one of those germ-aphobe parents.  Yes, I bought a shopping cart/highchair cover (have you ever been a server and cleaned one of those highchairs? OMG, YUCK!!), but I told myself that I wouldn't freak out if I forgot it or something.  I mainly purchased it for when my little one was, well, *little*.  Like just learning to sit up little.  It would add extra padding for said little one.  That was my story then...

Now I use that sucker (aka, Floppy shopping cart cover) All. The. Time.  It lives in the third row of my van, right behind Kahlan's seat.  If we are using a shopping cart, we grab the cover.  I don't care if I look like a mule carrying everything in, I'm using that dang cover!  I also don't care if it takes me an extra two or three minutes to get it on the cart, the straps threaded thru the seat, and my daughter wedged in just right, I'm using it!  Kahlan's teething right now (and has been pretty constantly since she was about 6 months old) so she likes to chew on just about anything.  When we're in a shopping cart, guess what's handy?  Those lovely little straps off of the belt.  Okay, seriously, if my daughter is chewing on them, how many other children have?  I'll pass, thanks. 

Kahlan in the predecessor to the Floppy cart cover

So you guys know we cloth diaper, right?  Wait, I haven't posted about that?  Hmm, I'll work on that.  Anyway, we do cloth diaper-fitteds and wool, if that means anything to you.  One day, I apparently had not checked her diaper often enough, and she soaked thru her pants onto the adored Floppy shopping cart cover.  So when we got home, I took it inside and tossed it by the washer with the laundry.  And there it sat.  For four days.

It seems that every one of these four days we ended up at a store, and I didn't have my darling Floppy shopping cart cover.  So we would either take a shopping cart and the stroller, or I would use those antibacterial wipes and wipe the heck out of a shopping cart to put my daughter in.

After a while of this wiping down the cart thing, I started getting strange looks.  And I started to feel like I was being silly.  I mean, really, everyone else uses their shopping carts without wiping them down!  Why can't I? 

The Floppy finally got washed and returned to the car.  It commenced usage again at Lowes, where we headed to get a few home improvement items.  And where I saw something that will make me NEVER again doubt wiping down shopping carts, whether I have my daughter with me or not. 

I was standing at the end of an isle waiting for my dad to grab something, when a man pushing a shopping cart walked past.  He had, and I kid you not, 2 parrots sitting on the shopping cart handle as he pushed it along. 

So, my friends, I will never again doubt myself as I wipe down a shopping cart (two or three times over, mind you).  Birds can be carriers for all sorts of fun diseases, and for that matter, so can people.  So despite all the strange looks when I stand there and wipe it down, I will be cleaning that shopping cart until I feel better about it! 

So now go over to Growing Jacob and link up your Mastering Mommyhood post!!