Our weekend was full of nonstop activity and, as a result, Caroline didn’t get anywhere near the amount of sleep she requires to maintain her sunny disposition. But, because she has the energy level of a hamster on steroids fueled by a pure diet of sugar, she didn’t really crash until yesterday.
She woke up around 8:00 a.m. yesterday morning and then was content to just snuggle up in my bed and watch T.V. for the next hour and a half. I kept checking her forehead for fever because, while I have heard of children who are content to just rest and relax, I have rarely experienced it firsthand without some type of virus being involved. I just knew she was about to throw up in my bed, because I always look for the bright side of any situation.
But it never happened. No fever, no throw up, no phantom virus. Just rest and relaxation.
I did not see that coming.
So we stayed in our pajamas until 2:00 p.m. I kid you not. It was fabulous. And we watched “101 Dalmations”, “Monsters Inc.”, a few “Charlie and Lolas”, and “Tom and Jerry”.
Here’s the downside to a day full of watching television with a four-year-old. She is a sucker for the commercials. It started off with asking if she could have the My Little Pony Teapot Palace (which she already owns by the way) because “LOOK AT IT MAMA! IT’S BEAUTIFUL!”. Then as the day progressed she asked for Lelli Kelly tennis shoes with “ALL THE SPARKLIES!” and Furberry Friends because “THEY’RE SO CUTE!”.
We had to have a discussion about why she will never own any Bratz Dolls and what the word “trashy” means. She informed me that they were not trashy, but were “FASHION!”.
Heaven help me.
Now I’m going to have to take her shopping at Lilly Pulitzer just to infuse some All-American fashion goodness and modesty into her brain.
So, it was inevitable that by noon she was begging for those vacuum-sealed storage bags. You know what I’m talking about? The ones where you can put an entire bedspread, three king-size pillows and a set of pots and pans in a bag, suck out the excess air with a vacuum, and shrink it down to the size of a pea. What child wouldn’t want one of those? How on earth will her childhood be complete without the ability to store things in such an efficient manner?
Between the storage bags and the Bratz dolls, I’m afraid I’m raising a child who may aspire to be a tawdry Martha Stewart.
I told her we didn’t need them and she looked right at me and said, “But Mama! You can buy them on T.V. for only $19.95!”
Awww, my little baby is learning about capitalism. They grow up so fast.
Last night, right before I put her to bed, she put her little hand on my face and looked at me for a long time. Finally she said, “Mama, you can get some lotion for your face that will help it not be all spotty like it is now. It’s only $29.95.”
The T.V. will remain off all day tomorrow.