A Day of Thanks...

I think I have illustrated in past recordings that I have a "princess" on my hands.  Yesterday was no exception.  One truly would have thought that it was Halloween in November.  She insisted on her "Cinderella Princess Proof Costume."  Don't ask me what the hell that means.  I have been struggling to figure it out for like 2 months now and have nothing.  It's Princess Proof and that is the end of the story.  Anywhoo, the girl would not take "No" for an answer regarding this dress--I told her when we bought the gown that she had to wait till Halloween to wear it and once Halloween was over she could wear it as much as she wanted.  She did not forget this statement as she regurgitated right back to me when I tried to talk her out of it.  Side note, this dress (like alll Halloween costumes) is insanely uncomfortable, itchy and just not put together well.  Makes me know the designer of such costumes clearly has no children.  But these were my rebuttals which fell on deaf ears.  She was hearing NO part of me and was planning on sporting it for the rest of the day.  I figure, we are at home.  Sure.  She will certainly want to take it off after the "scratch" sets in.

So I start getting my stuff together for a dreaded trip to the grocery and she is not even hearing of taking it off.  I am of the "F*&k it" school of thought on this one.  If she wants to dress up like an orangutan every day so be it.  I read a book awhile back that wisely told me to pick my battles.  This, my friends, is NOT a battle I am choosing at this date in time.  I will make my suggestion, state my opinion and move on.  And soon enough it won't be cute anymore and the mean people of society will stink-eye her into submission.  I am going to let her be 3 for a little while.  I figure this serves me in the arena of gray hair as well.  Might as well save those up for something really worthy...I don't even want to get into what would fall into that category!

So the car ride was filled with questions about our purpose.  Why are we going to the store?  What do we need?  Are you planning on buying me a treat this time?  Can we get the (g-d) cotton candy again!?--I KNEW that one would come back to bite me in the ass.  So once I had talked her off the ledge of cotton candy destruction and waxed intellectual with her on the sugar content of the cotton poof vs. that of a doughnut we were safely to our destination.  Then the Thanksgiving questions started in.  What is it?  Where is it? When is it?  What is Thursday?  When is Thursday?  I'm exhausted.  I feel like Alex Trebek from Jeopardy as she peppers me with her intrigue.  I know if I throw my hands in the air and scream "ENOUGH!!!!!" they will certainly call security.  But I won't lie and say I wasn't tempted.   And boy am I glad I didn't.  This rampage of question back and forth gave her a mental picture of Thanksgiving.  As we are walking the endless parking lot, Princess holding one hand, Beast holding the other she is jabbering.  She is dancing her little jig, enjoying the beautiful sunshine we had been gifted with on an unseasonably warm Colorado day in November.  She went on about how she saw Thanksgiving and I sat in thanks.  She said, "Mommy, life will be beautiful, sweet, fun, warm and delicious!"  This is what Thanksgiving sounded like to her.  Had I not continued to entertain her vast array of questions she may not have come up with this Day of the Bird synopsis.  At which point I was grateful.  God has not given me much patience...I think I've been given JUST enough.

As we continued in Cinderella was stopped by a little couple walking to their car.  The big, burly man said "Look honey!  A princess!"  You should have seen this girls' expression.  She looked up at me with a glow as if to say "They KNOW!!!"  She did a twirl and a tiny sache for the man, said "Thank you" and we were on our way.  In the store no less than 15 people actually approached her to tell her how beautiful she looked.  And at one point she turned to me and said with amazement "Even strangers think I look beautiful!"  Then there were those who just gave her the sweet eyes and carried on.  It was a surprisingly sweet display.  I have let her wear gaudy attire in public before and she got nowhere near the reception she did this day.

All this to say is the trip to the store that I thought was going to be excruciating because of irritated, harried customers turned into a delight.  Letting my girl don her last-month attire proved beneficial for all--certainly nothing I should have forbade because it "didn't fit the mood."  It gave her an ego boost (perhaps too large of one) and it gave me a little more faith in humanity seeing that people aren't all just grump-a-saurus's.  It also gave me the opportunity and stage to talk about Thanksgiving with my gal and hear what she thought.  I most likely wouldn't have gotten that outlook at home.  It was a day to be thankful for.  I am eager to continue on this theme of thanks.  It's really a good one to adopt.  We are sooo incredibly blessed and so well cared for.  I can honestly say I want for nothing.  And a lifestyle of gratitude has helped me see that I need for nothing.  I feel so fortunate to be able to say these things and mean them from the bottom of my heart.  I hope your Thanksgiving is as wonderful as my Princess predicts ours to be!  Love to all!  XOXOX!