Amply Illustrating Three of Our Four Slogans

This morning, I awoke to hear Sean and Allie already in earnest conversation.

Allie: Sean, you can't call me Allison anymore.

Sean: Why?

Allie: Because my name is now Ariel.

Sean: Okay. Hi, Ariel.

Still rubbing my eyes, I follow Allie to her room.

Allie: Mommy, where are my green pants?

Me: In your closet. Why?

Allie: Because I'm Ariel now, and I have to look like her.

I help her into her green pants.

Allie, holding up a piece of purple tissue paper: Now help me put this on. It's Ariel's top!

In case you are unfamiliar, here's the look she was going for:


Me: I'm not sure that's going to work, sweetie. Plus it's still kind of chilly for a top like that.

Allie: ARIEL HAS TO WEAR THIS PURPLE TOP!

Me: Okay, it's not worth arguing about. But only for a few minutes.

Allie: Get some tape!

Me: Ummm, manners?

Allie: Please!

We struggle to fashion a tube top from lavender tissue paper. Within 2 minutes, it's ripped.

Allie: (Wailing)

Me: I can fix it! I'll use more tape.

Allie: No, GLUE! Glue it together!

Me: Tape would be better for this tissue paper, I think.

I tape the top again. It falls down within 1 minute.

Allie: (EXTREMELY LOUD WAILING)

Me, thinking fast: Why don't you pretend to be Ariel as a human? She wore a dress, right? You can wear a dress, too.

Allie: (Sniffing). Okay. What color?

I look at our Little Mermaid book. When Ariel is in the rowboat with Eric, she's wearing a blue dress. Thank GOD Allie has a blue dress.

We remove the tube top and green pants, put on the blue dress.

Me, tying the bow in the back of the dress: And it even has a pretty bow, just like Ariel.

Sean: No, Ariel's dress doesn't have a bow.

Me: Yes, it does.

Sean: No, it doesn't.

Me (giving evil look of death, speaking with clenched jaw): I think it does, okay, Sean?

Allie looks as if she is not sure who to believe but is prepared to pitch a fit if necessary. It's a precarious situation.

Allie: I like the bow!

Thank goodness.

Crisis averted at 7:15 a.m.