I'm walking down the sidewalk, on the way to the car with The Princess. I say, "So, why didn't you eat all your lunch today at school?"
She's walking out in front of me, kicking at the acorns that are scattered all over the walk and says, nonchalantly, "I didn't want to eat all of it. I byed some things."
I say, "What do you mean you byed some things? That's why you take your lunch ... so you don't have to buy anything."
She says, now squatting down, so as to scoop up a handful of these fallen acorns, "I byed some juice and a cheeseburger. I had to have the cheeseburger."
"You had to have it?" I say, watching her now as she pulls her pudgy little body up into the van, trying hard not to spill her handful of nuts (cuz, we gotta keep some of those nuts ya know).
"My tummy told me to buy it," she climbs into her seat and then looks over at me adoringly, with those big chocolate pudding colored eyes.
I lean in and put my hand on her jiggly tummy and say, "No more burgers. Eat. Your. Lunch," and she giggles.
On the upside ... the school called and said there's no more money on The Princess' account (and she owes $3.30). They won't give her anymore burgers until I pay the account current. Sorry Baby ... no more burgers for you. These kids think that burgers just grow on trees ... but they don't - that would be 50 Billion ACORNS - 3000 of which are now in my van cup holders, in between the cushions of my couch, on the floor of my son's bedroom in neat little chipmunk piles (he's saving them for the winter), in the pockets of backpacks and in the bottom of my Kenmore washing machine.