Skipping Town

We went out to dinner tonight after swimming lessons, since Andrew was working from home. The girls were enthralled with their new Shopkins. Still, Greta found a way to make the meal difficult. ME: Girls, your choices are cheeseburger, grilled cheese, macaroni and cheese, macaroni and butter, or chicken fingers. LUCIA: Grilled cheese, please. GRETA: Chicken fingers! ME: Greta, you don't like chicken fingers. How about grilled cheese, or macaroni and cheese? GRETA: I WANT CHICKEN FINGERS. ME: But you don't like chicken fingers. GRETA: I WANT THEM I WANT THEM I WANT THEM I WANT THEM I WANT THEM!!! ME: Fine. Are you going to eat them? GRETA: Yes. We order. The girls play with their Shopkins. The dinners arrive, and the waitress puts a plate of chicken fingers in front of Greta. GRETA: I DON"T WANT CHICKEN!!!! I WANT GRILLED CHEESE!!! She eats nothing but fries. Lucia devours her grilled cheese and two of Greta's chicken fingers. Dinner.

This week, I'm preparing to dive down a new rabbit hole with Lucia and Greta, into the world of Shopkins. As anyone who knows us knows, for the past two-plus years the girls have been focused almost exclusively on My Little Ponies, with my blessing and enablement. They are still very into their ponies. The blind bags, the apple farm and all its accessories, the many Apple Family members they've collected. They've flirted with Equestria Girls, a related toy, and they still like princesses, and Beanie Boos. But it's mostly been ponies, ponies, ponies. And more ponies. But now--they've learned of Shopkins. And Shopkins are everything my children love: tiny and endlessly collectible, far better in great quantities. Unfortunately for Andrew, that's what appeals to me about them too, and already I find myself learning their names, learning about the different "seasons" of Shopkins, learning my children's character preferences: Greta prefers the dessert...