Tu Cumpleanos Es Mi Cumpleanos

You know the saying "mi casa es tu casa"? Well, when it comes to my 6-year-old, Hannah, it's tu cumpleanos es mi cumpleanos. Olivia just celebrated her 4th birthday, and it sure ended up feeling a good bit like Hannah's birthday. A year or so ago, I taught Hannah the art of negotiation. I was quite proud of myself when I saw the concept click and glee shine from her eyes with the realization that she can get what she wants with persuasion instead of force. Her first victory was to convince Olivia (on Olivia's 3rd birthday) that she should trade coloring books. In exchange for Olivia's brand new Disney Princess coloring book, Hannah would give Olivia a priceless coloring book in which Hannah had already colored every page. I was disturbed but impressed when Olivia ended up making the trade and feeling like she had just gotten the deal of the century. This year, Hannah convinced Olivia to allow her to blow out the candles and unwrap the presents. Danilo and I stepped in to prevent this usurpation. But after the birthday, I had to intercede countless times to re-establish that this new thing or that new thing belongs to Olivia and not Hannah. And it's not that Olivia is a complete pushover. She is generally a kind child, that is true, but she's also pretty stubborn. Hannah just has a way. She's pretty good with a highlighter too, so perhaps she should become a lawyer.

Here are a couple of recent pictures:

The lapse in my blog entries is a sure indicator that I'm back to work. I only have a quick minute, but wanted to share a website that I'm pretty excited about. If you (like me) do your shopping on line, you really should check out www.retailmenot.com. It has on-line coupon codes (giving you everything from free shipping, to discounts to free samples) for many websites. I have used the codes with success. Enjoy!