The walls go all the way to the floor, and some days that's all you can hope for

First day at Disneyworld: "Mom, today is going to be the BEST day. As long as I don't fall down."

Oh, Boo. My funny, frustrating youngest child. This morning she had a meltdown when I told her to stop threatening to poop on her sister and get dressed; I had to drag her out the door and into school, 10 minutes late, and she was fighting me every step of the way. Stubborn. So, so stubborn, so determined to show me that I can't make her do anything she doesn't want to do.

 "Dragons aren't pets. And dragons aren't real. And dinosaurs used to be real but now they're dead. I just knew that."

Mimi got out of the car and dashed into school so she was right on time; I opened Boo's door and she folded her arms and looked at me. I folded my arms and looked at her, and we stood like that for three minutes. I checked my watch. Finally she stretched her arms and said, all defensively, "I'M STRETCHING!" and then said she needed "heeeeeelp" getting out. Of course when I offered her my hand she went all limp, like reaching for it was just so beyond her capabilities.

 Playing Lady & the Tramp with her sister: "This isn't really wine, Mama. We're just pretending."

I lifted her bodily out of the car and on the way across the parking lot she took my hand as if we hadn't been at each other like cats and dogs for the past 20 minutes. Then she got mad on the way to class because her sock was slipping into her shoe, and by the time she got to the door of her room she was a mess again, but I shoved her in and left because it was time to let someone else deal with that for a while.

Mid-meltdown: "DON'T LOOK AT ME!"

Eating a fish sandwich: "it's called fish because it was made of fish. This part was its body, and the part I ate already was its head."

I did inform her this morning that from now on every time she makes us late in the morning because of a tantrum she will have a time-out when she gets home (or go to bed 20 minutes earlier, I haven't decided yet). I've calmed down since this morning, and probably will not actively look for gypsies to sell her to (I don't think gypsies are really in the market for kids anymore, anyway), but I have got to figure out something that will show her that while it's ok to be strong-willed, it is NOT ok to start a power struggle with Mommy in the morning, and that she is not allowed to make everyone late because she wants to show us she's the boss.

Out of nowhere, last night: "The walls go all the way to the floor, and that is good."

She drives me batty. But at night she snuggles up next to me and says "I love you, Mama." And in between she is freaking hysterical.