THIS IS ON MY WISH LIST!

Since WELL before Christmas, both girls have fallen prey to the various commercials aimed at children, to the point that any time a toy commercial comes on the television, both kids shout "This is on my wish list!"  It really doesn't matter how stupid the toy seems to be.  A pillow that lights up while you're trying to fall asleep?  "THIS IS ON MY WISH LIST!"  A form of silly putty that you can actually chew?  "THIS IS ON MY WISH LIST!"  Glow-in-the-dark tub toys?  "THIS IS ON MY WISH LIST!"

Well, Madeleine has taken the wish list thing to a whole new level today.  It seems that the moment a commercial airs, before she even has a chance to understand what product is being advertised, Madeleine SIMPLY.  MUST.  HAVE.  IT.

Today, during an infomercial-like ad for a multi-purpose vegetable chopper/dicer/slicer, Madeleine got started.

MADELEINE: This is on my wish list!
ME: It is?
MADELEINE: (brightly) Yes!
ME: Why??
MADELEINE: Uh, because, you cut vegetables with it.  And it's SHARP.

(Need I remind anyone of the fact that Madeleine almost universally HATES vegetables?)

ME: Well, honey, this item is really for grown-ups.  It's not a toy that kids can play with.
MADELEINE: Well Mama.  It's on my wish list because I'm gonna give it to DADDY.  And to you.  It's what I'm gonna get for you and Daddy!

Oh, I see.  Now her wish list items extend to gifts she wants US to buy and pay for for OURSELVES.  Interesting.

A few moments later, a commercial about toilet training came on.  The ad was for pull-ups.

MADELEINE: This is on my WISH LIST!

Um.  For real?  Are you kidding me?

ME: Madeleine, why do you want pull-ups on your wish list?? 
MADELEINE: Uh, no, uh, THAT'S on my wish list (gesturing vaguely at the television screen.)

I'm still not 100% sure which thing from the commercial set is on her wish list.  The toilet, perhaps?  The toddler?  The entire bathroom and its decor?  At any rate, the wish list thing seems to boil down to a simple impulse reaction at this point.  MADELEINE WAAAAAANT.

Julia, alternatively, is focusing less on things and more on concepts.  She came home from school with the following fill-in-the-blanks poem about peace:

Peace is like a home.
Peace looks like saying sorry.
It sounds nice and it can be friendly but,
Peace is always the same.

It's interesting to me that Julia is now experimenting with drawing lips on her girls, rather than her typical sunny and cheery half-circle smiles.  The end result is that these girls look kind of like teenage vampires, a sort of ironic icon to go along with a poem about peace.

Who knows, maybe Julia is trying to match her little sister in creepy supernatural-esque character drawings...