Desperately Seeking Ariel

Mck starts school tomorrow. She kind of has a backpack for this but we both had something else in mind. Now I'd like to just interject here and state for the record that her favorite princess is subject to change at any given moment.
So its last week. I'm at the store getting a few of her last supplies. I see a backpack. Its a doozy. Its the pack, a lunch kit attached and a pencil case-y thing, also attached. I pick it up. Its on sale. There is just one princess on it. Ariel. I have a moment of panic. Is that the one? Is that her fave right now? Will this pass muster? Do I have time in my week to deal with returning this if suddenly Cinderella is at the top of the leader board?

I walk around with it in my hand. I check the clothes. I peruse the groceries. I peek at shoes. I wander and scan the price to get the sale digits. I weighed out the value of my purchases. And then I put it down. I PUT IT DOWN. I put the backpack down. Not accidentally. On purpose. I will check with her first before buying it to make sure Ariel is the princess of the moment and then I will pop back to get it. The Ariel backpack. The last one. The one with the lunch kit and the pencil case. The last Ariel one with the lunch kit and the pencil case that is ON SALE. Oh sure, it'll be here tomorrow.

So. Um. About that backpack. Turns out it was EXACTLY WHAT MCK HAS ALWAYS WANTED. Ok. Good to know. I will go get it. I venture back there today. Wait a minute. Things look different. Where did the aisles go? Where are the rows and rows of school supplies and BACKPACKS??? Moved, gone, safely in the bedrooms of children who's parents must REALLY love them. Love them enough to get them that perfect Ariel backpack with the lunch kit and the pencil case. You know, the one that was ON SALE.

So I wandered. I looked everywhere. I found one with the 5 main princesses on it. Would that do? Would it be ok to get just a basic pack now that I've talked up the other one? Ariel was on this one but so were 4 other princesses. I hemmed. I hawed. And then I PUT IT DOWN. Sometimes I learn my lessons well. And sometimes? It takes a time or two.

I thought I might have success elsewhere. Not so much. After three more stores I hung out the white flag. So in a last ditch effort I took mck to a different store this eve with no hopes and a game plan in the wings to convince her that something else would be SO MUCH BETTER than some lame-o Ariel backpack. And there, amongst the smattering of backpacks strewn about, standing alone like the kid chosen last in gym class, was the second pack, the one with all the beyotches on there. And she? Fell. In. Love.

Can I just say it? Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy. There.