Slowly Chipping Away at My Sanity

 While eating dinner this evening at a new restaurant we've been wanting to try:

"Who's dat?"

"That's just the wall, Alice."

"Who's dat?"

"That's a decorative ornament on top of the booth."

"Who's dat?"

"That's a stack of booster seats."

"Who's dat?"

"Still the wall."

"Who's dat"

"Spicy sauce."

"Who's dat?"

"A lobster sculpture on the wall."

"Who's dat"

"Water."

"Who's dat?"

"The wall. . . remember?"

While eating lunch earlier this afternoon at home:

[The wind is howling and the trees out front are rustling and creaking.]

"Who's dat?"

"It's just the wind, Alice. It's loud today."

"No, a owl!"

"No, I think it's just the wind, sweetie."

[Our windows rattle and the house groans.]

"Who's dat?"

"The wind"

"No. Goat."

"No, I don't think there's a goat. It's just the wind."

"Din-saur?"

"Maybe. . ."

[Our patio umbrella sways back and forth.]

"Who's dat?"

"It's the wind, Alice. The wind."

[Her eyes widen with excitement and she smiles like she just figured out something big.]

"Hip-po!"

"No, it's the. . . Yeah, it's probably a hippo."

P.S. Anyone have any idea how you put a kid in time-out when she's already immobilized by a car seat? Alice seemed unfazed by our declaration of a time-out due to her misbehavior on our way home from the restaurant tonight.  We figured that was one battle we weren't going to win since there's not much you can take away from a kid who's buckled into a five-point harness, staring at the back seat of the car, and listening to music that she has already objected to. About ten minutes later, while we were all chatting about something else, she casually inquired, "time-out over?"  I think we need a new strategy for when we're on the go. . .