"You're not the boss of me!"

Cute, isn't she? Don't let the sweet smile fool you. After 8:00 at night, those bright eyes become dark and sulky. By 8:01, she's sure to insult everyone she comes into contact with.

I dropped 12YO off at her youth group last night and took the other two shopping. I knew I had something to buy at Sam's Club, but I decided to stop by Costco first to see what they had.

OH! And on a side note: It only took seventeen dollars and some change to fill up the Saturn at Costco. From empty to full! David took the Tahoe to work yesterday and had to fill it up on the way home. From Empty to full, guess how much it cost? Forty-four bucks. YEP! That's what it used to cost to fill up the Saturn when gas was $4.15 a gallon! Times, they are a changin'!

As we walked through Costco, it suddenly occured to me why I don't prefer Costco: I just don't like people all that much. Really, I don't. No matter what time of day it is, Costco is crowded. There are people everywhere you turn. Now, in this day and age, it's actually good for Costco that they get so many customers. Good for them, bad for my anxiety levels. Plus, I think Coscto actually stacks their shelves a bit higher than Sam's. I felt like they were trying to swallow me up as I passed some of the huge displays. I'm glad that 5YO and 2YO wanted to ride in the cart, because they were sure to have been run over by the crowds. Hmmm....7:00 on a Thursday, what's the deal with that?

The thing I was hoping to find wasn't there, so I had to go to Sam's to buy it anyway. I could actually breathe at Sam's Club. The center aisles weren't stacked as high and there weren't as many people there. It's just different. I guess I'm probably the perfect candidate for online shopping, eh?

So, it was just after 8:00 when we pulled into the driveway. Ten minutes after 8:00, and 5YO had been asleep for exactly ten minutes. I'm telling you, I could easily set my watch by this kid! I reach back and give her knee a little jiggle, trying to gently rouse her out of her slumber. I say, "We're home. It's time to wake up and go inside." She tosses her head from one direction to the other, without ever opening her eyes, and says, "I'm doing THIS right now!" I keep trying, telling her we need to go into the house so she can go to bed, hoping that I didn't have to lug her little, limp body into the house myself.

"You're not the boss of me! You can't tell me what to do!"

If she weren't mostly asleep at that point, I might have threatened her life a little. Instead, I just laughed. She was clearly not understanding what she was saying. Either that, or she was new here.

Once she was awake and unbuckling herself, I reminded her to grab her jacket out of the car and bring it into the house.

"I don't have to! I just want to leave it here! I will put in on when I come out to the car tomorrow."

I then reminded her that she wouldn't be coming out to the car, but would be heading straight out to the bus the next morning.

"I don't have to!"

A couple of YES YOU DO's and a brief stint of the evil eye later and she grabbed her jacket from the seat next to her and stumbled into the house. She woke up enough to be mildly pleasant until she had her PJs on and teeth brushed. And that's about all I can expect from her at that point.

Is it possible that she's just not physically capable of being friendly or cooperative when she's tired? And how old is old enough to start drinking coffee?

Maybe she just doesn't like people either.