That Boy is Too Darn Cute - so maybe I will buy him more special soap!

Friday I purchased two things for my MS: a spiderman power toothbrush and Squid Soap. Since older brother tends to favor power toothbrushes, my MS has been begging for one of these. He was due for a new one and it was clearanced, so I splurged. I figure that I am helping him to form good hygiene habits at an early age. And if you want to read some funny stuff about hygiene habits, you only have to hop over to Cardiogirl's blog at http://www.cardiogirl.net/.

The other hygiene habit I wanted to nurture was handwashing. Now, I must admit - as I did in my very first post - this is not really a habit that my MS lacks. This boy loves to wash his hands. However, he loathes the fact that my husband insists on assisting him. I will hear him cry out, "Let mommy help me, cuz' she doesn't SUPERVISE. She let's me do it all by MYSELF!" Indeed, I do believe he does far better than the average toddler.

The great thing about this new Squid Soap is that I think it will convince my husband that my toddler has been effectively trained. The box clearly touts "Teaches Kids Proper Handwashing!" The child presses the pump and the lid inks a small dot onto their palm. They must wash for 15-20 seconds in order to remove the ink. Once the ink is gone, they may rinse with the assurance of clean hands.

This product cost me $4.00. I know, I know. I said I would not spend such outlandish prices on soap for my MS after that last incidence with soap. But, I'm all about independence for these boys! (Actually, what I should be supervising is the toilet aim, not the hand-washing!) He has been washing up a storm (but thankfully, not washing the sink). I have informed him that once this container is done, he will be trained and can go back to regular CHEAP soap.

He has also fallen in love with the removeable rubber squid which comes with the dispenser. The very first night, he insisted on taking it to bed. He has played with it constantly. I guess I could consider it $4 well spent, since I got a container of soap and a beloved toy.

This toy has become so beloved that today was our first crisis over the squid. Upon rising from his nap, he was distraught that he couldn't find his squid. We searched high and low. No, he didn't take it to church. He had it this morning at breakfast. Where did anyone last see it?

After an extensive search, I gave up, assuring him that we would find it somewhere in the house. He stood next to me at the computer and said, "It is a sad day without my squid." But, seeing that I wasn't going to continue looking, he headed over to two toy bins which I had briefly checked. Wanting him to be occupied, I thanked him for re-checking those bins.

All of a sudden, he shrieks, "Mom. I found it! You forgot to look on THIS (a round toy with a purple squid neatly camouflaged on the top)." But, he continued, "And there, standing in the moonlight, was THIS!" I busted out laughing and headed downstairs to tell hubby what he had just said.

After listening to me relate to Daddy how clever he is, I bent over to ask him what made him say "there, standing in the moonlight ..." He looked at me as if I was daft.

"Mom, it is from the Wiener Dog book, remember? 'And there, standing in the moonlight, were a couple of ornery cats.'"

This boy is going to be worth his weight in gold. Almost enough to make up for older brother's lack of interest in books. At age 3, he is already quoting books! Ha! He was quoting from The Hallo-Wiener by Dav Pilkey. That squid soap was definitely worth the four bucks!