So, they ARE my children after all!

As I believe is often the case in households such as mine, I find myself telling my husband to follow some basic household instruction again and again and again, wondering why my request doesn't sink in.

My kids... well... they're sometimes a little anal retentive about certain things. Not a lot of things. I like to think they are versatile and well adjusted, but they are also pretty observant, notice details, and sometimes object when things are "wrong". I don't have a clue where they get this trait.... ahem....

Sippy cups. We've found Playtex Insulator Twist and Click cups to be the most reliably leak free. We therefore have a fair selection... a Disney princess one, pink and green flowery one, and at least three of them designed with Lightning McQueen and his Cars buddies. It's all very simple. The pink and green flowery cup gets the green lid, the Cars cup with JUST Lightning McQueen (and no other cars on it) gets the red lid. ALL OTHERS get blue lids. Case closed.

I asked the husband to please see which lid goes on which cup, and please try to abide because if it's wrong, the kids will let me know, and usually make me scramble to make it right. Two or three times I have asked husband to PLEASE get them right.

This week, I found the Disney Princess cup bearing a green lid. I leered at him. "You HAVE to be able to get this right by now!" I said. He leered back at me. It was clear that he was sick of hearing me insist. He didn't say anything, but his look said, "are you really going to make such a big deal about lids on plastic cups? REALLY?"

I looked at him, and cupping my hand fully over the lid of the Princess cup, I walked over to our two year old son, who can barely tell purple from orange.

"Braeden," I said, "what color lid is this cup supposed to have?"

"Blue!" he said.

Walking back to the cabinet, picking up the pink and green flowered cup, I again glared at my husband and fully cupped my hand over the cup lid. I walked back to the boy.

"Brae," I said, "how about this one? What color lid should this one have?"

"Uhhhh... Green!" he said.

Husband's laughter and body language indicated he has relented. I still think I should fire him from sippy sorting duty. It's clear there is a member of the household more suited for this task.