The joys of having a 6 year old daughter...

Trista and I seem to either get along great or not at all. Lucky for me, we've gotten along great since around September. She seems to have a few weeks every now and then where we butt heads and don't see eye to eye on anything. I'm just thankful that we do get along so well the majority of the time. That being said, it comes with compromise. Having a 6 year old daughter (strong willed, nonetheless) is challening and here are a few things I have laughed about recently. 

So, you know you have a 6 year old daughter when:

1. You rarely agree on what she wears. She prefers the same jeans and the same (1 of 3) t-shirts everyday. Remind me why I buy cute clothes!
2. You know all the words to Justin Bieber's songs. Yes, it is better to listen to than "Old MacDonald" in the car, so we've been jamming to Bieber and I know all the words now...lovely! I'm sure we'll be at the movie in March too!
3. You spend hours learning the "Hoedown Throwdown" dance from Hannah Montana with her and just count it as exercise since there is really no other positive way to look at it.
4. Speaking of Hannah Montana, you know all of her songs too (or Miley, depending on the day)!
5. You get a daily critique of your outfit. Wait...why I am listening to the kid that wears the same (usually less than stylish) outfit every day? I am trying to convince myself she really does have fashion sense, she is just keeping it hidden. That may be a good thing...maybe she will keep it hidden until she is 22!
6. She uses the words "chunky, chunky" to describe how you look and thinks it is a compliment (thanks Madagascar!).

On the positive side...

1. Trista definitely inherited the clean/organized/compulsive nature that I have (as well as a few other family members, hehe!). She can clean the house beyond my expectations.
2. I love how when she makes her bed and Tanner's bed that she neatly arranges every blanket, stuffed animal, etc. That is the compulsive part coming out, but I love it!!
3. She is easily bribed...a dollar can easily get me a clean house (at least the upstairs). For $2 the whole house can be cleaned, including all of my shoes neatly organized. I LOVE this girl!
4. She is great help in the kitchen. You have to allow a little extra time, but she loves to spend time with me even when it is things like cooking and cleaning and I wouldn't trade it for anything!
5. She loves to sit and read books with me. I love the part of the day when it is time to read to the kids and calm them down before bed.
6. She keeps her dad and brother in check! She helps Curt put away dishes (occassionally) and she knows where everything goes. She is a little mommy when I am not there.
7. She is great at folding and putting away clothes and does it right!

So, looking at the positives most are about things she helps me with, but we spend a lot of time doing these things together! I knew that it would be so much easier once there was some help with all the daily household stuff and she is definitely a big help! But, don't feel bad for her...she loves to help out and is a busy-body like myself and would rather be doing something than just sitting around (though we do plenty of that too!)