Day Three Hundred Fifty-Two

If there is one thing that Mila will take away from this whole global lockdown, it's some serious development of her problem solving skills. The kid is clever, y'all.

We had to drive out of town for the dance competition thing last week. While it was a short there and back sort of thing, I still respected Our Very Important Road Trip Rules. Those rules require that I supply a giant bag of gummy candy for snacking on while we drive.

And, thus, there is a three-pound bag of gummy bears in my house. We weren't gone long enough for the girls, and by "girls" I mean Mila, to eat them all, so they came back home and were stashed in the pantry. They were safe and sound on the top shelf. That was very purposeful - I think I'm going to surprise the girls with a quick half-day excursion to somewhere (literally anywhere - we need to get out, even if it's just to hike somewhere further from home) in the next few weeks, so we can re-use that bag then.

Mila found the bag and managed to get it down. I don't know how, but I'm sure it involved risking her life in some ridiculous way. She's oblivious like that.

And so I grabbed the bag and took it up to my office for safe keeping. I really don't need the kid to lock herself in the pantry and inhale 4000 grams of sugar. She will, you know. But with the gummies in my office, her access is severely limited. I can see them. There are SAFE.

It took Mila four hours to solve that equation. She realized I had taken them and stashed them more out of her reach, and somewhere where I could quickly yell at her if she touched them. And then she figured out that if she waited until I was talking - and thus participating in a meeting - she could walk right in and help herself.

I can't yell at her if I'm talking in a meeting.

She knows it.

She literally pranced in and helped herself to a handful of gummy bears three times in two hours. She didn't take the whole bag because then I would text Alexis to rip from her paws and hide it somewhere extra good. But if she takes a handful, I have to remember to hide it elsewhere when I have a break between meetings. I'm not going to do that because I have meetings wall-to-wall most days.

She completely figured out the whole puzzle.

Mila is an evil little genius.