Miss Bear's Mer-stake

It's never good when your four-year-old comes downstairs and announces, "I made a mer-stake in your bathroom."

Dumbfounded, I stood there--proverbial deer in headlights.

Mr. Snark had the presence of mind to ask, "What sort of mer-stake?"

Miss Bear tilted back her head and said, "I'll show you."

Hearts filled with dread, we followed our precious daughter upstairs to discover the toilet had overflowed.

WATER. EVERYWHERE.

I flew into command mode, directing Mr. Snark. "Quick! Go get towels and a plunger."

Then I started bailing with the closest disposible container I could find, a paper cup. While Mr. Snark was off on his mission, Miss Bear moaned and crossed her arms. "Oh no, I broke the potty."

"It's okay, Miss Bear," I said. "We'll get through this."

"I hope we can fix the potty."

"Daddy is an expert potty fixer. No worries."

And we did fix it and get it cleaned up.There's one thing I've learned since we had Miss Bear...the child is a creative genius when it comes to new and innovative disasters and mess-making.

And life is never, ever boring.