Second verse, same as the first.

I did it again. Though I wasn't quite as tense as last time.

This morning Rachel brought me the little Amy Morris doll, with the leg broken off. She was quite contrite. I know Amy is her favorite, too.
I looked at Daddy. "Well, we need milk and bread anyway. I'll take them to Meijer after speech, as long as Madeleine gets most of her school done."

We had a conference before, the kids and I. "We are going to get milk, bread, and Amy if it's there. Nothing else. Do you understand?" This resulted in a pretty uneventful trip. We even got a prime parking spot, right next to the handicapped. I even had the walkway.
I heard a "Look, strawberries! Can we get some?" in the produce, but I responded with a patient, "What is on our list?" and the voice was quiet. Rachel rode for most of the way, the big two each got a gallon of milk out of the cooler, and we went to the toys where we promptly found the replacement Amy Morris. Probably the last one in the store.
It occurred to me there that The Boy wasn't getting anything. The girls were getting a replacement, he was getting the shaft. That's how I felt, anyway. The way he was browsing around the clearance aisle gave my conscience a pang.
I called him back over and took a knee. "Dale, I'll let you get something. Less than five dollars." His eyes perked up with opportunity. "You know what? You can get five Hot Wheels for five dollars." That was all I had to say.

All that background to tell you about the discussion I had with one of the stockers. The girls each wanted to choose a car and I mentioned getting a pink one for Rachel. "I'm surprised Barbie doesn't have one," the employee said.
"She has everything else," I noted.
"Not really anymore," she corrected. "Barbie only has about four feet [of shelf space]. She used to have a whole aisle. Now it's all Bratz." The displeasure in her voice was perceptible but not too obvious.
We agreed that we didn't understand their appeal, it really does just seem to be endorsing dressing like them, they look trashy. I told of my disappointment about Holly Hobbie, and she added Strawberry Shortcake to the discontinued list. I sighed.

So what does that leave for girls? I won't let Bratz in the house, and am leery of starting Barbie for the same reason. Rachel is three. Dora is rapidly approaching her expiration date. Baby dolls? Stuffed animals? Is there anything else wholesome for my girls to play with? If it's not the lead paint, it's the magnets. Or the coating with GHB. Or it's tarty dolls. Or the never-ending consumerism.

I've heard American Girls are expensive, but I don't know. I've never seen them in stores where I commonly shop. Which means "challenging to get" as well.

Maybe she'll start liking horses.