Seldom do I carry a purse but go around with my car keys chained to my wallet and call it good.  Whatever else I might need gets stuffed in my pants pocket or my hoodie.  Oh, I own a purse, a small thing I bought for cheap after my girlfriends giggled over my bringing a diaper bag on girls night out to keep my belongings together.  And I do admire other ladies' purses and handbags.  I'm just not good with carrying bulk. 

Audrey, on the other hand, has the classic girlie girl obsessions: purses and shoes.  The more glitter on the shoes, the better.  The bigger the bag, the more glamour items she can have with her at all times.  Her choices are really admirably grown-up, too.  Well, except for the new Hannah Montana purse she just got as a birthday gift.  And even that is reasonable.

A few weeks ago the kids went camping with friends (crazy, these friends, taking on our entire brood like that).  Jason and I had plans to go out with neighbors, and I knew I was going to need bug spray and other out-of-my-ordinary items.  So I went hunting through Audrey's room to locate a purse I could use.  Darn it all, she was using the black purse.  You know, while camping.  That I was coveting my 6-year-old's purse did not escape some teasing.

But today, while Hunter and I were browsing Target to finish the last touches of Audrey's birthday gifts, while passing by on the way to the wrapping paper I noticed purses on clearance.  Watching me pick through the selection, Hunter commented, "So are you hoping to carry a bigger purse than Audrey's?"  I checked his face for a trace of irony.  That my ten-year-old MEANT it?  Dear Readers, I saw the futility and kept walking.  (My car keys were safekept in Hunter's pocket anyway.)