The Snail.

The six year old is a slow poke. It's infuriating.
It's infuriating because she's only a part-time slow poke.
When there is the park, a play-date or ice cream involved she's Speedy Gonzalez.
The snail appears when I need her to be speedy.

This morning was a bus morning. We have half an hour from wake up to walk out the door.
We've been doing it for a year so this is not a new routine.
I lay out her clothes the night before. When she wakes - she's supposed to go into the bathroom then get dressed.
Next step is breakfast, then teeth, shoes, jacket, leave.
I make her lunch, 'do' her hair (often when she's eating breakfast) and meet at her at the front door.

We made a to do list with pictures to remind her of the steps.
It's on the wall in her room.
Why is it then that I spend that 30 minutes checking on each step.

"Did you put your socks on?"

"Oh no - I forgot."

"Did you clean your teeth?"

"Ooopsie."

After her teeth are cleaned there is always a ring of toothpaste around her mouth.

"Did you wash your mouth?"

"Yes?"

"Please go and wash your mouth."

"OK we gotta go - are you ready?"

"Yes!"

"Where are your shoes?"

"You didn't ask me to put my shoes on."

It's at this point when I usually begin to wonder if I'm on Candid Camera.
It's also at this point that I may earn my reputation as 'Cranky Mommy.'

How can she be so impressively smart about so many things and not know to put her shoes on?
How can she 'forget' that she went upstairs with the sole purpose of getting a sweatshirt and set up a tea party for her dolls?

How can I want this wonderfully distractable six year old to be any other way?