a royal requirement

susanna informed me months ago that she was going to be a princess for halloween, and i immediately had two thoughts on the matter. first, every single little girl who knocked on our door last year arrived as a princess. way to think outside the box, my sweet daughter! but then my second thought hit me. we already have quite a few princess dresses hanging in the closet, so she could be sleeping beauty for her friend's party, belle for her preschool program, cinderella for trick-or-treating, etc. in the end, of course, frugality trumped any desire for originality, and a princess was born. what's funny is that she also decided months ago that there was a non-negotiable part to her ensemble. whenever anyone asks her what she's planning to be, she says, and i quote: "i'm going to be a princess WITH A WAND." (emphasis hers.) i have no idea where she got the idea that a princess wields a wand. i'm pretty sure that wands belonged solely to fairies and magical godmothers ... am i missing something here? if belle had had a wand in her possession, don't you think she would have turned that beast into a better looking guy with less of a hair problem? wouldn't cinderella have used hers to get the heck out of dodge herself? but logic doesn't work with a starry-eyed (and stubborn) three year old. so the costume is taken care of, and now we're on the mad hunt for her accessory. perhaps a more appropriate response when anyone asks what she's going to be for halloween is a fashionista.