Time to get ready for bed!

Dear Daughter,

     Why do you act so surprised and confused when we tell you it's time to get ready for bed?  You always seem baffled by our request.  It appears that you have no idea what "getting ready for bed" actually involves.  Yet, it happens every night at the same time and it is comprised of the same 3 activities!  This list has not changed in quite some time -  Brush your teeth, go potty, and get in your bed!  I don't even care what you wear to bed, I'm not that picky.  "Getting ready for bed" happens with such regularity that you could plan your day around it (I know I do).  Is the problem that, at 9 years old, you can only remember the last 23 hours of your life and therefore truly have no recollection of what you did last night at this time?  

PS - I know that you never really brushed your teeth last night, even though you told me you did.  I was just to tired to care.

Nesting

A few years ago we built our son a loft.   It was a delusional attempt to help him keep his room clean by giving him more floor and shelf space.  Even though that particular experiment was an abysmal failure, it did allow us to study the aerial nesting habits of the American Tween.  Yes, I said "nesting".  I have long held a hypothesis that there are many similarities between children and critters.  Anyone who has had a dog and a toddler at the same time can't help but notice the similarities!  When left to his own devices, my son 'feathers his nest'.   He fills up the space next to the wall with books, electronics, laundry (the state of which is heretofore unknown), and empty (I hope) cups.  To the untrained eye, it could be interpreted that he "keeps crap in his loft".  To the parent-naturalist this is a gold mine!