Happiness is..

Sitting outside with my tiny laptop and eating some mixed berry flavored yogurt that I jacked from the fridge.

Don't tell my daughter....she laid claim to the yogurt the moment she slipped it into the grocery cart.

"But mom," she said with her patented eyelash maneuver, "it's 99% fat free."

As if that made a difference one way or the other.

"Doesn't that mean you'll hate it?" I replied as I maneuvered the cart down past one of the 'under construction' aisles at the local Wal-Mart.

"Well you're always saying that I snack to much, I thought you'd be happy that I chose a healthy snack."

"Then why is there a family size bag of tortilla chips and an extra large jar of salsa in the cart already?"

She snickered and tried to cover her loot with the bags of produce that I had put in the cart.

"To late kiddo, you're busted."

"But mom," she whined softly, "they were calling to me."

I'm certain they were. My daughter's true vice is her obsession with chips and salsa, which she could easily turn into a meal every night of the week. Of course I've lectured about healthy eating habits, not snacking constantly, and about portion control, but she is content to ignore my lectures.

"One day my darling child, you're going to wake up and all of those chips and salsa are going to have landed right on your rear end."

She laughed, the same laugh she uses when she thinks I've made a joke.

"Don't hate me for my metabolism."

"Good word choice."

"I know, huh? That was a smart word."

"Very smart."

"So then I can have the yogurt?"

"You going to put away the chips and salsa?"

"Wasn't planning on it."

"Didn't think so."

One day maybe she'll find out that I wasn't joking and maybe she'll regret all of the snacking she did during her younger years. In the mean time, while youth and a hyper active metabolism are still on her side, I think I'll just let her enjoy it.