This is my sweet Piper, who turned 4 yesterday.  Think I'm in trouble? Yes, I agree.  Kids are so easy until they start getting personalities, ornery streaks, thoughts and opinions!

Check out what Piper wanted for her birthday this year.  It was an idea that just had to be squashed!

Piper loves turtles, whether they're stuffed animals, cartoons, or the real kind at the zoo.  If she sees a turtle she stops and points and yells for everyone around her to look so they can share in her love and joy.  This was all great, until she asked for a pet turtle that would live in an aquarium in our house.

I try to be a mom that doesn't automatically say, "NO!" to everything. I like to think and consider and see things in new ways any chance I get. But deep down I can't stand the thought of adding a pet turtle to our house.  And by that I mean I can't stand the thought of adding a pet turtle to my to-do list because mamas always have to pick up the pet slack.

But I decided to go to the pet store and ask some turtle questions anyway.  And that pretty much confirmed that we'll not be getting a pet turtle!

An aquatic turtle costs less than $50, but by the time you invest in a tank and the filter and the rocks for the turtle to crawl on, it can be about $500. Then the turtle has to eat.  And the guy at the pet store told me they are messy as heck!  One turtle can produce more waste than hundreds of fish combined, and that's why they require the turbo filter that costs a lot. And they need a huge aquarium that would take up half the wall.  And turtles can live for 15 to 20 years!  If I can't commit to a guy for that length of time, ain't no way we're committing to a reptile.

So!  We're sticking to stuffed turtles.  And Piper is enjoying her new Minions briefcase that stores her markers and art supplies.

Happy birthday P!  Mama loves you.  Let's revisit this pet idea when you start loving chihuahuas.

More From Mix 106