Pet didn't come with the clothing. I made this later for her.

Of course that homework never came.  A few days later she begged me to activate the tag online.  So, as I sat next to her, I went through the whole process of registering it. Soon, she named it Lily, and we were off and rolling. When she went to bed that night, I decided to poke around and see what Webkinz World was really all about.  I soon realized it wasn't all that bad.  There were many educational aspects to the site.  Learning about spending money, quiz questions for "kinz cash", and some pretty cool features like dressing your pet and decorating its room.  I'll admit, it wasn't the evil site my stunt mom had made it out to be.  Here's a picture of her first room with Lily:

Soon I realized it was getting close to midnight, and I was dressing her pet in all sorts of cool outfits.  I left K's dog, Lily, asleep in her bed, dressed in the pirate costume I'd found, and exited.  Then I realized, I had just put a pixelated dog to bed and referred to it as a her! Oh no! My stunt mom was right! I was already addicted!

I waited for K to get home the next day, even though I secretly had been on her account for two hours that day playing a game called Cash Cow.  I had so much fun that the time just slipped away.  When K ran downstairs to discover I was in her account, she looked at the screen, turned to me and said,

"Mommy, why did you put Lily in the pirate clothes?  She's not a boy!  Quit messin' with her!  Get your own."

And so it begins.  I couldn't play with her pet any more.  So, the next day, I just happened to go by a Hallmark store.  I told myself I had to look at Christmas cards and look for a Webkinz for E.  Yeah, that's it, just look.  I rationalized it to myself much like the rationalizing I do when buying art supplies. (But I need that flowery fabric!  I could make a dress out of it for the girls.)  I slowly walked toward the wall of stuffed furry things with the Webkinz tags on their legs.  I spotted a black cat on sale because it was after Halloween.  I picked it up and I could feel my hands shake as I tried to tell myself to resist the furry thing.  Well, not really, but I still wanted it but I set it back down.  I picked up the curly pink poodle for my little girly girl, E, for Christmas.  As I put my items up on the counter, I swore I couldn't take my eyes off the black cat. 

Oh hell, Santa can bring me the black cat for Christmas.  K did say to get my own.

See the pathology in my thinking?  Since when did I take orders from my girls?  Just before the sales lady hit the total button, I leaned over and snatched the black cat.  I had her add the kitty to my total.  Once I'd paid for my items, I gripped my bag tightly and began to dial my husband's work number on my cell.  I knew I would have to come clean to him.  Trust me, I wouldn't wish that phone call on anyone.  The utter shame I had to endure because I bought a stuffed animal just to play with it's alter ego online.

"Uh I bought E a Webkinz for Christmas."

"Ok, how much did it..." Before he could finish the sentence, I interrupted him.

"I also got a black cat for myself."

"Oh Nicole...." he paused, "You're sliding down a slippery slope." I could hear the disappointment in his voice.

"I know. I know. I want to play with the black cat.  How do I explain this to the girls?"

I could feel my face flush from the pathetic attempt to come up with a lie of why I had this furry kitty and they didn't.  Yes, truly, it was one of my low points of my life.  No, not really.  That's a lie.  I seem to lie a lot these days.  Maybe it's all the Webkinz fault?  Hmm... could be.

"Well, you could say you won it in a drawing."

Brilliant!  I would give the stuffed animal to E, and then I would keep the tag.  After the girls got home from school and preschool, I explained my elaborate boldfaced lie reason why I got this black kitty.  They bought it!  I named it Shadow and began to play on my own account with E so she didn't feel left out.  She did get the poodle for Christmas, so I now have my own account to myself.

My husband was right about one thing.  It was a slippery slope, and I came crashing down that mountain into a world of Webkinz addiction starting from 2006 to the present.  I should have made this Skeleton #2, because it's a secret I keep to myself.  Why?  I'll explain that another time.  Here's just one of my outdoor rooms taken at night (yes there is weather and time of day in Webkinz World). You can even grown things outside. Pictured are my pet snake, Stinkywinkybinks, and my squirrel, Dog Toy.