Flickr: Photo by edera

The leprechaun trap is ready in the corner of my office/playroom. Is yours?

It better be, because according to my daughter, leprechauns are "very sneaky, but they have lots of real gold." Emphasis on "real."

She came home from pre-school last week nattering on about leprechaun traps, and I confess I thought this was some quirky thing her (fabulous and creative) nursery school teacher had invented.

But with my daughter begging for her own trap, I hit the web. Only to find "how to catch a leprechaun" is brimming with ideas!

As for our house? My daughter informed me leprechauns like "green things" and "shiny things." So she's collected plenty of each in one corner of my office -- and when I say plenty, I had to rescue my engagement ring from her clutches. There's no real box, so I'm assuming we'll have to use our hands when he shows up and just hope he's distracted by the pile of goodies.

How will you get hold of your pot of gold this St. Patrick's Day?