2022 Olympics here we come

Clearly M&M Dad and I are past our prime for Olympic glory, but the kids have just begun their training. Here they are preparing for the 2022 luge event:

Starshine had her friend over for the afternoon, so in order to make sure the big kids got some little sister-free time, Jr. Princess and I worked on a super secret surprise dessert. We made our own parfaits with leftover whipping cream, fruits, and graham crackers. (It's pretty remarkable what we came up with from random ingredients around the kitchen.) Look at those happy faces!

Oh, and here is the Youtube video they are currently enjoying...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJKythlXAIY

I think this should be the new routine for Brigade!

Happy Valentine's Day

Jr. Princess woke up this morning requesting pancakes for breakfast. She was pretty excited to find that I made pink heart shaped pancakes, which she topped with strawberry yogurt and strawberry syrup for a fabulous pink themed breakfast for Valentine's Day.

Then it was off to Target to spend some Valentine's money from Grandma M. Jr. Princess picked out an awesome helicopter, and Starshine got some more Chixos accessories. M&M Dad was pretty excited for this non-girly toy...
Later, Jr. Princess and Dad went out to craft their own Olympic-inspired luge track in the backyard while Starshine napped (she's a little under the weather) and I assembled our new desk chair. Jr. Princess was very excited to find out there was a new box to play with...

And we ended they day with our Valentine's Day tradition - fondue! Now, we've had to modify the recipe since we've had kids (no alcohol, milder cheeses, etc.) but it is a lot of fun. We also had a chocolate dessert fondue. It may be a small stick that easily fits in her mouth, but Jr. Princess can always find a way to get it all over her face :).

I sure do love their cute little smiles!

Super Bowl Fun

We were planning on having a family evening watching the Super Bowl, but I had very low expectations for watching because I figured the girls would lose interest early. Well, M&M Dad had the best idea. He made a super bowl pool.

The best part was he had everybody donate a "prize" so we could have a winner each quarter. Here are the prizes donated:

• M&M Dad: The winner could leave their dirty clothes whether they changed, and he would put them in the dirty laundry. He would also make their bed (I REALLY wanted to win this one just because M&M Dad has NEVER made our bed on his own accord- EVER!)
• Starshine: Will carry in the winner's stuff from the car for a week
• Jr. Princess: Will clear the winner's dishes for a week
• Pink Mom: Will Put away the winner's shoes/hats/mittens/etc. in the front hall for a week

Well, it worked like a charm. The girls were totally into the game (or the first half anyway, because they went to bed at halftime). I won Starshine and Jr. Princess's prizes in the first two quarters, and Jr. Princess was soooo cute springing off the couch to clear my dessert dish for me.

Then, this morning, they ran upstairs to check out the chart and figure out who won the remaining prizes (M&M Dad and Jr. Princess). Jr. Princess reveled in leaving her clothes in the middle of the kitchen floor while getting ready for school today. Even Starshine, who didn't win anything, was super gracious and carried in all of my stuff from the car this afternoon with a big smile on her face.

This was such a success we'll definitely do it again!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Friday was my birthday, but we decided to celebrate on Saturday because the girls are usually too tired on Friday night for much activity.

First I got to sleep in, and was quite surprised when that turned out to be 9 o'clock. I cannot remember the last time I slept until 9. I hope that doesn't mean I'm getting sick...

Then, Jr. Princess came in to see what I wanted for breakfast in bed, which was her big plan for me all week. I enjoyed a lovely breakfast of yogurt with strawberries. We then had fun trying out some of the new games on my Wii Fit Plus game. I think the Snow Ball Fight is going to be a favorite.

Then, for our afternoon activity I wanted to go ice skating. Jr. Princess had a bit of a meltdown because she wanted to go sledding (umm, it's not YOUR birthday). She and Dad started out in boots playing hockey ( the boots are to make sure we don't repeat the great head injury of '09), which she LOVED.

Starshine is definitely getting a lot better at her skating. No one has to help her at all, now...

And Jr. Princess, well I had to insist she finally put her skates on so everybody could see how well she skates (especially considering last year she was completely against the idea and only put her skates on once!)

We finished the evening with a nice dinner at Red Robin. Unfortunately, do to a lying punishment for both girls (sigh) earlier in the day we couldn't watch a movie together as planned. But Starshine, bless her little heart, left me the most adorable note under my pillow apologizing for ruining my birthday evening by lying.

All-in-all, it was a nice day.

There's a new smart girl in town!

Well, after two long weeks of waiting, Starshine's new glasses are finally ready! Here she is showing off her fabulous new self in a pair of dolphin-blue glasses she picked out herself...

She marveled the whole way home about how many signs she could read, but so far, hands-down, her favorite part is that now she can read the DVR menu from the kitchen counter while eating her snack! She looked like super adorable brainiac this evening looking up her spelling words in the dictionary.

I love having glasses it is like a new world! P.S. Glasses make you look smart.

Oh, and "you know who" definitely did not want to be left out of this photo shoot!

She looks adorable, too, but hopefully she will get my good eyesight genes!

Home Alone

M&M knows that while I love to have some time alone (nights out at restaurants, and sleeping alone with no one to worry about), I definitely miss my princesses when I travel for work. So, he nicely sent me this picture this week about what he and Starshine are up to...

Apparently they are in the middle of a big Monopoly match (which Starshine is dominating with her railroad monopoly), while enjoying Chinese take out and gummy worms. It sure sounds like fun...

Arizona Adventure

Today began our girls only Arizona Adventure! I have a conference for work in Phoenix this week, so what a perfect opportunity to visit my parents. Unfortunately, Starshine has school, and it just didn't seem right to pull her out for an entire week. So, Jr. Princess and I headed out today on the airplane. Here she is with her very own can of soda (ok - it's apple juice, but she thinks it's soda because it comes in a can). She has been telling everyone about how she is going to get her own can on the plane.

My parents picked us up at the airport and dropped me off at my hotel. Then the three of them are headed off for some special fun for the week.

I'm done with my conference Thursday night, so Starshine will be flying down Friday morning and we'll join Jr. Princess for the rest of the weekend. She's slightly outraged that she doesn't get to come for the whole week, but M&M Dad is working hard to make her week at home a little special, too.

I wonder what M&M Dad is going to do for his quiet weekend alone??

Funny Note

Last night Starshine and I each had our own social plans. I went to the ballet and she went swimming with a friend. So, when I got back late in the evening after she had gone to bed there was a small bag of potato chips on the counter with this note:

"These are Starshine's chips

if you want one ask in the morning"

Wow - I think she means me :).

Oh, and check back in about a week to see Starshine's new glasses. It's official - she has M&M Dad's bad eyesight and picked out her first pair Thursday night.

Something Only Dads Do...

Last night we had a delicious dinner at Macaroni Grill complements of a gift card from Grandma and Grandpa M (thanks for dinner!). The girls love the kids' meals there because it comes with a free sundae, and even though they shared a meal, the waitress brought two separate ones.

The dinner seemed to take a while, but M&M Dad and I both complemented the girls on their excellent restaurant manners and had fun revisiting the story of several years ago when we had to take a sassy Starshine out of the restaurant across the hall (which was very effective because we haven't had an incident since). Well, just as we were wrapping up, M&M Dad was showing Starshine how to stir some of her milk in with the leftover hot fudge sauce and drink the concoction with her straw. [Insert Mom eye rolling here]

Of course, you know Jr. Princess would want to try, too...

Family Game Olympics for New Years Eve

I was wondering what we should do for fun on New Years Eve because we certainly weren't going to be staying up until midnight! Well, M&M Dad had the great idea for a Family Games Olympics and appetizer dinner. So, the day before the girls were busy crafting our beautiful medals, and then we rounded up any games we could think of where multiple people could play but only one person wins. After Starshine got home from swimming with a friend (have I mentioned how full her social calendar is...) we fired up the appetizers and lets the games begin!

After each game there was a triumphant medal ceremony...

And at the end of the evening, the grand champion was Jr. Princess! She received medals in Pass the Pigs, Candyland, and the Rock Paper Scissors bracket challenge.

It was so much fun I have a feeling we will be seeing Family Games Olympics II well before next New Years Eve.

Oh and all of those boxes in the background? They are the before picture to my awesome new cubbies going in the dining room so I no longer have to try to cram all of our art supplies into the hutch with the china. Here it is almost finished when Starshine and a friend (yup - social event #2) couldn't resist jumping in

M&M Dad thought I was crazy about the large size but it works great! I love a good New Year's organization project!

Oh and did I mention that Starshine is currently spending the night at a friend's house for social event #3?