5 on March 30

Happy birthday, my sweet.

Saturday, MARIO DAY, these two woke up ready to party. We had to video chat daddy right away.

Mario party recap . . . if I earned an A, Nathan is teaching the course. With distinction and all that good stuff. Look what NATHAN did:

1. The invite:

2. The decorations that were everywhere, even the bathroom:


3. Mario and Luigi puppets to make:

4. These Mario plumber pipes he cut from foam, then painted. They made a wonderful photo op for the guests.

5. He organized this idea: Yoshi's Egg Hunt. What fun right before Easter!

More party pics . . .



All of this made for one happy Mario.

Details on how to make these suh-weet hats coming soon. Congrats to my pal, Charity, for guessing correctly in the last post!

Plumbers Always Get the Girl

We are in full mustache mode. MARIO mustaches, that is.

To a stay at home mom, birthday parties are like the Final Exam. The Masters' Thesis. The Medical Residency. The Dissertation.

In five days, my Ian will be five years old. In two days, we will have a grand Super Mario and Luigi party in this house. Over thirty people will pack inside for two whirlwind hours.

These pretties will be there:

So will these. Any guesses as to what this handmade party favor might be?

Rest assured, wax mustaches and lips will be on hand. Here, you see my two trying them out. Quality control testing is a must when party plans are implemented, you know.

Bee sting, anyone? Bless Lilly's heart, she simply could NOT smile without those lips falling out, no matter how many times grandma asked her.

I'm glad to see her putting those hot lips to good use in the second photo.

See you after my final. Think I'll get an A? At least a B+ for effort?

Quirky Talent

It's true. When she is her most upset, Lilly squirts tears in all directions as she cries. It can come on instantly, too.

Is this normal? Does anyone else's child have Calvin/Snoopy/Woodstock/Sponge Bob tears?

A Beautiful Place to Learn

Kindergarten Registration today. Hooray!

Beautiful child. Beautiful day. Beautiful new school. Beautiful memories.

We arrived ten minutes early to be the first family to register. I know--I can't help myself. We met the principal and the capable lady we hope will be Ian's teacher. Two darling fifth grade student council members gave us a school tour. We saw several neighborhood friends in their classrooms, and Ian was greeted with bear hugs. He took pictures along the way. It was a PERFECT day.

My kindergarten memories are lovely. My teacher had a fair, kind face and fiery red hair. A sock puppet named P. Mooney taught us our letters. We traced around classmates' bodies on huge sheets of paper. We colored. A LOT. We had earthquake drills and giggled all huddled in the corner, even though we were afraid. My kindergarten teacher's son was my best friend. He and I square danced together in P.E.

Ian--you have so many memories waiting to be made! I love you!

What is YOUR favorite kindergarten memory?

This and That

Who knows where this fashion forward tike discovered a 6-12 month sized red sock to pair with a cream and blue one, but rest assured, she dressed herself this day. A diva in the making, just add a lowly peasant dropping grapes into her mouth and the transformation is complete.

Speaking of this diva, I ENROLLED HER IN PRESCHOOL TODAY. Yep. Beginning next fall, she will be cutting and pasting with the best of 'em. I found a lovely, lovely preschool where I truly believe she will flourish--especially on the days when she is the designated special helper. Right up Lilly's alley, she grabs life in a huge bear hug and takes it for a ride. On HER terms. I'm proud of her.

Random thought #2: I'm loving this honey's "rock star hair." He selected his hairstyle straight out of a magazine, letting Miss Alissa (hairstylist) and mama know he wanted "rock star hair." I respect that.

My rock star's kindergarten registration is this week. Be still my racing, troubled, excited heart.

Random thought #3: Hello, chocolate chip pumpkin bread. I know it is not the season for pumpkin, but there was a lone can of it leftover in my pantry from the holidays, and I found this delicious recipe! Thank you, Kitchen Sink. That makes two great recipes I have discovered on your blog!

Did you know a can of pumpkin has 300% Vitamin A per serving and 5 g of fiber? This made a great snack for my kids.

Finally, the arrival of this package, courtesy of Jocelyn and The Trendy Owl, in my mailbox made me oh, so happy.

Any random thought you'd like to share here today? Oh, and my one year blog-iversary is Saturday. How should we celebrate?

Twenty-eight/Eighty-eight/Lilly-ate

Happy 28 birthday, Patrick.

Happy 88 birthday, Hoo Hoo.


Happy everything when she has chocolate cake, Lilly.

Thanks for hosting a fabulous birthday celebration today, Patrick and Stephanie. Aunt Steffy makes the most delicious cakes. If you don't believe me, just ask Lilly!

Declaring War on "Ma'am"

Ladies, I'm declaring war on the word "Ma'am."

I despise this word. You might as well call me "old lady" as call me Ma'am.

I can tolerate it when the girl at the drive-thru, the one who looks about 14 years old, calls me "Ma'am," but otherwise, no thank you!!

For the first time this week, I politely asked someone to please not call me that. She was MY AGE--with two kids, just like me! Hmph.

Gals, join with me in this campaign. No more "Ma'am." We're not old yet!

(Am I alone in this? Am I crazy?)

And now, a yummy dish I made last night--homemade rigatoni mac 'n cheese with ribbons of kale:

Find the recipe (and MANY more superb food ideas) here.

And no more "Ma'am" okay? Do it for me, please.