Twinkle Toes

So we've been going to ballet class for about a month now . . .. . . in this majestic building, which is home to the San Diego Ballet. Gorgeous, isn't it? There's no place inside the dance studio to sit and watch, so parents are relegated to the two-way viewing window. Or else there's a luxurious green room, complete with leather couches and a full kitchen. Not bad, especially when I have my one-year-old with me.And here is Snook with her friend from preschool on their very first day of class. So far so good!Here they are meeting their teacher and fellow classmates.Hard to believe this is how all the greats got their start. Maria TallchiefMargot FonteynAnna PavlovaNatalia Makarova

I'm not thinking too big, am I?
Hi Mom!

La Dolce Vita

No, we did not jet off to Italy this past weekend. But thanks to the meal that was so skillfully prepared and presented by my hubby yesterday afternoon, for a few moments, I definitely felt transported.The weather was gorgeous. The kids were at my parents. I was finally, mercifully out of my Saturday funk (spent the entire day in bed with a yucky stomach bug). So we seized the opportunity to eat a grown-up lunch outdoors.
And what a glorious lunch it was. I can think of nothing better to eat on a warm afternoon than a light, flavorful salad paired with some crusty bread and lots of EVOO. This particular salad consisted of prosciutto, mozzarella and melon over mixed garden greens. There was even some mint thrown in from our itsy bitsy vegetable garden! Molto bono!The sparkling Italian wine and opera music playing in the background didn't hurt the mood either.

The whole thing kept reminding me of an analogy my friend, Amber, regaled me with recently. It went something like this: Having kids is like planning a trip to Italy, getting your tickets, boarding the plane, taking off, but then getting waylaid in England. For a really long time. The point being I guess that you'll get to (scintillating) Italy someday. But for now, just enjoy all that (not-so-scintillating) England has to offer. Well, on Sunday we cheated and got a little taste of Italy. And it was really nice.

Bounteous Brunch

The H was not messing around a couple of Sundays ago when he said he was making brunch. See what I mean . . .
We started off with poached eggs over prosciutto and baby asparagus.
Followed by a bagels and lox platter . . .
. . . from which I partook in copious amounts.
And we ended with a fruit salad. Yummy, yummy. What can I say? The man can cook. Stay tuned for this past weekend's offering . . .

You Know You're a Mom When . . .

You spend all day at Sea World and don't take a single picture of a sea creature. Not a shark. Not a bat ray. Not even Shamu. Nope. You just take picture after picture of your little girl running with reckless abandon down a grassy knoll.



No accounting for inspiration, I guess.

Bare Necessities

When the inimitable Emily tells you that nude sandals are a must-have for the warm-weather months, you get thee to the nearest store and you buy thee some. Which is exactly what I did.
Pretty slammin', don't you think? And dressy enough for work. I found them at this store, where for my shopping trouble (okay, I may have picked up a few other odds and ends to go with the shoes, but they were having such a miraculous sale, and the kids were actually letting me shop) the lovely shopgirl threw in a cute Mondani cross-body bag. On the house. Plus balloons for the kids. So everybody wins!

P.S. In addition to clothing, this store's owner has impeccable taste in selecting quotations to paint on her walls. Remember this one: "I like my money right where I can see it . . . hanging in my closet." Carrie Bradshaw

The Princess Party

Once upon a time, in the faraway kingdom of San Diego, there lived a delightful little girl who was about to turn three. Now this little girl liked the Disney princesses very much. So much in fact, that whenever she could, she would play with princess dolls, read princess books, and wear princess underpants, among other princessy pursuits. So in celebration of the little girl's third birthday, her parents decided to throw her a big princess party. This was in part to make the little girl happy, but also in part to help get princesses out of her system once and for all.

In preparation for the big day, the little girl sent out . . . . . . invitations to a good number of her closest, most darling little friends. Unbeknownst to the little girl, her parents also sent an invitation to a surprise royal guest. Then it was time to order the decorations, including . . . . . . a princess banner or two, a princess centerpiece,
princess blowouts, and lots of spangly princess danglers.

Next, it was time to fill the . . . . . . goody bags with some . . . . . . lip gloss necklaces, big, fake, jewel rings, and
oodles of stickers. There were boy-appropriate goodies too, but let's stick with the theme here, shall we.

Finally, the day of the party arrived. And what a day it was. Sunny, clear, and unseasonably warm. Perfect for an outside party. The guests began arriving at 12:00 sharp and were greeted with . . .. . . a welcoming sign created by the little girl's Grammie.

Shortly thereafter, . . .. . . the lovely Cinderella herself arrived and gave the birthday girl a big hug.
All of the little girl's friends were very surprised and excited to meet Cinderella.

After assisting the little princesses with their glittery transformations, Cinderella and her Fairy Godmother taught all of the royal guests some amazing dance moves to get them ready for the ball.First, there was the Chicken Dance.Followed by the Macarena, the Running Man,
the Robot,
the Roger Rabbit.
and finally, everyone's favorite, the Hokey Pokey.

By this time, everyone was very hungry. So it was time to partake of the . . .
. . . royal feast!
Using princess plates, andprincess napkins, of course.

But the activities were far from over. After the royal feast, it was time to play with . . .. . . a parachute,
blow some bubbles,
and march in a princess parade.There were some fine princess waves, indeed. The grand finale was a private reading from Cinderella's autobiography, entitled simply, Cinderella. All such fun!

But the highlight of the day was the arrival of the little girl's Uncle Neal (her Grampie's brother) who flew all the way to Southern California from the very faraway kingdom of Tennessee just to meet the little girl and her brother for the first time and to join in the festivities. The lowlight, of course, was that the little girl's mommy did not bake the cake.

But because her grandparents, great-grandparents, Uncle Neal, friends, and friends' parents were in attendance (and because she felt the love from distant friends and relatives),the little birthday girl was beside herself with joy!

Yes, all in all, the little girl had a most wonderful time at her princess birthday party,and was most appreciative.

And they all lived happily ever after.

The End.