Are we having this conversation AGAIN?

What do you think the most common topic of conversation would be between a five-year old and her mother? Webkinz, preschool activities, Disney characters, friends---good guesses but not when it comes to me and Paige. I can't even count the number of times we have discussed BIKINI'S, that's right bikinis and if it is not bikinis then it usually has something to do with showing or not showing your belly.

This girl has taken a serious liking to the Disney princess Jasmine as well as Princess Leia from Star Wars. Are you seeing a pattern with their clothing? Of course at this point we are way past the, "no you cannot have a metal bikini like Princess Leia" or "no, you can't go to school, church, or leave the house with your stomach showing."

Just when I think, I have gotten through to her about modest dress, it's too cold, we don't wear bikinis as everyday clothes, it can be embarassing, mom doesn't wear bikinis, etc., etc., etc.; she will bring up the topic again. Now she pretty much repeats my mantras and will come up to me and say things like, "people only wear bikinis if they swim," "I would be so cold if I wear a bikini," "bikini's are modest (she means immodest), it's too embarassing." I just smile and agree with her that she doesn't need a bikini.

Hopefully, we won't still be having this conversation 10 years from now.

How Clean is Your House?

How do you get your kids to recognize the importance of cleaning and helping out around the house? Answer----watch an episode with them of "How Clean is Your House."

This is a BBC show that has been around for a while but the basic premise is people who have absolutely lost control of their filthy houses call in two cheeky British ladies to help them. The ladies or hosts of the show, examine the house, test for germs, teach the occupants how to clean, and then with a big cleaning crew transform the house from filth to sparkle.

Now be warned, watching this show is not unlike watching a horror movie. It makes you scream, it gives you the shivers, sometimes you have to cover your eyes and at times, it can make you gag. Honestly, try to think of the most disgusting dirty, never been cleaned house, and double it because the homes on this show are that bad. Just imagine what a toilet that hasn't been cleaned in seven years looks like (thank goodness you can't smell t.v.!)

Anyways, the other day, Paige, Ashley and I were channel surfiing and came upon this show. Let's just say that after watching I could confidently say, "see why it is so important that we clean the house often." After that Ashley was rinsing the dishes and Paige was vacuuming the stairs with the hand vac.

Of course, if my kids develop into germ-a-phobes I'm sure this experience will be to blame.

Oops

This morning the girls and I woke up early to go over to Ashley's school for a Family Breakfast. We had donuts, fruit and juice. The girls and I also worked on a puzzle as we ate and waited for school to start. It was pretty fun.

After breakfast, Ashley went to class and Paige and I ran some errands. We hit the grocery store, pharmacy and the library.

Once we got home, I went into the bathroom and noticed my shirt was on backwards! Great.

Darling Nanny

Today, I celebrate and honor Midlred Smith, known to us as Nanny. She passed away on Friday. Her greatest legacy is truly a family to be proud of. I am so grateful to have been able to join her family and to have my own children part of that family. I will always have a little smile on my face when I see mannerisms in my girls that I know they inherited from Nanny Smith.

There is much to be said about Nanny, but for my part I will always hold in my heart, her voice calling me, "Darling!" and never failing to tell me, every time I saw her, that I am beautiful. Thanks Nanny.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

Our house is definitely all about "girl power" and when we are left to our own devices, we try to have some fun. Paige is the imaginative and playful girl of the family. She also happens to be absolutely obsessed with Star Wars right now. She has been asking me for weeks to do her hair like Princess Leia. Admittedly, I kept putting her off, because those buns are hard to do! I finally, broke down a couple of days ago and agreed to give it a try. She was pretty patient and with the help of about 500 bobby pins we did it! Of course, it wasn't complete until we had a costume. I was lamenting to a friend that I was going to have to go buy some fabric and sew a costume when she suggested I get an oversized t-shirt and put a belt around it. TA-DA! It was so easy, I can't believe I was actually prepared to sew! Thanks for the great idea Juliann!

I had to include the following picture because it is sooo Paige...

Princess Leia eating a giant chocolate cream puff! (What a charmed life she leads.) The flowers in the foreground are from Dave to his girls. How sweet! He sent them to us earlier in the week, just to remind us how much he loves us. What a great Dad!

I swear we do more than just goof around all the time. There is a lot of cooking, cleaning, homework, etc. going on but it' s no fun to take pictures of that stuff---so here is some more fun stuff:

On Friday night, while Dave was at work, we had a true "Girls' Night Out." Ashley invited her friend Kirstyn to join us and we went out for pizza and then to Ashley's school for a Sock Hop. It was so much fun. As you can see the girls really got into it. In school, Ashley's P.E. class is doing a dance unit, so she has learned a bunch of different dances. The girls danced the Macarena, the chicken dance, the cotton-eyed Joe dance, YMCA, the cha-cha slide, the hokey pokey, etc. I was worried that they might be a little shy, but that was totally unfounded. Paige, wearing her Wonder Woman bandana, hit the floor break dancing and Ashley and Kirstyn were leading the pack up front.

Groundhog Day...a reason to party

In our house, we are always looking for an excuse to have a party. Here are the girls making Almond Joy "groundhogs" for Groundhog Day. Yummy!

And here is the finished product...groundhog is very tasty!

With Apprehension

I have been considering blogging for a little while now, but have been a bit apprehensive about adding another thing to the "to-do list." The last thing I need is something else to feel guilty about not doing well or get so obsessed with that it takes up more of my time than it should. In the end, as you can see, I decided to go for it with the promise to myself to find B A L A N C E.