The Look

Trust me when I say that you do NOT want to be on the receiving end of this look.

Especially when it's X2.

Swiffer in the Buff

Sometimes, the urge to swiffer can be so strong that one doesn't even have time to get dressed.

Green Thumbs for Little City Girls

Eleni & Zoe started out being a little suspicious about getting dirt all over their hands, but it didn't take long until they were wrist deep in the "garden."

If it were up to them, the "garden" would be watered five times a day.

Tricycles may be self-propelled vehicles...

...but try telling that to my kids.

The best part is Zoe directing Eleni where she wants to go.

"Follow my finger!"

Might as well have been Disneyland

Chuck E Cheese.

Who knew that the key to happiness lied at the door to Chuck E Cheese.

My mom wouldn't even let me near the place when I was a kid...too icky.

But when we got rained out of the playground over the July 4th weekend, I remembered having seen the store front in a local strip mall and convinced that very same mom to grab the wet grandkids and head on over.

What fun.

Yes, they have the worst pizza on earth (and don't even get me started on the "salad bar"). And yes, I probably went an entire family pack of handiwipes. But oh boy did the girls have FUN.

Probably because mom stopped saying "no."

And get this -- every ride, ever game costs 1 token, and one token costs, get this, 25 CENTS! I was queen of the spoilalicious moms. for 10 bucks I got about 800 tokens (OK, more like 45 with the otken bonus, but still...), which meant I was doling them out freely. I've never spent money with such abandon.

SURE you can try gambling game that you'll never win!

Of COURSE you can ride the 3-hourse carousel for the 15th time in the row.

Yes ma'am! Have at it!

Despite all my effort to be a spendthrift, we still left with a handful of tokens, which I tucked into the change drawer in wicked anticipation of "What in tarnation is THIS!" the next time Kostas is looking for a quarter.

Happy Baptism, Alexandra!

Family Portrait

This one tickles me.

If only we had a couple poofy white dogs, I would have a 3' by 5' portrait made to hang over the library fireplace in the country estate.

That mom

When did it happen?

When did I become THAT MOM?

That mother of twins who dresses her little girls in coordinated matching outfits and takes photographs of them outside MidWest cultural institutions with a year's supply of sugar and artificial flavor on a stick?

Want to know a secret?

It's ridiculously fun being that mom.

And as an added bonus, giant lollypops take a whole lot longer to eat than the little ones you can get your mouth around.

NOTE: Yes, I know the shoes don't match. The girls wanted to wear them and I'm a little bit shoe-style-impaired.