Come on Barbie, Let's Go Party!

For M's birthday, we gifted her lunch at the Malibu Barbie Cafe at the Mall of America over our Christmas break. The entire experience was absolutely the best and totally worth it. M wore her "In My Barbie Era" shirt. I should have planned a pink themed outfit for myself but I didn't. It was okay though, plenty of people were not in pink. (Though there were absolutely whole groups decked out too.) 

This is what it looks like from outside in Nickelodeon Universe. 

Once inside, there was a little shop for merchandise. And this photo op. But it was the only section you could go in without a reservation. 

Luckily, we had one! (And had since September.) The hosts were turning people away right and left. This is only a pop-up and will only be at MOA until January 14. It's kind of genius how they're doing it since you have to order your food when you buy the tickets so they know EXACTLY what food to order. Yes there were some apps and some dessert choices but for the most part that would make it incredibly easy to order cases of food. 

While we waited for our 90 minutes in the cafe to begin, we got to sit in the waiting area and take some pictures. 

It's a bit of bummer that SpongeBob is in the picture too... but that's the reality of the situation. 

The hopscotch was a good way to use energy. We liked to look at the Barbie "History of the Beach" scenes too. 

Once we got into the cafe, the photo ops didn't stop. 

This below is my favorite picture... we got seated early and the other tables hadn't filled in yet. So you can see the whole scope of it. And it just makes me so happy. The whole cafe was so darling! 

We had a nice chat the two of us, and we ate our food. M had the pink pancakes and I had a beach burger. We both got pink lemonade too because... obviously at the Barbie cafe a pink drink is necessary. 

After we ate, M went rollerskating. The skating rink portion was teeny tiny, but it was for the experience not to show off your excellent skills. She had a good time. And I think only fell once. 

Husband came to the mall with us and he did his own thing. But I sent him a text and he met us by the rollerskating part. (It was the only bit you could see from Nickelodeon Universe.) I was able to hand him our doggie bags, so he got a lunch out of it too even without a reservation or joining us inside. But then he also got to delight in watching M roller skate too. 

We had to sign a waiver about all the injuries: we opted for a helmet and wrist guards for the experience. Knee pads and elbow pads felt like overkill for the size of the space. It was funny to me that some of the girls were wearing wrist guards upside down... and they wouldn't have helped prevent a wrist injury. 

I once broke my arm roller skating so I felt like wrist guards weren't a bad option. And I think she looks cute in the helmet anyhow. 

Even the skate return was cute! 

I may have taken a picture of M by everything in the whole cafe. No shame. 

She wasn't amused that I took a picture in the bathroom but look at the mirror?! It's adorable. And true.  I hope she remembers that forever. 

Even the elevator was decorated. (We took the stairs up and the elevator down so we could say we did it all!) 

I am thrilled we went. Spending a little one-on-one time with my girl doing girly things was the best. I love Barbie. I loved playing Barbies when I was young. I love the Aqua song. I love that M loves Barbies too. (I actually watched the movie from my living room yesterday. I don't know how I feel about it. I didn't love it. And it obviously wasn't a factor towards going... And this wasn't a movie tie-in which I am glad about. Just Malibu Barbie.) 

What was neat was that it wasn't just young girls at the Cafe. Though there were plenty. I saw Moms, Grandmas, and mother/daughter pairings of all ages there to enjoy Barbie. To be fair, there were some dads and brothers too. M did say she was glad C didn't come since the grumpy brothers were ruining it for the sisters. She's astute that girl of mine. 

If you ever get a chance to visit the Malibu Barbie Cafe, I'd say it was worth it! It is a good one-time experience for sure! 

All The Merry

What a fabulous Christmas week we've had! 

We had a low-key Christmas Eve. With our 4th Sunday of Advent Mass in the morning and a fancy prime rib meal for dinner. 

Christmas morning we headed to Mass to celebrate Jesus. We opened our stockings before. 

Once we got home we put our baked oatmeal, hashbrown cassy and cinnamon rolls in the oven while we opened presents. 

In true SNL style... I got a robe. 

Somehow I managed to guess nearly all of my gifts this year and Husband was SO glad I didn't guess one. But I guess I actually did since I got him the same thing!! 

It was a very Merry Christmas celebration. Now we are getting ready to celebrate 2024! Crazy! But there's so much more to say about our break! 

Merry Christmas

 Merry Christmas Friends! 

This is the front of our Christmas card 2023. The back was a basic life update that is basically the cliff notes version of the blog! 

All The Things This Week

Sunday night we went to see A Christmas Story the musical at the dinner theatre. It was a very fun family time and I am glad we planned for it. 

Plus it checks a Christmas classic off the list and I don't have to watch it. For some reason, the expectation of watching ALL the movies every year seems stressful to me this year. That maybe doesn't make much sense and I don't understand it. But I think it's mostly to do with the want to spend time with my people doing things that bring me joy, and I will be honest, a lot of the "must watch Christmas movies" don't bring me a ton of joy. 

I was reminded this year that traditions can skip years and that's okay. So I will just keep saying that to myself. 

This week went by in a flash. 

The highlight of my Monday was getting my adult Happy Meal. I LOVED McNugget buddies when I was a child so the throwback toys are seriously up my alley. 

I was the legitimate first person to get one at my McDonald's for Monday lunch at about 11:00. (I was excited, and I thought I showed restraint for not being there at 10:30 when lunch starts.) If anyone finds themselves with a Brrrick or Darla McNugget Buddy they don't want send them my way! Those are the two I think are SO cute. 

So for some reason, our Olaf Christmas inflatable stopped working. We'd only had it for two weeks! I was annoyed but didn't really worry too much. 

On Wednesday though, C was having a day. We've all had those. But everything was wrong. And he was weepy and nothing was going to fix any of it. Except one of the things making him sad was that we didn't have an inflatable anymore. 

Well, that was a solvable problem. 

So we went to Home Depot and got a new one. He's much bigger. And even though the time at Home Depot was still a little morose and weepy, eventually C found his joy again. 

That's a screenshot from when he was talking to my parents and showing them. :) 

Wednesday was also our big Advent event at church. None of the pictures I took turned out very well but trust me, it was cozy and it went well! 

I was proud of the work that went into the night and it was a lot. 

Yesterday was the kid's Christmas program. You guys, it was a Christmas miracle of a sweet spot that will never be repeated... we only had one program to attend. 

We did not need to go to the 5-8 choir and band concert because C isn't doing band. (I am SO glad!) 

We did not need to go to the K-2 Christmas program because we've aged out. 

We do not need to go to the 6-8 Nativity next week. (Don't get me wrong, I will go. I just don't have to because my kid is in it.) 

One night only. One year only. It was almost a date for Husband and me and I enjoyed it immensely! 

But before that, let me explain how smart September me was. Because I scheduled M a haircut for right after school yesterday so that someone else could do her hair! 

She needed a fresh cut anyway, but then to get the styling done... hallelujah! 

Kids before the program. (Yep same Christmasy outfits from Sunday's dinner theatre experience. Get excited to see them in our Christmas Mass picture too.) 

The back of her hair while we waited. 

Because yes, okay. I did actually use my keys to get into the building early for a good seat. I never have ever taken the front row on the floor. I just prefer the front row of the balcony. We were far from the only parents with keys to the building doing that. In fact, C said before the doors officially opened "Behold... all the families with keys!" 

I don't know if it was the fact I didn't have to tell one of my kids to calm down or sit down or pay attention but I really enjoyed the whole program. 

M was an absolute ham but in a really good way. She was just incredibly animated compared to her peers.  

I got 2 texts DURING her segment of the program about it. I got multiple people stopping me in the hallway after. The texts continued to come in during the evening. 

And in the song that she got to play the xylophone she bopped to the beat. It was very cute. 

C got up on stage and immediately put his hands in "jam and bread" mode like from Sound of Music. Then when the songs started turns out they were supposed to do that. 

C was lovely and took it very seriously. He sang loud and proud with good articulation and somehow we could hear him over everyone. In a good way. 

In other C news, he got a callback for the school musical. That's on Monday. 

It was ever so nice of them to put my two kids about as next to each other as they could get for two kids in different grades during the finale. 

And that is a little bit of what we have been up to this week. Looking forward to the weekend for sure!

Gingerbread 2023

Family traditions are important. Gingerbread Weekend is always one we enjoy and hold sacred. 

Way back in 2012 when I said "I have always wanted to make a gingerbread house." and I meant "Let's go to Target and buy a kit." I couldn't have dreamed that we'd still be making them annually from scratch. 

Yet here we are. And I honestly think this is my favorite house we've ever made. Our inspo was a fairy-tale English Cottage set in a tranquil country garden. Snuggle up by an old stone fireplace and enjoy a cup of cocoa. An enchanting oasis of tranquility in a quiet English hamlet just forty minutes from exciting London. 

In other words, the perfect home for a doodle prodigy. 

Just for transparency, I bought the wrong kind of shredded wheat so I didn't get to make the trees I wanted to. And I also had to let go of my plan for a garden wall. Doesn't stop me from loving the house. 

Way back when we started, I couldn't imagine there'd come a time when I had nothing to do with the kid houses. But that's where we are now! I did nothing to help C except hold his roof at one point while it dried. 

M still required a little bit of help because she's not great at a piping bag just yet. But it's coming. I can see it. 

Here are some process pics for proof that we actually created them. 

Since I use my blog as my annual check-in of "what to remember for next year" here is my list: 

• Buy paintbrushes. (They came in handy!)
• You don't need to buy cake boards. 
• Mini Airheads were popular. 
• Go scan the cereal aisle a bit when you think roof. 
• Use the paddle attachment for the icing. 

We've come a long way in 12 years. I wonder where next year will take us?