We took the kids to see Sesame Street Live: When Elmo Grows Up a few weeks ago.  It was AWESOME!  The songs were cute, the beloved characters adorable and… the tantrums were epic.  Arched backed, red faced, hearing loss causing, over stimulated, over sugared, no nap tantrums.  The kid sitting directly behind us was screaming so loud before the show started that I think my ears bled a little bit.  But despite that, it was a great show and Emma was so happy the entire time.

We brought Elmo with us…

The show starts…

For some reason Bert got upset and beat up Ernie.

Cookie Monster found this confusing.

Rogene's favorite part was when Elmo used the computer.

Big Bird was exactly the same… EXACTLY!

Abby Cadabby, the newest addition to the Monster family.

My favorite part was when Oscar came out all full of attitude and sang "I Love Trash".

It was magical.

Then this guy came out and sold every single one of those balloons.  What?!  I only bought two!

It was all worth it for Emma to get to see her beloved Elmo.

"Elmo loves you!"

(Thank you to Rogene who took all these pictures.)

The view from our front door on Sunday April 20, 2008.  Yes… April!

My niece Gabriella started her own Etsy shop called…

eatyourgreens

(Read her Etsy profile here.)

Check out my side bar for a sample of her handmade earrings!

Do you have a slim daughter who can't keep her pants up?  Do tights bag around her ankles and toes?  Well, it is your lucky day!  I have two slim daughters and can personally recommend these two products.

Adjustable waist jeans/pants from Target

These jeans come in girls "slim" sizes 4-16, have adjustable waists, and only cost about $9.99.  I've found them on sale for $7.99 and $4.99 around Back-to-School time of year, too.  They come different shades of blue jean.  (They do sell these adjustable waist pants/jeans/cords in baby sizes too, but I've only found them at Christmas time… they are in the big girls section year round.)  Tessa can keep these jeans up without any problems.

The Children's Place Microfiber Tights

I've tried SO many brands of tights and after all that wasted money experimentation, my conclusion is that The Children's Place Microfiber Tights are by far the best for slim girls (and also the softest tights I've found).

Stock up on colors and sizes when they are available.  They sell wintry colors in the winter, and summery colors in the summer… so if you bought your daughter a black and pink velvet dress for Christmas time and need pink tights, too bad for you… they only sell red, black and winter white at Christmas time.  The sizes available start at 0-6 months and go up to at least size 6-7 years.

They typically cost $4.50 for each pair, but I don't think I've ever paid more than $3.33.  They sell them 3 for $10 most of the year I believe.  The tights go on clearance occasionally also, so watch for sales.  I've seen them as low as $.99 per pair.

(These come in size 0-6 months, and they really fit even a tiny baby.  When you take the tights out of the package you won't believe how tiny they are.)

Here is an example of how most tights look on my girls legs.  Note the ankles and toes.

Here is another shot…  these tights are from Old Navy and don't even come close to fitting. 

Here is a picture of The Children's Place Microfiber Tights.  These are a little bit pilly because both my kids have worn them.  (Yes, these tights lasted through two kids.)

Here is a shot of Emma at church, wearing this same pair of tights.  No bagging at the ankles!

If you know of any good products for slim girls, please leave me a comment and I'll add your items to this post.

Goldsmith Jewelry is having a contest!  They are giving away these beautiful 1 carat total weight diamond stud earrings valued at $1500.00!  All you have to do is post about this contest and link to Goldsmith Jewelry!

Goldsmith Jewelry has been serving the Orlando market for over 30 years.  If you have money to spend on Jewelry this Valentine's day, this would be a good place to buy some.

Go check out the contest!

My parents, out of the blue, decided to surprise both my sister and I with new refrigerators.  Our fridge is the only appliance we have not yet replaced since we bought this house almost 9 years ago, so getting a free upgrade is SO AWESOME!  Thanks Mom and Dad!

Behold the new fridge in all its glory.  *Cue angelic choir music*

Thank you for letting me send you magazine campaign forms.  Look what I got!

What is it, you ask?  Well!  It is a plush bear pouchy type dealy thing (also called an MP3 holder)… with a hook so you can hang it on your backpack.  It has a pocket big enough for a wallet sized picture or maybe a dollar for $1 Root beer Float Day.  (I know… so lame!  This is the best they could come up with?  This is why I spent an hour trying to rustle up addresses?)

Tessa thinks it is the BOMB!  Out of the whole kindergarten class only Tessa and her best friend Brenda got one (apparently all the other parents struggled to come up with ELEVEN addresses too).

XOXOXOXO to the three of you from Tessa.

I finally found it!  The recalled Elmo toy I now affectionately call "Lead Paint Elmo."  After searching untold hours for this toy for days on end, Emma came out of her bedroom, where she had apparently stashed it (I wonder if she has other contraband too), and had it IN HER MOUTH! 

Thanks for the poisonous toys, Mattel!

Don't worry, I threw him in the trash, along with Lead Paint Elmo Sprinkler, and Tessa entire collection of Killer Magnet Polly Pockets.  I have no idea, now that the boxes are gone, how to distinguish which tiny, tiny parts are part of the recalled Polly Pocket collections.  I figure we will just throw ALL the Polly Pockets away and start fresh.

Anybody else out there eyeing all your kids toys suspiciously now… wondering what else will be recalled?

(Read about the Mattel toy recall here.)

I was inspired to color coordinate my books and join the Rainbow of Books group on Flickr (check it out for some amazing pictures of bookshelves organized by color) by Sundry at Sundrybuzz.  At the very least, it is a free way to add some eye catching color to a room.