wiggin' out

oh mah gah, this weekend was a whirlwind of craziness.  for real, yo.

friday's costume check and run-through was out of freaking control.  we arrived at our call time only to find out that they were running at least an hour behind.  the other moms and i huddled in the corner, bitching and moaning about the inconvenience and how annoying it was to stand around trying to keep a bunch of 4-year-olds entertained.  after a while, we learned that it wasn't a mandatory thing and decided to get the hell outta dodge.

but the experience wasn't completely a waste of my time.  as we chatted, another mom came by with her daughter, who was also in the bean's dance number for the recital.  she had these perfect curls that totally fit the bill for how we'd been asked to do the girls' hair - high ponytail, all spiral-curled and sprayed to "toddlers & tiaras"-style perfection.  when we ooh'ed and aah'ed over it, the mom grinned and plucked the whole crop of curls right off of her kid's head.  for $25, she'd eliminated the headache and time it'd take to get the hair just right and the 'do was done in about 3 minutes flat.

after a quick call to the dance supply store to confirm that they still had the hairpieces in stock (and in the right color), i bundled the bean into the car and hightailed it right down there before they closed for the day.  since i'd been ready to spend $25 on a curling iron and super duper strength hair spray anyway, i was more than happy to plunk it down on something that would lower my stress level immensely.

the next morning, after taking the bean to pick out her own make-up for the stage, i turned on a movie for her to watch and got down to business.  first, i brushed all the tangles out of her mane - it's gotten so long.

using some detangler spray, i scraped it all back into a high ponytail.

and then with the help of a little gadget i'd also picked up at the dance store, i had an almost perfect ballerina-style bun in about 30 seconds.

next, i carefully plucked the curly hairpiece out of the bag.  "i have a wig!" the bean squealed with glee.

it seriously took about 4 seconds to get it in place.  voila:

i think the bean is the only girly-girl i know who didn't really have any interest in make-up.  she watches me and her sister put it on every day, but i don't think she's ever asked to play with it or put any of it on herself.  she's played with her grandma's make-up once or twice, but that's about it.  and so i had to actually talk her into letting me put some on.  here's what i was able to get away with:

i decided to tackle the most difficult item out of the three.  i tried to show her the difference between the eye i used it on and the unmade-up one, but she glanced in the mirror and said "i don't see a thing."  see how excited she was about it?

then i brushed on some of that bright pink blush and stroked a bit of that super red lipstick on her tiny pout.

as she gazed in the mirror, the bean gave her appearance a special stamp of approval.

oh crap.  i gotta remember to clean the kiss mark off of that mirror.

happiness is a pair of high heels

i love me some groupon/living social/[insert deal of the day site here].  they often have super awesome deals, and i almost hesitate to open the e-mails some mornings for fear of finding something that i just have to have.

case in point:  a fun-looking "mommy & me" tea party deal at some place in nearby claremont that i hadn't yet heard of.  and despite the really dumb name of the joint (well, maybe just the way they spelled it) - sweet & sasse princess tea parties - i bought a voucher and called to make our reservation.  i asked the teen if she wanted to join us, but she passed.  gee, i can't imagine why.  heh.

i didn't even tell the bean where we were going until we pulled up.  these days, when i tell her we're going to do something fun, she assumes we're going to disneyland.  gee, i can't imagine why 2.0.  but she seemed pretty excited when she got a glimpse of the decorations outside of the building we were walking up to.

there was a little gift shop (of course), with a menu of the services posted on the wall.

we were welcomed by the owner of the shop, who took the bean right in to the rack of costumes available for her to wear during our tea party.  slightly overwhelmed at the sheer number of choices, she took her time and finally settled on something familiar.

the place was totally perfect for a princess-style birthday party.  she had such a blast walking around and checking everything out.

then it was time to sit down and have her makeover.  yes, the bean has had her very first makeover at the ripe old age of 4.

hair (complete with pixie dust):

 

make-up:

nails:

and let's not forget the accessories, including her first experience with clip-on earrings.

then she got to choose a hat for me to wear so i could take a picture with her.  yes, i know i look fabulous.  if fabulous = ridiculous.

next, we sat down at the table to work on our craft - decorating a picture frame to take our picture home in.  she had a great time picking out foam stickers and pasting them on all willy-nilly.

that didn't last too long.  once every available surface was covered in stickers, she was over it and moved on to the tea cart for some pretend refreshments.

 it was pretty funny watching her wobble around in her "high heels."

all this excitement worked up quite an appetite.  she was quite delighted with the tiered setup that was waiting for us in the party room.

there was even a bell that she could ring if we needed anything.

and she loved the tiny teacup that she got to drink her "lemonade tea" out of.

she alternated between bites of her food, dancing around to the disney music and posing on the stool in the corner of the room.

cupcake time.

back in the car, she admired her 'do and makeup in the rearview mirror before we headed home for a nap.

kinda makes me want to pick up some fabric and make her some princess costumes for playing dress-up at home.  hmmm.