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Saturday morning, Adele and I had a date for a ‘Mommy and Me Tea Party’! It was an event that was hosted by Club Momme. Their events have always looked really fun but because they are a bit pricey by playdate standards (this one came to $27.50), I was holding out til the right one popped up. This one sounded fun though, it included tea time with your toddler, a photo session, goodie bag, and use of the indoor playspace at Pamper & Play. I finally convinced myself it was worth it and bought a ticket a week in advance.  I had been looking forward to it all week long. You’ll see below that it didn’t quite live up to my expectations, but we had a good time nonetheless.

It was all the way over the hill, near Beverly Hills (my first clue that maybe this event wasn’t for me). I found street parking and then saw that Adele was fast asleep in her carseat! She hasn’t taken a morning nap in MONTHS! I unbuckled her and she continued to sleep on my shoulder during the two-block walk to the venue. And then slept on me for another half hour or so until I eventually had to wake her up! This was the first time EVER she’s slept on my lap without being in the ergo carrier! Even as an infant, she never did unless she was swaddled. This was a special moment for me! I cherished it with all my heart! I thought to myself the whole day was already worth it just for this!

Once Adele was up, it was our turn for the photo session. I think they got some great shots, but then later found out that the session was free… but the actual photos were not. The 4×6 prints START at $115. Um, no.

I was sitting next to a mom who was hastily brushing her daughter’s hair and I overheard her telling her, “You know, you just don’t look pretty enough to take pictures today”. The daughter didn’t seem bothered by it, but it really made me mad. I immediately squeezed Adele a little tighter and whispered into her ear, “You’re the most pretty little girl in the whole world, I love you”. I know there’s all kinds of discussion out there about how instead of telling our girls they are ‘pretty’ or ‘beautiful’, we should use words like ‘brave’, ‘smart’ and ‘strong’. But I would never not tell my girl she is ‘pretty’! Come on, moms! Let’s give these girls the confidence, self-esteem and self-worth they need to be successful in this world!
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The ‘Tea Party’ was sort of a joke. They had one kind of hot tea and one kind of iced tea… served in little sample cups (i.e. a few sips and you’re done). They did have some really nice, but fragile tea cups that I would never in a million years trust Adele with. And for sandwiches, they only had two kinds (a turkey/cheese one and a strawberry/peanut butter one). No snacks, no kid options, nothing else! Not even chips or cookies! What kind of tea party is this? But they did have some pouches and snack bars in the goodie bag, so Adele enjoyed that.

We spent the rest of our time there playing with some blocks and toys. I think she had a good time. And then I won the first raffle prize which redeemed part of the day for me. I was really glad I went though. It was quiet the experience for the people watching alone.

Oh, one more story..right before I left, another mom stopped me to tell me she LOVED Adele’s dress and then asked me who designed it. BAHAHAHA I almost burst out laughing and then I realized she was serious. Turns out it actually was designer… but it was a hand-me-down from a very generous friend (I had no idea!). Guess I shouldn’t have let Adele get strawberries and peanut butter on it from lunch, huh? But she did look really cute (ahem– PRETTY) in it, don’t you think?

The moms over in that part of LA ain’t got nothing on my Valley Moms though. I’m so thankful for my amazing village of amazing mothers we’ve met over the past two years. Cheers to you, moms. Thank you for raising strong, confident children that I am honored Adele gets to be friends with. You know who you are. xo