Princess Party

Okay, so you all know how we feel about the princess thing...
We have worked hard not to promote the idea of princesses, their value or that they should be something in which she takes an interest. I don't think she really gets it, in fact, since she doesnt watch movies and doesnt know the stories or what makes them so 'special'- except that adults in her life keep telling her how pretty and special they are.
That doesnt mean we have objected to her friends getting sucked into the vortex- for surely they have. And we dont, of course, boycott their birthday parties or deny Madeline the chance to play at princess-ing when gifts are given, though we won't buy them ourselves and of course, ask that her gifts be more gender neutral. But we have even attended a couple now- Aptly named "princess parties".

And madeline has been given a few princess dresses that she has added to her arsenal of dress-up clothes. (Of course mommy had already stocked us up with fairy dresses-but come on Fairies are magical woodland creatures that fly! Not to be mistaken for princesses, if you ask me!)
Well- She is not immune... but we just dont want her growing up to think that her value is in her beauty or her clothes, shoes, hair and makeup, that one day a little prince will come and save the day.

Anyway,
today was one such Princess party. And this one took the cake- Even the birthday girl's mommy was all decked out in full princess regalia :)

Well, i am more than proud to tell you that this morning when it came time to pick out a dressup costume for the party, Madeline chose a dragon costume! Had she not worn it all morning and grown tired of the thing before party hour, she would have shown up breathing fire on all the dainty little princesses.


She opted for a fairy dress, loved the cupcakes at the party, as well as running around and dancing



... but frankly i dont think she was convinced by the princess crown, necklace, earrings, rings, and all the hooplah about being called Princess Madeline. Oh- and she had her first (and i hope last for a while), lollipop. Why do birthday parties always seem like a scary diabetic coma waiting to happen?

really. it was all about the cupcakes. {she gets that from mom and dad}
And for me. that is a small victory.

Isnt that what going to a birthday party is all about? Stuffing your face and running around until you throw up? Well- I know it always was for me... and still is if we are being honest.