Happy Birthday, Medge!

It's a unanimous fact that Mom is the heart of the Soares family. She's our hero. Whether it's faithfully stalking my blog, happily sewing a rouge button on Becky's favorite sweater or making sure my Dad's nutty schedule (always on "Bruce Soares Time") stays in check, Medge is first and foremost there for all of us. She never fails to mark the important, and not-so-important, events in our lives with fun e-cards or touching hand-written notes. And Mom's always infamously falling for crazy infomercials or buying the latest products from Hammacher Schlemmer to "make our lives easier" or just give us a laugh. I know I speak for all of us when I say that we couldn't even function without the daily love and support that Medge gives us.

Last Saturday was Mom's birthday, and we all got together in Madison to celebrate with cake and ice cream, way too much Mexican food and, per the tradition of most occasions that Medge, Becky and I are together, shopping! Without a doubt, it was the highlight of my week.

Gold Stars for last week go to:

*A good year for Medge: I love you! I hope you enjoyed your birthday weekend and I already can't wait to see you again in July.

*No More Teachers, No More Books: Mike's officially finished with all of his work for Kellogg. Now all that's left are a few fun and frivolous outings and graduation coming up in a few weeks! The mood in our house has already shifted from tense and frantic to much more relaxed and happy. LOVING IT!

*Kale Chips: I know, sounds gross. But I came across this fun way to prepare this super food in Real Simple a few months ago and finally got around to trying the recipe last week. And now I am hooked. All of the crunch and saltiness I crave from bad-for-me chips and loads of nutritious goodness. Mike's not sold, but oh well...more for me!