Palm Desert in January

The snowbirds have it right. Palm Desert is just the required reprieve from snow, rain and cold when the mid-winter blues strike.

After our SoCal merry-go-round with relatives, us ladies headed down to Palm Desert for some fun in the sun. Ladies include my mom, grandma and two daughters.

Palm Desert has a long history for my family.

I remember my grandparents picking me up from school on Friday afternoons to scoot down to the Desert ASAP.

Each January, my grandfather played in the Bob Hope Classic for 20+ years starting in the mid-1960s. And last year, my uncle Butch carried on the family tradition by also playing in the Classic. Fortunately, he played when he did because it was the last year of the "traditional" tournament. This year numerous changes were made to the name, sponsors and other aspects of the event (plus I think it went to a $50K entry fee, yikes)

Anyhow, back to us girls. The temps are mid-80s. Our rental home is a rustic, navajo interior that backs to one of the manicured fairways of Rancho Mirage. Maddi, Lizzie and I are sharing a room with two twin beds and each morning all three of us end up in one bed, while my mom and grandma each have their own king beds. Fine by me - the closer I am to my girls the better.

Mornings are slow. In fact, I don't think we get going until about noon each day - whether we're hanging on the back lanai facing the golf course, changing clothes multiple times because Lizzie has spit up everything she's eaten, or simply using the extra time for extra sleep. It's been truly relaxing.

Once we finally get rolling, it's usually on Maddi's new Barbie bicycle. She's getting the hang of braking and looking straight ahead instead of down at the pedals. With Maddi on her bike, Lizzie gets to ride in the Ergo and generally snuggles in for her early afternoon nap.

We've also done art projects galore! Thanks to all the wonderful Christmas presents, we've made princess bead necklaces, stamp projects, and many masterpieces that we've actually hung on the fridge here :)

Pool time is on tap for tomorrow. We've done a little shopping on El Paseo, but not too much. I found the ultimate Burberry shirt but I'm just not sure Elliott would appreciate seeing the credit card statement. (but the shirt is to die for).