Mercy Ciccone

Madonna arrived in Malawi over the weekend for a few days of philanthropic work, and she started things off yesterday by touring Millennium Village in Lilongwe with Dr. Jeffrey Sachs and her daughters, Lourdes and Mercy. Madonna's girls were in the same town again today for a bricklaying ceremony as construction started on her $15 million Raising Malawi Academy for Girls, which is expected to open next year. In a blog post on her foundation's website Madonna wrote, "It is with tremendous joy that I return to Malawi to lay the first brick in the Raising Malawi Academy for Girls. By educating girls we will rebuild this community and raise this nation." The endeavor is just the latest in Madonna's extensive efforts to help the African nation, as her charity is reported to be helping 25,000 orphaned children in the country.

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Madonna and Lourdes Leon's fashion line, Material Girl, will be for juniors, but the designing duo should consider sizing their styles down to fit tots. We took five bold looks that Lola (the teen's nickname) had been spotted out and about in and asked LilSugar readers if they'd let their youngsters wear inspired versions of them. The answer was an overwhelming yes!

Ninety-four percent of those polled were fans of the vest and tie combo. Fifty percent would permit their wee ones to wear the workout outfit. Seventy-three percent loved the legging look. Ninety-five percent thought bold colors were beautiful on babies, and forty-six percent would allow their lil lady to don lace. We're thinking the mom and daughter team should start putting pen to sketch pad with 4-year-old Mercy Ciccone as their muse! Check out the adorable pics of the family's smallest sassy dresser.

Madonna continued her work in Malawi, including a tour of the Mphandu la Orphanage with Mercy, Lourdes, David and Rocco yesterday. David looks like he's the comedian of the family making some funny faces for the cameras. Earlier this week, Madonna broke ground on her girls' school, but she still feels like there's a lot of work to be done. She pledged to bring electricity to the area saying, "I know you work in darkness. I will bring you electricity." Madonna's been busy down in Africa, but we should expect to see a lot of her imposters tomorrow night since the Material Girl costume is a perennial favorite, even for celebrities.

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Madonna kicked off her 51st birthday weekend with a show in Krakow, Poland on Friday where she was greeted with a serenade from fans as well as some angry protesters. The next day she brought her kids and Jesus Luz to Portofino for a hard-earned vacation. She has a few days off from her Sticky and Sweet tour, and last night she celebrated her big day properly with a candle-lit dinner at the town's Splendido Hotel. Madonna was up early this morning for a day on the water, taking a boat ride with Jesus, David and Mercy before a swim with Lourdes and Rocco. No stop in Portofino would be complete without a visit with Dolce and Gabbana, and after saying hello to the guys Madonna and her gang finally called it a day.

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Madonna left London earlier this week and arrived at her hotel in Paris on Tuesday night. Lourdes, Rocco, Mercy and David joined her Wednesday, when they spent the afternoon sightseeing with their nannies. The big trip was for Madonna's show in the city last night, as she and her kids join the ranks of the pop star families currently traveling together in Europe. Not every country on Madonna's tour is as welcoming as France — people in Poland are staging protests because her concert there falls on a Catholic holiday in August.

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This weekend Madonna prayed with her family and Jesus Luz at the Kabbalah Center before taking the stage at the O2 arena for her Sticky & Sweet tour. Her concert included a tribute to Michael Jackson where she stood with her backup dancers cheering on an MJ impersonator that performed all his signature moves. Madonna shouted, "Let's give it up to one of the greatest artists the world has ever known!" — check out the video below. The singer was distraught when Michael passed away but is doing her part to preserve his memory and honor him on the same stage where he was scheduled to perform his comeback. Many fans will have the chance to pay their respects when his public memorial is held at the Staples Center.

To see more photos of Madonna with her kids, performing, and the video of her MJ tribute just read more