Posts Tagged ‘Birthday’

By Working Mommy, Contributor, Lessons Learned (@lessonslrndblog)

Not many people know this, but I am a wedding planner by trade. Before you get all giddy – no, it is NOT like the Jennifer Lopez movie. I mean, some big clients do act like that – renting statues and live trees and such – but the majority just don’t have the expendable money. (*Just a side note…I love the ones with expendable money, though!  They usually give me the most leeway when selecting over-the-top decor!)

Moving on…as a wedding planner, I have had the pleasure the privilege the opportunity to wear multiple hats for one event. These hats include – but are not limited to – minister, caterer, bar tender, psychologist, family therapist, pre-marital counselor, lion (mother/mother-in-law) tamer, seamstress, photographer, chicken wrangler (babysitter), florist and, most recently, security.

In my 10+ years of experience I have learned that not every event is the same, and THAT is what makes each one unique and interesting.

So, after all of my trials and tribulations, I can honestly say that I finally have the ability to pass on some knowledge when it comes to self-planning an event. The example I am going to use is my daughter’s recent first birthday.

The most important part of this shin-dig, besides the food, was the guest list. I opted for an e-vite because they are just so dang useful! I mean, you save money on postage, can email it to anyone you want, and update as often as you need to with information for your guests. It is a FREE one-stop-shop for smaller gatherings.

When it comes to menu planning, make sure you serve things that are either easy for you to make (like a family recipe you could whip up in your sleep), able to be made and brought by someone attending, or can be bought for relatively little money.

The menu for The Babe’s party was:

* Cheese and Crackers (this is super easy to do)
* Fruit Balls (again, super easy and can be prepped days ahead of time)
* Beef Kabobs (with peppers and onions – marinated in garlic and teriyaki sauce)
* Potato Salad
* Deviled Eggs (ridiculously easy)
* Broccoli Salad (a la my mama)
* Egg Rolls (another famous offering by my mama…luckily she makes HUGE batches and freezes them)
* Birthday Cupcakes (The Man even helped me decorate them the night before…YUM)
* Birthday Cake (it was my first time decorating…LOVE how it turned out)

For a party of 30 people, everything cost about $150 total, which really isn’t bad considering all the food we had available. No one went hungry and we had left-overs for days – always a plus!!!

Add some great friends and you will have one of the BEST parties ever!!! I mean, this face doesn’t lie…yet!!

By Working Mommy, Contributor, Lessons Learned (@lessonslrndblog)

I don’t know about you folks, but I am CRAZY about my daughter!! My extreme love for her manifests itself in a number of different ways. One of my favorite things to do with The Babe is to just scoop her up and blow on her neck. It makes that weird farting sound and she goes NUTS!

Since she was born I have been trying to put ideas together for how we would celebrate the past year of joy and love that The Babe has brought into our lives! Once I started writing, it seemed like my brain vomit just wasn’t going to stop…much to the dismay of my husband’s wallet!!

The best idea I had was to have a “Farm Girl” themed party…complete with a miniature horse that The Babe can KEEP (yes, kids, they have that sort of thing where we live)!! Well, that idea was soon shot down due to the fact that a complete party costs around 5k…in real dollars, not monopoly money, unfortunately!!

When I was still working, I would make it a point to put some money in my sock drawer for The Babe’s birthday shindig. Alas, after I was fired, that money had to be spent on other things – like groceries and diapers – and I no longer have anything in reserves. So, I went to one of these smartest ladies I know for some advice. My mom was so excited that I had gone to her and proceeded to pull out every. single. thing. she had used for all of my birthday milestones since I was a year old.

Now, to fully understand what I had just gotten myself into, you have to understand a little bit about my mom. She is one of those people who could – and would publicly – put Martha Stewart to shame. As a little kid, I remember walking through a store, finding a really neat looking bracelet and taking it to show my mom. She would take one look at it and say, “we aren’t spending $30 on that…we can make one that looks better for less!” So now, as an adult, I find myself walking through stores saying, “I can make that” or “My creation would be so much better.” Honestly, I don’t know if I should thank my mom or hurt her for instilling in me the need to take on more projects than I have the space or patience for!!

Anyways, back my “The Babe’s First Birthday Extravaganza” dilemma. So my mom pulls out the largest supply of Wilton cake pans I have ever seen in my life…seriously, any baker would be embarrassed at their lack of cake pans.

From the “Cookie Monster” which was used when I turned five…

…to the classic “Mickey Mouse” pan for my seventh birthday…

…and finally, the “Strawberry Shortcake” pan used for my third birthday…

After talking with my mom, seeing the pictures of each one of my birthday parties – big or small and, in a way, reliving her memories of when I was little, I realized something right then. I finally understood that it wasn’t about the number of presents we bought The Babe…it isn’t about how many people came over to spoil The Babe…rather, it is about the love that goes into the little things and taking the time to spend the day with family and friends.

So, instead of hiring a DJ to spin “Raffi” (that The Babe can’t understand), renting an array of inflatable bouncey objects (that The Babe can’t use), having a local farmer bring out a petting zoo (that will probably make The Babe sick, since she puts everything in her mouth still) or buying her a miniature pony (that I will end up taking care of)…I am going to grit my teeth, pull out the cake pans from my childhood and make The Babe what I’m sure will be the worst tasting, most crooked looking cake I can put together…and, in the end, will smile knowing that one day – when The Babe is married and has her first baby – I will be able to pass on the memories I have from all of her birthdays…and that is worth more than all the money in the world!!

Mommy loves you baby!

By Shandal

If Only All Gray Hair Looked This Good!

I think I’m too young to start having to think about getting my hair colored and anti-wrinkle creams. Oh did I forget to mention the crows feet that are making their appearance on my “old” face?