In less than two weeks Mavrick will turn 2 (craziness!). Last year, for his first birthday I went all out with a vintage newspaper boy theme and told my family & friends that next year would be a very basic party. I told them not to expect much actually and I would only make big parties every 5 years. (seeing I have Sienna now, that makes a big party every 2 years – pretty good )
Well the designer in me is dying. I can’t just have a blah party… it’s against designer code. (ha … totally made that up) So, I decided to do two things to stay somewhat true to the idea of a “basic party”. Last year, I went all out with food and it wasn’t friendly on the wallet. Even if I basically made everything myself (with the help of family/friends) it was rather time consuming (and who has time now, with 2 kids) So this year I decided to do two things : #1 Opt for a dessert only party (which is more manageable than cold/hot food then sweets) not to meaning less expensive and #2 Seeing I’m on a budget I decided to go to the dollar store for party decor.
I don’t have a specific theme, just colors and patterns….can you believe the whole party is designed around red, turquoise and lime green bunting I found for 2$?! I designed the invitation last night – simply nothing spectacular, but it give guests a little hint on what to expect.
I will use pretty much the most inexpensive decor items you can find and make this party amazing for very little. There will be crepe streamers, balloons, bunting and colored plates, glasses and napkins for that much needed punch of color. Now the easy part is done, now to figure out the desserts.
Anyone have suggestions?
It’s finally here… the new children line from ShopRuche.com
called Itsy Bitsy. When they first posted on the FB page about the upcoming line… I can’t tell you how excited I was. I love their vintage style and couldn’t wait for it to be translated in a kids line.
I personally have a soft spot for rompers, so it’s no wonder that I love the Miss Cherie Organic Romper (as seen in the 4th picture) I also love the Full of posies floral dress, how cute would it be to have a mother daughter matching dress (I can definitely see it translate well for a woman’s A-line dress)
[ Images : ShopRuche.com ]
Tomorrow is the start of a whole new world… a diaper free world for Mavrick. We are starting the 3 day potting training technique in hopes that he will be amongst the success stories and diaper free in time to start his new daycare on Tuesday. I know a few mothers who attempted this technique. One fully successful, another who might have to attempt it once again and one who is fully day trained but not night trained.
My goal was to have Mavrick potty trained before his 2nd birthday. Why? Well, first of all buying disposable diapers for two kids definitely doesn’t help the bank. Plus I was told boys have a window for potty training and just recently he started showing signs of readiness so we decided to do it. For the past 2 weeks, we’ve been prepping for this coming weekend. We started to reduce the amounts of liquids Mavrick drank before bed, started verbalizing that poopy diapers were yucky, introduced him to the potty (even if he has no interest what so ever), explained to him what mommy was doing on the toilette and telling him that diapers were for babies and that he was a big boy now.
I went ahead and purchased gold star stickers, snacks that Mavrick adores that we will use as rewards and 4 bigger rewards for milestone events (for example when he starts verbalizing pee-pee & poo, when he actually pees and poops in the potty for the first time etc) We purchased about 20 pairs of toddler underwear, 8 of which are ones that really make him want to wear them because they have Buzz Light Year & Woody and some with Flash McQueen.
What’s left to buy before tomorrow is a plastic mattress cover seeing that Mavrick will obviously pee his bed the first night, but I rather wash the sheets than to resort to pull-ups. I am really afraid that if I start using pull-ups he will simply consider them a diaper. Fingers crossed that by day 3 he gets both day and night potty.
1. BABYBJÖRN Potty Chair | 2. Potty Board Books | 3. Goldfish Snack Crackers | 4. Aqueduck Faucet Extender | 5. Potty Hook | 6. Gold Stars Stickers | 7. Disney Pixar Toy Story Toddler Boys Briefs | 8. Disney Pixar Cars Soft Potty Seat | 9. Summer Infant Deluxe Piddle Pad | 10. BABYBJORN Safe Step
I will blog about the experience after the fact, but I might have to wait a few weeks in hopes not to jinx it. But until then, you can follow my tweets about potty training via the #3daypottytraining hashtag (clearly I’m stealing Jenna‘s idea) I apologize in advance to those who follow my twitter and couldn’t care less about potty training, but know it will be 3 days of tweets and then I’ll resume the usual program. hehe.
Wish us luck!
With Mavrick’s second birthday just around the corner, I am tempted to try this pastel/watercolor effect. I absolutely love this cake. It’s simple yet is a show stopper. The color possibilities are endless (I predict someone attempting a rainbow version of this cake soon) Hop on over to Sweetapolita for a tutorial on how you can create a cake like this.
image | Sweetapolita
When I was told I would be having a girl, the first thought that came to my mind was ruffles!!! (no joke!) and it’s no wonder that my first purchase for the nursery was a ruffled curtain. I decided I wanted to have a little more ruffle in the room and went ahead and make my own ruffle lamp shade. I thought I would share the easy step by step with you so you can go ahead and make your own!
Materials
- Fabric
- Scissors
- Thread and Needle
- Glue Gun
- Lampshade
Instructions
Let me start off by saying that I don’t sew. Do I own a sewing machine, yes! Do I know how to use a thread and needle? Yes, but very limited so trust me when I say that if I was able to make this work… so you can too.
1. Grab the fabric of your choice and cut in strips. I cut them about 1.5 inch (it’s hard to say how much you will need because it all depends on the lampshade you choose) but for mine I used a little under half a yard of fabric. Another suggestion, if you want a more condense ruffle (which means more fabric) you can use a flat bed sheet in the color of your choice. It’s a cheaper option for yards of fabric.
2. Using a thread and needle, hand stitch each strip of fabric in the center while gathering the fabric to create a ruffled look. Repeat until you have at least 10 stripes of ruffles (you may need to have more depending on your lamp shade)
3. Cover your lampshade with pale muslin. (In my case, I simply had to remove the current fabric)
4. Using your hot glue gun, dab some glue on the lamp shade, starting at the top and glue your stripes of ruffles. Repeat until your shade is covered in ruffles.Put the shade back on the base and admire your piece of art.
I absolutely adore how the lampshade came out… and it’s even prettier when it’s lit. Just the perfect dim lighting for baby girl. Hope you will attempt this little project. Happy ruffling!
Let me start off by saying I will write the most personal post I will ever write in my life and I want to make sure that you know the reason behind it isn’t to have a pity party or anything along those lines, but simply to share my experience, because it’s very likely someone reading this has had a similar situation happen to them (or know someone who has).
This post has been sitting in my drafts folders for some time now (obviously I’ve modified it several times) but wasn’t ready to press the publish button until now. So if you are ready for a long read, then here it goes.
Yesterday was a crappy day for me… every year, June 24th is a crappy day for me. I just want to curl up in a ball and do nothing. Do what comforts me because that’s what I need. Hugs from my husband, my kids and even my mom for that matter. But yesterday was even harder than the years before… and I finally figured out why. Yesterday, June 24th 2012… marked 15 years since I got raped. 15 years ago, I was 14 years old, celebrating with my cousin our national holiday and drank for the first time (yes, underage). It was a time of firsts and let me tell you even now the whole story sounds a little surreal.
June 24th 1997 – Our national holiday (St-Jean-Baptist) I went over to my cousins house for the day and was extremely excited about our plans for the night. We were going to the parc to watch live bands and fireworks. Obviously the plan was to chill with my cousins friends and boyfriend, but I was the youngest of the gang, only 14. My cousin almost 17, promised me she wouldn’t leave me out of her sight because we weren’t in a place I was familiar to. We were having a blast, dancing, singing and laughing… but then the alcohol hit me like a ton of bricks and I barely remember what happened. I remember lying on the floor (on a blanket we had brought) starting up at the spinning stars and this guy (who clearly I didn’t know) started talking to me. I can’t tell you what we spoke about, nor could I tell you what he looked like, but I remember him having blonde hair (rather long). I remember he helped me get up, and making our way to his car (a black car – that I remembered) and driving off.
I can’t tell you where we went, and honestly I felt so dazed and confused with all the mini blackouts I had. Clearly I had no idea what was about to happen. The car stopped, I could hear water (I believe we were along the river) Blackout. He untied my seat belt and his, turned up the music and proceeded to undress me. Blackout . I remember talking to him and saying i didn’t want to. Blackout. I felt pain I’ve never felt before but was too drunk to even speak . Blackout . The car turned on and we left, at that moment I remember pretending I was sleeping because I knew what had happened. He dropped me off in front of where he picked me up. My cousin and her boyfriend were frantic running everywhere asking if anyone had seen me… so when they noticed a car and me coming out of it, fumbling over with my bra over my head they knew it was bad news.
There was a women with them, a stranger who lived across from the park. She asked if we wanted to go inside until I sobered up a little to know what happened. She not only worked in a field of abused children, but the guy, who pulled up and dropped me off, was a guy she knew. He actually was an ex-boyfriend. This woman, was the sweetest ever and helped me in a way no one could understand. She dressed me, asked the right questions (even though she knew what had happened) and proceeded to help me go to the washroom. I remember seeing blood and not just a little. Yes, I was a virgin and this man took that away from me. I found out, this guy was 32 years old and father to a 7 year old little girl and he too worked in the field of abused children.
After I washed up, we left the house and headed straight to the police office to report the sexual assault. I was exhausted, still drunk (and underage) waiting for an investigator to come take my statement. It took what felt like hours. All I wanted to do was sleep, but that wasn’t an option. Once I told them my version of the story, off I went to the local hospital and that’s when they called my parents. I balled, not because of what just had happened but more because I didn’t want my parents to be disappointed in the fact that I drank underage. I felt like such a disappointment, like a horrible daughter. Once my mom arrived at the hospital, she hugged me for what felt like hours but I didn’t want to let go. We cried but knew we would get through it together. They packed my stuff and off I went to another hospital where they would examine me. (The local hospital wasn’t allowed to “examine me” in the case of a crime)
After hours of getting examined, waiting, talking to the doctors and the investigator, I was finally allowed to go home. I walked out of the hospital and could hear the morning birds chirping. In the far distance, I saw my dad and my sisters. My dad gave me a huge, I cried, and told me 3 words that barely came out of his mouth. “I Love you” (a moment that is forever engraved in my mind) Honestly, I can not even start to imagine what emotions my parents went through. I just know they were grateful that I didn’t remember what happened that night. Made the healing process go much quicker.
Why didn’t he go to jail right there and then? Well, unfortunately because I was 14 by-law meant I was old enough to consent to sex. I turned 14, 1 month + 1 day prior and if I had been 13 then yes, he would of been convinced in a heartbeat… but alas, I decided to go testify against him in court so that he couldn’t do this to anyone else. My attorney told me that he had a clean record and was a first time offender, but obviously he played the “she said yes” card. We went into 3 or 4 rounds of court, everyone testified, including his ex-girlfriend (She actually testified against him.) I can’t give you major details about that whole process because I deliberately blocked in out of my mind but I do remember 1 important moment… when his mother came up to me. She held my hand and apologized for her son’s actions. I told her I accepted her apologies and that I even forgave her son for what he had done. She started crying and walked away.
Yes, at that moment, in court, I had forgiven him for what he had done to me. How? Many people asked me along the years, and I have no other explanation other than “I just did, I had to if I wanted to move on with my life…” The verdict was in, he was guilty and served 2 years in jail no probation. He could no longer work in his current work field and was banned from being in the same area as me. Yes two years isn’t much but it was more than nothing. It was worth going through the whole process to make it known what he had done. Sure I wasn’t physically abused on top of it, (very thankful for that) but I was abused in another way and that alone was enough.
I’m not the type of person that is ashamed of what happened. I’m a strong believer that everything happens for a reason (though I have to admit I did ask multiple times “why me?! ) As you probably know, I’m a pretty open book when it comes to my life, so it’s only normal I am the type of person that actually talks about what happened. I’m at peace with what happened and I wouldn’t be who I am today if it hadn’t happened to me. I talk about it because I know it might help someone somewhere, tell them that no they aren’t alone and they can speak out. In college I would even do public speaking about my experience and have a Q & A session. People were amazed at my courage and strength but to me, it was what I was meant to do.
15 years ago I was a rape victim, but today I’m a wife and mother but more importantly I’m a woman of strength. I’m me.
we danced the first dance of our life together. To many more dances… I love you.
First it was chevron, then Ikat, bunting, lattice and we’ve recently seen color blocking increase in popularity. I for one, predict that the next trend will be cross-stitch. Not in the literal craft kinda way, but the use of the look in decor, stationery, baking etc.
Here is a small round-up of what I think will be the next big trend :
I actually love the wall art and think it would look fabulous in an office space or even a nursery! Do you think this will be the next big trend? Have you seen other cross-stitch inspired decor or other ?
wall art | invitation | cookie art | votives
