My first attempt at a dessert bar.

I decided pretty early on that my last child's first birthday was going to be amazing and since I think 1st birthdays are more for the adults in a child's life than the child I wanted it to be very classy not cutesy. I picked Sock monkey theme and I honestly don't know why I have been so obsessed with sock monkeys since mister Jaxsen was born, but I am and had to throw an awesome party everyone would remember. I also had a really tight budget for this party since I really splurged for Asher's 4th Birthday and spent around $600 so needless to say my husband was not pleased and so this party I had to keep it tight. I saw THIS on pinterest and thought "how stinkin cute" I knew at that moment I wanted to do a dessert bar.

 I first thought I would save some money and make all the desserts, well I am not the best baker so after a few cake pop attempts I decided that was going to be a splurge and the decor would be the save. I contacted my baker, yes I have a baker and I know her personally and she is a very neat lady, you can also order from her by visiting her facebook page HERE, and ordered a dessert bar for 25 guests, this included a small 2 tier cake, 20 cake pops, and 20 mini cupcakes, all for $65 which in my opinion is a smokin deal!


 I then decided to make the food more family style so I was able to work that into my weekly food budget, and the other splurge was a housekeeper, to help get my house party ready. I had everything in place and so with the rest of my budget I bought some burlap and red string for a banner, and some puff balls so I could make a cute party hat. I already had a ton of paper and tissue paper to make the medals and big puff balls. I wanted this party to have a more vintage sock monkey feel, so I went with sock monkey colors but didn't actually have sock monkey everywhere. My total party investment was $200 and I had a really great time at the party and planning it, and Mister Jaxsen had a blast!

My MOM list

I was recently introduced via my moms group to a great blog I enjoy reading and have already gained some great tips, and ideas from. I particularly like a post called Everyone has one you can check out that post here. It made me start thinking 1. her list is way better than mine and 2. I can do all of these and my life would be easier if I did. So I started doing a couple things from this list and I can say I am so happy to have found this blog and list so Thank you Randi!! I also wanted to post a different kind of list it is more of an enjoy your kids list so here we go.



1. Get down once a day and PLAY!

I love love love playing with my kids and once a day I do my best to stop all the chores and get down on the floor and play. This can be anything from wrestling to building a skyscraper with blocks, but try to get to their level and enjoy them. I have noticed the days I get busy and forget to do this are the days they misbehave the most.

2. Say yes more than No

I have seen in a lot of advice columns to try to never say no, well that just isn't possible for me, discipline is a big part of parenting for me and so is setting boundaries. Also I like my kids to learn life lessons and lets be honest how often are adults told no, you can't do that? Everyday we live within the bounds of laws, so kids should as well. What I try to do is say yes more than no and I always say yes to things that help them learn and grow, if they want to paint or draw or make a huge fort I say Yes!

3. Make room for mistakes

I don't know about you but I didn't get a handbook the day my first child was born, and even if I did I would probably disagree with half of it. I make mistakes as a parent, my kids make mistakes, my husband makes a lot of them :). I always try to remember this is a learning curve and when I do make a mistake I file under, "don't do that again," and move on.

4. Listen

Listening is a big deal in our house, I live with 4 boys and listening is not their strong suit. I lead by example when someone is talking to me, I listen. This can be kind of hard to do, but I try my best, I want them to know I want to hear what they have to say. I truly believe if you listen to the small things when they are small, they talk to you about big things when they are big.

Definitely not as long of a list but this list helps me be a great mom, in my eyes!

Do you have any lists you go by?

Almost Completed..the bucket list

So I posted at the beginning of summer our bucket list, you can find that post here, and while we had a great summer, sadly we didn't get through it all. We did however do some awesome things some on the list and not on the list.


What we actually did:

• washed a car
• made big bubbles
• visited a ranch
• rode horses
• baked cookies
• visited a botanical garden and zoo in one
• made birdfeeders
• had a water balloon fight (actually a couple)
• attended a few parades
• went on nature walks and found pine cones, picked flowers and blackberries, and caught bugs
• had an unbirthday party
• played soccer
• made popsicles
• went fishing
• built a huge blanket fort
• went to the fair
• went to a petting zoo
• had a picnic
• made clay prints
• did a baking soda vinegar volcano
• drove over a thousand miles
• met a family member for the first time
• had an awesome jam packed summer that went by way too fast!

 Hope you had a great Summer did you finish your summer list?

Califonia...an amazing trip part 3

The last few days of our trip started with our last day in LA visiting the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens. If you haven't been there I recommend it we had a blast! Lots of great animals and beautiful landscaping as it is also a botanical garden. We had the privilege of being escorted through with my sister Kier and her boyfriend Roger who is full of facts and puns, he made this a very entertaining zoo trip! The boys loved seeing the animals and especially loved the L.A.I.R and the playground complete with animal sculptures.


*Hint: if you forget to pack your own water bottles buy one and refill at the drinking fountains.

After the zoo we made our way back to my moms apartment and packed up, then we headed back to Northern California to stay the night. The next day we packed some sandwiches, filled water bottles, and laid around and watched tv until about 6pm when we loaded into our van and made the 15 hour drive back home with a pit stop in Portland to drop off Grandma Karen. I would call this trip a success we spent a lot of time driving but only ended up spending around $400 in gas for all the driving, which is a huge saving from the $1500 air travel would have cost. It was so great to see where my mom and sister lived and it has helped the boys to know that their Nani moved away and lives in California now. I would do it again in a heartbeat and hopefully will in the next couple years!

California...an amazing trip part 2

After being in Northern California for a few days we headed 5 hours south to Los Angeles and as soon as we got there it was "get ready," and go out on the town. My Husband and I spent the night dining and partying with my sister Kier and her Boyfriend Roger.

It was like we had been transported out of our current life and into a fantasy world full of, short dresses, strong drinks, and loud music. I had a wonderful time and felt like a VIP as i sipped my vodka and pineapple juice and witnessed David Arquette Marionetting in the middle of a crowded nightclub.

I had a great night but was extremely excited to wake up bright and early the next day to head 2 hours south to Carlsbad California, for an epic day at Legoland! If you haven't been there I recommend it, also be sure to buy your tickets on the website 2 days in advance to get 20% off because like any theme park it is pricey. Everything is made from Lego's! Well not everything but a lot of things, we had tons of fun riding rides and playing in the water, before we sat down and ate some food which was delicious pizza!! All their food is "natural" or organic which I love! We had a great time but in retrospect I would have gone a little earlier in the day, we got there at 3pm and it closes at 8pm, I would have brought a backpack instead of a diaper bag, and I would have packed food and WATER instead of buying it. All in all the day was a success. The next day we hung out around the pool at my mom's apartments and had a home cooked healthy meal, which was a nice break from the whirlwind last 4 days!

 Stay tuned for the Last Part :)

Oh and pictures taken by my gorgeous sister check out her blog Fashion Addict

California...an amazing trip part 1

My family and I don't vacation that often having 3 kids is part of that but also we usually never have the funds to go on Vacation more than just a camping trip to the mountains. We decided to head to sunny California for a week to visit my sister and mom. We drove from the Seattle area to Northern California a 15 hour drive, with the kids it was so much easier on them to drive at night while they slept. We arrived in Prundale CA on Sunday July 29 around 4pm we got settled in and let the kids run and play, since they had been cooped up in a car for so long. We were staying with my mom's boyfriend who has a big ranch and a great house. We relaxed Sunday and Monday we had a big BBQ full of fun and riding horses! It was so great seeing my family having a wonderful time and trying something they had never done before. My Husband was a natural and my son Robert thoroughly enjoyed being a cowboy and riding the horses several times. I have ridden before and loved doing it again I took full advantage and rode 3 out of 4 of the horses!! Asher was not impressed and had a really hard time the whole week we were in California. Stay Tuned for Parts 2 and 3!!

Bucket List Update

So it is now the middle of July and in 6 weeks summer is over and school starts! So far we have:

• Made Big Bubbles
• Have attended 2 parades (bonus points!)
• Had a few water balloon fights 
• Made clay prints 
• Built a huge blanket fort.

We still have a lot left on our list hopefully we can knock a few out this week!!


Today 7/16

We washed a car :)

 

Today 8/07

 We were able to knock a few things off our list while on two different trips!

• Gone Fishing
• Visited the LA Zoo and Botanical Garden (two in one!)
• Visited a Water park inside Lego Land!
• made some yummy popscicles!

 Left: Asher looking at a snake
Below: Robert at the Zebra enclosure