Chronic Ama

Four days of feeling tired, pained and sick and I'm finally starting to feel normal again. I actually can't wait to get back into the routine of the week on Monday. But, yes, until then I will be taking it easy and resting all I can. We have a movie planned and baths and facials for the afternoon. Dinner will be sirloin steaks on the grill and veggies. I'm getting to enjoy some time outside this afternoon. It's not as hot out and laying in the pool and watching the clouds is so soothing. I am wondering when we'll get more rain. Tomorrow we'll get to spend some time planning the kids birthday party next month. We have our vacation planned for October this year, when the kids are on fall break, instead of in September when they'd have to miss school. Oddly, I have nothing to really muse about today. Just kinda taking things as they come and mentally preparing for next week. My brain is a little quiet today. Usually happens when I don't feel well.

We've started off this year with a BANG! Well, kind of. I guess? I don't do resolutions. But, I did set new ground rules for behavior around here.  Bella had been getting a weekly allowance since she was 3 for doing chores around the house. Lately, the allure of doing chores for allowance has diminished and the Christmas brattiness had been setting in. I came up with a new plan as of New Years. For every time Bella acts up, has a tantrum (apparently she hasn't outgrown these) or talks back, she loses a toy. I keep a big box in a storage area to put them in. For each day she completes her chores (usually only on Wednesdays and Sundays), she gets to get a toy back. Plus, at the end of the month, if she had done her chores and hasn't lost too many more toys, she gets an allowance. She seems to like this idea so far and hasn't lost many toys this year yet.  As for her brother, he's still too little to understand a lot of rules. But, we do make him pick up h

Hopefully you have your invitations all made out already and you’re ready to start shopping! Wait; don’t go grab your keys and wallet just yet. You need to stop and make another list. You’ve got your budget in mind, right? And your theme? OK! Now, you need to make a list of what you need and what you plan to spend on those things. Do you need a cake? How much are you going to spend on it? Decorations? Are you going to rent a cotton candy machine? Once you have made your list, look at your calendar again. If you’re planning a party around a “party season” (May is wedding season, September is birthday season, and July is peak BBQ season), you may need to start on getting your rentals and ordering food or cake first. Peak seasons often fill up with reservations fast, so get yours done before you’re left to start from square one again. Even if it’s not really a peak party season, it’s best to call around and see if there’s a list for the date you planned your event and put a depo

You just looked at your calendar and you just did a double take remembering you only have two months to plan a party for [insert special occasion here]. Where to start?! What to do?! Well, I’m here to help you have a spectacular party that your guests will actually enjoy! As long as you have your date set, it’s time to start planning. First, plan a guest list. It’s important to know if you’re going to have a big party or a small party. A kid’s party, an adult party, a ladies only party, any kind of party must start with a guest list. I’ll use my most recent large event as an example for this 101 tutorial. Both my kids had birthdays this month. My son turned 1 and my daughter turned 5. We decided to just do a double birthday party here at home about 6 months before the actual event. I started making a list of family first, then added my daughter’s pre-school friends, then other family and friends. I believe we had a guest list with a total of about 100 people. It sounds like a lo