On birthdays and prezzies

So my son just had his first birthday. It was amazing!

Do you know when a recent married couple say their wedding flew by? That they just didn't seem to find time to really enjoy the party with their guests? Well, that's how I felt!

JL's party was almost all DIY... I taught myself (yeah, I'm terrible with computers and technology!) how to make everything paperwise, from invitations to goodie bags (or egg cases!), everything was done by me. And let me tell you, I'm not only bad at this new technology thing, I'm also the most indecisive person you would EVER meet!!! So yeah, I had about 30 different invitations to chose, 20 types of stickers I wanted to use on many different things and a thousand ideas that needed to come to life. 

I also made almost all the sweets (condensed milk ran wide in the kitchen those days, enough sad!) apart from macaroons - that I have yet to master - and caramel apples - that I just couldn't be bothered! I have scars to prove! I chose to do most of the cooking at my Mom's house just because it would be a peaceful place without everyone interrupting me, that went well. My mother in law took care of JL for me and that was just a plus! 

We held the party at my best friend's vacation house, in a nearby town. It was the perfect location, y'all! (My dream is to live there, it's just the right size... Not big, not small... Just perfect!) She was kind enough to help with all the prep and even got her fiancé to do a LOT of the work also since my husband was running last minutes errands and picking JL up from my mother in law's. 

Another friend is a cook and did a great job with a variety of crepés she served. We set up a table in a corner for juices and soft drinks and it worked out well (we had a bottle of water at each table), oh, and each kid got a 'circus tend mini drink bottle' to take home!

It was stressful, don't get me wrong. And I would do a lot differently if it was possible (hello, hairdo choice not good, AT ALL!) but overall it was a great learning experience. I'm not found of party throwing, I just get too worked up and it all turns sour too soon for me. 

BUT, it was my son's first birthday and I just wanted to gather all my loved ones together because I know I've neglected most of them trying to be a great mom this past year...they deserved it just as much as my baby! (And me! Haha)

I still don't have any professional pictures and am waiting eagerly by the phone, so as soon as I get them from the photographer I will post the ones I think appropriate for the blog! 

For now, take this one from the main table with a piece of me in my puffy tutu skirt! Now that's what I call appropriate!!! Haha

Ps. We had 80 guest and the gift giving here was insane, which is why I thougt fit as a title... My son's whole year in toys is covered, I mean, people went crazy! (He also got a lot of clothes and Mama loved it!)

just another excuse...

oh boy, what crazy four months it was for me!

I know I said I'd try my best to post constantly but we adopted two bunnies (on top of the six dogs and one cat we already had!), hosted a couple of dinner parties and decided it was time to remodel our house. Also, I'm diy-ing my baby's first birthday party all by myself, from flower arrangements to really nice (in my opinion, lol) invitations, thank you cards, menus, various types of labels and part of the food, including most of the sweets! 

So... woof! This past months have been kind of exhausting, to say the least.

I reckon with time I'll catch you guys up on all of it because even though I freaked out from time to time I did had a blast doing all of it.

For now, lets start with the bunnies.

Figthy and Bloo, that's their names. haha

They are both about four months old and are just precious little girl bunnies! Bloo is a pure breed (I just cannot remember the name! lol) with marvellous grey/blue "long" fur and my husband just fell in love with her, his father used to have a lot of bunnies and for over two years he just couldn't stop talking about it, so I figured it was time he had his wish and that it would be a nice addition to the family.

Fighty has white fur with black spots all over her, also her hocks are spread out, we don't know if she was born that way or if her mama injured her when she was little... she was going to be sent to a alligators farm and I just had to bring her as well! She's actually loads smart than Bloo, and faces the dogs and cats as if she was big.

I must admit, bunnies are a bit smelly. But we are building them a nice little house in the backyard and I'm sure my laundry room will smell nice again, haha.

Jay (that's my son, if I haven't mentioned his name yet!) loves both of them, but he prefers Bloo, just like my husband. Every time we are holding her he wants to go and give her a kiss. We do not let him touch and pet them because he has not quite grasped the whole fine motor skills yet. haha 

For him, petting is a bit like punching and although most of our dogs appreciate that, bunnies are a totally different story... they are still so tiny and get scared so easily.

Most of the dogs are okay with the bunnies. We do not allow the bigger ones to get close to them, just in case. But the little ones stay all day with Fighty and Bloo on the backyard and they all love it! (So far I only had to break a kiss fight, which Fighty was losing and therefore screaming a bit! haha No harm done, and lots of love given.) The cat, on the other hand, hates both Fighty and Bloo, she goes to the backyard and stares at them for as long as we let her. She won't go and attack them, because she is that well behaved and know she can't, but she does not like them. At all.

Overall, introducing them to the family was fine. Both Jay and the cat have yet to get closer to the bunnies but I couldn't be happier with how we evolved in the past couple of weeks!

Now I will go and feed them, then off to bed. Tomorrow I'll finish the last details with the labels and get the last goodies I yet have to buy! Maybe I'll post a few photos of the bunnies and the dogs and a few of the party (planning and all) to y'all. I'm just not sure if that's the way I want this blog to go... Anyways, I'll let you know!

Hope you all have a great week!

Ops!

  Let me start saying I'm incredibly sorry and angry for not updating this blog. But lately when I have the time to relax, that's exactly what I want to do.
  I thought things would get easier with my baby growing up but as the crawling and standing up started so did my endless need to follow him everywhere. On top of that, we haven't baby proofed the house per se, truth is, we mostly keep the bathroom doors closed and small objects out of reach, but my baby is definitely getting faster and this is dangerous! I feel I need to find something for my kitchen cabinet doors and the refrigerator, since it all shines the baby has developed a certain interest on it... any suggestions?! There are so many brands and types of baby gadgets around that it can be overwhelming.
  As I was saying to a friend this past weekend, life with a baby is definitely exhausting but truly full filing! I do get very anxious when I think about having more kids... I would like to have two more. Being a single child can have that reflexion on your desires. My baby boy is a delight, I must say. He only had a week of colic, he works around the clock, sleeping and being feed everyday at the same time (helping me get a bit more organised!) and he is definitely not much of a crier.
  That scares me.
  It scares me because I anticipate having a very time consuming second baby... I mean, it can't be all roses for me. I see so many women having trouble breast-feeding, getting their babies to sleep trough the night and to eat solids and what so more! What hasn't it happened to me yet? Will I get the vindictive teenager? Will I be the kind of mother I always dreaded, the one that allows their kid to do any an everything just because otherwise life would be caos?!?
  Every time my husband and I talk about a second (and why not, a third) child I can't help but dread the future! Tell me, now... is it just me?!?

The twenty one days gap {or how motherhood takes up all my time.}

   Ok, I know I said I was committed to blogging... I also know it's been 21 days since my last - and first - post. But, seriously, being a stay at home mom is exhausting! 

   I can't say I don't have free time but mind you it's an hour a day at most! 

  My son is a good night sleeper but his afternoon naps are not long. At all! When I'm lucky, he passes out for about one hour. But the norm here at our house is a fifteen minutes afternoon nap and a twenty minutes night nap, before bath time. It's just how he is. 

  So most of the time when he's napping I'm doing the dishes or picking up dog poo. On days like today, when the weather is not at its best and I woke up feeling horrible for apparently no reason, I just stay in bed with my baby for as long as I can, and when he naps I do NOTHING. Seriously, I just sat there, in our living room, and watched three episodes of Gossip Girl while contemplating what my life would be had I had loads of money to spare, and just wishing I could go visit Paris soon... I know, lame, and childish, but I too need some me time.

  I reckon we (all moms!) tend to live our lives so connected to our babies lives that we sometimes forget who we are and what is really important to us. I know there are a lot of moms, like me, who feel guilty for not being 100% committed to their kids, who feel really bad for having to leave their babies on day cares or with some family member so they had to work... and, hear me out: IT'S NORMAL! It's okay! Just as it's okay to take some time for yourself!

  As I type this my son has just woken up, he's "calling" me from the sofa (he's safe in there! don't worry!) so I just lost my train of thought. I guess I started this post to apologise for being away, for not making this blog (with two whole posts, haha) what I want it to be.

  But, this is motherhood. And as I hear my baby's goos and gaas from the other room I just can't help but be thankful for having him in my life. I have absolutely no time to do all I wish I could, my clothes are dirty, my house is not in its best shape, but boy, this baby of mine makes me happy!!!

The beginning... {or how my life turned upside down.}

   So here I go again.

  I've had a few blogs in the past, and I loved it. But something happened and I simply quit writing. Unfortunately it took me quite sometime to have the guts to get back on my computer and just start writing. It's still hard, and I feel like I'm terribly rusty, but I'm committed to it and I will make it work!

   Blogging, writing... I simply love it! Having an outlet for everything that happens in my life is a great way to maintain sanity. Really. So that's why I'll give blogging another shot. There will be typos. And sometimes my posts may not make much sense. But bare in mind that I'm juggling life with six dogs, a cat and a baby. And no, that's not just a funny blog name, that IS my life. To many people this would be an easy task. Not to me. I barely make it to my bed at night. It's exhausting! 

   For now, this is it. I hope you stay tuned for the upcoming posts I have planned for #611. 

M.P