Birthday partying again

Holy cow, how did I get a six year old? Our big girl turned six this past week and true to form, she had a very specific idea about what she wanted for her birthday party. Last year she wanted a Mermaid Party so we created this invitation together. The year before that when she turned four we all had a blast with this Wizard of Oz party. This year she wanted her very own American Girl Doll party. As much as I am all about the parties, I did try to convince my almost-six-year-old lady that maybe this was the year we move away from the big bash and suggested she invite a few close friends to come to the American Girl Doll store with us instead. She was having none of that silly suggestion. So, ahead with the doll party plans we went and came up with this little invitation. 

The weather forecast was for a washout on Saturday, but luckily the sun came out and it ended up being a beautiful afternoon. The party was fairly low-key if you can call it that with 17 little girls running around the yard. We made these bracelets for girls and dolls alike.

Other highlights from the day include:

mini snacks and pink lemonade,

a game of musical chairs with dolls in hand,

and a splurge on a delicious cake from a local bakery!

And here is one last shot of the birthday girl with her girls!

It's all about me... at least for a few hours a week

Happy Mother's Day to all you Mommas out there! Sorry to be a day late, but well... I'm a mom and the weekend was busy with taking care of kids and entertaining a house full of people. This Mother's Day reminded me of how incredibly blessed I am to have these three little ladies in my life. They are little bundles of just plain awesome. The cards, messages and live shows they put on for me to make sure I had the absolute best day were just perfect. 

One of my favorite mother's day messages

Mother's Day this year also reminded me of something else. I am one very grateful and very tired momma. I'm not complaining. Really, I'm not, but I just think it is time that I acknowledge the fact and stop pretending that I'm not. As I'm closing in on my eldest's sixth birthday (tomorrow!) I realize that it has been six years since I have had consistent, uninterrupted sleep. Sure, there were short spells here and there where my older two started sleeping well, but mostly I was in my third trimester of pregnancy during those times so I'm not sure that really counts as good sleep. 

My point in all this isn't just to complain. Just to remind myself and all moms out there to give ourselves a break. Take time to relax both with our kids and on our own. Starting now, I am going to try to find two hours a week to do something relaxing. I'm a lucky lady that my family is close by so I do have lots of help looking after my children. But let's face it, usually I'm running around like crazy trying to fit in a quick run, grocery shopping for the week, and any other errands that might be easier without kids. 

So now comes the fun part. I need a plan. What are things I can do that are relaxing? So far I've come up with: reading a book at the beach, reading or writing at a local coffee shop, getting a massage or pedicure. Maybe I should add napping to the list in light of how exhausted I seem to be. This two hours of me time might sounds incredibly selfish, but I really do think it will make me a better mom. And the biggest "rule" of this relax time is no guilt. This one is tricky for me. I find myself feeling guilty every time I leave my kids and no matter what the situation feeling rushed to get back to them. This adds a stress which basically defeats the whole purpose and makes it impossible to return relaxed. So, I repeat NO GUILT. 

What do you do to relax and unwind from your busy schedule? Do you schedule "me time" as I'm proposing to do, just try to fit it in when you can, or are you thinking what is me time and who does this crazy woman think she is? If you do try to take some time for yourself, what are your favorite and most relaxing things to do? Please share... I need some ideas!

Save the Date

Since the Minnetyan girls are all married off now, well at least the first generation, I nearly forgot we do wedding stationery. That was, until a friend of ours got in touch looking for some Save the Dates for their big day. We love doing Save the Date cards almost more than birth announcements because they are such a great way for a couple to really show their personalities. We have only a few on the website because we have found this is one area that people like their cards to be as individual as they are. Here are a few of our favorites:

Graffiti

Photo Booth

Portrait

Seaport

Another great way to make the most of your save the date is to include text on the back with any information you would like your guests to know about well in advance. These are just a few samples of what we have done. We would love to help make your Save the Dates something the guests are sure to remember! 

Please contact sona@loveandlifecards.com to get your custom save the date design started.