Absentee blogger

I have been an absentee blogger this week. But I have been working diligently to get my new business off the ground, get together the 7 days of giveaways that will begin next week, and my son has had some appointments as well for his eyes. 

We are going today on a 2 hour trip to his new eye doctor one of the top pediatric ophthalmologist to see what they are going to do about his eye that likes to cross off and on. 

I think that bug would look so cute in glasses! 

Tomorrow I should have up a new tutorial. All of you that love to organize will love this one! 

Spring is in the air...So are the ants and the pollen

Springs is in the air... We have had a solid week of 60's and above. 

Lots of time has been spent outside, and at the park. 

Practicing walking on new terrain...

Playing our own tiny version of football...

Really hoping this Cherry Blossom fills out soon...

THIS however...

Is going to be a problem! They have infested my banister...there are thousands of them!

I am crafty, I am the Bug Creator, but I am no professional ant killer. Help! 

Any suggestions?

(p.s. they are RED fire ants, if they were black ants they could stay because I don't care about ants in my pants...but I am very allergic to red fire ants.)

Laundry mat comedy...

Welcome to Comedy Thursdays! 

(yeah totally just made that up) 

Today I thought I would share with you a bit of laundry mat humor from my trip yesterday with my friend. Not only does our laundry mat truly believes in signs. They have signs for everything! (including a ton of out of order signs) 

One sign just cracks me up every time I go in there and I want to steal it so bad! But that is bad... Don't steal kids, You'll go to jail and I can't ever take a shower without dropping the soap .

I did not get a photo because I was busy chasing my 1 year old but the sign says "Parents: PLEASE CONTROL YOUR CHILDREN!" 

Amen laundry mat sign AMEN! 

(he grabbed my camera off the couch brought it to where I was laying and laid on my arm)

Than to top is all off my 1 year old, who just learned to walk, decided going out the door was a fun game to play with mommy. Unfortunate for him he  missed the door one time and ran smack into the floor to ceiling window. Not only did he run smack into it but he did it with a hands up splat (yes I laughed... no that doesn't make me a bad mother... I made sure he was okay, eventually) 

But that is not even the best part folks! My drama king proceeds to slide down the glass with his forehead and hands all the way to the floor where he ever so daintily sits and puts his head on his legs. 

Than looks up at me and laughs. Yep he laughed. He is such a little comic. 

(at dinner tonight learning to eat with a fork)

Bug's everywhere!

Just in case you missed it here is my post from the thrifty birthday party for my son that I guest blogged about over at Ready, Set, Create! head on over there and give Aleesha some buggy love for letting me be apart of her amazing little corner of the web.

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Being a single parent is not easy, and sometimes I get overwhelmed having this tiny person depend on me and only me 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. . But when it comes to planning a party I shine! So when my son's (bug)  first birthday started getting close (okay maybe it was 4 months ahead of time) I started planning how to do the party the cheapest way possible, to accommodate my budget, while not compromising the greatness of the party. 

I did a entire 1st birthday party for 48 people (38 were able to come) in well under $100!

So how'd I do it? Easy! 

-Made the cake myself ($22.76)

- Made all the decorations in photoshop & printed on cardstock I already had ($0)

-Purchased the invitations using codes for % off and free codes on Shutterfly.com ($.85)

-Did 16 goodie bags by going to the dollar tree, and clearance sections of wal-mart.($12.54)

The most expensive part of the whole thing was food which ended up costing around $52.00 for 38 people and we had some left!

Total party cost: $88.15

 for a party for 38 people... (we planned for 48 though)

Think that is impressive? I did my entire mistake wedding for $600 and it was amazing! 

(that included my dress & food)

Want to see photos? I know you do! 

(All photos were taken by an amazing photographer Jebbica @ Photos By Jebbica the ones that do not have her copyright were originals I edited ,graciously given to me because we forgot to grab snap shots with other cameras on the party...oops... lesson learned!)

16 little gift bags for our tiny guests...

In the bags-

bouncy balls, plastic bug, candy hearts, gummy works that we put in clear plastic bags left over from another party. 

Meat and cheese tray for food along with a fruit tray and some chips.

Cake:

4- 9inch double layer cakes 

dyed icing with gel color

Foam board to set it upon

I used a fork to "stab" the icing to make it a fuzzy caterpillar!

Dirt bowl- Crushed chocolate teddy grahams & gummy works thrown in...Big hit with the kids!

Banner- 8x10 cardstock made in photoshop using simple shapes and text

(thrifty wrapping with brown paper by my friend Emily)

(we had streamers from the dollar store going from our chandelier to each corner of the window and the banner on the window is made of cardstock )

Birthday boy

We even set up a tent tunnel for the kids to play in! Bug obviously thought it would be great to push my nephew through it. 

The cake was Bug Approved!

Awesome right? 

Don't forget to come visit me for tutorials, crafts, life, and more over @ The Bug Creator or on facebook

Thanks Aleesha for having me over! 

Walking away...

I feel like he is walking away from me. My son that is. He decided that since he is 1 now he has to grow up. Mommy is not a very happy camper about this! Bug is now walking all on his own... everywhere! 

Unfortunately as most parents know this means a LOT more bumps, and falls. 

Yesterday while getting ready for a trip to urgent care for bug because of his stomach issues it turned into a trip to make sure he did not have a concussion as well because he tried to run across the bathroom and ended up tripping on the carpet and hitting his head above his eyebrow against the edge of the tub. After confirming that he indeed did NOT have a concussion just a pretty red mark that would fade later that evening we came home and what does he do? Falls... AGAIN... This time trying to push his lightening mcqueen across the house sideways, which needless to say never works well on hardwood floors. 

Today he is so dang pleased with himself he literally walked circles around his foam bag all day! It was so dang cute. 

They sure do grow up fast...

I'm not just a mom!

Thanks to Crystal Light for sponsoring this post. To learn more about how Crystal Light can flavor your day with 30 refreshing flavors, visit http://www.facebook.com/crystallight.

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As women we usually grow up going to the mall with friends, taking long hot showers, & doing our makeup and hair before we leave the house.

Photo Credit

Than we become mothers and majority of the time we no longer have time for us. While being a mother is hard, being a single mother is just as, if not often more, difficult. As the sole provider of care 365 days a year I rarely have the luxury of an occasional long shower while someone keeps an eye on my son. 

So how do I keep from going crazy while not sacrificing precious time or neglecting bug? Another blog that I read faithfully introduced me to two life changing words when bug was about 3 months old....

Nighttime Crafting. 

Imagine my surprise when I realized that just because he was in bed didn't mean that it was time to only clean. I could have some time to me doing something that I love. Being a first time mom I really had not come across this concept yet because I fully believed that my life should revolve around baby 24 hours a day.

Since Bug is usually down for the night by 7:30-8:00 and I run as fast as my little chubby legs will carry me to my utopia, baby monitor in hand. I than usually spend from 8:00 until 12 midnight losing myself in music and sewing. 

Since this eye opening revelation I have come to the conclusion that even though I may not get to do my hair and makeup every time I leave the house.  And I usually have to take my long hot shower while my 1 year old plays peek-a-boo around the shower curtain. Or that I consider wal-mart to be my new mall/social outing. As long as I have my time to craft I can hold onto my sanity. 

Because, 

I am not just a mom, I am a woman too!



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Remember, visit http://www.facebook.com/crystallight to learn more about how Crystal Light can flavor your day with 30 refreshing flavors. I was selected and paid for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

Guest blogging @ Ready Set Create

I forgot to mention... I am guest blogging today! At Ready, Set, Create! 

It is all about my thrifty birthday party and has party pictures too! 

Make sure to head on over and check it out. 

Getting that guilty feeling...

I am having bloggers guilt. 

I neglected the blog for several days. 

I didn't even post a hi! 

But I promise... there was a good reason...!

( I will be guest posting at Ready Set Create all about how I did this party on the cheap side later next week!)

(yes he was leaning upside down)

Unfortunately Bug was not feeling all that great so this adorable face...

Turned into this...

& the next day after a visit to Urgent care we found out that he has a severe ear infection in his ... you guessed it ... Right ear. He is feeling much better now! 

Mommy and bug opening presents. 

All of the above photos were taken by ( a new friend ) Jebbica at Photos By Jebbica whom was hired by my amazing friend Emily over at PaperPixieCrafts. 

This picture was snapped by my cousin Robert. We had quite a few people there. I think at last count it was 38! 

And just to show you how spoiled he is, 

Not one.. but two ride ons! lol 

So now that we are getting over ear-aches, party coma, and the massive toy clean out I did, I will get back to writing. :D I have a few things in mind. 

How was your weekend? 

A year flies by in a flash

Today my love your are 1 year old. You went from my not so tiny 10lb precious boy to a handsome 25lb bean pole! 

I cannot believe how fast this year has flown by! 

This time 1 year ago I was worried because my little baby's heart rate kept going up and down. Not long after I was told that I would be having an emergency c-section since the baby was too big for my pelvis and was stuck. 

At 10:01pm after over 24 hours of labor, several adrenaline shots, and a very scary few moments Bug was born weighing in at 10 lbs 1oz 20 inches long. He was barney color purple from lack of oxygen from being stuck and when he started to cry, I did too. 

(April 2010)

(May 2010)

(September 2010)

(oct 2010)

This year I am typing a blog about his birth and watching him stand next to me hugging my arm saying Ah-da over and over. These are the moments I live for. When he is completely interested in what I am doing and wants to be just like me. It is scary to think that someone wants to be just like you but I know that I am the only person for the job and I would not have it any other way. 

(Current 2011)

He is my silly peanut butter loving monster.

Nudist in the making.

Mohawk having kidd.

Growing up way too fast, talking on the cell phone to his nana. 

Note: My family is coming into town tomorrow and bug's party is this weekend. I am not going to be posting during this period. Expect a post from me come monday'ish. :D