February 24, 2014 by Kelli

The life of a grown up is not nearly as romantic and fun as I dreamed it would be when I was younger. I didn’t understand the responsibility that came with being an adult. I didn’t know that endless laundry, a constantly messy house, bills, fatigue, arguing children, and everything else that happens day in and day out would be such a drag.

I tend to get bogged down in it all from time to time.

I’m annoyed with my dirty house. It was clean two hours ago.

I’m annoyed with the laundry. It’s never done.

I’m annoyed with the bills. They never stop showing up.

I’m annoyed with the responsibility. It’s unending.

I’m annoyed with the arguing. Why are you fighting about an invisible piece of pie?!

On and on the list goes until I feel like the Grinch, my heart two sizes too small, and my patience stretched thin.

On Saturday we were preparing to host a dinner, and as I cleaned the house again, I felt an actual scowl forming. Blah, blah, blah. Grumble, grumble, grumble. As I set the table, Tia and Landon came racing through the kitchen squealing and laughing hysterically at who knows what.

“Slow down,” I called after them. They didn’t hear the sound of my advice over all their joy and laughter. The nerve.

A few minutes later, they came racing through again, high pitched squeals and delighted laughter cutting into my grumbly heart. “Guys!” I called, a bit exasperated. “Slow down, please. You’re going to get hurt.”

“We can’t help it, Mom!” Landon called. “WE’RE JUST SO HAPPY!”

And off they ran, still laughing, still squealing, still slicing through my grown up bam humbugity. And just like that, my heart swelled, and I remembered that life is fun if you let it be fun.

Thank God for kids to remind me.

Happy Monday, friends. I pray that it’s JUST SO HAPPY!

Fasion Diva Birthday Party…on a budget

February 18, 2013 by Kelli

I love budget blogs. I love women who have the fortitude and mental strength to really think through where and how they spend money and who can save a dollar at every turn. I admire those women.

Because I am not one of them.

I work really hard at spending wisely. I do not make frivolous purchases (all the time – I’m human) and I try not to spend my money on wasteful items. But when it comes to shopping on a budget, I’m not good at it. I don’t coupon, I don’t watch for sales (though I do take advantage of them and try not to pay full price for something if I don’t have to). I don’t garage sale or search for the cheapest price online. Partly because I’m lazy and partly because I feel like I can because I am wise in where and how often I spend.

That said, recently I took Tia to a birthday party at an adorable salon for girls. A group of teenagers fixed the girls hair into little diva buns, gave them fancy dresses to wear, sprayed glitter all over their heads and let them march down a catwalk to zippy tunes by Katy Perry and Taylor Swift.

It was the cutest thing I’ve ever seen and Tia bounced all the way home proclaiming her desire to have just such a birthday. The next day I called said salon to get pricing information on their parties.

Cheapest package? $269 for eight girls. This did not include cake or party favors. I almost had a heart attack. I told you not long ago my philosophy on kid birthday parties, remember? KISS – Keep It Simple ~~Stupid~~ Silly. So I used my thinker and I thinked up a rather grand idea.

We’d have our own fashion diva party right here at home. For $5.99 I bought a can of glitter hair spray and $4.99 bought me a glittery heart stamp for their faces. I went to the dollar store and bought a bouquet of artifical flowers for three dollars and a one dollar tube of eye shadow.

I made a cake, dipped waffle bowls and pretzels into melted candy coating and sprinkles, dished out M&M’s and ice cream and by God I pulled it off.

One fancy pants fashion diva party for less than $60 (including all food and party favors)!

I pulled up the Taylor Swift music station on Pandora and blasted the likes of Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, One Direction (OHEMGEE ONE DIRECTION! SQUEEEE!). They walked the “catwalk” around the pool, giggling and squealing as only little girls can. And when they were tired of acting fierce, we had ourselves a little dance party. We even busted out a little Gangnum Style.

I pulled each girl’s hair up into a high ponytail, stuck a flower in it, sprayed on an ample supply of glitter and stamped a heart and a little eye shadow on them and BAM! Twelve little diva’s strutted their way through the festivities. An added bonus is that my house now has a fine sheen of glitter all over it, which I kind of like. Makes it feels magical in here.