Staying Home Sawyer

Real Life Living on a Real Life Budget

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Valentine’s Countdown

There’s something fun about the holiday of love, even if it is a Hallmark holiday. In my humble opinion, there’s nothing wrong with taking advantage of the day to tell those close to us how much we love them. And since I’m frugal (that’s the new, nice way of saying I’m a cheapskate, and I love it), I don’t go all out with expensive gifts and such. Basically if I can make someone’s day for $9.99 or less, it is my kind of gift.

Since I met my husband, I’ve been doing little acts of love for him. I wish I could go back to my pre-married self to tell her to calm down a bit (because once you set a standard you’ve gotta keep up with it). But that’s when a project like this comes in handy. You can use it year after year.

First, I found an envelope template online and used scrapbook paper to make 14 envelopes. I used my Cricut to make the numbers, but you could use stickers or even just hand write them on each envelope.

Next, I print out 14 photos (or let’s face it, more like 20 because I can’t decide on only 14) from my top 14 memories of the year. Sometimes it was the event that was my favorite, sometimes it was just the photo. I write on the back of each one why it was special for me/him, and then I arrange them from 1-14 best. I put them in their corresponding envelopes (So basically 14 is in 1, 13 is in 2, etc), and each day from the 1st of February through the 14th, he gets to open one. He actually really loves this tradition, it’s been going on now for seven years.

Side Note: This is actually how Brendan found out we were having a baby. In envelope number 9 that year, I put in a photo of the positive pregnancy test. He definitely wasn’t expecting that! Needless to say, they’ve never been that eventful before or since.

Sawyer has also been showing an interest in this, so I think when she’s a tad older I might do one for her too. She would love to open an envelope every day!

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Elf on the Shelf (Again)

With the arrival of our daughter two years ago, rumor spread that our elf Reuben would come to a screeching halt. However, that could not be further from the truth. Reuben has been here each year since and is thriving in his new child-filled environment. But with that being said, we have talked to Reuben about his usual antics, and we think we’re going to have to put a leash on him next year. With the babe growing up quickly, she’ll soon understand Reuben and what he’s here for. Which unfortunately is not taking shots (see photos) or breaking people’s knees (see other photos).

This year Reuben got into quite a bit of fun. He featured a few of our favorite movies and a few ‘oldie but goodie’ songs. He really got detailed in some of his scenes, which definitely made for some late nights on my behalf. But watching my husband bend over in laughter each morning was well worth it.

So tell me, how many of them can you figure out? I’ll list them all below, in order. Leave me a comment with how many you guessed!

In order of appearance (and from left to right when applicable):

  1. My Milkshake Brings All the Boys to the Yard (“Milkshake,” Kelis)
  2. Who Let the Dogs Out, Baha Men
  3. Spice Girls
  4. Risky Business (Tom Cruise)
  5. Lady and the Tramp
  6. Lion King
  7. Dumb and Dumber
  8. Fatal Attraction
  9. What Happens in Mexico (no relation to a movie/song)
  10. 99 Problems, Jay-Z
  11. Cry Me a River, Justin Timberlake
  12. Single Ladies, Beyonce
  13. 1994 Olympics – Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding
  14. Die Hard (Bruce Willis)

So tell me, how many did you get right?

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Two the Sea Party

Listen. There are only a few years where I get to pick the theme for Sawyer’s birthday parties. And I’m pretty sure this was the last year that I get to (she’s super into Puppy Dog Pals). But can we be honest with each other for a second here? Which theme is cooler: this, or Puppy Dog Pals? That’s what I thought too.

The good thing for me was that after coming up with this theme, she got really into sea turtles. So overall, I think I pleased her very much. (Unintentional mom win)

We just moved into our new place ten days before this party, and basically reno’d the whole first floor. So planning this party was done on the fly, and I’m pretty sure my mom and friend hated me for it. But thankfully for me, they actually do love me and helped me put the whole thing together.

I started planning before our move by ordering balloons on Aliexpress, because they can take weeks to come in. Literally, you never know what you’re going to get. But for the prices, it’s worth trying. I ordered the turquoise garland balloons, the giant 2, and the “two the sea” mini letter balloons all from them. Thankfully, they all turned out exactly how I wanted them to!

Note to self (and you): I read on Pinterest that you can spray paint the letter balloons, so I didn’t order blue ones. I figured I could paint them turquoise no matter what. Thankfully, I ordered two sets of each letter, because guess what. You can’t paint these, I found out the hard way.

For food we served sandwiches along with all of the ‘seafood’ we came up with. The sea glass was even edible (thanks to Pinterest for that recipe – finally something worked the way it was supposed to). We also served Health-Ade Kombucha because let’s be honest with ourselves, it’s amazing.

For desserts, we (and by we, I mean my mom and my friend) made oyster cookies and sand dollar cookies. They were both really easy (says me), but time consuming.

Her cake was my biggest surprise. Did I want to order a fancy expensive cake? Yes. Do I really have the budget for that? No. So let’s get real here, my local grocery store CAME THROUGH. I was so pleasantly surprised by how cool it turned out that I want to order cakes every month. I can think of something to celebrate every month, can’t I?

I wanted a pretty sequin tablecloth so badly, but have you ever looked for one? A) they’re hard to find, and 2) they’re SO expensive. So here’s a mom hack for you: go to the fabric store and buy two yards of the fabric you like most. That’s it. We just draped it over our table and voila!

We then literally covered all the surfaces in seashells and sea glass that we found at the Dollar Tree, and found cute jellyfish lanterns at Party City. I even found whale tail (or mermaid, but I was trying to steer clear of the Mermaid theme) hats at the Dollar Tree!

We also found this pretty pinata at Target, which left me with a whole bowl full of candy to eat after the party. Great. (Next time either more kids or less candy.)

One of the cutest decor pieces was the clear balloons (bubbles) hanging from the mantle. Note to you: don’t blow them up the day before. They turn more white than when you first blow them up.

Balloon garland: easy, but also time consuming. You can buy strips to just pop the balloons into, but we do it the ‘old-fashioned’ way: blow up balloons to different sizes (even if they’re all the same size, just blow them big, medium, and small). Tie three together with a piece of string. Then tie that string to a longer one that will be your main garland string. That’s it!

One of my favorite items was the starfish wands that I made for the party. Literally SO easy. I hot glued a stick to a starfish, spray painted it gold, and tied ribbons to the bottom!

Sawyer loved the whole party (even her DIY shirt I made the day of). I think all of the sugar may have been the reason she enjoyed herself so much, but I take what I can get over here. Whatever makes this girl happy makes my mama heart happy too.

Lifestyle

To the Friend Without Kids…

We’ve all been there at one point. All of our friends were having babies while we were just trying to get through the day on a cup of coffee (or a shot of tequila). The babies were cute, the stories were adorable. But really, we were annoyed. We didn’t understand why every story revolved around the baby, or why every phone call had to involve the toddler.  Truth is, we didn’t understand why our worlds were so different.

I’ve been there, and I remember it distinctly. I remember feeling slighted when I didn’t get my normal after work call, or my yearly birthday card. I remember being sad that I didn’t feel connected to my best friend anymore, or feeling so different that we had nothing in common. It’s a sad realization, and one that doesn’t go unnoticed. We can’t pretend that this transition is smooth for everyone, because it isn’t. It’s why most new moms find new mom friends, or other women that are in their same point in life. It’s why the phone calls lessen, and the visits diminish. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

I’m here to tell you that even after we have kids, we miss you. We miss our friendships, we miss our nights out with you. We want you back, we want our relationship back. If we get a card or a letter from you, our hearts break. We think about you all the time, if not daily. Even if you don’t feel like you’re still our best friend, you are. Because while you may have moved on, we haven’t. The only person that has taken your place is that tiny little bundle of joy, and while that bundle is absolutely adorable (and the best thing that has ever happened to us), it is most certainly not ever taking your place (besides, it’s frowned upon to take tequila shots with a toddler). Our babies will never be able to spend hours talking to us on the phone, going through the events of the day. They’ll not understand why our bosses suck, or our boyfriends just don’t understand. They don’t understand how amazing it is when something goes our way, or how amazing we feel when we have a GOOD day. But you would. You’d understand.

So while it is not your fault that we have become someone new, I’m begging you to stick around. Don’t let go of our friendship because we are different, things are different. Stick around and show our babies why we love you. Form that relationship with them that we always hoped for (because there is absolutely nothing better to us than seeing our babies love you). Be there for us, even if we aren’t in the position to always be there for you. Trust me, the roles will be reversed at some point, and we will be there for you. If/when you’re in this same position, we will get it and we will be there with all the tips and help we can provide. Because we love you.

Call us. Write us a letter (bonus points for snail mail, because duh). Tell us that you are here for us. Bring over a bottle of wine and just hang out with us. Listen to the stories about the poop and the spit-up and the tantrums. Because one day we will do the same thing for you, because we love you.