I know when I get started on something my friends and readers never get to hear the end of it. I can’t help myself. Whether it’s the cereal party I had in high school or the “2nd wedding” I had for our 10th anniversary, I love event planning. Last year I wrote a post called the unparty where I explained that I will only throw big parties for my kids about every other year. I think the reason I set these limits for us is because I know I can’t hold myself back, I have to go all out. I love to party. Not Charlie Sheen party, but you know, sprinkles and balloons birthday kind of party.

SJ’s first birthday went above and beyond my expectations. It was incredible! I will post more details for top 10 Tuesday, but let me just say I personally was blown away. I was worried about her being overwhelmed and clingy, but she loved every minute of it and was the happiest I have ever seen her! Her brother Z did great too here he is helping blow out the candle.

She has never had cookies, chocolate, cake or anything like that so the cake eating was the highlight of the party as everyone anticipated how she would react to her first taste of sweets. She loved the chocolate. Would you expect anything else from my offspring!?

Contrary to what I expected she was very interested in her presents and was attentive the whole time.

I know a lot of people probably think it was stressful. It wasn’t at all and I know it looks like it cost a small fortune, but it didn’t. It was all done very economically and many people that love SJ very much pulled together to make it happen. I know she won’t remember this party, but I will. I will cherish it forever.

Tomorrow is my baby’s first birthday and I am the one that got the big package in the mail. It’s 180 diapers, which for a cloth diapering mom should last a REALLY LONG TIME. This was the first time I have spent any money on diapers for her. I received about 7 packages of disposables when she was born. At first I only used about one or two disposable diapers a week, now that she is a more heavy wetter and eating solids we are at about a diaper a day (some days I use a few if we are out all day, other days I don’t use any). The best part is that I got this whole box of diapers for $9.00. I heard about a really great deal on amazon from passionate penny pincher and I used a $10.00 coupon along with swag bucks to make it a steal!

“I use Luvs disposable. By the time you spend time and $ on water and soap, I think the cost comes out about the same. I’d rather be spending all my moments I can with my children – not leaning over a toilet swishing poopies…”

This post will be linked to other money saving ideas at LIFE AS MOM.

This blog has seemed to turn into a tracking sytem for my 2011 new years goals. I have been writing about all the successes I have had with cleaning the house, date nights, family time, reading, etc. The problem is, as much as I want to keep momentum going with the good stuff, I also want to keep it real with ALL the other stuff that is far too often more typical. For example,

Sunday- We went to the park for an evening of fun with friends. Z fell down the slide and bit his tongue. He was okay, but it was bloody, and our clothing had to pay the price.

The head pastor is away this week and so J is in charge at church! This means a very busy schedule for him and a week at home alone with the kids for me. I have had my fair share of play time lately so I think I can handle it.

Two weeks ago I was able to attend part of the CFNI worship conference and see some of my favorite worship artists Brian and Jenn Johnson. I’ve got the new album and I am LOVE. ING. IT.

Then last night we went out to use the groupon we got for Christmas and had one of the best dates ever. It was technically just dinner and a movie, but the dinner was at Simply Fondue in Dallas (it’s reservation only, so pretty fancy schmancy).

We started with salads, followed by some exotic Mediterranean cheese fondue, then we got to pick 6 different meats along with many other scrumptious sides for the main course. Of course by then we are totally stuffed, but somehow managed to finish it all of with an assortment of desserts to dip in a chocolate Bailey’s sauce. It was incredible!

Afterward we saw The King’s Speech.

We both gave it two thumbs up which is a marriage miracle for us. We tend to differ in movie reviews, me being the pickier of the the two of us, but I loved this film. It’s rated R for language (just a heads up), but I love the actors, the era, I love that it’s a true story. I could go on and on. Hopefully it will come out strong this weekend at the Academy Awards.

All that to say, I may have an intense week ahead of me, but I feel blessed, refreshed, and ready to take on whatever comes next.

As I mentioned at the beginning of the year I have wanted to start working on preschool lessons with Z . All of his other little friends are in day care, mother’s day out, or pre k so I was a little concerned that he would fall behind by just staying at home with me. I have had several people assure me that he has plenty of time before he starts school and that I don’t need to worry. So, I am not pressuring him in anyway. He is about to be 3 and a half and has at least 12 years of structured schooling ahead of him so now is a good time for him to explore and have fun in a laid back atmosphere.

I am glad to have started the lessons at home with him though. It gives us a chance to have mommy son time, which I know makes him feel special. After our lesson he gets to put a sticker on the calendar for that day. We usually do this a couple times a week.

At the beginning of the year he could say his ABC’s and count, but he could not consistently name any of the letters, colors, or numbers with any accuracy. In just 2 months of working together on this he now knows how to spell his first and middle name. He can even write it (although it’s not always legible). He knows several letters of the alphabet and sometimes remembers what sounds they make. He can also recognize most shapes and about 8 colors.

That’s where we are at right now. I look forward to looking back at this next year and seeing how far he has come.

When SJ was about 3 months old she started sucking her thumb. I panicked, I blogged about it, and finally embraced it. Then after all that she quit at about 6 months. She loves the pacifier now, but she will ONLY take the Soothie brand. I have heard that it is the kind that they give you at the hospital (although, I wouldn’t know first hand). I had about 4 or 5 them which soon dwindled to two and then one. I had committed in my mind to never have to spend any money on a pacifier. When they are gone they’re gone, I told myself. Easier said then done. We would be up in the middle of the night looking for the paci. I would overturn furniture in desperate attempt to find the paci during the day. I literally have had multiple dreams about these coveted soothie pacifiers. I had a dream this week that I was on a beach and SJ’s soothie pacifiers were washing up onto the shore. Another time I dreamt that there were a bunch of them in the back of a drawer. Soon enough and with the overwhelming support of my husband I did go out and buy some more soothies… in every color.

Z was a paci addict too, but he took any paci we gave him. He took other kids pacis from them. He would suck on a paci while crawling around with a backup in his hand. I was worried sick that we would never be able to break this child, but when the time came (he was 16 months old) I packed them up with some of the other things I was bringing to the attic and that was that. It was so much easier than I ever expected.

However, I know this is not always the case. I heard this comedian, Dorie Mclemore tell a story about her daughters addiction and her attempt at an intervention. They called it a binky and in the middle of the night they took the binky while she was asleep. When the girl woke up she started looking for it and wanted it back. So Dorie explained “while you were asleep the binky fairy came and took all your binkies away, but look she left something under your pillow for you!” The little girl looked under her pillow to find 4 shiny quarters. She immediately cheered up and with with hope filled eyes cried out “we can buy another binky!”

I love that story. I don’t know what recovery looks like for my little paci addict, but what I do know is I am not going to worry about it right now.

Do you have any paci/binky/soothie testimonies?