Oh what to do in the wintertime?
I don’t mind winter. I actually love it.
But
The temperatures in these parts have been hovering in the single digits.
That goes beyond snow, or ice, or shoveling, or even coats. That enters the world of pure torture. With lots of small children, we have had to become a wee bit creative. My Halle Bug’s birthday snuck on us, like it does every year, because it is the first part of January. It seems like we are still recovering from all of the Holiday fun. Once when Kinley, my 16 year old, was 7 – she went to the lunch room at school to collect her lunch. As usual, she walked up to the lunch lady and told her her name.
The lady looked up from the screen and said, “OH! It’s your BIRTHDAY!”
and then, as Kinley told me later, she said, “IT IS?!”
I do have a pretty good excuse for this though. I really do. I had given birth to Ella just 10 days prior and I was really still recovering. Obviously.
Well, I feel like the last few months have been quite the same as recovering from birth, as I’ve given all energy to getting Sweet Solstice off the ground, helping to throw a gala for Women in Philanthropy, Christmas, balancing our other business ventures – and such. Luckily, I have raised daughters that love any reason to party, just like their mother. Ella started planning Halle’s party first, and then the rest of the girls joined in. I LOVED watching their creative little hands put together the party of their dreams. I thought it would be fun to share their creation with you.
When I was a new mom, everything at the kids parties had to be perfect – but as I get older – I realize that perfection, isn’t always perfection. Same goes for their outfits. I used to plan each outfit a week in advance, and set them all in those cloth closet hangers for each day of the week. Although I do still use the same system, I let the kids pick their outfits. I feel like they should enjoy getting dressed, and expressing their personalities. Sometimes I cringe, but most times I am blown away by their choices and even try to copy them!
Yes, my daughter is the one at church in pink cowgirl boots, and a puffy purple dress – or a Hawaiian dress in the middle of winter with snow boots. I’m sure some wonder if I can afford church shoes, but why not let them?
ANYWAY
Just look at the darling party my kids threw! I was so proud of them, and loved seeing how excited they were to put it on, because they were invested in the final product – not just mom. Funny how that works 🙂 The first time I realized what Ella’s plans were, was when I walked into her butterfly infested room and found this…
Hello! I am Camille, a wife, mother of four, Disney obsessed, certified teacher, and reality optimist. Motherhood comes with its ups and downs, and I hope while you’re here you’ll find something that makes your #momlife easier!
That turned out darling! Very impressed!