A Vegas Style Prom

 This year, my daughter's prom was the day after my birthday,  so I had to prep for both events. However,  since this graduation dance would be my daughter's last, it took top priority.  I wanted to make it a prom she would never forget,  so we hit the ground running. 

First was searching for the perfect dress. We found the dress, but at over $400 , we decided to go another route and had her dress custom made. It was a beautiful dress and she looked like a movie star.

To get her prepped for prom, she had her aunt color her hair to a light golden brown. I took her to get a facial and she got her nails done by my nail lady, who absolutely ate on the design.  I got her the perfect pair of sparkly gold heels to go with her gold dress and gold nails. Finally, I bought her some lashes and a ponytail extension to complete her look. 

After she did her hair and makeup and got dressed, she looked like a walking super star. She had the most amazing time at her prom, and it was definitely an experience and a night she will never forget,  the perfect memorable moment.

Year 44 in 2024

 Welcome to year 44 of my life. Turning 44 in 2024 felt special in a way, so I had to do something big to celebrate my birthday.   

My something big included a few self care appointments and a nice dinner out with the family. 

Nails were on point, facial had my face as smooth as a baby's bum and my pedicure had my feet softer than butter. Plus I'd been back on my zoom with my diet and workouts, so I looked and felt amazing.  

And with all that, I just had to be extra and get a new dress and new shoes for the occasion.  It was an incredibly special birthday and I felt like a million bucks. 

I was looking for a restaurant that would give me that upscale vibe I wanted for my birthday so I decided on Le Chandelier.  We had a pretty good time there last year when we hosted our Welcome Dinner there with my family.

However,  they changed their menu and there weren't many options for us to choose from. It was a disappointment to say the least. Even though the aesthetic and the vibes were there, it just wasn't the place for us. We ordered some drinks, some fries, took some pics and headed off to another destination. 

We finally ended up at El Mosaico, a restaurant I actually thought of booking for my birthday but couldn't remember the menu selections.  We had been there twice and both times, I remember liking my food. Plus it's in Barrio Escalante,  so the aesthetic and vibes were definitely there.

I really wanted steak and fries/frites for my special birthday dinner and El Mosaico delivered in a BIG way. I got my dream birthday dinner and the parmesan truffle fries on the menu are to die for. 

It was truly an incredible 44th Birthday 🎂 

The Long Awaited Golden Birthday

 I have been waiting excitedly to celebrate a golden birthday for one of my kids and the first golden birthday finally arrived for my middle son, who turned 16 on the 16th of September.  

To make this birthday a little more special,  I wrapped 16 individual gifts for him to open on his special day. 

To complete the day. I took him to IL Padrino Italian restaurant so he could indulge in his favorite food, pasta.  And I baked him a sugar free chocolate cake. The cake was good but he wasn't into the chocolate aspect of it, I however,  ate a few many pieces. 

It was a super cool, special birthday fir my golden boy.

Cheers To 11 Years!!

 My baby boy recently celebrated his 11th birthday and per his extremely last minute request, we hosted a simple party at home.

In years past, I'd become accustomed to having his birthday parties at event spaces that did most of the work for me. They would host, decorate, provide the food and entertainment. 

I loved not having much to. And that was a stark contrast to how I used to host parties when my kids were super young.

I'd stay up late finishing up all my DIY crafts or decor,  prepping the food and planning the timeline. I enjoyed every stressful minute, after seeing the end result and my vision come to life. But as my youngest got older and the budget got bigger, I decided to leave the diy parties behind. 

Not to say I'd never done event space parties before. I've had parties at the Children's Museum, a gymnastics center, a soccer arena, the movie theater and a national park. 

For the semi- diy to practically no diy involved parties, all I had to do was show up, with maybe a few personal touches. I love those parties. The originality of diy is lacking but I love the stress-free prep. 

I thought this year,  my youngest would continue with another event space party, maybe Chuck E Cheese, since we hadn't done that yet. But he surprised me by not wanting a party... until 2 days before his birthday. 

Scrambling last minute, I put together a simple little celebration at home, and with the help of his siblings,  the party was a success. But boy was I stressed at one point because true to my nature,  a simple affair is never simple.

I made three different main dishes plus a few sides and I had to have snacks for my guests to graze on. This party took me back to my diy party days, stress included and now I know why I stopped doing them. 

No matter how small, no matter how simple, at home diy parties bring a certain level of stress. It was a nice bit of nostalgia but I'll stick to a birthday trip, a birthday dinner or an all inclusive party from here on out.