DIY Mama! No-Sew, Homemade Halloween Costumes Featuring: The ToothFairy!

The Tooth Fairy!

I'm pleased to be able to brag about the fact that I have some really talented friends. For the past several days I've been reading posts and seeing pictures of some super cute homemade Halloween costumes by these creative mama friends of mine so I thought, "Why not feature them on my mom's blog?"

So that is exactly what we are doing!

I'm so happy to feature my very talented friend, Karina and her beautiful preschooler, The Tooth Fairy!  Let me just start by saying that the talent pouring out of the women in this family amazes me including our budding artist, lil Miss Tooth Fairy. So it was no shock to me to hear that Mama Tooth Fairy has been busy making her daughter's Halloween costume. I couldn't wait to see it.

Here's Karina's story about how The Tooth Fairy came to be:

"It all started when I asked her last month what she wanted to be for Halloween even though she already had three costumes to choose from.  I bought two princess costumes on sale at Target last year and one of her costumes from last Halloween, a pirate, still fit her.  We go to several different Halloween events throughout the season so she will get to wear all of them at some point.  However, I wanted to make one for her too, so when she said,"The Tooth Fairy," I was sooo happy because I was hoping she would pick a Fairy! I've been dying to make another costume for her like the angel I made for her two years ago. Then when she chose to be a purple and pink Tooth Fairy, I was in heaven!  Right away I knew I wanted to do one of those handmade tulle dresses you find on Etsy that cost an arm and a leg. It can be time consuming, but it's actually quite easy to make. Oh and by the way, I don't own a sewing machine. I just use a hot glue gun - lots and lots of hot glue. You can call me, "Mrs. Hot Glue!"

 This is what you'll need to transform your child into The Tooth Fairy:

• Tulle. For a four year old you'll need about 4 rolls total. I buy my rolls at Michaels for $2.99 per roll plus you can print up a 40% off coupon online. Bonus! I bought 2 rolls but still needed to order 2 more. The store was very helpful and one week later I had the remaing rolls. I have a closet filled with materials so I already had some tulle in other shades of pink and purple which I used as accents.
• Ribbon. I bought 5 yards of 3/4 inch ribbon in purple and lilac and 5 yards in 1/4 inch ribbon in light pink. I used ribbon I already had in other colors as accents.
• "Crochet" headband (Dollar Store. See first pic below.)
• Flowers....lots and lots of flowers
• Plain headband
• 2 squares of white felt fabric (Michaels - $.25 ea)
• A wooden dowel for the wand
• Glitter (Michaels - $1)
• Elmers glue
• Hot glue sticks. Lots and lots of hot glue sticks...and of course my trusty hot glue gun! Did I mention I don't sew? 
• Fairy wings (Dollar Store - purchased last year)
• Plain tote bag for the candy! (Michaels - $3)
• Long-Sleeved leotard
• Tights

Getting Started:

The Dress:

There are several helpful videos on YouTube that will give you step-by-step directions on how to make a no-sew tutu, I basically followed the same principle. (See an example of a "no-sew" tutu dress video below.)

First I measured how long I wanted the dress to be and then doubled that measurement to pre-cut all of the tulle I would need. Once the tulle was done, I set it aside and cut a piece of felt fabric to put under the crochet headband where the flowers will be glued on. I wanted to create a smooth surface to hot glue everything as well as have a barrier for my hands so I don't get a million hot glue burns all over my fingers! (Great Tip Karina!) 

Close up of the felt fabric glued to the crochet headband on The Tooth Fairy Dress.

Then I added strips of different colored ribbon to the front and back of the dress. I measured the ribbon the same way I measured the tulle and I tied them to the crochet headband. I tied two long, thicker pieces of ribbon to the front in a "V" shape and secured them with hot glue between the felt and crochet headband. This will be used as a tie around The Tooth Fairy's neck to keep the dress in place.

The top of The Tooth Fairy Dress.

I really liked the idea of having a lot of flowers on the front of the dress so I hot glued 5 big flowers on the top instead of just one. 

Close up of the flowers on The Tooth Fairy Dress.

And after I worked my hot glue magic, the dress was finished!

The completed Tooth Fairy Dress! Ta-Da!

That's it for the dress! 

Making The Tooth Fairy's Accessories: 

The Wand: 
Use a template to trace the tooth. (I downloaded an image from google that I was going to print up but my printer ran out of ink so I had to trace it from my computer screen, lol!) Cut four teeth out of the two pieces of white felt. You are going to need two for the wand, one for the tote and one for the wings. 

Take your Elmer's glue and spread a thin layer of glue covering one side of each tooth and then sprinkle them generously with glitter.  Set them aside to dry completely before moving on to the next step.

Take two of the teeth, stack them together and secure them with pins. Glue the edges together leaving an opening between the roots (that's where your wooden dowel will go.) I wanted to stuff my tooth, so I used the remaining felt and cut it into tiny pieces to stuff the tooth. 

Take a piece of ribbon and wrap it around the dowel in a spiral all the way down to the bottom using little dots of hot glue to secure the ends. Then place the dowel inside the opening of the tooth and close it with hot glue.  

Use the left over ribbon to tie on or glue more flair to your wand. See Picture below.

The Tooth Fairy's Magic Wand. "I wish for more candy, please!"

The Tote: 

Take another tooth that you already cut and glittered to use for the candy bag.  I added some glitter tulle that I already had and glued it around the (bottom) perimeter of the tooth. 

Once that is dry, hot glue the glitter tooth to the tote. I added some bows I made from the ribbon as accents and hot glued them to the tooth.

Close up of The Tooth Fairy's Candy Bag Tote.

The Tooth Fairy's Tote Bag. "Trick-Or-Treat!"

The Wings: 

I already had a pair of glittery wings that I bought last year at the Dollar Store but you can find them at any Halloween store, craft store, discount store, Target, etc. 

Take the final tooth that you cut and glittered and hot glue it to the middle of your wings. I added a little flower accent to the top corner of the tooth with hot glue to make it girly. 

The Tooth Fairy's Wings.

The Headband: 

I already had a plain headband in my craft closet, so I covered it with more of the ribbon (see The Wand above for directions) and I hot glued the rest of the flowers in different shades of purple and pink to the top of the headband.  

   

I also added some bows I made from the left over tulle and ribbon and hot glued them on as accents. 

 
To finish off the costume I wanted to add a leotard and tights. I bought a long-sleeved, pink leotard at Walmart for $6.00 that she'll also get to use for her ballet class so it was a good investment. I found some purple tights on sale at Target a while ago that will be perfect for her costume as well. Try to use things you already have on hand or items that you can reuse for something else to save money.

Here is a picture of everything you will need to transform your sweet girl into, 
The Tooth Fairy!

The complete Tooth Fairy costume. 

I wanted to do some sort of face painting to finish off The Tooth Fairy costume, so I found this video on YouTube (see below) and it was easy enough for me to do. I even found a recipe for a homemade face paint (toxic free), 

but she WON'T let me do it!  :(

...However, there's still time to convince her before Halloween!

Without further adieu, I now present to you

The Tooth Fairy!

*Beautiful photos taken by Karina, (aka Mrs. Hot Glue aka Mama Tooth Fairy!)


As promised, here are the links to the YouTube videos Karina watched to get more information for making a tutu dress out of tulle as well as painting a fairy mask (if your child will let you do it! LOL!)  Both are really informative videos. However, for some reason I'm having a bit of trouble attaching them so I will provide a link to them as well. (If they look blank, try mousing over them for them to pop up.) Please let me know if they do not work via comment and I will try them again. Thank you.

*Originally posted 10/23/12 All Rights Reserved - CocoCana MyTalesFromTheCrib

EDIT: The original poster for the face painting video has removed their video off YouTube. I'm sorry for the inconvenience. 

Here is the link to the tutu dress video.

I'd love to hear from you! Was this helpful?  What do your kids want to be for Halloween? Please share below in the comments section.

Want more No-Sew, DIY Halloween Costumes?  
Click here to see Rainbow Brite!

Have a fun, safe & Happy Halloween!

*heart*
Coco Cana

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DIY Mama! No-Sew, Homemade Halloween Costumes Featuring: Rainbow Brite!

Remember Rainbow Brite from the 80's?  Me too!  She was Rad!  I loved how colorful and happy she was. She just brings a smile to your face every time you see her. Well, so does our next lil sweetheart, Miss Rainbow Brite made by DIY Mama, Allison.  She made her daughter's Rainbow Brite costume in a snap!

This was little sister's costume. Their Aunt made Sprite from a pattern she found online.

Total time: 30 mins
Total cost : under $20

Here are Allison's DIY costume instructions for Rainbow Brite:

Royal blue shirt (found at the thrift store.)

Two pairs of rainbow leg warmers one pair for her legs and a pair for her arms (bought online)

Tutu (I was going to use any color I found, but I was lucky enough to find this royal blue one at the thrift store for $2!)

Brite red shoes-(see what I did there?) - (Rainbow Brite can be seen wearing red or yellow shoes so take your pick. I didn't have any, so I found an old pair of sandals in our garage and painted them with some acrylic paint we had on hand. I think they turned out great!)

Red felt for the belt and suspenders (found this at JoAnn's Fabric Store but you can find it at any craft store.)

Wooden rainbow for her belt (found this at Michael's craft store already painted.)

Wooden star for her hair clip (found this at Michael's craft store. This came unpainted.)

Hair clips with yellow hair pieces and yellow ribbon attached  (found at the 99 cent store.)

Rainbow sticker for the cheek  (found at Party City, or you can paint one on if you're feeling artsy!)

Leggings or tights (Use whatever color you have at home since they will be mostly covered up with the rainbow leg warmers.)

*Allison Castellanos, mommy-of-two and owner of Allison Tutoring said, she was on a time crunch so she did not measure anything, she just made some fabric cuts however she thought it would look cute. She used the hot glue gun to add the rainbow to the belt, and the wooden painted start to a hair clip. She also hot glued the belt and suspenders to the t-shirt. 

Super simple and super cute!

Have you made your own Halloween costumes? What have you made? What are your kids going to be this year?  Let us know in the comments section below! 

Want more No-Sew, DIY Halloween Costumes?  

Click here to see The Tooth Fairy!

Have a fun, safe & Happy Halloween!

*heart*
Coco Cana

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Did I Mention I Wrote A Children's Book? My Baby Brother by ColleenDuncan Canavan is here!

I entered a contest to get a children's book published as an e-book with NY publisher MeeGenius (now acquired by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt!) and although I didn't win the most votes in the online contest they still wanted to publish my book. It was inspired by a conversation my little daughter and her baby brother had on the living room rug. They were playing quietly together and they did not know I had snuck in to watch them. My son, who was just a baby at the time was playing with the toy his big sissy had given him and he gave it a love making her laugh. My daughter leaned over and gave him the biggest hug then placed his tiny face into her hands, kissed his cheek and said to him, "Thank you for coming to me, Baby Brother!" and with that I started to write this story so I could remember that moment forever! After I wiped away my tears of joy, of course, because it was a moment of love in the purest form share by two tiny people.

My Baby Brother is available on ipad, iphone (download in the App store), android App on Google Play, Windows, computer, etc. It's currently featured on the "Home/Featured" page or it can be found under the categories of Family and Meegenius Originals and sells for only $2.99 if you buy it alone or you can join their book club which gives you access to over 700+ titles for just $5.00 a month with a 30 day free trial!  

My Baby Brother is perfect for families who have a big sister/baby brother relationship, but all siblings will connect with the love for one another that is shared in this sweet, heartwarming story about a big sister wanting to teach her baby brother everything she knows. Big sister talks about how she's loved him since before he was born and how she used to talk to him and hug him while he was growing in mommy's belly.

"I will love you forever. I am your big sister and you are my baby brother." 

I wrote this story because my own daughter was having a hard time adjusting to having a new sibling and I wanted to show her just how wonderful it can be - once we get past the crying infant stage. She gets to teach him all sorts of wonderful things once he grows up! I've had moms tell me it made them cry. (Best compliment ever!)

Are you new to MeeGenius and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt?  Check it out because this site is really cool. They have tons of books on there and it's set up to where you and your child can flip through the book yourself (by 'turning' the pages and reading it yourself) or there is a feature where it reads the book to your child, highlighting the word while it's being read so your child can start to get familiar with reading. My children love how it turns the page for them so they can read it all by themselves! Each book has a fun, silly, or heartwarming voice for each story. (I am not the narrator of my story.) When you sign up they even give you some free books to get your library started. My book is only $2.99 and it stays in your library forever! Please check it out! 

I hope you like it and I want to thank you so much for your support!

To read a preview of my book, My Baby Brother by Colleen Duncan Canavan and/or to order it for your iPad, click here!

To get more information about My Baby Brother by Colleen Duncan Canavan click here. 

If you like it then please do this small time children's book author a huge favor and PLEASE click the "Suggest It" button on MeeGenius! next to my book!  Thank you!!

During the Author's Challenge Contest, I was featured in the Long Beach Post!

Exciting News! Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Acquires MeeGenius!

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Back To School: 5 Healthy Ideas For Lunches And After School Snacks

For some reason the hours between lunch and dinner make my kids crazy with hunger! I call it the late day feast. I'm always looking for ways to get my kids to eat more veggies and healthier foods, so the late day feast is the perfect time to sneak these things in because frankly, they will eat anything!  Especially if you just casually set it out on the table for them to run by and grab a quick bite of something. In our house we call these "hummingbird bites," because they are too busy to sit for a meal but we need them to eat so they just fly by and grab a bite and get back to playing. The meal gets eaten eventually and they get to keep playing. If it's something messy we will usually hold it while they take a bite or they will use a fork. This only works if you are not in a rush to get out the door and you have more freedom with time.

We are fortunate to live near large grocery stores like Mother's Market, Trader Joe's and Sprouts that offer great deals and sales on organic produce. I try to buy most of my fresh produce from the organic section, so whatever is on sale or special is usually what I'll buy.

Here are some different ideas for lunches or after school snacks. This is a list of stuff my kids will actually eat. They are 7 and 4 & 1/2. My little guy hasn't always loved eating a wide variety of fruits and veggies and for a few years was stuck in a rut of only carrots, corn, apples, blueberries and red grapes. However, I kept offering different things to him and would also set out veggie platters with a wide array of colorful options that would get eaten quickly by sissy if you didn't act fast! My daughter has always eaten like a rabbit sneaking into a farm! I mean, as a 5 year old she was munching on Brussels sprouts and asparagus! 

After many colorful veggie platter presentations with an array of different dips like ranch, creamy cilantro dressing and hummus, he finally started trying new things. So don't give up if your child doesn't like something. Keep offering it! Someday they might just surprise you and try it! 

1. The Veggie Platter. 

You're probably rolling your eyes at this one, and trust me, before I saw it with my own eyes I would too. But think back to your child at an adult party or a holiday dinner. There is bound to be a veggie platter there with different dips and your child is bound to be drawn to something on there. So start with serving that! Our veggie platters vary from meal to meal with whatever I have on hand, but I suggest stocking it with stuff your kids like for the first few times you set it out then slowly add in a few new items for them to explore on their own. If they ask what it is, just casually tell them the name of it, reach over and eat one (make yummy noises) and walk away. If you make a big deal out of it, they won't eat it! Things to add to the veggie (and fruit) platter: carrots, cherry tomatoes (these ones are from our garden!), cucumber, celery (I slice it very small into "shoelaces" as seen in the picture, because it can be pretty strong), mini corn cobs, olives, sweet bell pepper slices, small romaine lettuce chutes with ranch dip, jicama slices, even some veggies that are lightly blanched like: broccoli, green beans and asparagus spears. If your kids are really having a hard time eating only veggies you can add in a bit of fruit like apples and grapes, but I recommend not adding in too much fruit because it's so much sweeter than the veggies and they might just eat the fruit and leave the veggies to die on the plate! To mix things up a bit in the veggie department, I'll even make a fresh pressed juice (adding more veggies than fruit to avoid too much sugar) and that seems to keep the troops pretty full til the next meal too.

2. Fresh Organic Fruit. I like to have some things on hand that are already ready to eat like pineapple spears, cut melon like watermelon, honeydew, etc., cuties (the little clementine oranges), fruit cups (in water if possible, to avoid too much extra sugar), apple slices or apple sauce, berries, bananas, etc.

  

3. Healthy carbs. Everyone needs carbohydrates to help with proper brain function but empty carbs aren't going to help anyone, so opt for healthier ones with whole grains like rice cakes and whole grain crackers. We also like unsalted pretzels, snap pea crisps, whole grain chips and salsa, etc. My kids love rice cakes and they now come in a variety of different flavors. We usually stick to brown rice, light salted with sea salt. We love this brand by Lundberg and can find them at Trader Joe's, Sprouts, Mother's Market, Von's/Pavilions, etc. They have so many products I'd love to try them all!  These organic, non-GMO rice cakes are by far my favorite!


4. Healthy Protein. Pair your healthy carbs, fruits & veggies with healthy proteins like hard boiled eggs, lean lunch meats, tuna salad, egg salad, chicken salad (easy chicken salad recipe found here), cottage cheese, low sugar yogurt, sliced cheese or cheese sticks, sea weed snacks, organic nut butters like, peanut (we love apples and peanut butter together!), almond butter or our new favorite, Honey Sunflower Butter from Wild Friends!  It's super yummy and the kids love it! They have other products too that I'll have to try. We found this at Costco. I'm eating it right now, in fact, on top of a rice cake!  Yum!

 

5. Kid Sized Sandwiches And Snacks. I have learned as a mom that my kids will try almost anything if it's cut cute and small. So in addition to these snacks I also like to do mini egg salad sandwiches, cucumber with cream cheese, peanut butter & jelly, tiny ham & cheese or turkey & cheese (both with pickles, of course!) or chicken salad sandwiches on whole grain bread (kinda like what you'd find at a fancy afternoon tea). We also keep on hand plenty of healthy trail mix made with unsalted nuts and unsalted pretzels, sesame sticks, dried fruit like cranberries or cherries, banana chips or plantain chips, popcorn, with yogurt chips for a little something sweet added in and I'll serve it in a small dixie cup to eat on the go! We also make mini banana or apple muffins with flax seed, chia or sliced almonds. Anything healthy to keep them full til the next meal!

What are your favorite healthy snacks?  Please let us know in the comments below!

My kids were making "sandwiches" with rice cakes, sea weed snacks and veggies. 

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*The products I'm featuring in this post are just some of my family's favorites. I was not asked to advertise for them. 

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Mom, Party Of One!

This is a pic from a pre-baby #3 night away, but it fits perfectly for this post! 

Tonight I'm having a rare moment that needs to happen more often. I'm having the night off while my husband is at home wearing our 8 month old baby in the Moby wrap trying to wrangle a 4.5 year old and a 7 year old to bed while I sit here writing, reading, munching on munchies and basically effing off.  Exhale.....

I deserve it! 

I work very, very, very hard.


I'm a stay at home mom of 3 small kids and my days and nights never ever, ever end. I'm not being overly dramatic either. My 8 month old is attached to my breast all hours of the day and night, waking about every 45 minutes to breastfeed during the night due to teething and growth spurts - so at this point in my motherhood career I'm permanently on call - at the mercy of a tiny human who can eat for days and loves to snuggle his mama. I know this too shall pass and someday I'll tell a new mom holding a newborn in a grocery store how I really miss nursing my babies -- but for now I'm just fricken exhausted. I'm always at the brink of these huge blow-out, break-down tears and I'm always trying to work out how I can get my next fix;

A.K.A. a nap.

I'm suffering from postpartum depression (PPD) and even though I have several recent posts sitting in my drafts folder that talks about it, I haven't been able to finish any of them to post them on my blog. I think because maybe it's too heavy...?  I'm living it so it doesn't feel like something "fun" to write about. It feels too raw, even though I know I need to write about it so I can get the ball rolling on my healing.  But I do mean to post these blogs because I need to do this for myself and because I think it might help someone somewhere to know they are not alone in their dealing with PPD. I'm determined to bring some normalcy to it to help release the stigma. I didn't ask for PPD. I'm not feeling this way because I needed another project on top of having small children, trying to keep house, cook healthy meals for my family, breastfeed a baby and homeschool for the second year and oh yea, try to get my body back after having 3 kids too. Let's not even get to my freelance writing or my blog writing or children's book writing because right now those are pretty non-existant. So if you are reading this and can relate to any of these words regarding the PPD then please let me know in the comments below. You're not alone, My Friend!  In fact, you can join me in bailing water out of the sometimes sinking ship. I'd love the conversation! Let's start a PPD hashtag on Twitter to get more support.

#PPDsupport  (Click for more articles on my blog relating to PPD)

So, I have my pretty good, so so days and my horrible days and not many in between. In fact most have been the latter. I have a lot of horrible days lately. Then the kids go to bed way past their bedtime and I sit in my rocker feeling guilty from my horrible mood during the day or how much I yelled at the kids or how tired I was and how many times I dozed off in my rocker while nursing Baby Brother while the kids were playing Lego's, Magna-Tiles or Calico Critters or watching Wild Krats or something. Usually TV though. So I sit there nursing a tiny Baby Man who has also fallen asleep (but might wake if you move him) and my husband and I contemplate having a bowl of ice cream and what we should watch on Hulu and all seems to be OK for a bit because I start to recognize myself again and I recognize my husband again and laughter comes out of our mouths reminding me of the two young lovers who sat at the dinner table for hours drinking wine and talking about everything under the sun as opposed to the frustrated words of two over-tired, overworked, exasperated parents who can't get one word in to each other all evening, that isn't about the kids or work or regarding the mess and the stress. Our stressful mess. Then, regretfully, I stay up way too late because I'm trying to have some time alone in the quiet and peaceful stillness of my soul...

Exhale...

I'm not a morning person. At. All. I never have been - since birth, probably. I am always too tired. Too depleted and never feel rested. For as long as I can remember I have tried to see just how many more minutes of sleep I can eek out in the morning before I have to get my fat, tired ass into the bathroom to pee then off to fight with wake up two grumpy kids who are way too much like their mother...

This week I have been trying to change some things to heal my PPD naturally:

• I have decided to get back on my supplements and vitamin routine so my energy doesn't "bottom out" like it does without them.
• I have been trying to juice everyday and incorporate more fresh, raw, organic veggies into my diet overall.
• I have been trying to avoid the "quick-fix" yet damaging snacks (bowls of cereal, mostly) because I don't think the processed wheat is doing me any favors. In fact, it's just time to admit already that we're simply not friends anymore. It makes me too angry. 
• I have been trying to think more positively and eliminate any extra drama. 
• I'm trying to get out in nature daily or do something fun (like take the kids swimming at the water park) as many days of the week as possible.
• I have been trying to not yell as much in the mornings to get the kids ready and out of the house. This one is hard!  My family is really bad at getting going and I need to be better about my prep the night before to ensure smoother morning transactions. Dilly Dallier/Time Waster/Procrastinator Extraordinaire 

(I need to change that!)

I have been trying to go see a therapist and I intend to make an appointment with a new Naturopathic Doctor my friend told me about, but both of those things take a lot of time and a lot of money. Mostly because they are not covered under insurance at all. Much like most natural healing things, or more natural healthcare. They also add a bunch of added stress because I need to deal with child care and schedule time for that and then there's the whole, trying-to-get-everyone-out-of-the-house-on-a-certain-time-frame, fiasco.

I'm having a hard time at this whole motherhood thing right now. You'd think that after 7 plus years I'd be better at it, but not so much these days. I feel like most days need a do-over.

So for now I'm trying to do as many things as I can naturally or for free. Taking a walk in nature is free and provides more stress relief than medication or therapy combined. I just need to find a way to get the energy to actually do it, then figure out how I can make it last.

Until next time...

Thanks for reading and thanks for being a friend of MyTalesFromTheCrib!  Come say "Hi" on Twitter!  However, I'm no longer on Facebook and here's why: 

Why I Deleted Facebook The Day My Child Started Kindergarten

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Happy 39th Birthday To Me!

It's the last year of my 30's. Wow, that kind of seems crazy because I feel like I was just in my 20's a few years ago. On my 30th birthday my brand new husband and I were getting on a plane to move to the Island of Kauai. It was a very exciting time. We had just gotten married and the world was at our feet. That seems like yesterday yet we're already talking about what we should do for our 10 year Anniversary next year. I will be turning 40 next year as well, so we definitely need to do something fun. Maybe take a weekend cruise with the kids? Maybe renew our vows?  Maybe head back to where we spent our honeymoon or where we spent our first wedding anniversary? Not sure. But we'll have to do something awesome for sure.

But today I'm 39 and at this point in my life I'm just in survival mode. I have an 8 month old breastfed baby who demands the bar to stay open all hours of the night and day. I have a 4 & 1/2 year old who is riding the delicate balance between wanting to be a big kid and still wanting to be mama's baby, and I have a 7 year old who is keeping me on my toes every hour of the day while I try to figure  this parenting thing out. Most days with this bunch I feel like a complete and utter failure. I never feel as though I make the right decisions or the right in-the-moment-choices, and I feel like I'm behind the 8 ball most of the time. That is probably a huge factor in my PPD (Postpartum Depression) right now for sure. It has taken a tight hold around my neck hard this time. But who am I kidding, no one really wants to hear about that. It's a total buzz kill even if it is my truth and my reality.

So today is my birthday and I feel tired, worn out and struggling with what to do and how to keep the daily schedule. When you're a mom of 3 kids every day is the same regardless if it's your birthday, a day running errands or if you're on a family cruise in the Mediterranean Ocean. It's all just survival mode, am I right ladies? If you are shaking your head no, then do me a favor and PLEASE fill us all in with your secrets in the comments section. I'm dying to know!

On this joyous day of 8's (August 8th), my little family and I are heading to the bay to swim the day away. When I was in my 20's my ideal birthday would be a champagne brunch on the beach with all-I-could-drink mimosas and all-I-could-eat super rich brunch fare, but today my hubby went to our favorite breakfast burrito take out place (because the baby was nursing/napping) and brought home some yummy breakfast burritos and fresh squeezed orange juice and we sat at our picnic bench under our covered patio in the back yard with the kids being silly and the baby eating a mum mum in his high chair and Jack Johnson playing on the iTunes. The sun was shining, there was a nice breeze keeping us cool and everyone was laughing and smiling and toasting me for my birthday.

A lot has changed over the years and even after being a mom for the 3rd time, clocking over 7 years I still feel the daily struggle. However, I've got my awesome hubby at my side feeling like I can conquer anything and today I wouldn't have it any other way. Warts and all.

Happy 39th Birthday to me! May this year be filled with new adventures, renewed passions and dreams and more failures because that is where I get my good writing material.

Cheers to 39! And Cheers to all my fellow Leo's out there!  Grrrrr!

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This pic really has nothing to do with my 39th birthday other than I have this look on my face a lot most days and I love this movie. But other than that I wasn't in a wedding dress looking depressed because I totally married the right guy!
"If you're a bird then I'm a bird too."

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