Let’s talk about SELF CARE. I know, I know… who has the time? So many of the moms I coach share with me their struggles around not only making time for self-care, but also feeling GUILTY when they do. Even if they decide to TRY, just when they’ve got a routine down, school gets out and they have to start all over again.Maybe you stay at home and now you have kids with you all day, or maybe you go to work and it’s childcare instead of school drop off each day. Your routine is thrown off, your kids are stir-crazy, you’ve got play-dates and vacations, and a whole new list of demands and expectations to manage. Summer can easily derail you. The thing is, Summer comes every year, so you’ve got to get ahead of this thing so you don’t spend the entire 3 months STRESSED and ANXIOUS. Here are 5 tips to help you make self-care a priority this Summer:1 – Get Up Early: I know, NOT what you wanted to hear. Seriously though, getting up a little earlier so you can start your day on the right foot will set the tone for the rest of the day! Wake up, sit DOWN to a HOT coffee (I know, that like NEVER happens, right??) Maybe read a magazine or do a devotional reading. Starting your day on YOUR terms will make you feel more centered and in control before the chaos of the day begins. It’s hard to cultivate this habit, but if you work at it, you’ll come to CRAVE those peaceful mornings to yourself. <3 2 – Create a Joy List: You probably have a to-do list, maybe even a Summer bucket list of fun things for the kids, but do you have a JOY list? Write down everything you can think of (minimum 20 items) that makes you feel happy, peaceful, joyful, content…whatever emotions you are CRAVING. It could be as simple as “reading a good book” or “bubble baths” or “dancing in the kitchen to good music.” Make the list, then commit to doing at least a few things on that list EVERY WEEK, maybe even every DAY! 3 – Know Your Outcome: Get really clear about the kind of mom you want to be. Write out exactly how you want your kids to FEEL about you. How you want them to perceive you. What you want them to learn from your ACTIONS (words are over-rated, actions have more impact.) You need to PHYSICALLY write this out, don’t just think about it. Imagine them when they’re older, what do you want them to say about their childhood and your involvement in it? Now that you’re really clear on what you WANT, think of some ways you can make that happen. What do you need to change in your life? How can you get rid of all the NOISE so you can show up as the kind of mom you really WANT to be? 4 – Plan, Plan, Plan: Put your self-care activities (those fun things from your Joy List) ON YOUR CALENDAR! Mark it in permanent ink like it’s a doctor’s appointment. Make sure the kids and hubby know that is MOMMY’S TIME. Make sure you label exactly what you’ll do in that time. Without clarity, you’ll end up wasting it. Without commitment, you won’t make it happen. COMMIT to taking care of YOU so your family doesn’t have to. Even if you don’t stick to the plan 100%, sticking to it 80% of the time will get you more peace than totally giving up. 5 – Get Outside: You need it, and the kids need it. Sunshine is good for the soul, so get everyone outside for some sunshine and activity. There are 5K events with 1Ks for the kids, water parks, splash pads, hikes, summer camps, and so much more. Save the movie and library for rainy days. When the sun is out, get out, too! Morning sunshine will help you all sleep better. A few minutes of sunshine each day will help boost Vitamin D levels which helps with mood. You and the kids will be more active outside so (God-willing) they may take good naps or at the VERY least go down a few minutes early at bedtime! That’s a great opportunity for you to sneak in one of those Joy List activities… BONUS TIP: Don’t forget your hubby! Make sure you communicate WHY you need this mommy time. Share with him how you’re feeling. Let him share with you how he’s feeling. Chances are, he’s exhausted, too! Let him know that you respect his desire for some quiet time alone as well. Make a COUPLES version of the Joy List and schedule some of those activities into your date nights! If making time for yourself is something you struggle with, you’re not alone. I am hosting a FREE 5 Day Self Care Challenge in the Happy Mom Project community next week! Would you like to participate? Click the link below to join! Join The FREE 5 Day Self Care Challenge Now!
Which tip did you find most helpful? What tips would you add? If you have questions, comments, or just need to talk, COMMENT BELOW. Healthy Moms are Happy Moms, |
Category Archives: Lifestyle
Levi’s First Birthday
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My son turned 1 on March 31st. So on March 29th, I did like any rational mother would do and I threw a quaint family gathering… that quickly turned into a Pinterest-induced, monkey-themed, over-celebration (mostly) for the grown-ups… and SOME kids.
I chose the monkey theme because Levi’s ears stick out, he is obsessed with bananas, and he climbs all over me and the furniture. Simple enough.
| See… Clearly, a MONKEY! |
Once the theme was set, then the hard work began… hours and hours of pinning on Pinterest, without any real commitment to any one idea. You know how this goes, ladies. If it’s done on Pinterest, it just magically appears in your living room, right? No… no it doesn’t. But wouldn’t that be nice…
About 2 months out, I started really sifting through the many pins for the things I ACTUALLY wanted to do and/or wanted to delegate someone to do for me. I made a list of the different projects, and then further sifted through those until I had a manageable to-do/to-make list. I then started making crazy amounts of online purchases, since it’s much more convenient than shopping with a 10 month old. My husband probably got a new grey hair every time he came home and found another 3 Amazon boxes at the door. I even had a box from a wholesaler shipped to our dental office because shipping to a business was cheaper than a residence! He was just thrilled to open a huge box of plastic banana split boats and portion cups while at work… I can just see the “What the…?” look on his face.
I decided on a few themed foods:
| Monkey Cupcakes |
| Mod-Monkey Smash Cake |
| Pineapple palm tree fruit tray! |
| Jungle Dip (Spinach dip) and Fruit Dip |
| Banana Pudding Cups |
| Sangria for the BIG monkeys! |
There was also an AWESOME banana split bar that you can barely see in the background of the Sangria picture. I completely forgot to take pictures of it and I could KICK myself!
I ordered some decorations to match:
| Super cute birthday boy hat that Levi refused to wear. |
| I loved this banner with a picture from each of his first 11 months! |
| I used extra bananas for table decorations. |
We had games set up outside (washers, ladder toss, chalk, and bubbles for bigger kids) and I had a playroom set up for the babies inside (ball pit, bouncy balls, random baby toys, etc.) I forgot to get pictures of the activities. Each kiddo also got to leave with their own stuffed spider monkey (like the one pictured above) and a small bag of bananas (banana candies) to feed their new monkey! I also let them take home bubbles and any leftover cupcakes. I’m sure the mom’s hated me for their kids’ sugar highs that day!
We opened presents:
And then, of course, THIS happened:
| I can just eat this with my FACE, right? |
Overall, we all had a wonderful time and I was so happy with the way things turned out!
See links below for craft instructions and vendor links.
All paper art items (banners, food tents, bottle labels, birthday hat) were made by PartyOnPurpose.
“Go Bananas” spoons made by SucreShop.
Mod Monkey cake made by Debbie’s Delights.
“ONE” shirt made by lilthreadzclothing.
Directions for the Monkey cupcakes can be found here.
Directions for the pineapple palm tree fruit tray can be found here.
If you have any questions about where anything was purchased or how anything was made that is NOT listed above, be sure to comment and I will do the best I can to find the answer for you!
Levi Bryan’s Birth Story
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As of my last post I was in the throws of the third trimester and hovering around week 31. Little did I know that Levi was growing more and more impatient as he was physically growing…
On Good Friday, 2013, I took a quick trip to the most loathed destination I could imagine, Wal-Mart. I intended for this to be a quick trip in to grab an inexpensive, tunic-style dress for laboring at the birth center. I wanted to wear something comfy but also inexpensive so that if it was ruined in the process, there would be no remorse and I could easily toss it. I despise Wal-Mart, so I found the dress I was looking for quickly, grabbed a few other essentials (Robin Egg candies are essential, right?) and headed for the registers. As I was checking out, I felt an unusual gush where and when there should not have been one… I did not panic in front of the other customers and the sweet teenager at the cash register, but I did rush to the restroom as soon as I could. I assessed the situation and decided it was LIKELY that I had just peed myself. I had heard so many stories from friends about women peeing themselves in the last trimester. I had been doing my pelvic floor exercises regularly to help avoid having my own such stories, but sadly, in that bathroom, I thought I was looking at my failed efforts. I certainly did not want to panic by assuming it was the alternative and that my water had broken at 34 weeks… so I pushed that thought way, way, down… for a moment.
As I walked out of Wal-Mart thinking that I was just some other patron that peed herself in their store (and praying that no one could tell,) I made a quick call to my midwife to update her and the thought that my water had broken crept back into my mind. As soon as I heard her voice on the phone, I started crying. I guess I was less convinced that it was pee than I thought. I had never prayed that I had peed my pants before, but I found myself doing just that at that moment. After having a detailed discussion with my midwife about what happened, we decided it was likely just pee, and I should go home and relax and keep her posted on any other developments.
I spent the rest of the evening on the couch wondering if I was still peeing myself, constantly. The “pee” wouldn’t stop coming, in small gushes, and I was steadily stress eating my way through that 5 lb bag of Robin Eggs. My midwife became concerned and told me to go to the ER just to have it checked out and make sure it wasn’t in fact amniotic fluid leaking. I pushed the panic way way down, again. This was just a precaution, noooo worries! Happy, happy, positive thoughts! “Wooooosaaahhhh!”
It was around 9pm when we got to the ER. I tried to remain positive, even when the nurse in Labor and Delivery advised that we get checked in because I was leaking amniotic fluid and my water had ruptured prematurely. Our impatient little man was going to be making his debut 6 weeks early! I was obviously worried. I hadn’t mentally or emotionally prepared myself for complications. My pregnancy had been super easy, I was in great health, and there were no indications that the remainder of the pregnancy and the delivery would go anything but absolutely perfect.
This was not at all our “birth plan” for Levi. We had planned to deliver with our midwife group in a birth center, full term, with no meds, no interventions. I contacted my midwife and she prepared to pack up and head our way to act as a Doula. She wanted us to deliver in a hospital because a baby this early may need a NICU (panic, GULP.) We had to come up with a new plan, and quickly, because Levi was ready.
We decided to head to a different hospital to deliver, but not without heading home and packing a couple bags for the hospital. That was one of those checklist items we hadn’t quite gotten to yet because we weren’t expecting to need it for at least another month! I also needed a shower, if for no other reason than to just give myself a few minutes to process what was about to happen. By the time we got to our hospital of choice it was after 2am on Saturday morning. I knew that I should be exhausted but adrenaline had me amped. I had no idea how this was going to play out. Was I going to meet my son today? Was he healthy? Was he ready? Could we still deliver naturally?
We got checked in, I was put on an IV with antibiotics and fluids and we were told that the doctor would be in for rounds at 8am and we should sleep. We should sleep, still not knowing what was happening, when baby Levi was coming, and still full of adrenaline. Sleeping was a joke. Sleeping was a chore. I tried, but there was no sleeping. I could only try to mentally prepare myself for every scenario we might face in the hours ahead.
The entire next day was a blur or complete fatigue, confusion, and panic. We met our doctor, who, thankfully, happened to be one of the BEST in our area. He set my mind at ease as much as he could, and he was respectful of my desire to deliver naturally, with the coaching of my doula, using my Hypnobabies techniques. I was supposed to be spending this day driving to Louisiana to the second baby shower. I had my mom notify everyone who had already made the trip in for the shower the night before that Levi had other plans for our weekend and to please enjoy the food and party without us! I felt awful that my aunts had worked so hard to put together a beautiful shower that I wouldn’t get to attend! I learned later that it turned out to be a great party and family gathering, anyway.
All day, I was visited by nurses non-stop. I tried to nap but my efforts were futile as the door was always open. Either a nurse was coming to check vitals, introduce the new shift, or a family member was coming to check in on us. My poor husband didn’t know what to do so he mainly focused on taking care of the financials. I was advised by my doctor that we would let Levi come on his own in the next day or two, as long as we started laboring naturally at some point. I was on antibiotics so baby and I were safe from infection. They did let me stay in my tunic-style Walmart dress (mainly because I simply refused to wear the gown,) and later they did let me walk around the hospital so that I could hopefully get things moving naturally.
| Enjoying an evening waddle around the L&D floor at Christus-St.Elizabeth. |
Early Sunday morning, the contractions started. Levi was ready, and whether I liked it or not, I was going to have to be ready too! As we continued through the morning, new problems arose. First, during a check for dilation, the doctor found that Levi was presenting with his hand on his hand. I was informed that if delivered vaginally this way, he could have permanent nerve damage or a broken arm. I waited for my midwife and she had me try some different positions for laboring that would hopefully result in him getting into a better position. The doctor also tried pinching his little hand in hopes that he would pull it back, but Levi refused.
THEN, the next bit of bad news. Levi’s heart rate kept getting progressively lower as each contraction grew stronger. Again, the midwife and I made adjustments to my positioning to try to take some pressure off of baby Levi. No luck. It helped a little, but his heart-rate was still dropping and dropping fast.
After many efforts to deliver naturally, my doctor finally insisted that we rush into a cesarean. I had been fighting it, and he was very sympathetic, but he was very concerned with Levi’s heart-rate dropping so severely, especially since we were still in early labor.
I spoke with my midwife and she told me that she felt like we had done everything we could to try to do it the natural way, but some babies are just stubborn and maybe it was time to call “three strikes, you’re out” on this one. With her support, and a great deal of anxiety over Levi’s health, my husband and I gave the doctor the okay. I was on the operating table within minutes.
I had held it together very well through this whole ordeal, even as things got progressively worse throughout the weekend, but when we finally decided on the cesarean, I felt defeated and that’s when the tears and panic overcame me. I didn’t want to do it this way. I wasn’t prepared for this, but more than anything, I just wanted my baby to be okay. He was so early and so stubborn. I was afraid for his lung development, for his arm, for his heart-rate, and yes… I was afraid of surgery, too!
The cesarean went well. As soon as Levi was removed, he wailed with those healthy lungs and I felt relief. I asked my husband to follow him to the NICU. I was calmer then. I knew my baby was okay, I knew I was in good hands with this doctor, and my anesthesiologist talked to me about gardening the entire time which, surprisingly, kept me very calm. It probably helped that I was heavily dosed on pain medication at this time, too.
Levi was born at 12:12pm on Easter Sunday, March, 31st, 2013. He was 4lbs 6oz and 18 inches long. He spent 2 weeks in the NICU and came home with us on April 13th, 2013.
| Our very first family photo. |
He was and still is an impatient little tornado! For a long time I felt that I had been robbed of my perfect, serene, birth experience, but I finally realized that I was blessed with 6 extra weeks with the newest love of my life. My sweet angel just couldn’t wait to start his life on the outside, and I’m thankful every day for the joy he brings to my life!
Third Trimester – Brought to you by the letter H
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As of tomorrow I will be 31 weeks pregnant. We are in third trimester territory & the home stretch!
This trimester is brought to you by the letter H. H is for Hiccups, Hemorrhoids, Heartburn and Hot tempers!
| bigactivities.com |
You guessed it… we have SYMPTOMS! For the first time in my life, I have had hemorrhoids. I’ve done everything possible to avoid this nasty symptom, including eating a healthy, high fiber diet, taking psyllium daily, keep “regular”, not straining, etc. No luck. I guess when there is a baby laying on your business and squishing everything, your efforts can only go so far. It was really kind of a funny experience (albeit, uncomfortable.) Since I have never had hemorrhoids, I had no idea what was going on down there and it was really interesting trying to figure it out. I’ll just leave it at that and let y’all guess the funny pregnant positions I had to get into to get a better look… Ahem… moving on.
There were a couple days last trimester where I thought heartburn might be an issue, but, thankfully, it passed quickly. Well, heartburn has made a come-back this trimester! I recently started trying to lean forward more throughout the day to get Levi comfortable in the head-down position (he has been transverse most of the pregnancy.) I found that head-down, with head pressing on my bladder and feet in my ribs, is the best way to get all kinds of new symptoms!! Apparently, when he lays this way, he really squishes things. The day I first got him turned, I noticed that the heartburn was back with a vengeance! I’ve made adjustments to how I eat in evenings (smaller meals, earlier in the evening if I can) and have tried natural ways to curb the burn (chew cinnamon gum, avoid liquids later in the day), but I may be investing in a bottle of Mylanta soon. I can see this getting more severe as Levi gets chunkier in the weeks to come! *Sigh*
I have heard tales of insane pregnant women losing their marbles over the silliest things and going crazy on their husbands. My own mother has warned me and tried to prepare Tyler for what was to come. My mood has been very balanced most of the pregnancy. Other than being a bit more emotional and a lot quicker to cry, I haven’t had any momentous rage fests… until this trimester. Pregnancy rage & HOT TEMPERS are REAL. Beware of aggravated preggos!
I went to the grocery store a couple weeks ago, and I ended up having a major meltdown over PICKLES. I wanted to get dill pickles (pregnant, duh) but I wanted pickles without extra “crap” in them. Crap = High Fructose Corn Syrup, Yellow 5, etc. I was reading every jar of pickles on the shelf and getting progressively heated over the fact that they ALL had these extra, unhealthy, ingredients. I do not need my pickles to be sweetened or neon, so why the HFCS and yellow 5?? I could feel my body heating up, and I am thankful that a friendly associate did not approach me at that moment to ask if I needed any help. I’m quite certain I would have unloaded a pregnancy hormone induced BLIND RAGE on him or her, as if they were guilty of putting the extra “crap” in the pickles! I unloaded on Facebook instead, and after I calmed down, I got a good laugh out of the comments from friends calling me out on my pregnancy meltdown. This story has a happy ending. I found “natural” pickles. Vlasic Farmer’s Garden brand was twice the price, with half the ingredients (which, in itself, is complete CRAP) but I bought them and they are delicious. Hopefully, that jar will get me through the next 9 weeks so we don’t have this same meltdown again… 🙂 Later, a friend also told me that there are pickles in the refrigerated section without all the preservatives. Noted!
The CUTEST and most consistent pregnancy thrill right now is Levi’s daily (sometimes twice daily) hiccups. Just about every night before bed, he gets the hiccups, sometimes for 20 minutes at a time! It makes me giggle every time. I love it because it helps me find out where his lil head is and let’s me know he’s healthy and well in there.
He is moving constantly now. Tyler asked me the other day why I never tell him when Levi’s moving anymore, and I explained that he never STOPS moving! His movements are so obvious, and sometimes I think he tries a little too hard to get my attention. It is not uncommon to get a punch or kick in the bladder and ribs that makes me squirm or verbally respond. He’s getting big & strong! I’ve heard of babies that have kicked so hard in the womb that they’ve actually fractured their mom’s ribs. I joked with Tyler that if he were to do that, I could use that as guilt leverage for the rest of his life… muahaha! 😉 Mean mommy.
Aside from the symptoms listed above, I’m actually feeling better than ever this trimester. Tyler and I have been going to the gym for about an hour a night 4-5x a week, I’ve been working out to pregnancy videos, and I’ve been eating clean about 80% of the time. I’ve been blessed with an unusually easy pregnancy, but I definitely think taking good care of myself has helped a great deal!
Here are a few pictures from the 30th week!
| Levi at 30 weeks! He already looks like his handsome daddy! |
| Feeling strong after the gym at 30 weeks! My belly falls out of all of my workout tops now. This is the last one that covers it! |
| Two of Tyler’s best friends got married this weekend so I got to buy a new maternity dress and get dolled up! I highly recommend ASOS for maternity wear! The prices were great and I felt pretty (not always easy in the 3rd trimester!) |
| We had a wonderful time at our friends’ wedding this weekend. I love my handsome hubby and baby daddy! 🙂 |
Gender Reveal Party – IT’s A BOY!!
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Before we even found out we were pregnant, Tyler and I were thinking of ideas for our gender reveal party. This bonus party for the baby has recently become all the rage among expectant mothers. I had never heard of it until idea boards for “gender reveals” started blowing up on Pinterest. I LOVE parties so I loved the idea of having ANOTHER baby-themed party, however, in the back of my mind I was thinking… “Okay, is this completely narcissistic of us to throw yet ANOTHER party for our poor friends and family to drag themselves to?” I did not want people to think we were fishing for more gifts or that I in any way EXPECTED them to show up to EVERY baby event. I have been the “unmarried friend with-out kids” to some of my friends for many years and I know that while I love to be there to celebrate milestones and accomplishments with my friends, all the parties can be exhausting and the gifts for said parties can get expensive!
I finally decided to go ahead with the party, but I was sure to communicate to our friends and family that this was casual, we did not want gifts, and that they were not to feel guilty if they couldn’t make it! We simply wanted to celebrate finding out the gender of our first born child with some crazy antics and lots of family & friends!
Planning the Party
I am notorious for spoiling surprises or secrets. I got my Christmas gift from my husband on December 18th, because I couldn’t stand to wait, and the infamous story of Tyler’s wedding proposal to me is one of me basically SPOILING it by begging him incessantly to give me my birthday present a day early, which he did. Obviously, he is equally bad at waiting to GIVE me surprises. We make a great team. 🙂 That being said, he was adamant that I would not ruin THIS surprise for the gender reveal.
We went to our 20 week ultrasound on the Friday before Christmas. I was a little nervous because I knew the results of this ultrasound would tell us whether our baby was developing on pace and was healthy. I was afraid of negative results, but I remained positive because I knew the statistics for a healthy baby were on my side. Also, I had to remain positive for my own sanity. Thinking of every little thing that could go wrong will drive a woman mad.
We explained to the ultrasound tech that we were going to have a gender reveal party, so when it came to the portion of the exam where she would determine the sex of the baby, we needed to be looking the other direction and clueless about what she found. She loved the idea so she happily made us look the other way when it was time. She turned the monitor and watched us like hawks to make sure we weren’t looking. After she had determined the sex, she printed pictures of that “region” with the gender typed on them as proof, stuffed the pictures in an envelope, and handed them to us before we left. She did an excellent job. I especially liked when she griped at my husband that he wasn’t facing the wall and she thought he was cheating. 🙂 Atta-girl!
Aside from determining the gender, we enjoyed the appointment and getting to see our baby, very much! It took a lot of fighting but I managed to not cry. I do not like to cry in front of strangers, even when it would be socially acceptable. I thought I had felt the baby moving at week 18, but then I wasn’t sure if what I was feeling since then was the baby or not. It was really nice to SEE our baby moving around and punching on the screen while feeling those sensations so that I could know without a doubt, that was my baby beating up on mom from the inside. Our baby was VERY active during the ultrasound and gave the tech fits while she was trying to take her pictures. Someone told me to eat chocolate to make the baby active, so I happily complied. I don’t have to have much of a reason to eat chocolate. The only downside to the appointment was having to drink the massive amount of water beforehand, and then subsequently laying there with a full bladder for the duration. It helps them to more easily see the cervix for their measurements, so the sole purpose is not to torture pregnant women, though it will feel that way.
Off topic… back to the party.
I scheduled the party to take place at Cecil’s Cajun Kitchen in DeRidder, where most of my mom’s huge family lives. I thought it would be a reasonable 1.5 hour drive for Nederland friends and not too far for our family in other parts of Louisiana. I knew the drive would likely be too much for Houston friends and family, but I had to weigh the options and since it seems just about EVERY other life event we’ve celebrated has been in Houston, it was fair enough to switch it up this time. I chose to schedule the party for the first available Saturday after Christmas and New Years had past. It was going to KILL me to have to wait that long, but I knew we’d have more luck of getting everyone together after the holidays. Besides, Tyler had hidden the envelope, so I had no way of finding out ahead of time, and the holidays kept me very well distracted from trying to find it anyway.
Cecil’s had a party room that would fit way more than we needed and did not charge for it’s use as long as at least half the guests ate or drank. I didn’t anticipate that being a problem. We like to eat and the food there is good; it’s a winning combination.
I spent most of the “planning” time pinning ideas from Pinterest. The hardest part was finally sitting down and focusing on committing to the ideas I really wanted to use. Once I had a plan, I spent about 2 hours in Hobby Lobby shopping for party supplies and getting more ideas, then another hour in Walmart finding less expensive versions of some of the items I’d already bought at Hobby Lobby. I may have gone a little overboard with the party supplies from Hobby Lobby. After the party had passed, I ended up returning about $50 worth of unopened supplies. Which, I then turned around and spent on baby room decor… but I digress.
That evening, after I had explained to my husband why our living room was covered with Hobby Lobby shopping bags and attempted to rationalize my insane shopping spree, I made a list of all the projects I needed to complete, any items I still needed to complete those projects, and all the things I had asked my mom to take care of and/or bring for the party. I do better with lists. Once I had the list, I was a woman on a mission. I knocked out all the projects the next day. When everything was done and we were simply waiting for the day of the party, I then made a mock setup of what I wanted the center table to look like. Our kitchen table then stayed in that state the rest of the week.
Tyler and I debated for some time about how we wanted to do the big reveal. Did we want a cake or cupcakes or balloons or … ? There were so many options! The week before Christmas, we met our friends, who own Daviss Donuts in Nederland, for dinner and when we told them about the upcoming reveal party, they offered to make reveal donuts for us! It was different and I loved the idea of all of our party guests participating and biting into the donuts together at once to reveal either blue or pink filling! Besides, who doesn’t like DONUTS?? The next day, our friend made us a couple samples and they were DELICIOUS. I love food that is tasty AND functional!
The morning of the party, we stopped by Daviss Donuts to pick up our fresh reveal donuts and a couple kolaches for the road, and we headed out to DeRidder. We got to Cecil’s early to set up. It was raining all over Louisiana and southeast Texas that day so I thought everyone would cancel or show up late, but I was pleasantly surprised with the turn out! We had over 40 guests come to the party and most were early. I guess everyone was as excited as we were to find out what we are having!
As we welcomed each guest, I had them choose their “team” by choosing to wear either a blue or a pink lei. It was obvious the room was heavily weighted with team BOY because the blue leis disappeared quickly. I also asked each person to write their name on a slip of paper and put it in a blue or pink jar. After the reveal, I would draw a name from the correct jar and that guest would win a door prize (a bag of chocolate goodies – themed after my cravings – and a gift card to Subway.)
We encouraged everyone to eat lunch, have a couple beverages, and visit. After lunch, we passed out the donuts and I reminded the entire room about 100x that NO ONE COULD BITE YET!! Before it was time to take the big bite, I stood at the front of the room and thanked everyone for coming. I then had a little surprise for my husband! His 30th birthday was only a few days away, and while we had a room full of our closest friends and family, I wanted everyone to sing and acknowledge this milestone. I had secretly asked his mom to pick up his favorite cake from a local baker in Nederland and bring it with her that morning. As I asked the room to sing to him, my mom lit the candles and walked the cake in. He was very surprised and it warmed my heart. He blew out the candles, said thank you, and then immediately said “OKAY, lets find out what we’re having!” We had successfully built up the suspense and it was time for the big show…
I gave the instructions to bite on the count of 3, Tyler did the countdown, and…. IT’S A BOY!!
I thought Tyler was going to spike his donut and do a victory dance, he was so excited! Most of our guests had voted boy and were very excited, and those who were team pink immediately started telling us we’ll have to have another… haha. Shortly after the reveal, we drew a name out of the blue jar for the door prize. My step-sister and her husband took home a bag of goodies!
Was it worth it?
I didn’t know if the time and expense would be worth it going into the planning, but the entire drive home, all Tyler and I could talk about was how AWESOME the party was. We both had a wonderful time and were happy to see that so many people came out to celebrate with us and they all seemed to enjoy themselves, too. I hope it was worth it for those that had to make a long drive to be there. I know I appreciated seeing every single person that was there.
In total, I think we spent about $250 on this party. That includes all the decorations, 4 dozen reveal donuts, appetizers for 40+ guests, my great-grandma’s lunch, Tyler’s birthday cake, and a hefty tip for the awesome waitress that took care of our group. In my opinion, it was well spent and worth every penny. The build-up of anticipation, mingling with great family and friends, delicious food, the excitement of a huge group finding out simultaneously with a countdown and big unveiling, all made for a WONDERFUL experience.
If you’re debating whether or not you want to have a gender reveal party, my suggestion is to GO FOR IT! Even if it ends up just being a handful of close friends and family, the surprise is worth it!
Highlight Reel
| The main party table. The final result looked a little different then it did on my kitchen table, but I was happy with it… |
| Write your name on a slip of paper & make your guess! Someone’s name would later be pulled from the “correct” jar for a door prize! |
| Team BLUE or Team PINK? Team Blue was dominating… |
| Boxes of Daviss Donuts reveal donuts!! |
| My mother-in-law, me, and my mom. I was out-numbered… the expectant grandmas wanted a boy! |
| My Maw-maw – the great, great grandmother-to-be! She wanted a girl, but said she would still “accept” a boy. |
| You can see my growing bump here. 5 months pregnant. We are two very excited parents-to-be! |
| What’ll it be?? Daviss Donuts did a great job of plugging these up so the colored filling couldn’t be seen! No cheating! |
| Everyone loved these rubber duckies on the table and played with them throughout lunch. Most of them disappeared after the party. I guess they all wanted their very own rubber ducky! |
| My aunt, my mom, and a family friend – flaunting their teams! |
| Another Pinterest idea, stolen! This list of Old Wives Tale predictions was fun in helping people to decide how to vote… |
| My brother-in-law and his girlfriend, enjoying some beer and hoping for a boy! |
| My Mamo (grandma) and her boyfriend enjoying lunch before the big reveal. |
| A really great iron-on I found at Hobby Lobby and could NOT pass up! |
| My Meme and Papa. Meme has the best quote from the party. After finding out it was a boy she exclaimed, “I’m SOOO disappointed!” Haha… I think she’s accepted that we won’t have a 5th generation GIRL this time… maybe next time! |
| Flowers and duckies. |
| My mother-in-law and her husband were both team BOY! They already have 2 granddaughters and are excited to welcome a grandson! |
| Tyler blowing out his big 3-0 candles! I think a BOY is the very best gift I could have given him… |