Hangovers & Toddlers … How to Survive

With Holiday season here that means tons of parties & more drinking. Wether your drinking to make it through Christmas dinner or just celebrating being reunited with family, one thing is the same … we are not 21 anymore & hangovers suck. Exspecially with a little human dependent on you, a.k.a. your toddler.

Glasses: Zenni Optical, Sweater: A.New.Day, from Target Clearance for $16, Shirt: Express, from 10 years ago, Jeans: Frame, from Opitz for $60, Shoes: Mossimo, from Target for $40, Necklace: Thrift Store for $5

Here are my go to’s for suriving the dreeded hangover with tots …

1. Water – tons of it & that electrolyte water like Smart or Fuji, but honestly the best stuff is your kids Pedialyte … chug that stuff!!! 
2. New Toys – I am not saying you need to go out & buy a new toy (that works though) but if you rotate toys (which is awesome BTW) take out a toy they haven’t had in a while that they love. Obviously not any of those loud-crazy-noise-making toys that everyone hates.
3. T.V. – let them watch what they want, this also goes for personal electronic 
4. Ibproufen – self explantory 
5. Dilevery – because we all know I am not cooking, also make sure you have tons of snacks for those hungry little monsters 
6. Bribery – literally this is all motherhood is. “You can have candy as long as you …” No shame here.

So go out, make the best of this holiday season, because you deserve it. Cheers! 🥂🍻🥂🍻🥂

Winter Bachelorette Party

Last weekend I got the oppurtunity to help plan a Winter Bachelorette Party for my dear friend Tanya.

Tanya & I met at work. She was the new 1st grade teacher & I was lucky enough to work with a student in her class. We became quick friends. Sharing many laughs through out the day & the occassional drink at happy hour.

 Tanya & I spent a ton of time at school together, but not a ton outside of school. (We live in different areas & lets be honest, it can be hard making time for friends with kids.) We made it work though, we became such good friends that she asked me to be apart of her wedding as her personal assistant. 

I was honored to say the least & so excitied that she had met her Prince Charming. (+ maybe she would start pushing out babies too, I could hope at least.)

One of my jobs as being personal assistant was helping plan the bachelorette party. This part made me a bit nervous. For one, we didn’t hang out much outside of school. Would she like what I planned? Thankfully it wasn’t just me planning.

I took on a couple of rolls, helping find the hotel, booking the restaurant, keeping track of who is & isn’t coming, & lastely the appiterziers. 

This I knew I would rock & on a budget too. Since the party was themed Winter Wonderland in downtown St. Paul, I wanted to do a charcuterie board. (My new go to for everything.) 

So I headed to my favorite grocery store ever … Aldi. I spent $210 on food, I know that may sound like a lot, but we had 24 girls coming & I did go a bit overboard, we had plenty of leftovers. (Okay alot, but I loved how it turned out)

The night was great, the drinks were flowing, & I was pretending I was 21 again. (I am definetlty NOT 21 … toddlers & hangovers don’t mix) But I couldn’t have asked for a better night. I met some great people, got to get all dolled up, & most of all the bride LOVED IT. 

Upstairs Circus

When my friend suggested checking out Upstairs Circus all she had to say was bottomless mimosas & I was in, the awesome craft I created was just an added bonus. 

Glasses: Zenni Optical, Sweater: Bow & Drape, from Opitz for $20, Jeans: Mossimo, from Target for $14, Shoes: Timberlands, from DSW for $60, Jacket: Columbia, husbands hand-me-down from his grandpa

This place is seriously the best for a day out with the girls, bachelorette party, or any crafter who loves to sip on drinks while creating. 

We entered Upstairs Circus & were greeted by the nicest staff. We checked in, showed them our IDs & handed them a credit card for any drinks we may have wanted above the mimosas that were included. They handed as tiny little plastic animals & showed us to our table. 

We brought in our own treats, some cupcakes. It turned out we were indeed celebrating something. It was one of my friends first time ever hanging with the girls without her son who was born 2 & half years ago. That’s right first time! We were going to need all of the momsas we could get our hands on.

After we got settled we headed to the back where all of the crafts were on display. There were so many options from house decor, signs, jewelry, & much more. I chose a marble serving tray, I turned my little plastic tiger in & received all the materials I would need along with the directions.

We headed back to our table & got started on our projects. The directions were easy to follow & the staff was great with any questions we may have had.

Not only was the staff nice, but the decor & style of the place was on point. Most DIY studios I feel can be a bit messy & lacking in decor, not Upstairs Circus. 

The floors were black & white tiles, from the ceiling hung upside down umbrellas, our chairs were modern & clear, & everything was clean. The bar was so cute with fun coloring books on it & an adorable popcorn machine in the corner.

I really couldn’t have asked for a better Sunday-funday. It took about 3 hours for as all to finish. I would say it was an hour of work & 2 hours of laughing with friends & getting a bit tipsy. All of this was just $40. A steal of a deal I thought!

I was so happy with my final product. It is actually something I like & would use. Those DIY painting classes are fun, but usually it is never a painting I enjoy or would hang in my house. 

I really just can’t say enough good things about Upstairs Circus. I highly recommend it. They have many locations around the country. So get the girls together or the hubby & head to your nearest Upstairs Circus. You won’t be disappointed!