A day in the life

I thought it would be fun to show everyone what a typical day in my life is like. I've seen other bloggers do this in the past, and I always think it's interesting to see what the average day looks like so I decided to join in the fun! It also gave me a chance to play with my camera and really use it all day long which is something I've been slacking on. So here is my day (yesterday, May 4th) and believe me when I say it's a typical day around here! I didn't even leave the house which is sadly normal!

I wake up to this picture like I do every morning. Cayden loves to stand in his crib and bounce up and down until I finally get out of bed. He wakes up so happy it always makes me smile.

After we got up we started getting ready for the day. We brushed our teeth and made the beds like we do every morning!

After we were up we got ready for breakfast. On the menu this morning: apple sauce, multi-grain cheerios, and sliced bananas. Mama ate a banana too!

Once Cayden was cleaned up it was time to get dressed. It's been in the 90's all week so it was definitely a shorts day.

On Wednesdays I baby-sit a 16 month old boy named Carter for a few hours. Him and Cayden are pals and love to play together. They ran around destroying the house while I cleaned up the kitchen.

After play time it was time for the boys to take a nap. I gave Cayden his bottle and put them both to sleep. Luckily they're both pretty good nappers so it went smoothly. Once they were asleep it was time for this mama to relax! I finally got a chance to catch up on some blogs and of course Pinning!

When the boys woke up for their nap it was lunch time! I've been trying to let Cayden learn to feed himself even though the mess gives me major OCD and anxiety. At least I have this cute face to look at though!

After lunch Carter got picked up and Cayden got changed into something cool and clean. We decided to read some books in bed which is Cayden's favorite thing to do. He's obsessed with touch-and-feel books!

Once we were done it was time to prep for dinner. On the menu: Spaghetti with meatballs and garlic bread. YUM! Since Mando was working late that night I didn't have him to help me watch Cayden while I cook so I gave him some spoons, bowls, and spatulas and let him go to town!

Finally Mando came home and took Cayden out to the balcony. He loves to look at the cars coming in and out and him and daddy do this every evening together as their 'special time'.

Mando decided to take Cayden for a walk after dinner so I could get some alone time to design some new items for Mama Matryoshka. I appreciate him so much times at times like that because he understands I need a break after being surrounded by babies all day! I finally got the chance to make this card which was inspired by a Martha Stewart card I saw on Pinterest. I absolutely love how it turned out.

When the boys came back home it was time for my little man to take a bath! He is obsessed with bath time and would play in there for hours and hours if we let him.

After bath time we dried him, dressed him, and got him ready for bed! This is my favorite part of the day because we all snuggle in bed while daddy gives Cayden a bottle. Then we gave him kisses and put him in his crib for the night. Thankfully he was tired and went to sleep right away!

Finally, around 8:30 we got some time to ourselves. I was so ready to curl up on my couch and watch some trashy reality TV. We stayed up for a few hours watching Real World and Top Model and talking for awhile and then hit the hay to do it all over tomorrow!

And that's how my day went! This was a fun little project and maybe I'll do it again in the future (hopefully on a more exciting day)! If anyone else decides to so this make sure to let me know... I'd love to see what your average day looks like too!



Friday Favorites: Party Planning!

Now that Cayden is 9 months old I can officially start planning his 1st birthday party (I've been unofficially planning it since he was a few weeks old, but that's besides the point). As you know, I am obsessed with my kid and obsessed with planning events so his 1st birthday is a huge deal for me. This week I really went into party planning mode and I already have a ton of ideas that I wanted to share so I decided to dedicate Friday Favorites to my little guy and his party! Once again, I'm using Pinterest to keep all of my ideas in one place! (Don't worry Etsy. Next week is all yours!)

First up is the theme. Ever since Cayden was about 3 months old he has been OBSESSED with Mickey Mouse. Whenever the theme song to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse came on he would go crazy in his jumper and get the biggest smile on his face. Then we took him to Disneyland and he had the best time ever. I know a Mickey Mouse theme would be perfect, but I really want it to be loosely based on him instead of a commercial, trademarked character party. To do this I'm going with a red, yellow, and white color scheme and will be making the majority of the decorations myself! The party will also be a POOL PARTY and will take place at my mama's house! I love that he has a July birthday because hot summer parties are the best!

The food: We are serving Mexican food, because 1) Cayden's half Mexican, 2) who doesn't love Mexican food?, 3) it's easy, and 4) it goes well with the summer/pool party theme. Of course we will have rice and beans and fresh tortillas, along with...

 Carne Asada. Mando is going to be BBQing carne asada tacos along with some pollo for the main course. His family knows of the best carniceria in town where you can buy the meat already marinated. YUM!

 Ceviche. This is a yummy Mexican seafood appetizer. I love the idea of serving it in salt rimmed glasses with limes like this recipe.

Chips and mango salsa. The perfect mix of crunchy, salty, and refreshing. I love me some mango salsa!

The drinks: Serving alcohol at children's parties is controversial, but I personally am all for it. Everyone we're inviting knows how to drink responsibly so I know it won't be a problem. I plan to set up a little beverage bar with some homemade sun tea, ice water, Coronas, and...

Frozen margaritas. My mom had the genius idea of making them in her ice cream machine so we have a big batch pre-made that will stay frozen. Mmmmm!

Strawberry Lemonade. Who doesn't love lemonade on a hot summer day? It's probably my favorite drink ever, and I love adding fruit to my drinks. I think I want to try this recipe for freckled strawberry lemonade. YUM!

The sweets: Probably my favorite part of a party is the sweets! I am planning an entire dessert table that I absolutely can't wait to decorate. I'm still searching for a few more ideas, but I know I will have...

Ice cream bar. When I saw this image on Pinterest I thought the idea of an ice cream bar was so unique and fun and of course delicious. It also goes perfectly with my summer/pool party theme. I'll be serving chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry ice cream along with hot fudge, whipped cream, and cherries. I LOVE this idea of using ice cube trays to hold and separate all of the toppings and will definitely be using it. Inexpensive and easy!

The cake. I went back and forth on whether I wanted to do cupcakes or a cake until Mando and I finally decided that people might think it's weird to go to a birthday party and not have cake. I think I'll either do a plain white sheet cake or a plain white 2 layer cake and then I'll make a bunting banner topping like this one found here!

Mickey Mouse cake pops. I might be ambitious enough to attempt these cake pops, but I haven't decided for sure yet. I've made cake pops and they are TIME CONSUMING. Oh, and messy. I really do love them though, and they would go so well with the theme. I might just make a few!

Mickey Mouse cupcakes. I adore these cupcake wrappers. I can also make them REALLY easily using my Silhouette and a few buttons! I think they go great with the theme, I just have to figure out what to use for the ears because I don't want to mess around with fondant. Oreos maybe?

Whirly lollipops. I haven't decided if I want to use these lollipops on the sweets table, or as favors (Or both? Can you do that?) but I definitely want to incorporate them in the design somehow. They are so fun!

The decor: as I said before, I plan on making most of the decor. I'll definitely be making a big bunting banner to put on the wall, but I also wanted to make...

Tissue paper pom poms. I love this arrangement of yellow tissue paper pom poms hanging from the ceiling. I really want to do something similar above the sweets table!

Sunflower centerpieces. I want to put sunflowers on all of the food tables. I might do real flowers or I'll do something like this DIY centerpiece, depending on what is more cost effective.

Balloon wreath. I think balloon wreaths are so fun and festive! I also love how easy they are to customize colors to match the theme. I really want to do something similar to this one, but with a silhouette of Mickey Mouse in the middle!

Whew! That was the longest Friday Favorites yet! Are you all birthday'd out yet? Hopefully not, because I'll be blogging more party planning details over the next 3 months! Thanks for reading and have a great weekend everyone!

What's new at Mama Matryoshka

When I first opened Mama Matryoshka most of my inventory consisted of handmade cards which I LOVE, but I really wanted a wide range of products available. Lately I've been all about cupcake toppers and I can't stop designing them! I just think they are such a fun and unique way to add decor to a party or event. And who doesn't want cute cupcakes? I'm all about it. This week I designed 3 different sets of toppers inspired by children's party themes that I love.

Pinwheel cupcake toppers. Lately I've been seeing tons of rainbow/color themed parties all over the blogs and I love it! The bright colors are so fun and there are so many different ways to customize a party based on a certain color. I've even made these customizable so you can choose which colors you want (although I am digging the mustard yellow/aqua combination).

Farm animal cupcake toppers. When I started seeing the farm themed parties I was so excited. It's one of my favorite themes and I really hope my kiddo's are open to this theme when they're older. Red bandannas tied together for a banner, petting zoos, straw hats, I love it all. These are one of my favorite things I've designed so far. The baby animals are so cute and I love them against that vibrant barn red color.

Nautical/Sailor cupcake toppers. I'll admit it, I have a special place in my heart for nautical themed events since both my baby shower and Cayden's nursery were sailor themed. I love anchors and navy blue and I think it's so cute for a little boy. These cupcake toppers were definitely inspired by my little sailor Cayden.

(All cupcake toppers cost $10. That's less than $1 each!)

Custom projects: I'm so thrilled to say that I've gotten quite a few custom project requests. I'll be honest, those are my favorite thing to do. I love hearing about other people's events and designing something specifically for them. The whole experience is so personal and I love when they get excited when they see what I've come up with. It's the best feeling in the world!

I made these sweet Koala Thank You cards for my Twitter friend Ashley. She had an Australia themed party for her 2 little one's. Isn't that such a fun and unique party idea? I love how these came out.

I designed this sweet bird card for my sister as a gift for a co-worker. She is the easiest customer ever because she pretty much gives me free reign to do what I want. Of course I had to use my favorite color combination ever, red and aqua and I love how it turned out. (Oh, and make sure to visit her blog and comment on her latest post for an extra entry in 4 giveaways coming soon!)

I designed these retro cupcake toppers for my friend Jen who is not only a fantastic photographer, but also very crafty herself! She and her husband are renewing their vows in the Fall and the theme is 50's diner. If you knew me in high school you would know that I am ALL ABOUT THE 50'S THEME so I was SO excited to get this request. I love the polka dots, music notes, and the record. This was so fun to do!

So as you can see, I've been a busy little bee! I still have a ton of ideas and I'm trying to find the time to bring them to life as soon as possible! If you have a party and you want custom decor don't hesitate to contact me here or through my Etsy shop!