Today is my Birthday

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the "Real Moms"

For those of you who are great moms, those of you who plan to be great moms and those who have great moms...

REAL MOTHERS

Real Mothers don't eat quiche; they don't have time to make it.

Real Mothers know that their kitchen utensils are probably in the sandbox.

Real Mothers often have sticky floors, filthy ovens and happy kids.

Real Mothers know that dried play dough doesn't come out of shag carpets.

Real Mothers don't want to know what the vacuum just sucked up.

Real Mothers sometimes ask 'Why me?' and get their answer when a little voice says, 'Because I love you best.'

Real Mothers know that a child's growth is not measured by height or years or grade...It is marked by the progression of Mama to Mom to Mother...


The Images of Mother

4 YEARS OF AGE - My Mommy can do anything!

8 YEARS OF AGE - My Mom knows a lot! A whole lot!

12 YEARS OF AGE - My Mother doesn't really know quite everything.

14 YEARS OF AGE - Naturally, Mother doesn't know that, either.

16 YEARS OF AGE - Mother? She's hopelessly old-fashioned.

18 YEARS OF AGE - That old woman? She's way out of date!

25 YEARS OF AGE - Well, she might know a little bit about it.

35 YEARS OF AGE - Before we decide, let's get Mom's opinion.

45 YEARS OF AGE - Wonder what Mom would have thought about it?

65 YEARS OF AGE - Wish I could talk it over with Mom.


For all the Mother's of the world, have a blessed day - you deserve it!
From Risa, The ParTea Planner

Happy Keester!

Sorry, I am BEHIND on posting a Happy Easter wish!

The ParTea Planner's First Day of Spring Tea Party

I cannot believe that it has been one year already since the first time I joined in on a blogging tea party! Click here to view that post. Wow, it has flown by!

We had a really fun time at our First Day of Spring Tea Party. My daughter was so excited about being picked-up from pre-school today because she knew that afterwards was "her tea party". She even wanted to wear a dress!! My lil tomboy is growing up....

Well, just for description's sake I had to K.I.S.S. (keep it simple silly) because I have a lot going on right now with a wedding and some events and I've been slightly overwhelmed to say the least. So I made the sandwiches - consisting of egg salad, chicken salad, cucumber & cream cheese, and strawberry cream for Raina. Everything else was store bought. I can't seem to get away from my beloved pink & green combo, especially since we had the party in Raina's pink & green room! For the centerpiece I used the darling ribbon topiary that I received from Heidi last year at a Spring Sweet Goodness swap. It was perfect!

My mom (Grammie) came over to celebrate, and it was so nice to have her be a part of it. In a couple of weeks she and my dad will be moving back to Tennessee so I've been pretty sad about that. There was even a moment when I wanted to cry, because I will truly miss having her near by. But I held back the emotion, as I didn't want it to be a buzz kill.

Our other guest was "Puppy" who is Raina's lovie. We've always referred to Puppy as a he, so I guess by putting a dress on him for the tea party, he was in drag today. And the main reason I put on a hat for a photo was because I've been so busy I am way overdue on getting my hair colored! I think the last time I had a weave was before the photo shoot for TeaTime! Pathetic.

So I am still getting some emails and comments from all the hosted tea parties, so I will post the link list of everyone's posts very soon. I can't wait to see them all!

Thank you to everyone who participated, took some time for yourself to enjoy the rewards of a tea party, and then to post it to your blog. I absolutely love the kindred spirit that is amongst those of us who enjoy tea time!

Here's to a wonderful Spring! *clink*

Welcome First Day of Spring! Tea Party

I've been so busy getting things ready for our little First Day of Spring Tea Party that I forgot to provide a post for Comments.

So, please leave your comment here with a link to your blog's post about your spring tea party. Then later I will put together a link list.

Thank you in advance to everyone who is participating and enjoying their First Day of Spring!

Sick of sickness

THIS IS THE THIRD TIME IN SIX WEEKS.

I am so tired of taking care of sick off-spring. I don't know what I did to piss off the Sick Gods, but they are stickin' it to us.

My kids have been getting cyclical flu bugs. And this is the third time in six weeks. They get better then BAM. Sick again. I have the phone number to the call-in sick line at school memorized.

This is no exaggeration:

Five doctor visits (doubling-up with seeing some or all the kids).
One E.R. visit.
One Urgent Care visit attempt. Waited for over an hour, then left.
Five antibiotic rounds.
Four bottles of Children's Motrin.
Five bottles of Children's Tylenol Flu (thank goodness for bubblegum flavor).
Half a bottle of Tylenol w/ Codeine (for #1 son's ear pain)
Half a dropper bottle of Auralgan (for ear pain)
Countless nebulizer breathing treatments.
Two boxes of juice Popsicles.
One spice bottle of Cinnamon Sugar for toast.
One Costco case of Chicken Noodle Soup.
Countless water bottles (all over the place).
One friggin' tired mom.

I don't mean to be a wimpy, whiny mom because I know that there are a gazillion moms taking care of their sick ones or terminally ill children. I don't know how Diana, mom to Regina did it for months on end taking care of her and her cancer treatments.

So I shall put this all into perspective, and be grateful for many things. For the fact that I can be a SAHM and take care of them without jeopardizing a 9 to 5 full-time job. That my kids are healthy and these flu bugs are just temporary set-backs.

But if I have to hear the Wonder Pets or Doodlebops theme one more time, I'm gonna blow a gasket.

First Day of Spring Tea Party

Okay fellow tea party aficionados. March 20th will quickly come upon us, so let's take the opportunity to celebrate and usher in the First Day of Spring. In other words, it's just an excuse to have a Tea Party!

So bring out your springy-est china and decor, invite a friend or neighbor or have your kids join you and tip your teacups to the end of Mr. Winter. Since it is so close to Easter, feel free to decorate your tea table to your heart's desire whether it is a Spring theme or Easter theme.

Be sure to take photos of your tea party, post them and the details on your blog and come back over here to TheParTeaPlannerBlog.com and leave a comment with a link to your post. Then the following day I will compose a link list of all the fab tea parties so we can all visit you!

A prize will be awarded to someone's Tea Party, to whomever struck my fancy!

So I hope you will join us - spread the word and put the sidebar banner graphic I made on your blog. Click here to get the code and directions how to do it, if you are layout-challenged.

This is gonna be fun!

Where is the thrift at the Thrift Store?

Yesterday I had to go get fabric at my fave fabric store for an event I am planning. It just happens to be across the street from one of my fave thrift stores. It's a Goodwill that receives a lot of Target donations, so I usually find some great items or clothes that are brand new.

I have really cut down on my thrifting habit the past few months (can you hear hubby clapping) so I was pretty excited to go to this Goodwill and get a "fix". So I perused. And perused. Then perused some more. Everything was.....Just. So. Expensive! I'm like, Where is the thrift in a thrift store? Is it me or are prices getting jacked up at these places? Even a child's tee shirt was $4.99 that I could get brand new retail. However I did find some cute Children's Place tee shirts and a pink Hurley jacket for my daughter.

The only thing I got for myself was this cute pink thermal pot. For $7.99! Barely used, but wow that's kinda steep. But it will be perfect for a Picnic Tea Party that I have planned in my head..........along with all the other tea parties that are in there, just waiting to be planned.

It cleaned up really well, after I did my thorough hot water and denture cleaning treatment. Whenever I buy a thrift item and it can't be put in the dishwasher, I use denture cleaning tablets (I get a box from the .99 cent store) and put a few tablets in the item (tea pots, etc.) with hot water to get the cleaning bubbles inside hard to reach areas especially the neck of a teapot. Then wash with antibacterial dish soap and hot water, rinse really well with hot water. Generally it is not a good idea to use dish soap inside teapots as it may altar the taste of the tea. So I only do it the first time I purchase one new or used. Thereafter I just use really hot water with a clean sponge that doesn't have soap on it, and rinse well.

Would you like to join me?
I have been wanting to host a blogging Tea Party for the First Day of Spring, so maybe this thermal tea pot will be my inspiration and reason to go ahead and DO that Picnic Tea Party, or something else. If so, leave a comment and I will make a graphic banner for a tea party invitation to put on your blog. I don't want to do it if it looks like I will be having tea by myself!

Name Correction

If, per chance, you have Googled my name from the TeaTime Magazine feature and are trying to locate me, the magazine miss-spelled my name.

It is spelled Risa Provencio - not - Risa Provincio ........

*eye twitching*

He Loves My Heart

I hope everyone had a romantical Valentine's Day! Since the two out of three of my kids were home sick with a fever and strep throat (again! the second sick-o round this month!) I was not able to do anything special. Usually I make a really nice Valentine's Dinner with candles, and I let the kids drink sparkling cider from plastic champagne flutes and have "fancy" yummy stuff for dessert.

But not this year. They got Pick-Up Stix that hubby got on the way home after picking up prescriptions. So it was not a "love is in the air" day, but more like "germs are in the air". And because I have been in lock-down with sick kids I wasn't able to get dear hubby anything. Not that we really do romantic gestures anyway, because we both think Valentine's Day is overrated.

However, he did bring me a gift from Brighton. I kind of chuckled (internally) when he handed me their signature yellow-y, very graphic gift bag with the bright printed pink tissue paper. And the chuckle was because....well, he always gives me Brighton. Not that I'm complaining, it's just that a few years ago when I first discovered Brighton jewelry I was really into it at the time and loved their bracelets. But ever since then, at Christmas, Mother's Day, my birthday or special occasion, it's a guarantee I'll get to add to my Brighton collection. I don't have the heart or know how to tell him that I'm really not into that kind of jewelry anymore. (gosh I hope he doesn't read my blog!)

But, for some reason this gift meant something more. It was much more significant than the others:

It is from Brighton's Go Red for Women, in support for the American Heart Association. He chose it as a gentle reminder that he wants me to have a healthy heart. Sometimes he is concerned that I don't take better care of my health, which is true.

After I opened it and gave him a hug, he said "You can take it back if you want, or exchange it."

Nope. Even though I have plenty of bracelets, this one is a keeper.

And so is he....

Photos from the Photo Shoot

Thanks to Stephanie Warner of All About You Photography & Design, she provided the images from our photo shoot for the TeaTime Magazine feature. There were so many to choose from, it was so hard to decide!

So here are my favorites, located in my photo gallery. I also included "behind the scenes" photos of us setting up the shoot. Talk about having a hard time trying to get cute for the head shot, after sweating it up from the set up! I could have seriously used a hair & makeup stylist. But when you are on a budget, cute gets crossed off real quick.

Click here to view the photos.

Thank you to so many of you who have left congratulatory comments or emails regarding the feature! I've heard that you can find TeaTime Magazine at Borders or Barnes & Noble, possibly WalMart but it is all hit or miss depending on their distribution and supply. So the best way is to call Hoffman Media at (888) 411-8995 and then press 1 to go to Customer Service to purchase a copy of the March/April 2008 issue. Do it soon, because once it becomes a "back issue" the price increases!


Okay.


Sigh.


*tapping fingers*


..........just waiting for Oprah's peeps to call.........


*tapping fingers*


Or Martha.

TeaTime Magazine Feature

So I was checking my email and Donna from Party Wishes sent an email congratulating me on the TeaTime Magazine feature. I email her back that I haven't even seen it yet! So I run out to my mailbox and THERE IT WAS!

I guess all the subscribers are getting the issue first before it hits the stands. So many friends have asked where they can get a copy, and honestly I don't know since I am a subscriber. I guess you will have to call TeaTime Magazine and ask for the distribution, or purchase one copy over the phone.

Now that the magazine is out, I will provide a link to the photo shoot so you can see all the photos that Stephanie took. But I have to get them from her on a CD, there were so many.

A big thank you to Stacey Norwood, the associate editor that helped me through the whole process. She is just the sweetest person. And I appreciate all my family, friends, blog friends, party planning friends and group board friends who have been a great support and encouragement!

Thank you for fulfilling a dream come true!

Risa, The ParTea Planner

Happy Birfday Ryan

That's how he used to say birthday - "birfday".

Sigh. I miss those days when it was so cute when they would mispronounce words.

My little guy, my middle child, has turned seven.

They say that mom's don't have a favorite child, but we all know they do. And Ryan is mine.

I knew that night you came into my life seven years ago, and watching you sleep under the jaundice lights, that you were something special.

And I was right.

Happy Birfday Ryan!

Photo by Stephanie Warner

Face Painting for C.H.O.C.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to do face painting for C.H.O.C.'S (Children's Hospital of Orange County) Holiday Party for their neuro patients and families.

I wasn't sure if my friend Regina would show up since she is in chemo treatment, but sure enough - the trooper that she is, was there! I was so excited to look up from painting someones face to see her mom and Regina standing there in line!

For those of you who read my blog may recall of Regina's Princess Tea Party that I did for her this past summer.

Regina is so girly-girl, as she wanted purple snowflakes!

So here is my Purple Winter Princess:

Here she is with mom and her brother:

To view the rest of the darling faces from this event on my gallery, Click Here.

A ParTea Photo Shoot!

I don't know where to begin. What a whirlwind it has been the past two - no few - weeks.

There was Thanksgiving. Then my son's 9th birthday party last Friday which was supposed to be a "camping" theme and I had a real camp site reserved and everything. But then the forecast predicted rain so I had to change everything within a couple days. So we ended up having pizza at a Round Table then took them all to see Fred Clause at the theater across the street. And it did rain, so I'm glad we were able to make Plan B happen. But I have never had to deal with 14 nine year old boys all at once. WHEW! I was exhausted. Even though I'm a professional party planner I like to do planning and design. You know. Fluff. NOT be an activities director....

And then yesterday was it. The photo shoot for Tea Time Magazine. I can't really divulge any details, and honestly and am too pooped from it all and am recovering. But I must give some credit, some cyber hugs and show my peeps how grateful and sincere I am for pulling it all off (in about a week's notice).

First off, I'd like to thank....hey wait a minute. This feels like I should be holding a golden teapot or something, like I won an Oscar.


Ok, I'm serious now. I really appreciate Mari Robeson from Mari Robeson Home for creating a beautiful, perfect, and ever-so-darling custom hand painted banner. We became acquaintances from blogging, and she had offered to make one for me a while back just out of the generosity of her big heart. When I found out about the photo shoot I thought it would be such a unique idea to have one in our set-up. So when I found out we had a quick deadline, I emailed her if she could do it. Poor thing stayed up really uber late to get it done and shipped to me in time! I was so excited to see it delivered on my porch! And when I opened it, I was so inspired by her color choices that I ended up adding a color to my table scape (which Amanda -see below- told me to have in the first place, but I balked). Which meant the NIGHT BEFORE the photo shoot I was high-tailing it up to Joann's to buy fabric to make a runner and get that color ribbon. Crazy. So thank you Mari, from the bottom of my tea lovin' heart for making such a work of art for me!

I have to thank my friend and florist, Amanda of Fantasy Floral Designs. She put up with all my annoying calls for wanting her input. She's the ying to my yang. She likes to do things a little *off* - a little askew, where I am so matchy-matchy and *safe*. So we meet in the middle and have created some very cool events. Thanks Amanda for creating gorgeous florals and adding your fab midas touch to the shoot!

She said she would forward the link by tonight, so I am anxiously awaiting to view the photos taken by my friend and professional photographer, Stephanie Warner. We spoke earlier today, and she said some of the shots were just *insert heavenly choir sound* awwwwwwwhhhhh! So thank you Steph for providing your professional services, for helping with unloading the mountain of stuff out of the van and for helping me feel at ease during the actual shoot. Your encouraging words "lemmee see that sparkle in your eyes" while shooting was comforting (especially during such an out-of-body experience). I can't WAIT to see the images!

Thank you to Dayna, she is the representative and coordinator at Occasions at Laguna Village where we did the shoot. Even though she injured her foot and had a foot brace on, she was still schlepping up and down the stairs bringing the food down. And then she helped out with some of the piddly stuff that needed to be done, when I felt pulled in a hundred directions and having her help out was such a relief. Thank you so much Dayna for your help and patience. I'm sorry we went over the time limit and you couldn't be in the shoot! sad face :(

I want to thank my mother and daughter "models" Kathy & Maggie (and baby Jake) for coming down and providing us with their beautiful smiles and sense of humor as we played pretend tea party. Because the setting-up and styling took a lot longer than anticipated, they had to wait around which is no small feat when you have a baby to attend to, on-site. But they were most gracious and since Kathy is originally from the South, she wouldn't of complained. At least not out loud.....wink. Thank you ladies for your time, and for rearranging your schedules at the last minute to make yourselves available for me!

There is no way, NO WAY I could have made it without Rebecca. Our friendship is kinda odd, because in a way she is my direct competition since she stared her own tea party business a few months ago. But we have gotten close and have such a camaraderie. In a heartbeat she offered to come down and help me out. Man, she was a work horse! And she was there when I was barking out requests for this and that. And because she is a perfectionist herself, she understood my pickiness and all. So I have no idea how I would have been able to get it all done had I not had her there helping out. Shudder to think. So thank you so much Becs for being there - physically, emotionally and encouraging me all the while.

Well, someone has to watch the rugrats while mommy is running around crazy doing a photo shoot. So a huge thanks to my mom and dad for staying with my kids and taking care of them while I fulfill a dream. A sorry to my children who only heard for the past 10 days "No, mom is busy, I can't". Thank you for understanding and letting me get things done. And lastly, to my dear hubby. For helping me find stuff. For moving stuff. For trying to be comforting when I broke the saucer and had the melt down. For accepting drive-thru food for dinner. A lot. And a thank you in advance for having to enter in all the receipts in Quicken and tying to make sense of all this business stuff from my self-diagnosed ADD.

So again thank you so much to everyone for bringing your talents and/or support to this project which means so me.

Here is a snippet, as I can't show any photos yet! The feature will be in the March/April issue (fingers crossed). Can't wait to hear what the editors decide to use!