Confessions of a Not so Perfect Mommy Blogger

I love blogs that make me laugh!  While stalking this morning I ran across a blog I had never read before, Mommy with Selective Memory.  Her post Confessions of a Not so Perfect Mom Blogger was about things she would never normally share on the blog, such as pretending she wasn't aware her son pooped in his diaper for a while because she wasn't feeling up to changing it and her joy at putting the kids to bed just so she can have some adult time to catch up on the Real Housewives... I almost pee'd my pants at her humor. 

So today, I'd like to shake it up here on T&B... just for fits and giggles, and share a few bits about myself that typically wouldn't make it here on the ol' blog!  Hey I told you it wasn't all perfect here!

10 Confessions of a Not so Perfect Mommy Blogger
{besides being the most forgetful person in the entire world}

1.  I have worn the same jeans for sometimes 3 days in a row and I don't own an ironing board.

2.  My kids have actually cried because "we're having McDonald's again!"  Yes, we have eaten takeout for an entire week because I was so wrapped up in linking and stalking blogs that I've neglected to defrost food for dinner... I'm working on a real cooked meal at least 5 out of 7 days now!

3.  I dislike- no I despise putting laundry away... most of the time it's washed and folded, then left on the bed, which gets shoved to the floor where it... sits a while!

4.  I am utterly terrified of spiders and bees.  I will run the other way screaming like a pampered little girl {yes, leaving the children behind to defend themselves}.  Bees hate me, the old "stay still and it will leave you alone" does NOT apply to me.  They will go out of there way to land and sting!

5.  Last summer, I think I allowed my kids to go over a week without showering!  It dawned on me that I couldn't remember the last time the kids had taken one... felt like a big arse.  Hey, the pool counts, right?

6.  I refuse to empty the dishwasher and will leave them for the hubby to put away, feigning surprise that I didn't know they had been run!

7.  I smell things.  I mean I smell everything.  I won't eat til I've smelled the food both before and after cooking.  I smell clean cups fresh out of the dishwasher or the cabinet.  I think it's an OCD thing.   I have to smell clothes before I'll put them on, even if I just washed them... Drives hubby insane.  Me running around the house yelling "What's that smell?" when something strikes my sniffer the wrong way... even though no one else smells a thing!

8.  I will not eat the end of a french fry.  Don't know why, but, each and every fry will be eaten top down to the little nub that is held between my fingers then discarded back to the plate.

9.  I want to be a Real Housewife of somewhere!  Hee Hee... that series is my addiction!  I am really not a vain person, but I'd love to dress up pretty everyday with my hair perfectly coiffed and have lunch with the girls, travel to exotic places... have big parties and wear a ton of bling!  The horrors of not knowing whether to get Botox today or a boob lift!

10.  I am not proud of this one... I have a hot headed temper and usually my family takes the brunt.  I have been known to "freak the f out" a time or two... usually prompting dear little Alexis to shout back at me "You R Mean!  I've had enough, you need to check yourself!"  Usually she just ignores me... but She can instantly change my attitude... and I am NOT afraid to say I'm sorry!  {at least to the kids, Jim, well... he doesn't usually get as many apologies, oi vay}

Feels good to get that out!  Ha Ha... so what are some of your "secrets" you hide from the blog world?  Feel free to share... I won't tell {wink wink}

You can read about some good mommy moments here...

Linking up with these fantastic blogs!

DIY Weddings on a Budget - Tips on scoring florals on the Cheap!

OH Baby!  Did you know the average wedding in the US costs about $27,000 with 50% of that going towards the reception?  Of course the sky is the limit for some brides while others either choose or need to budget tightly to achieve the wedding of their dreams.  According to The Knot,  the average bride spends about 8% of their budget purchasing wedding florals-  that's a whopping $2160 give or take a few buckaroos.

So can a bride have a beautiful wedding complete with florals that stun on the cheap?

This girl says YES!

Over the next few days, I'd like to share a few simple ideas I think anyone can put into action to achieve some gorgeous wedding florals and a cake... all for under $500!

You read write... under $500!

The month of May was quite busy here at the Sminkey Household as I whipped up one bridal bouquet, 7 bridesmaids bouquets, 10 boutonnieres, 12 centerpieces, 2 simple pew bows, mother's corsage, a swarovski studded wedding veil, and a 3 tiered wedding cake! 

For this particular wedding, the color scheme was a very true, deep purple color... but my bride wanted red roses in her bouquet.   We chose to do all of the wedding flowers in silk... don't turn your nose up, silks have come a long way baby! 

Silk flowers can be very expensive as you probably already know!  So you may be wondering how and why I would choose to go the faux route right?  Fresh flowers are lovely but can be quite expensive as well especially if you want flowers that may be out of seasonal in your area or not commonly carried by your local florist... plus you must work under a quick time frame to ensure fresh bouquets on the day of the wedding.

With a few tricks up your sleeve and some clever shopping you can score some beautiful and very lifelike silks to use for your wedding! 

Tips for scoring florals on the Cheap!
{advantages of silks over real}

Shop around!
Don't limit yourself to purchasing all of your flowers in one trip at one store.  Shop around.  For this wedding, I acquired silks at many stores that I knew would work together- Joanne's, Michael's, Walmart, even Pier One and Big Lots.  Shopping around was my greatest source for finding wonderful pieces at deep discounts and clearance pricing to streeetch the budget even further. 

These realistic gorgeous rosebuds were my all time fav find!  You could almost smell the rose scent!

The best part was, they were regularly $2.99, marked down to 50 cents each... then the store was running a buy 1 get one at 50% off special...

I bought them out at just37 cent each!

Use those Coupons
Gather up all the coupons you can find for those big chain craft stores!  Again, not buying everything all in one day at one store allows you to make multiple trips {yes, even in the same day} to use those 40% and 50% off coupons to purchase some stunning flowers that may not be on sale that week.  The realistic rose bushes I found were quite pricey and not on sale... but using my 40% off coupon certainly made them more affordable!

Don't Limit yourself to single stem florals
Your single stem flowers in the wedding section of the store are usually the most life like, but don't limit yourself to using just those... at an average cost of $6 each that can really eat up your budget!
I was able to find great big bushes of white hydrangea at my local Big Lots... same quality as those single stem hydrangeas.  By utilizing the bush version, I was able to cut them apart and spread them further at about a sixth of the cost!  I'll show you later how to stretch the use of a single stem hydrangea as well.  The stems on bush flowers are much thinner than the single stem flowers but we will discuss 'fixing' that dilema too!

Don't be all Matchy Matchy!
Just as in home decor, don't be all matchy matchy with your wedding florals... choose the same flower in different yet coordinating shades or choose different flowers in the same colors... mix and match for some variety!  It helps the budget too!

Join me Friday for some simple tricks on stretching your chosen flowers even further and we will start assembling some centerpieces!  Follow T&B on GFC, linky follow, G+, facebook or pintrest!  I follow back so just leave me a quick note to let me know!

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Tip toe thru Tuesday linky is up and running each and every Tuesday here on T&B... stop by and show off what you've worked on this week!