Sebby Dee turns 3!

Somehow my baby boy turned three, and although it was two weeks ago, I am still trying to wrap my head around it!  Where did the time go???

I can honestly say that it feels like yesterday that I was carrying him inside of me...  Now a big boy who speaks in complete sentences and melts my heart on the daily!

Just a little recap of what I posted on Instagram the night of my son's birthday and party:

Behind each photo is a story. Sometimes we share part of it with family, close friends, or even online. Most of the time we don’t... At least I don’t... I keep a lot of my life private. But today (Sunday, January 20th, 2019) on my son’s birthday I realized I can’t always try to be this superhero mom. I’m just a regular person and it’s okay to ask for help sometimes. What you don’t know from any of my seemingly perfect photos is that things haven’t always been easy. When Sebby was born three years ago, I developed kidney stones in the last weeks of my pregnancy. I had surgery when he was only a few days old, and had to separate from my newborn, because of the pain I was in. Now two babies later and I had to have another surgery that happened on Monday, January 14th, 2019. I scheduled my son’s birthday party months ago, so the procedure was not planned. All week I’ve been in bed, but he so desperately wanted his party. He even woke up this morning saying “Mama today’s my birthday party!” So I gathered whatever energy I could find to put on some makeup and be there for my son. I had trouble standing, walking and even holding him for this three second photo. But I did it for him. And the only reason it was possible was as a result of reaching out to @thepetiteparty and for the first time asking for support. I knew I couldn’t pull off this party on my own. Will blog about the details later in the week. In the meantime I need to take care of myself, and have decided to contact families in the morning to delay our winter startup for another week. I’m sorry for any inconvenience this may cause, but want to be strong and healthy to inspire the young minds that visit and learn with us. Wish I had superhero powers, because I honestly thought I would be up and well again by tomorrow !!! What I have gained from this experience is that we often find our strength in our weakness. If that makes any sense at all ... So this is us. One year older and making memories to last a lifetime. Thanks @thepetiteparty for all of your help ! You were like a Godsent ! And to my mom, dad, mother in law, father in law and husband for taking care of me all week. Almost as good as new !! #realtalk #momtruth

Every event I have ever hosted (my engagement, wedding, children's baptisms, first birthdays, etc.) was always planned, coordinated, and executed on my own.  A labour of love for our special celebrations and a way to personalize each party with my own unique ideas.  

I have never used a party planner or event service, until I had no choice because of my surgery.  My good friend recommended @thepetiteparty who took care of my sweet table and I can't tell you how appreciative I was to reach out for some help!

My husband suggested we try something different this year and wanted to host our family and friends at the Reptilia Zoo.  I booked this well in advance, and ordered our cake and cookies in reptile theme with @royalconfections21 and @littlerosecookieco.

I have to be honest and admit that it was so nice to walk into the party room and only have to bring the loot bags, sweets, and food.  The rest was all setup for us!!!  Not something that I am used to!!! And I am pretty sure that if you wanted to, @thepetiteparty could coordinate your entire birthday or children's event.

I would like to take the time say a HUGE thank you, and also provide a small review.  

@thepetiteparty executed the reptile theme so professionally.  Their passion in planning events for children was very evident, and they were so genuine with my son.  Sebastian had the biggest smile on his face from the moment he saw all of the balloons and his name across the television screens.  He couldn't resist touching the pretend snake or lizards on the sweet table, and also wanted to sneak some of the frog candies before dinner (of course I made him save them for after we cut the cake)!  @thepetiteparty wished him a happy birthday with a card and gift, which I thought was a very sweet touch.  As a Mama and educator working with small children, I truly appreciated this extra care and all of the details.  If you ever need some help planning your next event, I strongly recommend @thepetiteparty.  The entire setup was photoshoot worthy and really left me and our guest feeling so impressed!!

And while I'm at it, let me take the opportunity to share that I loved my collab with @royalconfections21 and @littlerosecookieco so much from Halloween that I hired them for my son's party.

I had to work within a budget, so I only purchased a cake and two dozen cookies for this event.

To my surprise, and great appreciation @royalconfections21 made our cake much bigger than what I had anticipated!  And all of the details with the fondant reptiles really had all of our guests talking.  However, what I think I was most grateful for was an equally delicious tasting cake.  The choice of flavours I made were dulce de leche and caramel, which paired very well together!  And when you ate into it, the fondant on the outside actually was more like a soft buttercream that melted in your mouth.  In my opinion, a moist cake makes all the difference!!!  

I have always had a sweet tooth and have been a huge fan of Starbucks sugar cookies.  When I discovered @littlerosecookieco I thought there is no way that these can compare, and they totally did! Not only are they as yummy as Starbucks, they come in any creative design you can imagine! These cookies are a masterpiece and it's obvious that the owner has found her true passion for the art of shortbread!

Why am I spending my time sharing all of this with you?  Honestly, I feel as though good work and quality deserves to be recognized, and as a new entrepreneur myself, I am realizing the power of social media and word of mouth.  The greatest compliment you can give any business is a referral or positive review. 

So thank you to anyone who has referred The TransformEd Creative Studio and Learning Centre.

I am looking forward to more collaborations this year, however, will be taking a break from these more personal lifestyle blog posts to resume sharing about my educational research and learning...  And what began as the main purpose and content for this platform.

I am 3

I am not built to sit still,

keep my hands to myself,

take turns,

be patient,

stand in line, 

or keep quiet.


I need motion,

I need novelty, 

I need adventure, 

and I need to engage the world 
with my whole body.

LET ME PLAY!

(Trust me, I'm learning!)