As Mother’s Day draws near, I reflect on my role as a mother to my kids and what I have learned from this experience so far. Becoming a mother is a life-changing experience that comes with joys, challenges, and surprises. While every woman’s journey is unique, there are some things that I think many moms wish they had known (well, at least I do!) before they embarked on this journey. Let us explore a few key things that could help moms-to-be to better navigate motherhood from day 1.
Motherhood is not always instinctive
Many women assume that being a mother comes naturally, but the truth is that it’s a learned skill. I am sure I am not the only one who felt no mother instinct whatsoever during the first few months of my baby’s life. I still remember not knowing how to hold her when the nurse put our newborn daughter in my arms after I gave birth! I felt totally overwhelmed, anxious, and unsure of what to do when we brought our baby home. The sense of helplessness was overwhelming when I held my screaming newborn baby and not knowing what was wrong or how to make her stop. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to motherhood, and it’s essential to give yourself grace and time to learn and grow.
Self-care is not Selfish
We are not superhumans that can never get tired or sick and are eternally in the best shape mentally and physically. It is especially demanding when you are a mother. Too often we are putting our own needs last, but self-care is essential for your physical and mental well-being. Taking time to care for yourself is not selfish, but rather a necessary aspect of being a good mother. Whether it’s taking a bubble bath, going for a walk, or reading a book, find ways to prioritize your self-care. Children are very intuitive to their parents’ moods and it is better for them to be around a more relaxed parent than a constantly super-stressed one.
Your relationship with your partner will evolve
Navigating a long-term relationship with your partner takes effort on both sides. It’s important to communicate openly, set realistic expectations, and make time for each other. After becoming parents, maintaining a healthy relationship becomes even more vital because having a child can significantly impact the dynamics between you and your significant other. I think it’s natural for your relationship to evolve, but it doesn’t have to be for the worse. In addition to sharing a life together, you also are partners in bringing up the beautiful human being(s) you have created together!
No mother is perfect
One important thing I have learned as a mother to my kids is that I should not be afraid to apologize to them when I made a mistake. As a mother, I am learning this role on-the-job with no prior experience to lean on. So, it is normal for me to sometimes overreact, or be too quick to criticize when the little ones did something “wrong” in my eyes. I hope to set a good example for my children to own up to their mistakes and by admitting to them we are on our way to self-improvement.
Every child is different
Before our second baby was born, I thought babies are like blank pieces of paper when they were born and that it was up to us to teach or mold them into as decent a person in the best way we know how. But I was so surprised to notice how different in personality and temperament our daughters are since the moment they were born! I finally understood the true meaning of the saying, “Every child is different, and what works for one may not work for another”. It’s essential to understand that my child is unique and to be patient and flexible as I learn what works best for them. Though not easy at all, I try not to compare my children to one another or to other kids their age. Rather focus on each child’s individual needs and strengths and support them in the way they need me to.
Becoming a mother is such a fulfilling and enriching experience that comes with its highs and lows. Each stage in our child’s life is another learning opportunity for both mother and child, so we can grow together. Bombol wishes all moms, mother figures, and moms-to-be a wonderful and relaxing Mother’s Day!
Stay Sparky
Let’s celebrate Earth Day
In a week’s time comes Earth Day! How are you going to celebrate it with your little ones this year? There are so many meaningfulactivities to do together as a family, but what interest me the most are always those involving crafts with recycled materials. Single-use items, such as plastic bags, water bottles, and straws, are major contributors to waste and pollution. Apart from using less of these polluting materials, we can also make more effort in reusing or up-cycling as much as possible. Here are a few ideas on crafts that are fun to do with the kids and you can turn scrap materials into useful objects again to give them a second life.
Make your own reusable bags
These are great alternatives to single-use ones when you go grocery shopping. There are so many different ways to make reusable bags for every occasion from easy produce bags for fruits and veggies to pillowcase bags for daily use. All you need are some old T-shirts or some fabric scraps, and it is a fun and easy project that the whole family can participate in.
Create a crocheted rug or doormat
Another great way to use those old T-shirts that your kids have outgrown or stained is to make a rug or two out of them!! What a great way to teach yourself (and your kids) the art of crochet, by a hook or by fingers! Get those little digits working and the little ones will feel so accomplished when they see the result of their hard work on display right at your doorstep.
Make Earth Day crayons
Wherever there are young children there will be half-used crayons! There are so many tutorials on the internet teaching you how to recycle remaining stubs of crayons that are too small to draw with or that your kids discard after a few uses. But this particular idea of making them into the likeness of our planet from emmaowl.com is a meaningful way to teach the kids about reusing and recycling their own toys on this special day dedicated to the Earth.
Papermaking with your used paper
What more can we do with paper that has already been used on both sides or scraps of craft paper left over from some creative projects of the kids? Let’s make recycled paper turning these scraps into a pulp and teach the kids about the art of papermaking. It is a lot of work and a delicate process, but the result is the beautiful hand-made paper that the children can use again to make more artwork from it!
Above are just a few artsy ideas to remind ourselves and our kids about the finite resources we have on our planet on Earth Day. As a family and society, our daily actions are still the best way to make a positive impact on the environment and a constant reminder to ourselves about the importance of sustainability. For more Earth Day activities that are planned in your city this year, check out this global map on the website of https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-2023/. I am sure you will find a meaningful activity to join in your community no matter where you are. Let’s make a difference and contribute to a more sustainable future together.
Stay Sparky!
Embracing Diversity
In recent decades, global diversity has brought many biracial or multiracial families together, and my family is one of them. Having a Belgian father and a Chinese mother, our two daughters were exposed to two very different cultures from day 1. My husband and I want to make sure that they would grow up having both Western and Eastern cultures melting together in their daily lives. Hopefully, this way they can live in an environment that celebrates diversity and encourages them to embrace their rich ethnic backgrounds with confidence and ease.
Celebrate All Cultures
I do believe that one’s cultural heritage often lays the foundation of one’s moral code and values in life. Therefore, I think one of the most important things we need to teach our multiracial kids is to celebrate the various cultures of their families. This means learning about history and traditions and incorporating them into daily life. The easiest thing to start with is traditional celebrations and the food that is linked to them! Since we live in Hong Kong, we are so lucky that we celebrate both Chinese and Western festivals. We used these occasions to introduce our kids to traditional folklores and foods, be it rice dumplings during Dragon Boat Festivals, or the chocolate egg hunt orchestrated by the Easter Bunny. By embracing all aspects of your child’s background, you help them develop a strong sense of identity and pride in their heritage.
Encourage Exploration and Observation
As our children get older, I encourage them to explore their identity and heritage. Living in Hong Kong expose them more to the Chinese culture in their daily experience. So, during extended holidays we would send them to Belgium to stay with their grandparents so that they can be fully immersed in the Belgian way of life too. They can improve on their Flemish language skills, visit the country where their paternal family is from, and learn about the historic background of their ancestry. By learning about both cultures in depth, the children can develop a deeper connection to their heritage and a stronger sense of self.
Address Racism and Discrimination
We are really lucky that we live in a relatively open-minded and international city that historically it is a place where East meets West. Mixed race families are not rare and there are so many schools and communities that embrace racial diversity. Unfortunately, in many parts of the world, multiracial children may face discrimination or prejudice because of their background. For our girls, once they grow up and start venturing out on their own, they will face similar challenges too. It’s therefore important to address these issues head-on and teach our kids how to respond to them. This might involve discussing the history of racism and discrimination, as well as teaching them strategies for dealing with prejudice. Hopefully, we can help our children develop resilience and confidence in themselves.
Raising multiracial children can be challenging but rewarding. By celebrating diversity, teaching them about their identity, encouraging interest and curiosity about their heritage, and mentally preparing them for racism and discrimination, we can help our kids develop a strong sense of identity and resilience. Our older daughter always finds it amusing when asked “where she is from” and she would reply, “Do you want the short answer, or you have half an hour to spare for the long one?”
Stay Sparky!
The Milestone
Going from diapers to “big kid underwear” is one of the most important milestones for a child and the timing really depends on the individual development (both mentally and physically) of the kid. According to experts, a child could start potty training from around 18 months, some might need a bit longer, up to three years of age until they are developmentally ready. However, each child is different in terms of when they are physically and emotionally ready for potty training. Take my youngest daughter for instance, she was insisting to change her own diaper at the age of 15 months, and we’re not even using the pull-ups yet! Well, I guess I mistook her sense of independence as physical readiness to start potty training. She ended up sticking with the diapers until she was almost 4, yes, it was a long journey for all of us!
Lookout for the signs
When your baby reaches the above age range, I am sure you will see signs that they could be ready for potty training. They might be showing an interest in the potty, showing discomfort when they have a wet or soiled diaper, or wanting to wear underwear just like their older sibling. However, no matter how attractive the idea of not having to lug around the changing pads and extra diapers, if your child is resistant or not quite ready, don’t force it and maybe try again in a few months.
Once your child is ready, potty training can start in earnest! Here are some tips for potty training success:
Get the kid involved
Let them be involved with the whole process, from choosing their own little potty to shopping for their first pairs of underwear. Get them excited about taking this big step and own up to it!
Be consistent
There are suggestions for putting your baby on the potty at various times of the day, after meals, or before bedtime. I guess that really depends on the internal clock of the child. However, the key is to be consistent so that it becomes routine for them, even just for a couple of minutes.
Setbacks are normal
There is always a learning curve for every new skill, potty training is the same. Your baby might have doubts or a lack of confidence after a couple of little accidents. The last thing you want is the stress out your little one, so it is helpful to understand what the reasons for the setback could be.
Stay Vigilant
Be prepared to grab your kid and run for the potty at any waking moment! This is where your hyper-observant parent superpower comes in handy. Our first daughter used to show signs of bowel movement whenever she was relaxed, usually while sitting in her bouncer. So, whenever I saw that spaced-out look on her face I would be ready. And then when her face started to turn red, the sign of a “poopoo push”, I would pick her up and sprint to the potty in record time! With practice and consistency, hopefully, they will learn to associate the signs with the need to go to the bathroom.
Photo: @artsymamalife
Efficiency is key
Once your child has mastered their potty skills during the day, it is time to graduate to the last stage of the journey: night training! This next step may take additional time and patience for both parents and child. Unfortunately, there is no short cut and accidents are bound to happen. So, the most useful tip for this part is to speed up the sheet-changing process in the middle of the night to the minimum. Always put 2 layers of sheets and mattress protection: start with a mattress protector, then a sheet, another mattress protector, and another sheet on the top. This way when accidents do happen, you only need to strip away the first sheet and protector, change your baby out of the wet clothes, and everyone can go back to bed! See, no big deal! When your child sees that you are handling the accident with ease and calm, along with your encouragement, they will succeed at being potty trained at night with less stress.
With lots of love, consistency, patience, and positivity, your child can definitely succeed in the potty training challenge. While occasional accidents can be discouraging, your kid’s sense of accomplishment and independence will make the effort worthwhile. And, yay, you can finally say goodbye to the bulky diaper bag!
Stay Sparky!
Have your cake and eat it too
Remember the excitement of decorating your first home together with your partner? You put so much effort into creating a beautiful space that reflects your personal style, featuring memorabilia from holidays and heirloom furniture from grandparents. Then you have your first child, and you soon find your home dominated by bright plastic toys and furniture pieces, making your little nest look like a preschool rather than a home. But with some careful planning and creative ideas, designing your home to be both stylish and kid-friendly should not be an impossible task. The feature posts by Design Mom Gabrielle Blair, give great examples of how families with young kids can have gorgeous yet practical homes.
It’s all in the materials
For furnishings that you use every day that can withstand the daily abuse of being jumped on, spilled on, and sometimes even drawn on, durability is key. One of the great pieces of advice I came across is the importance of outdoor materials used for indoor furniture. With the advancement of technology, synthetic water-proof materials are now more sophisticated both in terms of texture and design. This way, your couch can actually be hosed down if necessary and can be more resistant to spills and stains! Consider using scratch-resistant flooring materials, like stained hardwood or tile for a stylish look, and they age well too! If you would like to place some kid’s furniture in the living room, go for neutral colors so they can blend in with the rest of the adult furniture around.
Think storage
It is unavoidable that along with kids come a lot of toys, crafts, books, and more. Without proper and clever storage solutions, your home will become cluttered before you know it. For example, colorful baskets are perfect for stuffed animals, or Grandma’s antique chest is both practical and visually appealing and can hide a good amount of craft materials. An Ottoman with built-in storage serves as a great toy box and a corner-free coffee table at the same time!
Play Corner
One of the best ways to make your home feel kid-friendly is to include a little play area in the common space so that the kiddos can call it their own. It doesn’t need to be big, just a little nook or corner where they can relax and express their creativity can go a long way. You can decorate it with art done by the kids, like a kind of showcase of their creative outputs, or place a cozy rug and a few cushions on the floor for their quiet time.
Photo: @happynomadsouls
There are still so many great ideas out there for designing a stylish and kid-friendly home, the key is to find the right balance between style and functionality. With a little creativity, a splash of humour, and some planning, it is possible to create a space that is both beautiful and safe for you and your children. So, go ahead and let your imagination run wild – the possibilities are endless!
Stay Sparky!
On a Time Crunch
More and more, I find myself feeling stressed because I don’t seem to be able to finish my planned tasks on time because of various distractions. Throughout the day I am rushing from left to right, buzzing around like a bee, yet, at the end of the day I got very little done! And when I try to enjoy my most treasured time with the kids in the evening, my mind keeps drifting off to the “unfinished business” that is haunting me like a ghost. I am sure many parents are facing the same challenge, so I tried to look for some hacks and tips on better time management for parents.
Break it all down
Those who work from home must be familiar with the challenge of juggling kids, house chores, and meal preps while trying to put in a few solid hours of video conferences and email correspondences. This article suggests several ways to segment bigger tasks into more manageable sizes, or sort tasks based on time requirements or urgency. But one helpful and easy tip I think can be effective is to minimize distractions from social media and the internet by keeping my browser closed while working. This can definitely help save some time for more important tasks so that I can cross off more from my to-do list and get to my kids sooner!
Beat that addiction
How many times has my phone pinged with notifications of alerts, emails, and text messages from the moment I wake up in the morning until I go to bed? Looking at my phone became the first and last thing I do every day, both times while in bed. We keep worrying about screen time for the kids, yet we, as adults, seem to be more addicted to our mobile devices than they are! Maybe I need some radical changes in my lifestyle to keep this phone addiction in check. A friend of mine recently told me that he actually only looks at his text messages at designated times during the day and he checks his emails only a few times a day. If anyone needs to reach him urgently, they can always pick up the phone and give him a call! Actually, this makes a lot of sense because I get distracted numerous times by incoming text messages (both personal and work-related) during the day, but I can perfectly reply to them an hour or two later, or I noticed a new email that just came in and dropped whatever I was doing to go check it.
Don’t be a perfectionist
As for the chores that need to be done around the house, we can also lower our standard by a few notches and go for some imperfections! 😉 Even the home-organizing guru, Marie Kondo, also recently admits that her home with 3 young kids is a mess! But to make life easier and a household that is simple to maintain, the key is to be organized. If everything has its own place in the home, it can be easily found and put away at all times, this way less effort is spent on searching and cleaning up. This is also a good way to cultivate good habits in your kids from a young age. Soon, you can delegate more to the little ones and they can help you with simple yet necessary chores such as putting away clean laundry or cleaning up their own rooms.
I think all these tips call for a certain degree of self-discipline and determination. But, hey, I would do anything to spend more quality time with the kiddos with my undivided attention.
Stay Sparky!
The importance of bonding
When I was growing up, I remember we had a few pets at home (a few goldfish and a couple of birds) but sadly none of them lived very long nor did I manage to develop any significant bond with them. My parents were never really conscious of the real benefits pets can have on the emotional development of their children since they never grew up with pets. I think they got them for me and my siblings as some form of companionship because they were both working long hours. We were not involved in choosing our pets, nor were we ever taught the responsibility to properly take care of them. Our babysitter would end up taking care of them in addition to taking care of us! So, I basically had to learn everything about having pets when my husband and I started our own little family.
Choosing your family’s best friend
Although I really like animals in general, the idea of having a pet never entered my mind until our kids were born. Apart from not having any first-hand experience in handling animals, I also didn’t know what kind of pet would be most suitable for a family with young kids. For many years our eldest daughter has been asking us frequently if she could have a dog. I didn’t feel confident taking care of a puppy while my only experience in animal care was to sprinkle food into a fish tank! But our little girl was persistent with her request and one year, right before her birthday, she wrote us a long letter sincerely asking for a puppy as her birthday present. In her letter, she explained why she wanted a puppy, researched several breeds of dogs that are most suitable as family pets, and how she would do her share to take care of her new friend. My husband and I were so touched by her maturity and determination that we gave in and started our search for our new furry family member.
Anticipate any unexpected reactions
On our journey to finding our pet, we looked through the list of breeds our daughter suggested and narrowed it down to the one we liked the most. To learn more about the nature of this breed of dog, we found a friend who has one and we paid him a visit to see his pet to let the children interact with him. Five minutes into our visit our little daughter’s eyes were swollen shut and her nose wouldn’t stop running! My heart broke when I saw our elder child cry because her dream of having a puppy was shattered by her little sister’s allergy to this breed of dog!
Happily ever after
But we did not let one allergic incident deter us from finding the best pet for our kids! We would like to see if our little daughter was allergic to all dog breeds, or only some of them. So, armed with some antihistamine in my bag for our little one (just in case), the whole family went to a dog adoption day organized by a dog rescue association. We let the girls play with various puppies until we found a really sweet 10-week-old puppy that we all liked the minute we saw her. Our younger daughter was holding the puppy and petting her while we observed, looking for any allergic reactions triggered by the puppy. To our most pleasant surprise, there was none! Just to be safe, the dog rescue association suggested we foster the puppy for a week to make sure our little one truly has no allergic issues before we formally adopt her.
Pepper has been with us ever since and she’s the princess of the family! Our elder daughter has lived up to her promise and takes excellent care of her. With proper guidance and preparation, I think having pets can definitely help our kids to be more empathetic and caring. For me, it feels like I get to have another chance to truly bond with our family pet and that it is never too late to learn how to take care of one!
Stay Sparky!
Take on the challenge
Have you ever tried to make a gingerbread house from scratch? It might sound challenging, but if you go slow and start small, I am sure anyone can build one with relative success! One of the reasons I LOVE Christmas is the lovely smell of spices and ginger in the holiday cookies and desserts. It is the time of the year that I go into a baking binge and as a result, our entire home is constantly smelling like a bakery. Just the other night, one of my daughters gave me a big hug before going to bed, and she said I smelled like gingerbread! Maybe it was because I was baking an industrial amount of gingerbread house panels enough to make 14 complete houses of various sizes and designs!
Always start small
A few years ago, I was a bit ambitious and tried my hands at building a gingerbread house from scratch. Instead of buying the ready-made kits with all the wall panels cut and baked for you, I like to bake my own. This way, I can find the house design I like from the internet or tweak it a bit to my liking instead of having to stick to the “standard” house from the kits, and I get to build a different house design every year! After a few fails, I finally found the perfect recipe for baking the walls and roofs of the house that are both sturdy to build with and yummy to eat (I bake also the bits and scraps of the dough and the entire family would be munching on them while we decorated)! The consistency of the “glue” is also key to keeping the house together, so here is the best gingerbread house glue I came across that is pretty much foolproof!
Make your own kit
Then, COVID happened just when we wanted to host our first gingerbread house decorating party, so we turned it into a virtual one. I baked all the panels and gathered some candies, packed them all to make my own kit, and have them delivered to friends. We connected online and had a virtual party with each family building their own house at home and it was a success! Since then, more and more friends of mine and our kids’ friends are requesting “The Kit” every Christmas, that is how I ended up baking 14 houses this year!! It is hard work, but also SO satisfying to see everyone enjoying this annual activity. It has become one of the highlights of the year!
Get the party going
If you have smaller kids at home, you can also take this challenge down a notch and bake some sugar cookies for them to decorate. A nice and simple method is to make an icing sugar glaze and dip the cookie surface in it, while the glaze is still wet decorate the top with sprinkles and let dry. For older kids with better motor skills, you can move on to piping colourful royal icing onto fancier cookie shapes. Or you can make festive stained-glass cookies with the kids’ favorite candies. Why not host a cookie decorating party and invite the children’s besties to come to get sugar-high together? The kiddos can have so much fun and each of them gets to bring home their proudly decorated cookies to show their parents!
If baking is not your cup of tea or you prefer not to have sugar temptations standing around in the house for the entire holiday season, you can build a little Christmas village from cardboard, cartons, or other recycled materials. I am sure the kids will love to decorate these little houses just as much.
Have a Merry and Sparky Christmas!
An Upcycled Christmas
Stepping into December marks the beginning of my preparation for Christmas! We have been using the same Christmas ornaments and decorations for years and I would really love to give a refreshed look to our home this year. However, as I try to be more environmentally responsible in my daily life, I would also like to be more conscious of how I celebrate special occasions such as Christmas. While looking for inspiration on Christmas decorations at home and taking stock of what we have in storage, I found out that there is actually so much we can do to make our holiday season a more sustainable one with existing materials at hand.
Let’s Light it up!
We renounced the use of a real Christmas tree more than 10 years ago and have been taking out our plastic version year after year. Yes, it is made of plastic, but we intend to use it for many more years to come so I think it is better than chopping off a new tree every year. Through the years, the only decoration we have updated is the Christmas lights. We have switched to LED lights because they consume less energy and can last much longer, it is especially important this year with the hike in global energy prices.
Not too shabby at all!
As for the tree ornaments and Christmas home decorations we have been using, I got so many wonderful ideas for repurposing some of them to give them a new look. To add to these “refreshed” decorations, I plan to make some new ones together with my kids. I found these salt dough ornaments super simple yet give an elegant Nordic vibe! There are so many Christmas craft ideas that we can make and can easily involve our kids too. I am especially inspired by this online book by Christine Leech and Emma Friedlander-Collins where you can find many eco-friendly Christmas craft projects using recycled materials, and it is free to download! My favorite project in the book is the minimal wreath made from a springform baking pan and a cardboard box.
Wrap it up
The success of a sustainable holiday season also really depends on how we manage to minimize the use of disposable gift wraps and excessive packaging. This year, I am going to try out some reusable gift wrap ideas that are both really chic and eco-friendly! What’s so nice about these reusable gift-wrapping methods is that you are actually giving your loved ones a second gift, the gift container itself! I have been scavenging vintage shops and thrift shops scouting for interesting fabrics or items of clothing that I can transform with minimum effort into gift wrap materials!
Of course, it takes some extra effort and commitment to have a more sustainable Christmas, but with the earth’s limited resources being depleted at such an alarming speed I do feel that we need to do everything we can to slow it down. No matter how small our efforts seem to be, if everyone puts in their share, we can still make a difference.
Stay Sparky!
Don’t Let the Stress Get to You!
Whether your family tradition is to spend Thanksgiving together in North America or gather to celebrate the fall harvest in Asia. This event usually also marks the beginning of a super hectic period that will only end with the arrival of the new year! So, inevitably one might feel a bit stressed when planning the event that kickstarts the holiday season, and it is easy to overlook the true meaning of this family gathering while you are busy checking off items on your to-do list.
It’s all in the planning
Let’s stop for a second, take a deep breath, and prioritize a bit! Kids are always at the top of my priority list so let me start with them first! This is the best time of the year to teach them about the importance of being inclusive and thankful for what we have. So, let’s find some simple Thanksgiving activities to do together with them that can get the message across. How about creating the Thanksgiving centerpiece together with the kids so that they can be involved in the preparation while learning about Thanksgiving, AND you get the holiday decoration done at the same time? This is definitely taking multi-tasking to a whole new level! 😀
Nothing complicated
OK, now that the decorations are taken care of, it’s time to tackle the menu for the gathering. After spending the last two Thanksgivings under the threat of the pandemic, we are all just too happy to be able to get the extended family together again, so I am sure everyone will enjoy any food served as long as we can share it together! So, to lower the stress level by a few notches, instead of the traditional Thanksgiving dishes which are usually quite time-consuming to prepare, perhaps we can consider introducing some less conventional dishes to the table this year. With the Fall harvests just behind us, there are still so many great ingredients and simple recipes we can consider, and they can be just as tasty and impressive to please your guests. Who knows? Maybe these dishes will make it to the annual Thanksgiving table from now on!
Lasting thankful moments
How about some after-dinner family activities to extend the Thanksgiving mood? For many families, it could be the first time in a long while since they had their last gathering. There must be so much to update each other about and so many things one can be thankful for. It would be nice to pass around some small cards and pens for everyone to write down some thanksgiving greetings or little anecdotes of thanks. At the end of the evening, all notes will be placed in a Thanksgiving jar with the year written on it. This could be a family tradition and a time capsule of thankful thoughts that can be carried forward for years to come. No matter what kind of gathering you are planning to have, it should be just as enjoyable to prepare for as the event itself! Don’t miss out on the precious moments of “now” in search of a perfect “gathering tomorrow”!
