Being a costume designer is super fun. I get to pull designs from my brain, create them, make a giant mess, and see designs from my head make it onstage to become part of a large professional production. It’s the stuff of dreams and more than I could have asked for. But, being part of a dying theatre genre isn’t all fun and games. It’s severely underpaid the hours are long and arduous. Grad school would leave you to believe that as a designer, that’s all you do; design. You don’t have to manage the wardrobe, build anything, strike anything… just design. And that’s the farthest thing from the truth. For six weeks, I’m designing, sourcing, pulling, renting, meeting, tweaking, freaking out and trying to meet co-director’s demands on a dime budget, all while delivering a 50K dollar look.
During tech week, when I all but disappear from the blogosphere, I’m pulling 18 hour work days, and sleeping 5 hours or less a night. When Spamalot was in #dresstech, Red saw me one morning and declared with open arms, “Mama! You’re BACK!” which was both the sweetest and more horrible thing I had ever heard. And the tech weeks keep getting worse and worse. That week, I cried twice, bled before 9am and didn’t get a chance to eat for 2 days. Except breakfast. That is not an exaggeration.
When opening night came, I freaking sent myself flowers. Because I survived and I deserved it. Now, we all know sending flowers can get expensive. You start out with a $29.99 special, and by the time you’re done with the vase, S&H, delivery charge and the-delivery-guy-stepped-on-a-frog tax, you’re spending $65. Not so good with the initial price tag.
That’s when I found The Bouqs. Large bouquets of flowers grown on the side of a volcano in South America with free delivery. It’s kinda like carmax. The price you see is the price you pay. End of story. Sounds like it’s fake, doesn’t it?! But these flowers were pristine, wrapped in recycled paper and nestled in a super cute box. You get absolutely no pictures of the flowers wrapped up, because I was a tear-stained hot mess when I opened them at 2am (again, not an exaggeration). In fact, these pictures were from the third day I had them…..
They lasted about two weeks before they passed from this world to the next, and I was very happy to have them. And they didn’t come with any of that filler greenery that dies in two days. Just the flowers and their brilliant leaves. I chose lilies because they are my favorite, but there are lots of different styles to choose from. And what they picture is actually what you get. No surprises, no dead flowers, just awesomeness. I’m really impressed.
My set costs $40, and was the smallest of the 3 available sizes (prices set there, too). Don’t have time to wait for your flowers to come from a volcano? (Earliest delivery is about a week) No worries. You can have them from California for only $10 more the next frickin’ day. For reals. And if you are sleep deprived because your director asked for two more full-sized showgirl headdresses in 12 hours, they leave you nice little directions on the box about how to care for your flowers. And that little flower-food pack 🙂
End verdict? I’ve gotta cut back on shows. I mean, these flowers are really nice. I would buy them again. And if I would get them for myself, you know I’d get them for someone else 🙂 Or Hubs could read this and buy me some more… you know… for fun… 🙂
Disclaimer: I recieved credit to choose a small bouw of my choice from https://www.thebouqs.com/. All thoughts, and honest reviews are my own.
We love Huggies Diapers! And that coupon code = big savings for us. thanks!
Very good tips for new parents up there. Boy the little messes really do add up fast and if you take the time to grab them up it’s much easier.
I dont have kids yet but I know how messy the clean-up process can be. The newborn pic of your baby is soooo cute!!
My to do list is my time/life saver. I think I would lose my mind if I didn’t have my to do list.
Make the most of nap times is KEY! I get a ton done during my daughters naps!
I make my day easier with naptime, craft time and tv time, also book time!
I just recently got my mother a dozen flowers from them and they are just beautiful! Great company!
I saw these guys on Shark Tank! And yup, it definitley sounds like you deserved those flowers after all the work you put in!
A diaper ordering service would have been so handy when my girls were little. I would always try to nap when they napped so I could actually get some sleep.
I think it is so important to set routines early. That is definitely a wonderful tip! I think it all went out the window with my 2nd though! LOL!
Great flowers and it is always good to send yourself flowers :).
Super cute flower bouquet! I usually pick up flowers for myself once every few months. They just make me feel good and my house smells fresh!
Great tips! Being organized is key. Luckily this weekend I can “recharge” since I’ll have grandparents in town to watch my little one. I can finally get back on track!
Terrific tips! New moms especially will benefit from the get rest when you can concept.
Yes, these are all good tips. Cleaning the messes as you go works wonders, that’s my fave. 🙂
We don’t currently have anyone in diapers but I can still benefit from your tips. Being organized and ordering offline are things I do often.
Those are beautiful! You send yourself flowers, Mama. That’s the only way I get them. 😉
Great job, mama! Wow, sounds tireless. BUT love to hear about this flower company option..hate how expensive it gets!
Heather at mylifewellloved.com
I wish they had something like diapers.com back when my siblings were younger. You don’t know how aggravating it was walking a half a mile every time one of them needed something diaper related, just for it to be out of stock.
Great information on diapers! Will have to send this link to our friends with babies.
I love those flowers! I have heard awesome things about Bouqs!
They’re beautiful! Nothing wrong with sending yourself flowers!
Online shopping is the way to go now and why not diapers! It would be great not having to worry about running all the time and picking them up and hauling them home.
These are beautiful flowers! I love that they don’t charge extra for weird add-ons or hidden upgrades. You totally deserved to send yourself flowers!
I have lilies like these growing in my yard. I absolutely love them (and their lifespan!) There’s definitely nothing wrong with sending yourself flowers!
On-line shopping has helped us all with time, moms or not! I even do my grocery shopping and then quickly pick it up! I also keep snacks on hand.
Sounds like you MORE than deserved a gorgeous bouquet of flowers! I would totally send flowers to myself too! haha!! I hate the hidden fees at some of these online florists and gift shops. Nine times out of ten, the shipping is what gets ya!
Those flowers are beautiful! there’s nothing wrong with treating yourself to some thing beautiful like that, where your family also gets to enjoy them!
Everyone deserves flowers no matter how they get them and these were beautiful!
Premade snacks are great. Not just for the kids but for moms who get ‘too busy’ to eat. I also LOVE my online shopping.
It sounds like they were definitely well deserved! I love how bright and cheery they are!
Gorgeous flowers! You DO deserve them, send them to yourself again!
I love lilies! They are beautiful and you deserve them!
Love that The price you see is the price you pay. Those are beautiful and you deserve it.
I have used this site before and I love it. I do clean the bigger messes or the dirty, sticky, or food related messes as they happen but as a crafter I tend to have craft related messes laying around 🙂
Ohh those are pretty! I love the red, white, and blue roses they have. Perfect for the 4th of July! 🙂
I can’t remember the last time I received flowers. I can’t remember the last time I gave flowers as a gift. It’s because they are so expensive. You just gave me hope, because gifting flowers is such a special thing, like to other. I will put Bouqs on the top of my list the next time I need to buy a gift (or maybe I’ll follow your lead and get some for myself.).
Those are so pretty! Love the color! I cannot even remember the last time I got flowers of any kind…
I like the idea of enlisting other mom members of the family to help. My husband says I’m a master delegator anyway.
I have heard so many people talking about ordering diapers online! I’ll have to remember that!
Sorry it was such a stressful week for you but yay for you giving yourself flowers. Wow, those are amazingly beautiful and I can’t believe they weren’t gouge-your-pocketbook expensive!
I love that you sent yourself flowers! Why not! They are pretty! And I love your little pig with wings 😉
Great tips – and yes (times 10) on the use that naptime while you can (whether that’s to work, clean… or just to recharge for the afternoon.)
You have no idea how happy I am to hear about this company! We recently sent flowers to a close friend for her birthday and we were appalled at the price jump once all of the fees were added! I’ll be using this company next time!!
Hope you’ve had a chance to relax after the insane schedule you’ve had! Glad you were able to enjoy the flowers you sent yourself. 🙂
Those really are gorgeous flowers! It’s great to have quality flowers in the mail. That is hard to come by.
Whoa, they’re stunning! I love the colors!
Wow! Those are gorgeous! The color really pops!
Making the most out of nap time is SO big with me. It’s the only time I can get anything done!
Great tips! We’re trying to get better at having pre-made snacks ready to go! With a “starving” child, snacks are always important.