Fun Birthday Morning Waffle Bar

Thanks to SCS Direct for sponsoring this post.

birthday waffle bar

Lucas, my youngest son, just turned 10 this week. TEN! Birthdays are a big deal in our home and each child gets to pick how we spend the day. Not surprisingly, Lucas always arranges his birthday day around food. The kid is seriously such a little foodie! This year his brother had soccer camp on the morning of his birthday which meant he didn’t get to have the birthday breakfast he really wanted. I decided that, since it was such a momentous birthday, I’d surprise him with a special birthday breakfast this weekend. And what better birthday breakfast for a kid than a waffle bar with lots of yummy toppings!?

waffle bar

Putting together a birthday waffle bar can be as simple or as fancy as you’d like to make it. While I pulled out our birthday tableware, I enlisted my oldest’s help in gathering the toppings for our waffle bar. He went a bit crazy pulling out everything that he could find, from the typical maple syrup to festive birthday sprinkles to sour candy powder he was sure would be amazing on waffles (I just laughed because I couldn’t imagine eating the concoction he was planning to put together but thankfully he changed his mind on that last one!) Once we gathered all the toppings we put the syrups into little glass jars and the other ingredients into colorful cupcake liners. The toppings we had were chocolate sauce, strawberry sauce, maple syrup, peanut butter, cereals, nuts, sprinkles, crushed cookies, and strawberries. Other delicious toppings you could use include blueberries, whipped cream, honey, strawberry jam, bacon pieces…pretty much anything you can think of that you or the birthday child like on your waffle would be perfect to add to your waffle bar.

animal waffle maker

Once the ingredients were out it was time to make the waffles. We recently got the CucinaPro Animal Friends Waffle Maker which made cooking waffles easy for me to do in between taking care of a baby and throwing in a load of laundry. After I made the batter from the recipe guide I found in the box, all I had to do was preheat the waffle maker until the green light came on, open the lid and pour in the waffle batter, and close the lid to cook. Once the waffles were done it was easy to remove them because of the non-stick waffler plate surface. I love that it has a non-stick surface so I don’t need to remember to spray it with a non-stick cooking spray before I put the mix in.

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cooking waffles

cute animal waffles

animal waffles

The waffle maker makes seven adorable, perfectly shaped animal waffles in just minutes and I get bonus points for being the mom putting a plate of cute animal shaped waffles on the table! Once the waffles were ready it was time to decorate them. The birthday boy made sure there was plenty of chocolatey goodness on his breakfast plate! Not something we normally add to our breakfast but it’s a birthday celebration so why not?

birthday boy

See more of the fun we had (and his plate of waffles) in this little video clip below :)

The waffle maker can be purchased on Amazon.com for $29.95 here. CucinaPro has a vast product line of creative cooking products. For more information, please visit cucinapro.com.

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birthday waffle bar

10 Birthday Traditions To Make Birthdays Special For Your Child

birthday traditions to celebrate child's birthday

With both my boys’ birthdays in June we’ve been busy celebrating here in my house this past month. We have some special traditions that their dad and I have kept going from our childhoods but we’ve also created some new traditions for our little family. I thought it would be fun to share some of those ideas along with a couple I hope to start with baby #3. If you have birthday traditions in your family I’d love to hear about them on social or in the comments below!

Write the birthday child a letter every year to help them remember what they did that year, things they did that made you proud, and what you love about them.

This is something I hope to start doing because I love the idea of them being able to look back on them when they are older. I also think it’s important to remind our kids, as often as we can, that we are proud of them and we love them.

birthday balloons

 

Take a picture of them holding a bunch of balloons – one balloon for each year they’ve been alive.

This is something we started doing a few years back and I love their faces each morning they come out of their room and see the big bunch of balloons. (Mom tip: Save some money by checking your local dollar store for cheap balloons. We get them for a dollar each and they last over a month so they have some birthday decor in their rooms for weeks to come!)

Give them the day off from chores.

So maybe this isn’t exactly a tradition but older kids will love having the day off from cleaning and doing other chores they are responsible for. You can either let them skip the chore for the day or do it for them if it’s a necessity. What a nice perk of being the birthday kid!

birthday cake with sprinkles

 

Have cake for breakfast!

Start the day off with a special cake that you’ve baked them (or bought from the store). This was a tradition that their dad’s family started and is probably one of my kid’s favorite parts of the day because cake for breakfast is typically a no-no in our home. Each year we ask the boys what kind of cake they’d like and for Lucas it’s changed each year. One year he wanted a pink frosted cake with sprinkles, then the next it was carrot, followed by oreo cookie cake the next year.

Pick an experience over stuff.

Whether parent’s decide a young child has too many toys or a tween or teen has their heart set on doing something a little pricy, sometimes an experience gift is preferred over a bunch of “stuff”. Experiences for kids might be a trip to an amusement park with a few friends, a roadtrip with family to a local waterpark for the weekend, or concert tickets to see their favorite musician perform live.

special birthday meal

 

Let them choose their birthday dinner.

One of my favorite birthday traditions as a kid was getting to choose where we went to dinner on my birthday. It’s also a tradition I carry on with my own kids (though thankfully they tend to choose cheaper places than the expensive seafood restaurant I chose as a teen). If you are on a budget you can let them pick a special dinner you can make yourself at home instead of going out to eat.

Decorate their room or doorway.

Many of my friends decorate their kid’s doorways with streamers and balloons they have to walk through when they wake up in the morning. I love the idea! When my boys were little (and I had a bit more energy) I loved to go crazy with streamers and other birthday decorations but nowadays we keep it a little simpler. Now that they are a bit older though, I think we will restart the tradition and they can help decorate for their younger sibling.

Do a service project together.

This is a tradition that I’ve been wanting to start for a couple years now and hopefully we will start it next year. While we do service projects year round, I love the idea of being intentional and doing a service project specifically during their birthday week to help them appreciate all their blessings and give back to others who aren’t as fortunate. I want to let the kids pick a charity that they want to support and find a way to help that cause. Whether we put toiletry kits together for a homeless shelter, bring toys to a children’s hospital, or visit a nursing home, I think this is a meaningful birthday tradition.

day at the pool for birthday celebration

 

Let the birthday child choose something fun to do on their birthday.

Spending time as a family is the best so let the birthday child choose what your family will do for their birthday. In past years we have went to the movies and went to the pool. This year they chose to spend a morning copying their favorite YouTubers by going hunting for “Funko Pops”. If your child’s birthday falls on a school day you can always pick a weekend day to celebrate on.

Celebrate as long as possible by staying up late.

Their birthday only comes around once a year so why not let them celebrate for as long as possible? This was a tradition my youngest wanted to start and I thought, “why not?”. My boy’s birthdays are in the summer so this tradition is a little easier when there is no school in the morning but you can always let them do this tradition on the Friday or Saturday of their birthday week. I think it’s just a fun way to end their special day.

What birthday traditions do you have in your home? I’d love to hear how you celebrate with your kids!

birthday traditions for kids

Want more ideas for special birthdays? Throw a birthday party for your child! My favorite kid’s parties have been my boy’s Disney Cars Birthday Party and their Firetruck Themed Birthday Party!

 

Celebrating Baby’s First Birthday

Baby’s first birthday is such an exciting time for parents and one of the biggest celebrations during childhood. Today I’m partnering with Babies“R”Us to share about a baby’s first birthday celebration they are hosting in their stores this weekend.

I remember both of my boy’s first birthday celebrations. My oldest, Jacob’s, party was hosted in the community room at a firehouse which was big enough for all of our friends and family to join us. We had plenty of food, some catered and some homemade, and lots of toys throughout the room to keep the kids busy while the parents talked. The children even got to sit in the fire truck and meet some of the firefighters and the fire chief. Lucas’ party was more low-key, with just a small gathering of close friends and family at our home. We had some food and a cute “1” shaped cake made by a friend. One thing both celebrations have in common is that they are happy memories we will always remember!

When planning your child’s first birthday party there are a few things you don’t want to forget to pick up. Here are three items that make my party must-have list:

1) A smash cake. Since nobody wants baby’s fingers in the cake they will eat, a smash cake (or even cupcake) is a must for baby. Think about all the adorable pictures you will get of your baby enjoying their special treat!

2) A birthday shirt or crown. Everyone knows who the birthday child is but it’s fun to have them in something that declares it! Babies”R”Us has a lot of choices in store and online. You can choose to get a first birthday shirt or just a general “it’s my birthday” shirt. There are also crowns and party hats you can get as well!

3) Decorations. Along with the typical decorations like streamers or balloons, consider adding in some personalized pieces. We displayed pictures of Jacob from every month of his first year in frames on a table.

Years ago Babies“R”Us helped make both of my boy’s celebrations special, from Jake’s birthday outfit to Luke’s birthday crown, and I’m happy to share they are still making baby’s first birthday something you’ll remember for years!  

This Saturday, August 27th, from 11am-12pm, all Babies“R”Us stores nationwide will host a Baby’s First Birthday event to celebrate this special milestone and offer the best solutions parents need for the big celebration. Attendees will also experience fun activities such as story time, photo prop fun, decorate your own Geoffrey growth chart and receive giveaways such as a complimentary Geoffrey plush, a special baby’s first crown and balloon, plus meet other local families and babies also celebrating Baby’s First Birthday.

While you are at the event, make sure to check out everything you need to make Baby’s First Birthday special, such as first birthday-themed apparel. Personally, I love the birthday shirts they have for kids (I still dress my boys in “it’s my birthday!” shirts every year). How cute is the little outfit for girls above!?

They have other First Birthday products along with great gift ideas for baby, too. I’m loving this Precious Moments figurine! I think they make such sweet gifts for little ones.

If you haven’t yet, make sure to sign your little one up for Geoffrey’s Birthday Club!  It’s free and the club makes birthday kids feel extra special with a birthday card & gift from Geoffrey, a Birthday Phone Call from Geoffrey, a birthday crown and balloon in store and special birthday in-store events where they can attend story time and take home their very own copy of the book, plus a Geoffrey plush toy. Children can participate in the birthday club until they are 10. My boys are 7 and 8 and love being members of this club. You can read more about Geoffrey’s Birthday Club and our experience with it here.

How do you love to celebrate first birthdays?

How Toys”R”Us Helps Children Celebrate Their Birthdays

Both of my boys have June birthdays so I’m very excited to be working with Toys”R”Us to share about the changes coming to their Birthday Club this month, just in time for summer celebrations.

The boys had their birthday party at the beginning of the month and the first thing they wanted to do with their money and gift cards that they received was to head to their favorite store, Toys”R”Us. I remember when I was young and how hard it was to hold on to the gift cards when there were SO. MANY. TOYS. so the very next day (which happened to be Jacob’s actual birthday) we headed to the store.

As members of the Toys”R”Us Birthday Club they had also received coupons for $3 off a purchase which they proudly brought into the store along with their wallets. They each received a birthday crown, balloon and small gift from the store (Pokemon cards which they loved!)

We’ve enjoyed being members of the Birthday Club and we are so excited that the club is getting even better! Toys”R”Us recently updated Geoffrey’s Birthday Club – which lets parents register their children’s birthdays and receive special birthday-month offers – in a big way. Geoffrey’s Birthday Club members will continue to receive a personalized birthday card, a phone call from Geoffrey and a special gift but Toys”R”Us will now be hosting special events every month, just for those celebrating birthdays!

Geoffrey’s Birthday Club members who are celebrating a birthday on/around the day of the event will have the opportunity to participate in story time with Geoffrey and receive a complimentary “The Legend of Geoffrey” book, crown, balloon and Geoffrey plush, PLUS dance to Geoffrey’s brand-new birthday song in a conga line around the store. The next birthday events are this Saturday 6/18 for June birthdays and 7/16 for July birthdays.

The new book children will receive is titled, “The Legend of Geoffrey.” The book tells the story of how Geoffrey arrived at Toys“R”Us, how he got his stars and why he loves birthdays so much. We received a copy of the book and it’s so cute (as is the Geoffrey plush)!

If your child is not a member of the Toys”R”Us Birthday Club yet you can register them here. It’s free and it really does make kid’s birthdays extra special! You can also find lots of great gift ideas for your birthday child as well.

First Birthday Smash Cake Recipes

(Disclosure: This is a compensated post but all thoughts are my own.)

Above is one of my favorite pictures of Lucas. It’s him enjoying his cake on his first birthday. He loved smashing it and squishing it between his hands and it was fun to watch his face as he tasted the sweetness of the cake.

Betty Crocker, America’s baking expert, surveyed moms and found that the most memorable part of a first birthday party is the birthday cake itself. To help make the moment extra special with a homemade touch, Betty Crocker has created a line-up of easy-to-make birthday smash cake recipes that babies can’t wait to get their hands on. Here are some of my favorites:

Confetti Smash Cake

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#1 Cutout Smash Cake

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Cheerios Smash Cake

Aren’t those the cutest!? You can find more great smash cake recipes here. Also, check out the infographic from Betty Crocker below to see how easy it is to make your child’s smash cake for their first birthday!

What did you do for your child’s first birthday? I’d love to hear :)

Birthday Celebration 2013 {Pictures}

Both of my boys have birthdays in June and my brother has two kids with birthdays in May and July. This year, instead of two or three different parties, we decided to do one family celebration. We wanted to find somewhere that wasn’t too expensive, fun for the 3-6 age range, and that had room for the adults to sit and chat. We decided on Chuck E. Cheese’s. Here are some of my favorite pictures from their party.

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(Disclosure: This is not a compensated post. My mom and dad ended up paying for the kid’s party this year. We are so blessed!)

Pump It Up’s “Save Childhood, Support Imagination” Campaign {Giveaway}

(Disclosure: I received passes from Pump It Up but all thoughts are my own.)

I believe children learn best through play so I’m excited to share about Pump It Up’s “Save Childhood, Support Imagination” campaign. With all of the tv watching and video games, our children are spending less time than ever playing and using their imaginations. Pump It Up’s campaign urges moms to commit to increased imaginative playtime and provides tools to help them accomplish this goal. 

To kick off the national initiative, Pump It Up is encouraging Moms to sign an “Imagination Declaration,” in which they commit to 1 hour each day engaging in imaginative playtime with their children in an effort to result in lifestyle changes for families across the country. To pump up parents for the challenge, the company has also created a fun “Imagination Evaluation”, a quiz to help Moms and their kids measure their imaginations.

As an added resource, Moms who sign the pledge can opt-in to receive a monthly email with helpful tips to keep their pledge to Support Imagination at home. Moms are also encouraged to visit the Support Imagination blog for additional creative ideas.

Pump It Up has also made some changes in its private parties to encourage imaginative play. Children who choose to have their birthday parties at Pump It Up can now have “Adventure Parties,” which take children through imaginary journeys as Pirates and Superheroes with new experiences added each year .

As a side note, one thing I really love about Pump It Up is their support of Autism awareness. As a parent of a child who has Autism I was happy to see a special jump night where some of the proceeds are donated to a cause I am passionate about :)

 GIVEAWAY

Pump It Up is offering 4 Pop-in-Playtime passes to one Making Time For Mommy reader. The passes are redeemable at any of the 150 locations across the country.

HOW TO ENTER

{Do any or all of the following, leave a separate comment for each you do}

1) Leave a comment telling me why you want to win

2) Share on a social network and leave the link below

3) Comment on another one of my posts

Giveaway ends July 20, 2013 at 11:59pm central time. Must be a US resident aged 18 and older to enter.

Buzz Lightyear {Glow-In-The-Dark} Themed Party

(Disclosure: Compensation and products for review were provided by Glidden via MomTrends. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions of Glidden.)

After spending a month or so redecorating the boys room, we were really excited to host a small party and show it off. Since the theme of the room was Buzz Lightyear and we had used the Glidden glow-in-the-dark paint I wanted to have a Buzz Lightyear themed party. It was so fun!

Before it started we had to decorate. Here are some pictures of the decor:

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We did a lot of themed activities. Here are some pictures of all the fun we had:

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We made Buzz Lightyear themed candy necklaces.

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We painted white t-shirts with glow-in-the-dark puffy paint. Not my best idea ever apparently since all of the children loaded the paint on and I had to keep all of the shirts to dry.

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They played an alien game, grabbing aliens with “the claw” like in Toy Story.

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We also painted figurines. I bought a box of Toy Story ones, a box of Disney Princess ones and a box of Disney Cars ones.

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Once it started getting darker we had some glow-in-the dark fun. To start, each child got some glow-in-the-dark bracelets. We also had balloons that glowed in the dark. The kids built a tent with a blanket to sit in so that all the items could shine to their fullest in the pitch black.

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Of course checking out the walls in Jake and Luke’s room was a must. Since their walls are a light color the glow-in-the-dark paint was kind of camouflaged with the lights on (unless you looked closely) so it was a huge surprise when the lights were turned off. With the lights off, the designs on the walls along with the stars on the ceiling glowed.

I was a little disappointed that the big Buzz Lightyear decal I had bought for the wall didn’t glow but it was still cool to have to add to the theme of the room.

Everyone loved the walls. Every night when their light goes off, Jake still says, “Look mom!”. I’m not sure the novelty will ever go away since every night he seems to be amazed that his walls are glowing.

As for my thoughts on the paint, I thought it added some uniqueness to the room. Sinisa thought the paint went on easily and spread evenly. I’d recommend using a sponge tipped brush if using stencils. We originally tried a small roller and that did not work at all and paintbrushes worked okay but I didn’t think they were the best tool we could have used and some of the paint smeared a bit under the stencil and dripped a bit. For stencils we used a cluster of stars, two planets, and a space shuttle.

When it comes to the paint glowing, it should be noted that it only lasts for a short period of time (like 5 minutes). It’s advertised to have a short glowing period so that time frame was expected but I would have liked for it to last a bit longer. The lights also need to be turned on ahead of time for the paint to glow (I’d recommend half an hour or so). Overall, I was pleased with the paint and would use it again in the future.
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Birthday Party Inspiration {Giveaway}

Though it’s only March I’m already thinking about the boys birthday parties. Both have birthdays in June so we normally do a joint party. Thankfully both of them like similar things since they are only a year apart in age and a joint party works for us still. I don’t see it happening for many more years as even this year, at ages 3 and 4, they are starting to grow apart. Jacob says he wants an “Avengers” party and Lucas wants a “pink cake” (though I know he would be happy with an Avengers party as well). I don’t see a pink cake fitting in with the Avengers theme.

So of course there are the themes that the boys want and then there are the themes that this mom would choose if she had her choice. I was browsing Minted.com which is a site that has everything from birthday card invites to wedding invitations to birth announcements to Holiday cards and has inspiration boards with themed party ideas. Here are some of my favorites birthday party ones:

 

Robot Party by Gina, see more Minted

Robot Party board by Gina. See more Minted

Rainbow Theme by Gina, see more Minted.com

Rainbow Theme board by Gina. See more Minted.com

And just because I couldn’t resist posting this adorable little theme for girls (though Lucas would LOVE this as well….)

Tea Party by Gina, see more www.minted.com

Tea Party board by Gina. See more www.minted.com

Aren’t these fabulous party ideas!? I love that the inspiration boards cover everything from the invites to decorations to snacks. Any reason you can think to throw a party, Minted is there to provide the cards and inspiration you need!

Are you planning a party soon? One lucky reader is going to win $50 to Minted.com!

HOW TO ENTER:

{Do any or all of the following, leave a separate comment for each you do}

1) Tell me what special occasion you need invites or announcements for

2) Tell me which birthday party invite is your favorite

3) Like Making Time For Mommy on Facebook

4) Like Minted on Facebook

5) Comment on another post

6) Subscribe to this blog via email

Giveaway ends 3/26 at 11:59pm Central time.

(Disclosure: I received a credit to Minted.com for posting but all thoughts are my own. This post is not associated with Facebook in any way.)

The Amazing Spider-Man Themed Party

With The Amazing Spider-Man movie’s upcoming release on November 9th the stores have been full of Spider-man mania and infected our house! The kids and I wanted to throw a Spider-Man party for our extended family so we headed to Walmart to get our food and decorations.

We got Spider-Man tableware, party favors, and themed activities to do during the party. It was then time to head to the grocery side and stock up on food.

I was excited to find The Amazing Spider-Man pizza boxes that Walmart had out for the movie release. Closer to the movie launch, Walmart will be releasing Amazing Spider-Man themed Augmented Reality triggers that will be included on the pizza box & display pallet, triggering special Amazing Spider-Man experiences on shoppers’ iPhone, iPad or Android in-store.We also got boxes of cheese-it’s and fruit snacks that had Spider-Man packaging. And what party would be complete without some kind of dessert? We got a package of cupcakes that had Spider-Man rings on top of them.

I decided to host the party at my mom’s house since it’s larger than mine. My brother’s family came over for the party and the kids are always excited to see their cousins. Each of them wore a Spider-Man shirt for the occasion. While the pizzas cooked and I set the table the kids watched Spider-Man cartoons.

I kept the table-settings easy. I used disposable Spider-Man plates and plain napkins. I was going to get disposable cups too but Walmart had kid’s reusable cups for less than a dollar each so I chose to get them and then each child could have one to take home. I loved the masks because they were an inexpensive way for the kids to pretend to be Spider-Man. They were a hit with the adults, too! My brother put one on and was a good sport and let me take his picture!

After we ate pizza the children enjoyed doing a variety of activities. They colored Spider-Man pages, made sticker books, and played with Spider-Man character figures.

Before leaving everyone enjoyed the Spider-Man cupcakes.

At the end of the party each child took home a goodie bag with Spider-Man figures, fruit snacks, stickers, sticker books, rings, masks, and cups.

Are you a Spider-Man fan? Did you know that you can view the movie before it comes out on the 9th?! Since we bought the pre-purchase case we were able to watch the movie on October 30th and will get the hard copy mailed to us when it’s released. If you get The Amazing Spider-Man Pre-Purchase from Walmart you can watch the movie on VUDU now along with being able to access special features. You can get all of the details by reading my post from last month. This is a must buy for any Spider-Man fan!

(Disclosure: I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment #CBias #SocialFabric #SpiderManWMT )

A TCBY Tropical Birthday Celebration

I wanted to do something special to celebrate Luke’s birthday and first day of preschool so I put together a little tropical luau themed celebration for him. The first thing I did was head to the store last night and buy the decor and groceries I needed. You can see my whole shopping trip in my Google+ album.

We got three different flavors of TCBY Frozen Yogurt because I couldn’t decide on just one!

This morning I sent Lucas to school, did a bit of cleaning, and got started on some special treats for the party. I first wanted to try my hand at making dipped ice cream cones.

I decided to use smarties instead of sprinkles around the cone. I used a rolling pin to break them into tiny pieces. Once I was done with that I dumped them out on a plate.

I then melted a bar of vanilla candy coating. I really liked using this product because I could stick it in the microwave to melt it and it had easy to follow directions so I couldn’t really mess it up.

After melting and stirring the vanilla candy coating I carefully dipped my cones into the dish. I lifted them and let them drip upside down for a few seconds before rolling them in crushed smarties.

I used the same process for waffle bowls and also decided to make candy coated stirring spoons. I put everything in the fridge for about 20 minutes to harden the candy coating.

I covered the table with a bright table cloth and set everything up for our guests. I couldn’t wait until everyone arrived.

I provided a variety of frozen yogurt toppings and some cookies I thought went well with the frozen treats.

I found fun beach themed napkins and plates. The kids also loved drinking a tropical punch from a cup with a silly straw.

Some friends arrived before Lucas got home. They had fun making a craft, playing in the water table, and ate peanut butter sandwiches for lunch.

The birthday boy was home from his first day of preschool! It was time to enjoy some TCBY frozen yogurt!!

Most of the children chose the TCBY vanilla bean frozen yogurt in a plain cone. With sprinkles of course!!

The moms all chose to eat the English Toffee flavor. This one is my favorite out of all the TCBY Frozen Yogurt flavors (and yes, I have tried every one of their products!) It is so delicious and I love the toffee pieces and the caramel in it is so sweet.

The frozen yogurt is even a hit with toddlers! My friend said that TCBY could stand for “Toddlers Best Choice of frozen Yogurt” :)

I had fun getting together with friends to celebrate Luke’s birthday. I also love that I could share TCBY frozen yogurt with them.

Want to try TCBY’s Frozen Yogurt? Head to your local Walmart’s freezer section because select Walmart’s have these delicious treats! You can also win Walmart gift cards at the upcoming TCBY Twitter Party!

TCBY Twitter Party:
Date:  Thursday, June 28, 2012 from 1pm – 2pm EST
Hashtag: #TCBYGrocery
Prizes:   3 – $25 Walmart Gift Cards and 1 – $100 Walmart Gift Card

Connect with TCBY and Smarties:

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(Disclosure: I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and TCBY #CBias #SocialFabric #TCBYGrocery)

Disney Cars Themed Birthday Party Ideas

(This post includes affiliate links)

The boys had a blast at their Disney Cars themed birthday party.

Below are some of the Cars decorations, treats, and fun themed activities we did:

Indoor Fun: Car mat w/ cars

Find a similar rug here: Disney Pixar Cars Racing Interactive Game Rug

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Jacob colored a Lightning McQueen cutout and then we had smaller cars as well to decorate the living room

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The cake table was setup with balloons, some cars cutouts, and the goodie bags

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Dessert #1: Rice Krispie Treat Stoplights- I had planned to dip the rice krispie treats in chocolate before putting the m&m’s on them but we were short on time.

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Dessert #2: Cars cake

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The boys LOVED this huge Cars mural. It was over 5 feet tall. I got it from Party City and plan on finding a permanent home for it in the boys room.

Here is a similar wall mural: Disney Pixar The World of Cars Giant Decorating Kit

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I found this trophy and thought it would be perfect for the party. I told them it was the Piston Cup, just like the Cars try to win in the movie. They are still carrying it around days later :)

Here is a similar Trophy Set- Great for Goody Bags

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The kids enjoyed doing a Cars sand art project. It was really messy so I was happy that I’d chosen to do it outside!

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All of the children had fun breaking apart the pinata. I liked this one because all they had to do was pull strings for it to open. The ones that need to be broken open with a bat are not so easy for my young kids to do.

Find one on Amazon here: Disney Cars Lightning McQueen Pinata, Pull String

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I bought Mater party hats but we found them hard to put together. The kids didn’t like them because the hats covered their eyes. This was the one party item I bought that I wish I wouldn’t have.

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At the end of the party the kids got Cars themed goodie buckets overflowing with Cars themed fun.

Overall it was a great party! :)

‘The Avengers’ Superhero Birthday Party Ideas

With the success of ‘The Avengers’ movie I think there will be a lot of children wanting superhero birthday parties. Here are some great ideas from Ms. Ricky Eisen, Founder and President of Events and Celebrations by Between the Bread on how to throw a superhero party worthy of ‘The Avengers’.

Invitations: Start your party off right with the perfect invitation. You can make your own postcard invitations with cardboard cut-outs of bright blue painted stars, and include the details about your party in a thin black marker. Decorate the front of each with classic comic book words like POW!, ZAP! And WAM!

Décor: The Avengers bring together 6 epic superheroes. Create your own easy decorations with cardboard cutouts of spiders and paint them black, neon green head’s of The Hulk and classic American flags for Captain America and, throughout the party, use bold colored streamers, which will add some mystery to the room.

Centerpieces: Choose your favorite Avenger and decorate the table around that character. Use lots of primary colors, since comic strips are usually blue, yellow and red. Print outs of comic book pages covered in contact paper make great placemats. Blanket your tables with these to tie the décor together and include stars, spiders and Hawkeye cut-outs on wooden sticks around the table with silver confetti.

Music: Keep the music simple but fun. “Live to Rise,” the original song written for and appearing in the film is the first single from the Marvel Music/Hollywood Records release Avengers Assemble.  The epic and cinematic video, featuring a searing live performance with film footage, was directed by Robert Hales (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Janet Jackson, Kings of Leon, Justin Timberlake).  View “Live To Rise”:  http://www.vevo.com/watch/soundgarden/live-to-rise-from-marvels-the-avengers/USH5V1221447 or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3ZNtOcY_1A

Menu: Mini snacks such as cut-out tea-sandwiches make great finger food. Look for cookie cutters in shields, stars and spiders to create these treats. For Incredible Hulk themed beverages, create trays of green ice cubes by freezing water with green food color, and WOW! guests as their clear citrusy beverages transform color before their very eyes.

Party Favors: As a parting gift, place a few Avenger designed cookies in a cellophane bag and close with a gold twist-tie – your guests can enjoy the party for days to follow with these treats!”

RECIPE

 1.    Whip up a batch of your favorite sugar cookie recipe and use a cookie cutter to make character cookies.  They make Superhero cookie cutters in the shape of many Avengers heroes.  You can also use any oval shaped cookie cutter and instead fill in the details with your decorating.  Once your cookies are baked and cooled, you are ready to begin decorating.

2.    You can make your own royal icing (See:  How to Make Your Own Royal Icing included below) or use store-bought.  Color with food coloring to achieve the various colors you want for decorating.  We recommend green (for the Hulk), yellow, blue, black, white, and brown.  Place each color in a piping bag.

3.    Begin by outlining the cookie in your base color.  (If you were starting with The Hulk, outline the entire shape in green.  Color in your outline with green icing and cover the entire cookie.  (You can actually use a paintbrush to “paint” your cookie.)  Give the base a few minutes to dry and choose your next color.  For The Hulk’s hair, outline his hairline in black and proceed to fill in with black icing.  You can continue to draw features in and watch your character come to life.

How to Make Your Own Royal Icing

  • 3 egg whites, at room temperature.  We prefer dehydrated egg whites, available at most supermarkets.
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
  • food coloring (optional)

Mix above ingredients with a little warm water until smooth.  Add food coloring.

(Disclosure: All information courtesy of Disney. I was not compensated for this post.)

Firetruck Themed Birthday Party

My boys’ birthdays are in June. It’s February and I am just now sharing pictures of the great firetruck themed birthday party we had to celebrate Luke’s 2nd and Jake’s 3rd birthdays. What can I say? I’ve been busy. lol. Enjoy these pictures that show the fun of the day :)

Jacob before the party. He was really excited to see everything that had been set up while he napped. He is wearing his “big brother” firetruck shirt and Lucas had a matching one that said “little brother”.

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The cake table

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The cake (made by Renee of Caketastic)

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Appetizers- “fire” colored fruits and veggies

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The little firefighters loved playing in the water

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For a craft they decorated firetrucks

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Firetruck vehicles and firefighters were available for the kids to play with

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I got this board (from Oriental Trading) for the kids to get their pictures taken

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This firefighter themed Brio set kept the kids busy (and Grandpa too)

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I got a firetruck bubble blower and some games for outdoor fun

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Time to blow out the candles!

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The boys thought the cake was delicious!

To eat we grilled HOT dogs and enjoyed WATERmelon to keep with the “fire” theme. We also had a firetruck pinata and other firetruck themed decorations. For party favors we gave each child a firefighter hat and a bag of treats and firetruck themed items.

It was a great party and everyone had a lot of fun! :)

Throw A Birthday Party For Jesus {10 Ideas}

This year for Christmas we will be staying home. The children will be getting Christmas gifts but we will also be celebrating Jesus’ birthday. I wanted to share 10 ideas for throwing a birthday party for Jesus:

1) Along with “Happy Birthday Jesus” you can sing Christmas Carols like “Joy To The World” and “Away In A Manger”

2) Bake Him a birthday cake (find a cake recipe with symbolism here)

3) Have your children make a birthday card for Jesus

4) No birthday party is complete without gifts. Look through a gift catalog, like World Vision’s, that gives gifts to those in need and choose a gift to give.

5) Have everyone wear birthday “cone” hats (find a printable here)

6) Make birthday party decorations by creating paper chains with all the names of Jesus on them

{click to be taken to Spell Outloud blog for directions on making this paper chain}

7) Make a CHRISTmas craft (I have ideas here)

8) Bake cookies together and package them to give to friends.

9) Read about Jesus’ birth to focus on the reason you are celebrating.

10) Invite friends. If you do it on a day other than Christmas you can make it a true birthday party by inviting your friends to celebrate with you.

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You may also enjoy my post on 7 ways to celebrate the reason for the season!