spring cleaning & other habits I should start

I'm writing this to avoid cleaning the house.
I don't like cleaning the house but I'm ok with all the laundry washing and folding. A friend of mine likes cleaning her house but loath the laundry ... put us together and we are the perfect SAHM!

I have tried a couple of schedules like every Monday wipe down bathrooms and kitchen counter, Tuesday do the towels and vacuum, etc. so that way everyday a little bit of cleaning gets done and it never turns into a massive all day project. But those don't work out because I get sweaty and gross from wiping down the bathrooms and think to myself, welp why not continue getting gross and clean the entire house and be done with it! 
Then this craze of Kondo-ing happened and I thought, I like the concept, let's try it. That did not go over well because we have a stash of craft supplies, scrape wood, computer parts and other, what Marie might call, junk that gets used ... eventually. Just the other day I was spray paining Christmas ornaments and had to find a rod of some sort and something to put it on so the ornaments could hang freely, and if I had tossed the cracked 5 gallon hardware store buckets we have in the garage, I would not have been able to complete my project! So things come in handy in their own time even if it doesn't spark joy, the key is to not collect so much you are swamped in your own supplies!

So I need to revamp my cleaning goals to keep this house organized and dust-free, and that got me thinking about other habits that I waiver about with all the time: Food Tracking, Financial Habits, Productive Morning Routine, Nightly Self Care Routine, and so on. So let's do this!

The best way to create or maintain habits is to have them written down somewhere and make it visible, a planner and time blocking will help jump start the whole thing, then start with a few simple habits you can easily put in motion! Along with those first steps, getting to bed early and waking up early, just little by little, is sure to get you motivated to work on your goal!  

Cleaning is not fun and I don't like it, but when it is all done, oh man does the house look better! It's brighter, fresh, and I feel accomplished! I remember being taught in school, do the hardest work first so it's done and over with and you can move on to the stuff you want to work on. That is so true when it comes to cleaning the house! I find that breaking it down into smaller workloads is best, first declutter all flat surfaces, you are less overwhelmed that way. Next make the bed, the room looks instantly better!

While decluttering, set a timer, that way you can take a break or wrap up to move onto the next area. Put on some music while you do all of this, it gets you pumped up and keeps you motivated, that's the simplest and best idea to get myself in gear to clean!

After phase one is complete, it really comes down to where to next. For me that is the bedrooms, that way they are done before kiddos get home and they are not underfoot and I'm not so filthy I can go pick them up! I continue with the living room while they are in the lower level playroom, then the playroom and office and they can watch TV in the living room. Whew, all soft surfaces are done and I can cook dinner with out taking a sanitizing scrub down shower, that will be for another day. Yep, the best schedule I have is a 2-day cleaning routine for the house. Don't get me wrong, I sweep, vacuum, and spot clean when needed, but dusting all the family photos and blinds isn't a weekly occurrence in this house. Either the next day or the day after that, I get ready to get gross and clean the dining room, kitchen, laundry room, and bathrooms! Ooohh fun! 

Life in general needs to be organized, we do it at work and with kiddos activities, so why not a daily to do, it will keep you organized and less hectic rushed through the day! I love this list I found and the time to spend on each one is really perfect, 52 weeks in a year, why not make each one productive? I like a couple of apps that I can customize a checklist right at my finger tips, they are Tasks and Taskaday! Or if you prefer a print out, checkout this free printable! But I find having a notebook as my planner works best for anything I have to jot down, and it's easy to just leave each item where it is instead of rewriting it on the next days page. I don't have time for that! But I do like lists and it feels so good when you cross out each line. So let's keep it simple because the secret to being organized is no secret at all,

Don't aim for perfect!

Make a daily, weekly, big project, etc. to do list, then get to it.

 No procrastinating!

Pick up as you go about your day, that means paperwork, dishes, jackets, etc.

Meal plan, it's a life saver!

Have a place for everything.

Purge regularly and be happy with less!

Spend a few minutes everyday tidying up each room.

I've been good and bad about the early to bed and early to rise portion of all these habit trackers, I'm trying, I'm really trying! On days that it works out, I'm able to get a morning routine of stretching, making a nice little breakfast, washing my face, putting on makeup, and feel great! Putting my clothes out or having an idea like with the app YourCloset, is a great help! Evenings are easier to get in some reading, stretching, calendar planning, etc. but I need to make sure I don't end up staying up late doing all of that!


As far as fitness goes, I think my Fitbit is great for tracking! Misfit is another great brand of fitness tracker or you can install an app on your phone if you carry your phone in your pocket a t all times like my husband does, he likes Google Fit. I just started a trial of Noom which has a great food log and support community group as well as a "personalized" plan and coach to help you along the way. I've posted before about BodBot for a daily tracker for workouts and weigh ins, as well as Sworkit, which now has an updated version for purchase. I recently found HiFit that has a 28 day challenge, 30 Days Workout, and Daily Workouts. The best tracker I like to use for fitness is Taskaday so I can customize what I'm tracking as well as my water intake!

OH my money is not in the best shape, but we have been rounding up and putting the extra change into our savings account with Capital One, they have a great monthly interest and you can open multiple savings accounts with no fees, and it's all done in their easy app! There are so many financial people out there who will tell you the best things to do to get your finances right and pay off your debt, any subject you can think of, they have an answer for! I am not one of those people, ha! So, I found a great article that has great ideas about how to get your finances looking great !

FIRST REPETITION, NEXT A HABIT, THEN A LIFESTYLE

xo

crafty lady

I have always had a box or drawer with crafting odds and ends. I grew up with a room that was sectioned off into play room and craft room. My mom made so much from art supplies and scrapes of fabric from yard sales and thrift shops. Needless to say, I now have a crafting business of my own! I opened up a shop on Etsy about mid-November and have had some success with the items I've posted! A lot of product is from from my mom who has been cleaning out the house for about a year to downsize and move, the rest is just stuff I've had laying around forever and I finally had time, and the creative mind, to put together "product"! It's been great to spend a couple hours painting small pots from my wedding centerpieces {that have sat in my parent's garage since 2010} and create a little piece of lovely from something that another person would have trashed or donated! Yes, I had to spend some money to make some money since a lot of my paints have dried up or I was looking for a specific finishing, but in the long run I have made money which is a great feeling!

Some projects haven't been for the shop, it really wouldn't have sold, so I have a couple fun DIYs for you today!

Paper Towel and Toilet Paper Rolls -- Make a bracelet bar, Pen & Pencil organizer, donate to school {the teacher will love you for handing over a bag full of these!}, Wall hanging art, Painting utensils, Hot Wheels car storage, Extension cord holder, animals and puppets for the kids for all holidays!

Scrape Wood -- You know all those cute little signs that are everywhere nowadays, the "Bless This Mess" or "Family Rules" or "No Talkie Before Coffee"?! Well, they are super simple to make! Just go through your garage for some scrape wood and stain, it's there somewhere on a shelf you know it is! And tracing over printed out words is an easy technique that anyone can do, then paint. Or better, get a metallic sharpie marker and just write your own saying for a great little home decor piece!

Large Scrape Wood -- A few years ago I was trying to figure out a great place for Christmas stockings and decided we need a fireplace, plain and simple! Well, we don't have one nor do we have space for a fake one so I found four pieces of wood in the garage and a flat piece of plywood. Cut, sanded, and screwed them together to make a nice little fireplace! I painted the plywood with chalkboard paint and I'm so happy with the results and the kiddos like another chalkboard! Another large piece was used for the kiddos growth chart and all I needed was a marker to tick the measurements and clear coat sprayed on nicely.

Chalkboards are Everywhere -- I have a large framed chalkboard in the kitchen, a small one hanging on the front door, and a third for parties I host with my Young Living Essential Oils. Each one is easy to clean and I used one can of paint for all of the above mentioned projects, and there is a bit left over! That chalkboard paint goes a long way and I only needed two coats anymore would have been excessive. The tray I use for these parties was a cabinet door that I painted the insert chalk and the outer frame white for a really chic way to display the make & take sprays customers can enjoy!

Random Paper -- I took art classes in college and when S started art this year in kindergarten, I unearth a bunch of supplies from prism color pens, to oil pastels, to coloraid paper! I saved the paper because it was so expensive and I used so little of it throughout these classes! It's really great medium weight paper in all the colors imaginable and it almost feels like a paint chip you would get from the paint department at Home Depot {another great place to get a few colors for fun projects!}

 Other Randoms from the House -- I save clothes pins, sequence, corks, fish tank pebbles, chopsticks, any ribbon or thick string, straws, I think you get the idea! WHY!?! Why you ask, because I have kids and you never know what kind of project you might have to come up with on the weekend, spring break, or summer vacation to entertain them! My case in point, S got an Avengers action figure from my thrift store shoppin' mom and he was SO excited, but Thor did not have his hammer. Where it it? Nobody else can lift that hammer, why doesn't Thor have his hammer? So to solve this problem, we simply made Thor's hammer! I grabbed my paint, chopsticks, a wine bottle cork and some wire. Now it is not any kind of replica, but S thinks it's great and that's all that matters!

Cardboard! -- What can't you do with cardboard?! If it is a good sturdy piece, I keep it, and so does my mother-in-law! She once handed me a bag of cardboard, the kind from the back of a legal pad, nice 8x11 size, good thickness all in good condition, because she knows I keep crafty things and she thought she would do something crafty with these one day, but that was 15 years ago and now the front living room needs to be cleaned out. I kept them thinking the same thing, one day these will get used, and soon after, they did! Z wanted to make stepping stones because the floor was lava and she was using books. The books were starting to tear from the covers because as she stepped, she slide a bit, so I grabbed that bag of cardboard and they have been her lava floor stepping stones ever since! I have also made a doll house out of cardboard boxes and scrape fabric, a shelf for the front closet out of diaper boxes, and a nice little tablet case from a few of those legal pad cardboard pieces! Ductape is also cardboard's best friend and the two make useful things together! For all those items there are great tutorial online.

Family Memories -- I think my most favorite project with stuff from around the house, is using old family things like recipe cards, dollies, costume jewelry, and other items that aren't really heirloom quality but they are still family treasures! A lot of family members are turning recipe cards from the boxes into digital files or a bound book from a professional printing company, which is nice and an easy way to get all those together, but I really like the handwriting and notes on the sidebar from my grandma, as well as the sauce stains, those are things that you might not get with an updated version of the recipe or from a beautiful cookbook. So I found a really great frame at a resale store and bought some heavy weight paper to make my own mat, and put together a great home decor wall hanging that is a conversation piece!

I WAS CRAFTY WHEN CRAFTY WASN'T COOL

xo

cheap date night part 2

So I have some more cheap date night ideas! I don't know about you, but I am done with this weather and I want to be outside and hanging out with one person I know will be having a good time! And with spring blooming, there is no shortage of outdoor date night to be had! So again, in no particular order,

*Museum Tour! Does St. Louis have good museums? No, they are GREAT museums! And so many to choose from! Take your date to the History Museum, the Science Center, Botanical Gardens, Art Museum, each place has a calendar of events and rotating exhibits, I'm sure you will find something you both will love!

*Sculpture Park! If you are just itching to get outside, look no further than the Laumiere Sculpture Park for a wonderful array of art in a beautiful setting! Not to mention they have a calendar of events as well!

*The Muny! Have you seen a show at this amazing outdoor theater? If not, then you must go one night and grab some take out on the way! This theater has a handful of rows in the back that are free seating and all you have to do is get in line! I would suggest getting their a bit early so you are toward the front of the lines, and that is where the take out comes in, while you wait you and your date enjoy a meal along the walkway. It really is nice because the walkways line the grassy fields and your dinner conversation could involve your line neighbor!

*Shakespeare in the Park! Bring your chairs and a feast to enjoy the amazing outdoor renditions of your favorite Shakespeare plays! This year the play runs May 31-June 23, get all the details before you head to Forest Park!

*Batting Cages, Driving Range! Yep, some more fun to feel like a kid again and have some good laughs! There are quit a lot of venues around town for batting cages than I thought, and as far as driving ranges you can find a wide variety of pricing depending on where you go!

*Video Games! Got a console collecting dust, or haven't played Guitar Hero in awhile?? What better activity to do on a rainy (or just feeling lazy) kinda night with the SO!?

* Movie in the Park! On Art Hill over to St, Charles, there are outdoor movies everywhere this time of year! Get your favorite movie snacks and enjoy! 

*Food Trucks! This is such a fun idea if the two of you can't agree on what to eat! There are a couple events all spring and summer at different St. Louis County parks as well as St. Charles parks!

*Brewery Tour! Try an Anheuser-Busch beer at the end of this pretty cool tour of the brewery! Or create your own tour/crawl throughout the are, like at Urban Chestnut Brewery, Schlafly Brewhouse, O'Fallon Brewery, 4Hands Brewery or any of the many local brew bars around town!

*The Symphony! That's right, the symphony, outside on a beautiful evening! There is a weekly line up at The History Museum or check out this evening of amazing music!

*Day Date at the Pool! Take the day off and be cool at the pool! We did this last year and it was great! It was a really fun time without the kiddos, relaxing in the lazy river and racing down the slides with no cares in the world (at least for a couple hours anyway)!

DATE NIGHT = THE BEST NIGHT OF THE WEEK

xo

spring in st. louis

Nothing says springtime like the great outdoors, and St. Louis has plenty of open spaces that celebrate such glorious nature. From the charming Citygarden and playground at Kiener Plaza downtown, to the internationally acclaimed Missouri Botanical Garden and its 79 acres of lovely landscapes. And don't forget Forest Park, where beautiful fountains and scenic lakes share space with top attractions including the Zoo, Art Museum, Science Center and History Museum! 

All said attractions have such a calendar going on, so I'll start with the Art Museum.
Art in Bloom March 1-3, Family Sundays and Wee Wednesdays will bring creativity to the little ones every Sunday and Wednesday with different topics, and SLAM Underground round out the months!

The Zoo has such a fun list of event with Breakfast with Bunny April 13, Earth Day: Party for the Planet April 28, and Make Tracks Through the Zoo their annual 5K race! And that is just a few events the Zoo has in store for you, so check out all the wonderful events they have in store for you as well as the polar bears, stingrays, and zebras!

At the Science Center, this is the final week of their amazing exhibit Guitar, it closes April 14! April 20 will be their SciFest, which I am excited to take the kiddos to and explore lots of cool things with them, every third Saturday of the month is when this event is held so if you miss April's catch it next month! Also check out their full calendar and look into their summer kids activities!

The History Museum has the outstanding kids area which we love to check out after an hour of playing at the Visitors Center playground, but the History Museum also has storytelling mornings, parents & me events, the Muny exhibit, and the 40th St. Louis Storytelling Festival coming up! To me, it's not spring in St. Louis until the Twilight Tuesday schedule comes out, a free outdoor concert series, Twilight Tuesdays takes place on the front lawn with a spectacular musical lineups. Grab your blankets and lawn chairs, pack your picnic basket, and come hear some terrific music under a beautiful Forest Park sunset.

Laumier Sculpture Park is such a great walk when the weather has finally turned out nice and this year they are celebrating their 32nd Art Fair! Check out more events about the area and the wonderful art!

Missed the Cardinals home opener? Catch the St. Louis Cardinals all spring and summer along with other events down at Busch Stadium!

Get ready for Grant's Farm to open it's doors on May 3, home to history, wildlife and and adventure for the whole family! Come see the beautiful grounds and take a short bus tour to the garden area with goats, monkeys, and camels among other animals to see and relax at the community patio for a snack and a beer tasting!


Speaking of beer ... the list of beer festivals is awesome and I want to check out each and everyone of them this year! Research for another post?! YES!
Schlafy Stout & Oyster Festival March 22-23
St. Louis MicroFest May 2-3
Manchester Craft Beer Festival May 11
Lupulin Carnival May 18
IndiHop June 1

Wine lovers, I didn't forget you, the patios are opening and there are bottles to uncork!

Let's talk about the kiddos some more and all the Easter egg hunts around town!
AB Green Park in Brentwood April 13 @ 10AM
Drewel Park in Eureka April 13 @ 10AM
The Meadows Shopping Center in Lake St. Louis April 13 @ 10AM
Vlasis Park in Ballwin April 13 @ 11AM
Francis Park in St Louis Hills April 20 @ 11AM
Des Peres Park in Des Peres April 20 @ 10AM
Whitecliff Park in Crestwood April 20 @ 10AM
Kirkwood Lions Club in Kirkwood April 20 @ 12PM
And there are so many more at local churches!

Last but not least, let's celebrate Earth Day! We have this beautiful Earth to celebrate and keep clean, and St. Louis is putting on the 30th Earth Day Festival April 27-28 at the Muny grounds with organic farming classes, rock climbing, yoga, and more! I can't wait to check this out with the family, maybe I'll see you there!

THE EARTH LAUGHS IN FLOWERS

xo

my ride!

I love my mini van! Say what you want about that particular kind of vehicle, but even when we were pre-parents, Joe had a TrailBlazer and we loved it! We could pack a long weekend of camping gear and whatever else we wanted in it and still have room, comfortable room, for a friend in the back seat! I've always liked roomier cars in which nobody was cramped in their seat, so this van is the best by far!

The 2015 Dodge Grand Caravan SE model, has 17-inch wheels, heated exterior mirrors, silver and piano black interior accents, black cloth seats and leather-wrapped steering wheel, black headliner and overhead console. It has seating for up to seven passengers and is sold in four grades. Its sole engine is a 3.6-liter V-6 with 283 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. Flexibility and utility are the 2015 Dodge Grand Caravan’s strengths with its available Stow n’ Go seats and up to 143.8 cubic feet of cargo volume with the second and third rows folded down. Additionally, material quality inside the cabin has improved after the significant refresh in the 2010 model year. Acceleration is another strong point, thanks to the van’s powerful V-6 engine and returns 17/25 mpg city/highway, and earned a four-star overall safety score from the NHTSA (out of a possible five stars) and good ratings on four IIHS tests.

Forget you truck for moving your friends, this ride can hide away the back rows for full capacity of boxes and other crap! And did I mention the organization?? Flip open compartment above my head, 2 glove box compartments, 2 slide close storage areas in the front console, side pockets on the front doors and on the back of the front seats, slide open compartment under the middle console!! WHAT!? Not to mention a few pockets for the third row and cup holders for every passenger in the car! It's heaven on wheels my friends! Not to mentions, its a beautiful red!An automatic, wave your foot thing to open and close the gate would be nice, so would full size retractable shades for the sliding door windows, but I'm sure that would have cost us much more. Maybe I can get those custom made, added on in a couple months ... hmmm!

I NEED TO GO FOR A DRIVE

xo

kiddos favorite apps

I have a tablet for work purposes that the kiddos can use occasionally, I don't think we will ever buy them their own tablet just for playing games, that's just not how we do. I have taught them that playing games on my work tablet is a privilege, it is not something that they get to do whenever they feel like it, and that this tablet is to be treated properly, they need to be calm, patient, and respectful with others peoples things. That's how it should be, don't ya think??

Time on the tablet is a once in awhile thing, just like having a chocolate chip cookie once in awhile is fine. Would you eat a chocolate chip cookie everyday and expect to be healthy? No! So take that same way of thinking and apply it to tablet time. It's really that simple.

Over the years we have found some fun apps, some not so great apps, and others that were a one time to check it out and it ended up being a dud. They are now 6 and 4 and I think we have a pretty great selection of fun AND educational apps for them to play on. I stress educational because I want them to learn to use technology as one of the educational tools in their belt. I believe that technology is good and can be a great learning tool but it needs to be incorporated with other learning tools, it is not the end all be all of our lives! It is not the only thing that you should concern yourself with and it makes me sick when I hear our older nephews only talk about video games!! I don't care if it's a computer game, XBox, or Nintendo Switch, if that is the only thing a kid talks about, there is something wrong and I think a major break from technology is needed!! No more, "well they are teenagers" or "that's what kids are into these days". I call bullshit!

My first and foremost favorite app we found for the kiddos is the PBS Parents Play app, it has games with letters, numbers, shapes, problem solving in a variety of ways ... it is all around fantastic! To piggy back on that the Cookie Monster Alphabet Kitchen if great too! They also like a character that is near and dear to my heart, and the artwork is spot on, The Very Hungry Caterpillar app by Story Toys is cute and the kids get to help the caterpillar along his adventure. I mention the app creator because there are a few different ones with that character.

There are a couple racing games that S likes, but he is really into Hot Wheels Race Off and he cars in the game are the ones that are sold in stores, so we have a few of the cars! He gets so excited when a car that he has pops up in the game, which is great because he then goes and gets that car and starts building tracks to race in the playroom! Sometimes its disappointing when he doesn't have the same moving parts or explosions like the game does {LOL!} but whatcha gonna do about that ... a teaching moment about real life versus pretend like movies, tv shows, and games I guess! Another one that he wants to play all the time is Lep's World, a knock off of Super Mario Bros with a leprechaun. It's so funny how much like Mario this one is, same imagery, same concept of things to maneuver through, same fun feeling when you accomplish a level! 

Both of my kids like the building games that I found, one is Thomas the Train. Even though we never watched the show, the idea of building your own little town with tracks and passages is great! A few tasks and challenges are thrown in to unlock different things and they really enjoy it. Another favorite along that line is Love Balls, a game designed to bring two spheres together by drawing lines in which they can roll down toward each other and each level is more difficult. There are a handful of games along this line, but the rolling balls are my kiddos favorite!

Tetris, Block! Hexa, and Flow are all shape fitting and sorting games that are a bit more difficult but fun none the less! The spacial thinking really gets them involved and I can see the wheels turning in their little heads trying to find the solution!

One of Z's favorite is Bubble Witch, where the different colored ball form together and she has to aim and shoot to pop the same color in time so they don't reach the bottom. She also likes Robots by iAbu22, it's one we stumbled upon somehow and its pretty cute! She gets to create her own robot and it flies thru a maze to find it's friend and she catches stars in the process!

A few calming, just let the mind wander apps we like are Glow Draw, Magic Fluids, and Particle Flow. I found these on Andriod after my sister showed me iZen. They are all just cool colors flowing on the screen and you can swipe in any direction to move the mass, just a vegging-out kinda thing!

Last but not least is one we all like to play and it really does do your brain some good, Luminosity. It's designed by scientists and designers, which features games to improve your memory, cognitive abilities, and problem-solving skills, through a daily mental training program. The kiddos love it, I love it, it trips us up and keeps us sharp! It's really fun and I highly recommend it!

I DON'T GET OLDER, I LEVEL UP

xo

party on!

We have birthdays in two seasons of the year, my birthday and my son's is in the summer and my husband's and my daughter's is in the winter. I'm holding true to "winter" because in St. Louis, March is still a ridiculousness of cold-just at freezing-temps a fair amount of the month! So I have two drastic styles of party planning when it comes to the kiddos and with them still little, it's pretty easy going.

We are still throwing family only parties for them, and this is just direct family, not all my husband's aunts and uncles and each of their groups of kids and grand kids, the house would burst at the seams if we did that! And it's great because all the cousins get along and fit in the playroom and there is just enough snacks and cake that we don't spend another high dollar grocery run on it. I'm offered a pot luck style gathering every time and that just doesn't work for me because then the kitchen is full of people and extra pots and the majority of the time when a pot luck is held at another family gathering, there is always one person who needs the oven or stove to cook their item instead of just bringing it already prepared! UGH! The only food requirements are gluten-free {which is easier than people think} and making sure nobody dips a chip and contaminates it for her, but usually she brings a few things for herself and I get her a pint of coconut milk or avocado based ice cream, which both are really tasty so don't knock it til you try it!

Summer parties are so much easier to host and I'm glad to have everyone over! Make outside a lovely shaded oasis, get the sprinklers and bubbles out, BBQ some meats, everyone stays outside for awhile and it works out great! We decorate the patio with lights to indicate that is where the party is, roll out the ice chest with drinks and the kids all run around until gift opening and they go home ... fantastic! Both parties, I have managed over the years, to find universal decorations and paper goods, Joe makes a great cake and we decorate that with homemade banners and other cuteness. So here are my tips and tricks for a great kids birthday party!

Keep it Simple! So simple, by starting with the character or theme the kid likes

and get basic colors of that character. Sonic the Hedgehog -- blue and red balloons, maybe go to Party City for a mylar balloon. Super Hero Girls -- purple, red, pink, yellow cake decoration cutouts that sat POW, ZAP, BOOM taped on toothpicks and stick in cake with her super hero dolls surrounding the cake. Very Hungry Caterpillar -- green and red plates and cups that I picked up at Dollar Tree or 5 Below.

Basic Kid Food! Pizza, hot dogs, and burgers are the best. You can find a lot of varieties of take and bake or just order from the place up the street. Burgers can be made ahead of time, buns are pretty inexpensive and so are condiments. Sandwhich fixings are a no brainer, place everything out, DIY so everyone gets what they like, it all tastes great and the kids will eat dinner among the chaos!

Veggie Trays are the Best! I always have a couple dips and a couple veggies cut up with a bag or two of chips and it always goes over well with guest. The kids eat it too! At times I've made a fruit platter but that usually goes into the freezer for smoothies after the party since nobody likes the texture of soggy fruit bowl for breakfast. 

Crockpot! We have done spinach dip in the crockpot a few times for our winter birthday parties and it is a hit! Anything you can toss in a crockpot and leave it to the side while the rest of the party gets fixed up is the best!  If you have someone with a bulk grocer card like Costco or Sam's Club, ask if you can go with them on the next trip to pick up any large bags of ingredients needed, it will really help you in the long run. Also, in the summer the crockpot doesn't give off heat like firing up the oven does!

Invites! I've made some pretty neat invitations on Publisher, already on my computer, with clipart or personal photos in the past, some have been an actual cut down to size card and others have been a flyer style, but I have to say the easiest and cheapest (FREE!) have been using Punchbowl. You can pay for upgraded invites, but I always find great free ones, and you can customize a bit with comments, potluck list, rsvp list, and reminders!

Don't Go Overboard! All the matching streamers, balloons, plates, invitations, labels for water bottles ... what!?! Why would I waste my time on labeling bottles that will be tossed in the recycling bin?! It's so much work! Yeah it have an impact on the whole "look" of the party maybe, but is there a magazine coming to photo this party for the cover or the feature article?? No! So don't bother with it. The amount of fun, the gifts, and the cool cake are the top three memory makers for any little kid, you know it is.

I always ask the kiddos what they want to do for their parties months ahead of time so if they change their mind (which has happened recently!) I'm not scrambling at the last minute! They kiddos always have ideas that I figured would manifest into a party for them, but it's recipes and other party foods that I want to take a peek at, see what is something different I can do this time. So then I head on over to my trusty idea board on PINTEREST to look up a few ideas, especially for cake decorating. Some are so elaborate ans crazy, I wish we could pull it off but there is usually a lower level back up to the professionals! I tell ya, we don't make super-delicious-its-so-fantastic cakes, but Joe really knows how to decorate a birthday cake, he's amazing at it!
In the end, it doesn't cost us as much as our wedding reception, and everyone has a great time, and that's what matters most! As they get older, I'm sure things will change, and venues will be needed, or they will develop expensive tastes, but I hope their memories of their younger birthday parties will stick with them forever!

TODAY I EAT CAKE

xo