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Saturday, April 30, 2016

Dare to Share #211






It is Friday night, and you know what that means.. 
It is time to Dare to Share!  




Today is the birthday of my son and one of my best friends. In honor of their birthday,  I have been re-sharing some of their parties, and special treats. In the post Garden Parties and Flower Cupcakes I shared many ideas from my friend's big birthday garden party, and her rose flower cupcakes that I made the following year.  I will be re-sharing some of my son's favorite parties this weekend.  



If you are ever in the need of a birthday card and don't want to pay a lot of money,  The Country Chic Cottage has this great DIY where you can make a card from a coloring sheet.  I love how you can customize it to the party theme or colors

I had hoped to get a few more features posted, so I will still be sharing a few more.  This week I had family in town, worked a few days, and and flood in my bathroom. I really would not mind if my life was a little more boring, so I had more computer time. ;) 


Planning a party, and want to do it like Martha does?  My co-host Kim from Kandy Kreations has some great party planning tips that will help your next party be extra special. 


Now it is time for this week's party.  You are welcome to link up anything that you would like to share.  If you are chosen as a Dare to Share Feature, you post will be featured on the blog and on my social media.  This party is also seen on Kandy Kreatons for double the exposure.  Kim also chooses posts to feature on her blog and social media.  

Link up and HAVE FUN!! 


   
   







Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Garden Parties and Flower Cupcakes

This weekend it is the birthday of my son and one of my best friends.  Over the years I have thrown them parties and made them special treats.  There are no big parties planned this year, but I do have a few treats in the works.  In honor of their big day, I thought I would re-share some party ideas I have done in the past starting with my friends big birthday.

Garden Party Table, Flower Pot Favors

When my friend hit a milestone birthday a few years ago, I planned the party.  I did not want to make fun of her age, because I am a couple of years younger than her. I knew that if I was nice to her, she would be nice to me when the time came. (which will be this year!)   We kind of had a duel theme, which was a Garden Party and Spring Chick.  (she was not old, but still a spring chicken!) 

On the main table we had a pretty vase filed with flower and mini Flower Pot Favors filled with candy.  I had found these mini pots at the dollar store in packages of 3 for $1. 

DIY Flower Pot Topiaries

Make your own flower topiary


We also made several Flower Topiaries to decorate the party area.  They were a perfect fit for our Garden Party theme.  Notice there is also a little chick in the picture.  




I had made a Cupcake Stand using candlesticks and plates from the dollar store to hold the Spring Chick cupcakes. 

Flower Cupcakes with Gum Drop Flowers

The following year for her birthday I made her these Flower Cupcakes.  They turned out so pretty and would also make a great gift for Mother's Day coming up in a few days.  

This year she would like me to make something with chocolate and cherry.  I am not sure exactly what I am making yet, but look for it very soon!  



DIY Birthday Card from Coloring Page - Dare to Share Feature of the Day

Make your own birthday card, customize your own cards, coloring sheets

Do you ever plan on attending a party and realize you do not have a card? When I do look at cards at the store, I do not like to pay $4-$5 for the card especially if it's for a child who just wants the present.  I love this idea to make your own cards with coloring pages by The Country Chic Cottage. By using a coloring page, you can customize it to fit the party theme or  use special colors. You can make it as simple or colorful as you want, and even add glitter like she did on this card.  Stop of over to The Country Chic Cottage to get all the details on how to make your own. 

Saturday, April 23, 2016

Dare to Share #210


It is Friday night, and you know what that means. 
It is time to Dare to Share!


Do you remember when I posted about Surviving Kindergarten a little over a week ago? Well it looks like I did not really survive.  Last week I mentioned I was sick (most likely from the day I taught kindergarten), well I am still sick this week, and spread it to my own kids. Today I could have taken a job at the elementary school, but it was with very young kids again.. I knew it might not be a good idea because either I would give them my germs, or they would give me some new ones.  Hopefully I finally start to get over this in the next few days.  


With the movie The Jungle Book and Zootopia coming out recently, and the upcoming Life of Pets coming out soon, we will be sharing animal party ideas over the next few weeks. Today I shared the first once.  When my kids were younger we had a Safari Party and many of the ideas could be used for a Jungle Party


My co-host Kim, shared a fun candy idea to wish your team Good Luck with this You Rock Team Treat Printable.

I will be sharing features for the last weeks party and this week's party this week! Hopefully I will finally be feeling better.

Now it is time for this week's party.  You are welcome to share anything that you would like to share. If you are chosen as a Dare to Share feature, your post will be feature on the blog and social media.  This party is also seen on Kandy Kreations for double the exposure.  Kim also chooses post to feature on her blog and social media.  


Link up and HAVE FUN!! 

   
   

Friday, April 22, 2016

Jungle Party Ideas


This post contains affiliate links to items used we used for this party. 

While I have not yet had the chance to see The Jungle Book, I hope to very soon.  Several years ago my son had a Safari themed party for his birthday.  Many of the ideas and games we had at our party could possibly be used for a Jungle theme.    I think we still have this jumbo inflatable monkey somewhere in storage.  We used him at several different parties. He has made an appearance at the Safari party, Zoo party and Luau.  The kids had a blast taking photos with him.  


We decorated the house with vines made out of brown paper and craft foam.  We also used some vine garland.



Between the three kids, and even my old stuff animal collection, we had a lot of jungle/safari stuffed animals.  I found this giant stuffed tiger that looks a bit like Shere Khan,and this giant stuffed snake that looks like Kaa,  that would be a cool addition to a  Jungle Book party. 




A party staple at our kids parties was a Pin the Tail game. At our Safari party and our zoo party we used this lion made out of poster board.  



Because we had beautiful weather we were able to make an animal themed obstacle course outside. I don't remember all of the different parts, but in this picture my son is bringing a baby elephant and circus peanut to it's mama at the end of the course.  To make a course for Jungle Book it could overcoming the obstacles to get Mowgli to the man village. (once I see the movie, I will have some more ideas) 



My son loved this birthday cake that year.  I used a long loaf pan to make the banana cake, and used yellow fondant to make the banana peel. 


This was a party we will always look upon fondly.  You can see the full party detail for our Safari Party here.

Friday, April 15, 2016

Dare to Share #209


It is Friday night, and you know what that means.. 
It is time to Dare to Share!  

This week started with SATs, taxes, and now I am sick..  I have a few posts planned,  but with the craziness of the past few days they will be shared next week..  We are a bit behind on announcing the next Party Theme. With the opening of The Jungle Book this weekend,  Zootopia last month, and the upcoming Life of Pets,  we decided to go with  ANIMAL PARTY IDEAS.  We love animals at our house, and have many fun ideas to share.  


This week I features Pool Noodle Lightsabers by There's Just One Mommy.  Now is the perfect time to find some $1 pool noodles at the dollar store for hours of fun with your very own lightsaber.  Star Wars is still so popular with the kids, they would also make great party crafts at a Star Wars themed party. 


While we were not able to do this for our kids when they were little, I know there are people who like to make surprise announcements to their family that they are going on a trip to Disney.  My co-host Kim from Kandy Kreations has shared a fun way to do the surprise with candy kisses. They to get eat the chocolate and go on a great vacation..  A WIN-WIN! 

Now it is time for this week's party.  You are welcome to link up anything that you would like to share.  If you are chosen as a Dare to Share Feature you post will be featured on the blog and my social media. This party is also seen on Kandy Kreations for double the exposure. Kim also chooses post to feature on her blog and social media. 

Link up and HAVE FUN!! 

   
   


Thursday, April 14, 2016

Pool Noodle Lightsaber - Dare to Share Feature of the Day

How to make your own lightsaber, star wars crafts

There are several reasons why I picked Pool Noodle Lightsabers by There's Just One Mommy as today's Dare to Share Feature.  Even though it has been out for a few months the Star Wars The Force Awakens is still a huge movie.  If there were any kids who did not have the chance to see it yet, they might now that it has come out on video this week.  It is finally warming up where we live, and I have actually started to see pool noodles at the store again.   Kids will have a blast making their own lightsabers, and then have hours of fun pretending to be their favorite character for very little money.  Lightsabers would also  make great craft take home gift at your Star Wars themed party.  So if you know someone who would love to be part of the fun be sure to check out the full tutorial over at  There's Just One Mommy.   

Saturday, April 9, 2016

Dare to Share #208


It is Friday night, and you know what that means.. 
It is time to Dare to Share! 





I have had a crazy couple of weeks.. First with Easter, and Spring Break.. Last week on the blog  I shared my tutorial on How to Make a Bunny Cake, but was so late with the party that I did not share it during the party.   This week was even crazier than last and I talked about why in Surviving Kindergarten, Recess and Finals

Since I have not had a chance to share any Dare to Share Features in the past week, I wanted to make sure to post some of my favorites of the last two weeks.  


How cute are these  Bunny Easter Rice Krispie Treats by The Jenny Evolution


I love the colorful the Easter Egg Hand Pies by Simply Stacie


 This Deviled Egg Dip by Honey and Birch looks very interesting.  While Easter is over, this could make a great picnic dish. 


I think my family will love the Cheesy Chicken and Veggie Tortellini Skillet by Moms Messy Miracles

Love Disney?  My co-host Kim from Kandy Kreations has a lot of fun Disney posts like this one for Easy Mantel Decorations for a Disney Party.  

Now it is time for this week's party. You are welcome to share anything that you would like to share.  If you are chosen as a Dare to Share Feature you post will be featured on the blog and my social media.   This party is also seen on Kandy Kreations for double the exposure. Kim also chooses posts to feature on her blog and social media.   

Link up and HAVE FUN!  

   
   

Friday, April 8, 2016

Surviving Kindergarten, Recess, and Finals



You may have noticed that I did not post this week. It was definitely one of those weeks that makes you count the days to summer vacation. 

Monday was our first day back after an eleven day Spring Break.  It is always hard to go back to school after a long time, especially when you have teenagers who are night owls. It was made even harder that this is the last week of our quarter. This is the week where you make sure you are caught up on your homework, and study for those final tests.  A couple of years ago our school went to quarter finals, instead of semester finals. It is actually nice that the tests are over 9 weeks of school instead of 18, but it also means major tests happen 4 times a year, instead of 2.  One of my children seemed to do very well this week, the other one not so much, since they have not been feeling well.. 

You may be wondering why titled this post Surviving Kindergarten, Recess, and Finals.  This week I worked all but one day. I started the week in a special ed class.  It went really well. I have taught that class before, and they are great kids. While there I received a call and asked to teach kindergarten the next day. I have worked with kindergartners  several times as a parapro, and extra reading help. This would be the very first time I taught an entire class for the entire day by myself.  I love kindergartners.  I have had three kids that were once that age. Small groups are great, but get an entire room of 5-6 yr olds, and it is overwhelming. The saying "it is like herding cats", definitely applies to this age.  Two days later I am still exhausted.  I have a new appreciation for kindergarten teachers who do it on a daily basis. 

If you are in a kindergarten classroom more than five minutes, you will hear tattling, and a lot of it. It is true for some other grades as well, but kindergartners have it down to a science. You quickly learn that sometimes what they are saying is very important, like when someone is hurt or sick.  The rest of the time though, it is when it is just to say someone is being mean to them, or won't let them play.  If the disagreement between the children is bad enough, sometimes you have to step in.  I have learned a few tactics this past year of teaching that I wished I would have used more on my own children when they were little. I have learned to ask the child who said the mean thing a couple of questions.  The first question is do you realize that what you said to the other child is not nice.  They almost always answer yes.  I then ask if someone said what you said to them, would it make you feel bad.  Again, the answer is almost always yes.   The third question I ask is if what you said would make you feel bad, do you understand why the person you said it to is feeling bad right now.  The answer is again almost always yes.  You can actually see the little light bulb happen when they realize why their friend is upset. They quickly apologize, and all is forgiven.   The constant tears are a bit harder.  I saw tears at least 5 times that day. Usually it is short lived, but occasionally some child go into full meltdown mode.  I was lucky enough not to see that happen on that day, but I have in the past.  Another thing that happens in kindergarten is the constant taping on your shoulder, arm, back, where ever the child can reach to get your attention. Sometimes it is several kids at once.  I had the chance to talk to the teacher at the end of the day, and asked her how she handled that.  When she is there they are not allowed to tap more than once. Once they let her know that want to speak to her they are to step back, and wait their turn.  They seemed to forgot that rule, since the teacher was not there.  Oops.   The kids in the class really were sweet, but by the end of the day, I was so tired I  felt like I could sleep for several hours.  In fact, I did end up taking a nap when I got home.  :) 

Last night I was called by a friend of mine, and asked if to be a lunch aide at recess today. Since it was only a half day, and I am still not sure if I have fully recovered from kindergarten I said yes. I already knew all of the kids, because I sub at that school a lot.  I helped watch kids in K-4 on the playground over lunch periods.   During the kindergarten and first grade lunches there was more tattling, and lots of screaming.  As the grades went up though, it really did get easier and easier. Before I knew it the lunchtime was over, and I could warm up.  It might say April 8 on the calendar, but currently where we live it feels more like February. Brrr! 

Over the next few days we have a bit more testing with my kids.  It is SAT time in our state, and my son it taking it for the first time. My daughter is taking a grade level version. It should be another interesting week, but with a quieter schedule. 

Saturday, April 2, 2016

Dare to Share #207



It is Friday night, and you know what that means.. 
It is time to Dare to Share!  


Sorry the party is a little late going up tonight. It has been another crazy week. After my small group tonight I went out with some friends, and spent a lot of time talking with a friend who is going through a hard time. Before we realized it, it was almost midnight and we had talked for over two hours. 

You are welcome to link up anything that you would like to share.  If you are chosen as a Dare to Share feature your post will be featured on the blog, and my social media.  This party is also seen on Kandy Kreations for double the exposure.  My co-host Kim also shares features for her blog and social media. 

Link up and HAVE FUN!