Party DIY themes- Chapter 1- Fun Toddler Birthdays!

Here are some of the party themes I have used for my son and daughter. 

Some are semi-homemade and semi-store-bought. Some are all home-made.  Some are really based on location.  We have been pretty lucky in the past years to be able to put them together.  

Hope this inspires you for some party ideas!

Winter One-derland party!

I had my 5 year old have fun painting these wooden sticks white and put glitter on the ends, then hung them up with sheer white ribbon.

I ordered this from etsy.com.

Very cute outfit that comes with snowflake leggings and personalization.

I made all homemade comfort finger foods, as her birthday was in winter.

Bacon wrapped tater tots (shown above), fried mac and cheese balls (see below), 

 and of course, a hot chocolate station.

My cousin made red wine truffles with sprinkles.

One of the games was to pop open the white balloons that had prizes in them (that was fun sticking them in there). Beats not having a pinata for outdoor use in the cold!

Another game was pin the snowflake on my daughter (blown up poster of her highness).

Another game was to use unsharpened glitter pencils only to go on a scavenger hunt for prizes in a bucket (no hands).

Blue and purple themed snowflake cake.

Planes party!

Granted the location (Aviation museum)  helped tremendously,
but there were some things that I had fun doing by myself.

The invitations almost look like airplane tickets:

http://www.orientaltrading.com/disney-planes-invitations-and-thank-you-cards-a2-13639205.fltr

My crazy self likes to put hints towards the next year's birthday party theme in the goody bags from the previous year.  So the year before, I made little suitcases as the goody bags (made from paper lunch bags and shapes glued on to it. This link is similar to what I made, but I put brown paper lunch bags on their sides and added little handles on top:

 https://www.pinterest.com/pin/187884615674711589/

Disney Junior party!

My son loved every single Disney Jr. show at the time, so I tried to appeal to his every liking. 

This included Special Agent Oso, Handy Manny, Chuggington, Jake and the NeverLand Pirates, and Le Frank's cooking episodes.

Scavenger hunt for finding the most Gold Doubloons.

Summer party deserves a pool for every age.

Top it off with a Little Einsteins pinata!

Toy Story Beach party

So, the only drawback to the beach party was that we did not account for how windy it would get where we were and how none of the balloons or table activities could stay down for very long on the tables.

Made alien head pops and stuck them on a styrofoam dome.

Also made fruit pops and stuck them on a watermelon shell.

Perfect for the summer!

Hand out some grass skirts and start a limbo dance!

Hired a hula dancer!

Had Buzz Lightyear and Woody surprise us, but to a scared 2 year old..lol.

The cake and party invitation looked identical. 

Check out:

https://www.etsy.com/transaction/78215426?utm_source=transaction&utm_medium=trans_email&utm_campaign=purchase_ftb_alt

I based it on the Toy Story short about them wanting to go on a luau vacation.

Minnie and daisy Bow-tique party

After receiving the entrance bow stamp, everyone joined the party!

I got her personized outfit from www.etsy.com.

Unfortunately, it looks blurry. It is a Bow Curtain I made from a extra spool of art paper the kids had from their easel, some decorative scissors helped, and so did the thousand hair bows my daughter has.

The only thing I bought was one set of Minnie Mouse party decorations for the party.

I bought red daisies and decorated the old wine bottle with red and white polka dot ribbon 

(the theme on the invitation).

I made little signs for the food table with polka dot paper (same as what I used in the invitation) and large flat bottom paper clips. Some Minnie & Daisy stickers helped, too. 

Minnie and Daisy Strawberry cake with Vanilla Buttercream frosting

Ears to match!

Games included: Pin the ring or bow on Minnie, Pinata fun, and a table full of Minnie and Daisy stamps, coloring, Coloring a puzzle, and Minnie tattoos.

Sports themed party!

Green and blue themed sports party held at a sports facility for kids.

(Green for Philadelphia Eagles, Blue for New York Yankees. Yes, we are a very torn family:P)

I got custom-made jerseys for my son's birthday.

The box wrapped in sports wrapping paper held the next year's party-themed goody bags.

Fun labeling appetizers.

Probably the most macho setup ever. Ha!

Balloon setup.

The birthday boy!

Parents can get involved with the different sports activities too!

A lil face makeup never hurt anyone.

The sports field of a cake.

A very worn-out birthday bunch of kids.

Even the baby had a onesie jersey.  

I ironed on 00 on the backside of the onesie, and put TJ's bday on the front of it.

When we came home, the adults pigged out on Heros, and other popular game grub.  

The styrofoam covered in sports wrapping paper had chocolate covered strawberry pops on them. 

All eaten immediately!

***Will try to update this post with more pictures 

as soon as I find some more pictures of my homemade items!

The prego Indian American woman

     So, with the past 3 months passing by ever-so-slowly for me, I can finally say we are                                                                                       EXPECTING!!

And, it got me thinking...
what are the different experiences and expectations of every pregnant woman out there?
Obviously, their nationality and family type all affects this. The type of personality a woman usually is, along with how that changes when you are pregnant, probably due to hormones, also affects this.
Aaah, those lovely hormones. Only those hormones can make me cry at every freaking commercial, for no obscene reason. Only those hormones make me get teary-eyed when I see a sink full of dishes waiting for me. Only those hormones make me go to sleep cranky and wake up angry. Alas, I digress.

Back to those experiences and expectations. So I decided to ask around. I figure I would start with the present pregnant generation of Indian American women in my family.

-"I feel like being Indian and prego as tiny people, we get so big and expand out. People ask if I'm due tomorrow since I have been 6 months pregnant."

-"Possible negatives about being an Indian prego- almost everything indian moms tell u is opposite what the doctor says..i.e., don't eat too much fish, limit sugars from fruits, etc. It was hard to think of things specific to being Indian.  Also I don't think Indian people get the concept of "working mom". No one understood why I went back to work when -- was 6 weeks. They also don't appreciate daycare. They are all about the grandparents babysitting."

-"Good thing about being an Indian prego: The whole family cares for you or pampers you. Can't think of anything bad."

Even when asking those that are marrying into an Indian family, but not born Indian....

-"Bad things: Not fitting in Indian clothes! And the random food that only your mom can make. Or just wanting spicy pickle on everything. Good things:  Everyone gets so excited when they find out you're pregnant. Everyone wants to feed you and you don't want to cook so it all works out so the hubby is fed too."

My opinion? Well, I agree with most of these positive things about being an Indian prego.  Everyone really is happy for you and want to make food for you.  They all want to give their advice and help as much as possible.  Negatives? Well, from my experience, the older generation of moms have this idea that all babies are supposed to be ridiculously chubby and always sleeping or happy. I was breastfeeding all my babies, without any issues, but always being told that I didn't feed the baby enough, because the baby cried after being held.  My babies were not always born chubby, but they were perfect weight and height for their percentiles.  There are other things, but in general, it makes you feel self-doubting as a mom. The good thing is that it is a learning experience, and only you are your baby's mother.  You know what is really best for your baby.  I have just nodded my head, smiled, and still did what I wanted to do in the end:)

And then, there is my husband's opinion. This huge, extended family with all its quirks, can only bring even more well-roundedness to our babies.  Things like second languages, traditions, customs, and cultural manners all get brought to our house.

Well, look at that. Time to pee. Again.

Thoughts on your nationalities and customs with being a pregnant woman? Please feel free to share!

Quick and easy Meal idea: Penne with roasted red peppers and bacon

Looking for a quick and tasty meal with things you should already have?

While cooking penne for 4 people for about 10 minutes, Sautee together the following ingredients in a pan: 

*3tbsps. Olive oil

*1/4 cup chopped garlic

*1 tsp. Oregano

*1/2 jar of roasted red peppers

*2 tbsps. Red pepper flakes

*Salt and pepper to taste

I baked 4 pieces of bacon and crumpled it into this sauce. Then I mixed sauce and pasta together. I also had some garlic bread on the side.

Enjoy!!

Simple hair fixes from the winter blues

Hat hair fixes:
- Low side ponytail
-Making a bow with a low pony

Use the darkest hair color during the winter.

Use olive oil for 20 minutes before you shampoo for dry scalp.

Hair grows more when tied up in a ponytail,  if you want to grow out your hair over winter.

Thank you to Juan Tavarez, Avanzi Salon, NYC!

Fall favorite App Alert: Fried Mac and Cheese Balls

Comfort food, portion-sized. Gotta love it! Not to mention, your guests will love you for it!

Ingredients:

 (Per 8 servings)

 1 3/4 cup Velveeta Cheese cubed

2 1/2 cups Milk

1/2 stick Butter

1 tsp Garlic powder

3 Eggs

Panko Bread Crumbs

Salt to taste

Ground Black Pepper to taste

Cayenne Pepper to taste

Smoked Paprika to taste

Old Bay Seasoning to taste

1 Box of Elbow Macaroni

Vegetable or Peanut Oil for Frying

                                                              Deep Fryer

Heat in a large pan milk, garlic and butter until all the butter has melted. Then add all the velveeta cheese and combine until melted and smooth.

Boil macaroni and strain when finished. Mix macaroni into cheese sauce and spread out onto extra large flat baking sheet.  Put the sheet into the fridge for about 30 minutes, lightly covered with aluminum foil.

 Whisk eggs to create an egg wash in a bowl. Combine bread crumbs, salt, pepper, paprika, and old bay seasoning in a seperate large bowl.  After oil is hot enough in the deep fryer, use an ice cream scoop to create mac and cheese balls, and dip in egg wash, and crumb mixture. Then place in deep fryer for about 4 to 5 minutes or until golden brown.  I found after some time, I could place about 4 to 6 balls in the fryer basket and carefully move them from side to side with a fork to evenly fry them.  I also found that although the ice cream scoop could help score the amount evenly, my hands make the best shaped mac and cheese balls.

Make sure to place the fried mac and cheese balls on a paper towel in a foil pan and toss some salt on top to taste.

Last step:  Cover with aluminum foil and enjoy being the star of apps!

Did u know...

Random Facts...

DID YOU KNOW......

Moms and dads memorize more children's shows after their kids sleep for lack of changing the channel.

Frustrated moms develop blood pressure spikes from toddler daughter's hair being yanked out of perfect pony.

Whales and dolphins - babies and mothers go without sleep for an entire month in order to keep an eye out for predators and to keep warm.

Babies can breathe and swallow at the same time up until 7 months.

According to Utah law, a husband is responsible for any criminal act that his wife commits while in his presence.

The voices of Mickey and Minnie mouse were actually married in real life.

The movie 40 year old virgin shows a scene with Steve Carell getting his chest hair waxed. It really did happen in one shot. He has officially moved up a rank higher in my opinion.

**Some of these statements may not have enough research or proof to be backed. ;)

5 tips on exploring Holiday recipes

Since Thanksgiving and the holiday season is fastly approaching, I thought it would be a good idea to visit ideas of creating new and borrowed recipes.  I also spoke to the well-recognized chef in our family, who gave me some tips to share with you.

#1: When in doubt, add garlic.  It makes almost everything better.

#2: In Indian cooking, turmeric is a key ingredient in almost every recipe.

#3: If you are going to spend money on anything in a kitchen, spend it on sharp knives before anything else.

# 4: When ever coming up with a recipe,  try to find balance between sweet, sour and spicy.  Usually, it's a success.

#5: Most good recipes only require about 5 to 6 ingredients.  More than that often only creates more opportunities to mess up.

Thanks, Shaji Thomas! What great advice!

The only thing I can add is to not make a brand new recipe for a big holiday party without testing it out first ahead of time. You definitely don't want to make your guests guinea pigs of something that possibly could go wrong.

Good luck !!