How to Throw an Unforgettable Pirate Birthday Party

May 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Hey moms, if you were looking for a cute theme for your son’s birthday party, then look no further! A pirate themed party will have your little man and all of your guests very impressed. So let’s get down to business planning the best pirate party ever!

Step 1: Color Scheme

You are probably going to want to go with some primary colors here since most pirate colors are going to be basic black and white. This can be kind of drab for a small child’s birthday party. I suggest using red and blue. Both very common boy colors and both can be an easy transition to the pirate theme. You can, of course still use the black and white, but use it sparingly and as a detail not a focal point.

Step 2: Invitations

A great invitation for a pirate party could start off with “Ahoy Mates”. This cute intro already will have guests tipped off to the theme of the party. Plus it adds an element of whimsy to your party. You don’t have to go into great detail here. Choose a simple pirate ship using the basic color scheme, and add the important information for your guests. Simple is better here.

Step 3: Food

Probably the easiest detail to overlook when planning a party is the food. You can use the food to your advantage with a few simple details. Blue swirled frosting on cupcakes can look like waves on the ocean. A simple piped design on a cupcake can range from anchors to skulls and crossbones. You can even buy little personalized wrappers for any candy you might want to serve at the party. Miniature chocolates wrapped in gold wrappers make a great treasure chest. Licorice sticks in red and blue M&M’s make a great candy favor. Keep the red and blue theme with the drinks too. Izze makes great sodas that come in a variety of flavors and colors for all occasions.

Step 4: Decorations

Folded napkins that look like little paper boats make a great plate topper for your table. Children’s books about pirates and buried treasure make a good backdrop for your candy bar favors. You can also do little flags or eye patches at each seat for the kids. Go simple and classy rather than overdone and extravagant. After all, this party is best themed to suit a young child.

Step 5: Games and Entertainment

Games that are spin-offs of old favorites are perfect for your pirate party. Hang The Flag is a spin off of Pin the Tail, where kids would simply try to get a pirate flag on the mast of their ship. Bobbing for Treasure, instead of bobbing for apples can be a great time filler at your pirate party. You could even make up little treasure maps and have the kids do a small scavenger hunt around the house or yard and have prizes for each kid at the end.

Using these ideas, you can host the pirate party that your little guy has always dreamed of!  Get creative, grab a few eye patches and throw a party that your birthday boy will never forget.

Filed Under: Holiday Ideas & Projects

Throw a Mexican Fiesta for Your Diabetic Child

May 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment

It’s hard enough to plan a birthday party for your child, but when you have a child with diabetes, planning a party can seem totally overwhelming. How can you host a fun birthday party without making your child feel left out of the birthday cake fun?  Here are some great tips and recipes that will help you plan the perfect party for your child without the fear of having blood sugar spikes.

The most important rule for a diabetic-friendly party is to carefully choose the menu.  Don’t make it obvious that you are leaving out the traditional party goodies.  Just incorporate the healthy menu into your theme. A perfect option for a diabetic-friendly menu is a Mexican Fiesta! Mexican food always seems to hit a homerun with little kids, older kids or teenagers. Who doesn’t love a taco?  Let’s take a look at some menu ideas.

For starters, instead of using the traditional queso dip, which can be loaded with fat and calories, why not try an avocado cream cheese? This is a spin off of guacamole, but it has a creamier texture with more protein. Add a little lime juice, some jalapeno peppers, and cream cheese and you’ve got one tasty dip. Use this dip with fresh cut veggies instead of chips and queso. This is great for an appetizer.

For a real treat on the main course, why not try some skewers? A little chipotle sauce for beef or some chili lime sauce for seafood like shrimp or scallops, add a few veggies like cherry tomatoes, onions, and bell peppers, and you have a party on a stick. This meal has a low glycemic index and very few carbs. Plus, serving food on a stick is a fun treat each guest is sure to love. Grilled or baked in the oven, skewers are fun to eat, and they are downright delicious!

Side dishes can be tricky with Mexican food since a lot of it is fried or smothered in cheese. A Tropical fruit salsa is a great side dish to any Mexican meal. Mango, pineapple, and peach topped off with the flavors of lime and ginger and cilantro with just a little heat from some red pepper makes this a great side everyone will love.

Finally, we’ve come to the part of the party where kids want cake, but never fear. There will be no blood sugar spikes here. Try serving sweet berry nachos instead! Take some simple whole wheat tortillas, cut into quarters, brush them with a little butter, then dust the tops with cinnamon and Splenda. Bake the chips for 20 minutes at 375 degrees or until they are crispy. Sweeten a little sour cream with some vanilla bean. Top your nachos with berries like blueberries or strawberries and the sweet cream, and you have a dessert for all of your guests and your special birthday boy or girl. Flan is another great Mexican dessert that is both delicious and low in carbs. Trying serving both to give party guests a couple of options to satisfy their sweet tooth.

Planning a menu for a diabetic child’s party can be daunting, but hopefully these ideas have spurred you to seek out your own theme and diabetes-friendly recipes for your little one’s birthday bash!

Filed Under: Food for Thought, Holiday Ideas & Projects

Planning a Princess Party

April 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment

At some point in time, almost every little girl will go through a phase where she loves Princesses. Of all little girl birthday party themes, a Princess Party can be one of the most fun and the easiest one to execute! Although there are many resources out there if you want to simply have a ‘Disney’ Princess party, some of you may be longing for something a little different. If you are interested in hosting a Princess party for your little girl, check out these party ideas:

Invitations- Invitations set the tone and theme for the entire party so it’s important that these are done well. You can use a sparkly pink cardstock and include a picture of your little Princess dressed in her favorite Princess gown. Include text with her name and the theme of the event. For example, you could say “Hear ye, Hear ye, Princess Karen requests the presence of all of her little lords and ladies as we celebrate her birthday”. If you don’t have an appropriate photo you could use a picture of a crown and a castle.

Decorations- There are endless possibilities here! Roll out pink fabric to line the entrance up to your home’s (castle’s) door. This will be the royal carpet that the little princesses and princes walk on. Construct little princess hats out of pink construction paper and toile if you don’t want to use standard tiaras and crowns. There are hundreds of adorable printable resources on the Internet that can be used for a Princess themed party. Set up tents that are draped to look like royal tents. Utilize anything sparkly that you can find such as rhinestones, tiaras or even feather boas to decorate.

Games- You can theme traditional games like scavenger hunts, pin the tail on the princess pony, musical thrones with appropriate music, storytelling circle, a joust with foam lances and so many more.

Food- There are many ideas for Princess foods that can be served. Set up a royal treat bar where guests can decorate their own cupcakes with frosting, sprinkles, etc. Instead of traditional chocolate or white cake, you can use strawberry cake with strawberry frosting or whipped cream with strawberries, raspberries or cherries. Serve Royal pink lemonade ice pops that are decorated to look like swords. Offer guests fruit punch and sandwiches cut into the shape of diamonds. A favorite party item that is inexpensive and easy is Pink Princess Popcorn. This can be done quickly and made in bulk ahead of time.

To make this fabulous recipe, first pop as much popcorn as you think you will need to feed all of your guests. Next, melt around eight ounces of white chocolate in the microwave. The best way to do this is to microwave it in small increments and to stir in between each one. Once your chocolate is smooth and creamy, add in red food coloring. Only add enough until the chocolate turns a nice pink color. Once you have it mixed to the color that you desire, spread your popcorn out over a cookie sheet and then spoon the chocolate on top of it. You can drizzle it and then stir it into the popcorn if that is easiest. Once you have all of the popcorn coated, set the baking sheet in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes so that the chocolate will have enough time to harden and set up properly. Serve the popcorn in the royal princess grab bags and enjoy!

Filed Under: Holiday Ideas & Projects

Encouraging your children to share

March 19, 2012 By Leave a Comment

In this day and age, we are often accused of being too commercialized. We have an excess of everything—food, cars, clothes, toys, etc. This excessive consumerism makes people feel the need to keep accumulating more things as a sign of our success. It’s like an addiction that your things are never enough.

This feeling is also reflected in today’s children who regularly badger their parents to buy them toys or electronic gadgets. Unfortunately, most of these things are only played with for a short period of time. When newer, better toys come out in the market, kids don’t want what they have and insist on getting the new stuff.

The economic recession has forced many families to rethink their priorities in life. This includes identifying true needs and wants, and doing away with unnecessary things. Children are also encouraged to share their stuff with those who need them more.

But how do you encourage your children to share? What are the benefits of sharing?

1. It starts with the parents.

Children will follow what their parents do. If you want your kids to share their toys, you must start with yourself. Check your own closet and see what things you can part with. These may be clothes that you never wore or no longer fit you.

2. Make it a family commitment.

The latest statistics from the National Center for Children in Poverty show that there are more than 29 million needy children living in the US. Explain to your children the need to share your blessings with other people. You can set a regular schedule—whether every three to six months—when you do an inventory of your things and identify the things you can donate.

3. Participate in outreach activities.

Bring your entire family to outreach activities like food drives, medical missions, etc. You can also visit orphanages, charity hospital wards, or homeless shelters and volunteer your time. This helps in exposing your kids to the plights of other people, and helps build compassion.

4. Include sharing in family celebrations.

You can train your kids to share by incorporating it within family celebrations. Kids are likely to receive toys or money as birthday or Christmas presents. You can have your children donate old toys or donate a portion of their money gifts to the less-fortunate. This behavior can definitely form a positive habit when they grow up.

5. Give positive reinforcements.

Don’t send the message that sharing is a bad thing. When you ask your kids to donate, tell them the benefits—both for them and to the recipients. If they’re not yet open to the idea, give them enough time to get used to it. Don’t badger them because they will feel that sharing is a chore rather than a positive act.

When your children give their toys way, praise them for their good work. You can also associate giving with happy memories like going for an ice cream or watching a family movie after donating their toys.

In a world of excess and commercialism, teaching your kids to share and have compassion for the less-fortunate is a great thing to do. You, in fact, are helping create a generation of selfless people.

Filed Under: Holiday Ideas & Projects, Mom Knows Best