Thursday, May 15, 2014

Thursday's Tip of the Week- Cheap Bento Boxes

I love Pinterest.  It seems that my time to get on there and checkout all the cool and ingenious ideas has dwindled down to a few minutes here and there.  BUT, when I do I ALWAYS seem to find a gem or two and this one was too good not to share with everyone...

CHEAP BENTO BOXES

Apparently, these little snackin' boxes are the "new-in" thang for parents...I mean kids.  So, when I started looking at getting one for Ave & Bryce in the stores I was appalled at the cost of these cute, convenient contraptions.  AND THEN, Pinterest came to the rescue!!  Here is how to make some affordable but extremely functional Bento Boxes for your kiddos...

1.  Head to your local Dollarstore and pick up a small utility/tackle box.  Just make sure they have compartment sides that slide out so you can make a variety of different size compartments within the box.



2.  Let your imagination run wild with all the yummy deliciousness you can fill them with (adjust compartment sizes according to what you are filling the box with.  Be sure to keep those sliding "walls" somewhere safe so you can readjust the sizes next time you need too!)....



3.  And then watch the kids sit in GOLDEN silence as they snack away!


I hope to be able to share a tip or two from time to time so please stay tuned!

Happy May Long Weekend Everyone!

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Happy 4th Birthday Princess Ave & Pirate Bryce!!

Another year has come and gone.  Is it just me or do the years really seem to start flying by once you pass that "baby stage" where your children consume (or at least it feels like that) ALL your time??  It makes me a little sad.  Ok, a whole lot sad.  

Don't get me wrong, I love their growing independence but it breaks my heart just a tad that soon, I am not going to be the center of their universe...

Anywho, this year was the last year that I will chose their theme for their Birthday party celebrations.  You see, I have always started planning the following year's Birthday party the day after the current year's celebration.  I know...sick.  BUT, I love, love, LOVE parties and I REALLY LOVE planning and decorating.

However, this year, I realized that it was probably time to let the kids decide the themes of their party because when I announced that it was going to be a Princess and Pirate celebration Bryce almost lost his mind!  He didn't want a Pirate Party....he wanted a Construction Party.  I had already purchased all the decorations and I quickly went on the offense to get him into the "mood" of being a Pirate, "ARGGHHH!"

As it would happen, all it took was getting Daddy Dave to dress up like a Pirate and the son was ready to go...LOL!

Note:  Click on pictures to enlarge




Ave of course was more than delighted that she would be able to dress up as a Princess.  Her biggest dilemma was deciding which one of her MANY Princess costumes she would wear on the big day.  She finally settled on Belle...

As always, our many family and friends arrived to celebrate my babies 4th Birthday and it was one of the best parties to date (if I do say so myself).  Likely because the kids are so much more aware of what a Birthday means and how the party is to honor them and they day they were born.



They absolutely LOVED seeing all the decorations go up throughout the week and delighted in the process of transforming our house into a pirate ship and princess palace...












The food also followed the Princess and Pirate theme....







The cake was ordered and keeping with past years, we had pictures of them dressed in their outfits put on the cake....


The BIG difference this year?  I actually baked the kids cupcakes and placed a "TREASURE" in each on them (A loonie!  And for my non-Canadian friends, that's a one dollar coin).  This was something I always remembered my mom doing for my Birthday and I hope to carry on that tradition for them and their friends.  I am going to do another post on how I did this (although it probably seems pretty straightforward...LMAO!)




The kiddos loot bags include a whole bunch of pirate and princess garbage cool trinkets and they seemed to love it!!  The adults walked away with a bag full of gold (for the Pirates) or jewels (for the Queens). I lugged home like 5 lbs of Hershey gold wrapped chocolate and Bliss wrapped chocolates...we can;t get those up North!


Did I forget to mention that I ALSO got into the theme and dressed up as Cinderella??  Yes, I also love to DRESS-UP too!  Ave was so excited that her mom was Cinderella and Bryce told me I looked, "Soooo beautiful!" Awwww...he's too kind.  Really...he IS!  LMAO!

And so, that pretty much recaptures the days events and while I would love to announce NEXT YEAR'S theme...I am afraid that will have to wait.  *HUGE SIGH*  It's time to pass the theme party baton onto my children.  Well, actually, just PICKING the theme, I still want creative control...LOL!

Sunday, January 5, 2014

The last 4 days of Elf on the Shelf.

I know Christmas is over and the New Year has begun but I never got to post the last 4 days of Tangled and Guy's adventures.  So without further delay...

Day 22- It was off to the Royal Christmas Ball!!  There is no denying that Tangled and Guy have "style"!





Day 23-  We had a special visitor and we are not talking about Santa (but he also came via a blow-up)!!  The Weather Network stopped by the house to do an interview with the kids and myself to find out what the Elves had been up to all month.  Tangled and Guy were very busy the night before recreating many of their adventures so the cameras could "capture" the magic of Elf on the Shelf!





If you didn't get a chance to see us in action, Click here to us on THE WEATHER NETWORK!!  The segment ran for a few days and was posted online on their website.  Ya, were kinda stars 'round these parts...LOL!

Day 24-  Since the kids and the Elves made their big TV DEBUT the day before, tangled and guy thought it would be good to continue on the path to stardom and set up the Karaoke machine.  Ave & Bryce had a blast all morning singing LOUD & PROUD.  By nap time mommy the Elves had had enough and the Karaoke machine disappeared by the time the kids awoke...LOL!






CHRISTMAS DAY- Alas, the last day had arrived and Tangled and Guy left the kids a really nice letter telling them how much fun they had over the last 24 days.  They also let Ave & Bryce know that they were allowed to hug and kiss them good-bye for a few minutes as Santa would magically lift their powers so that they could say good-bye. 





Well, I must say it has been such a fun and entertaining Elfing season.  I hope you have enjoyed following Tangled & Guy's adventures.  I know for a FACT that they are safely back at the North Pole planning all the crazy-filled days of fun and laughs for December 2014.

Until next season...HAPPY 2014 EVERYONE!!

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