Ringing in New Years with Kids

December 26, 2017 by

Ringing In New Years with Kids

New Years Eve is not the same as it once was. Now that we celebrate New Years with kids, we’ve changed things up to make things more kid-friendly. Including starting a little earlier than we once did.

Below are a few great ways to have a rockin’ New Years Eve with kids. From fun mocktails and food to fun and games, everyone will have a good time!

Start the Party Early!

There’s no need to wait till midnight in your timezone! Consider starting the party early and celebrate when the kids are still awake by choosing a different time zone. My brother in law hosts a GMT New Years Eve party every year where we count down to 4pm PST (0000 GMT).

The kids get the full experience of New Years Eve without having to force themselves to stay awake. Then the adults can celebrate how they’d like afterwards. Or go to bed with the kids at their normal time. I’m pretty sure I do the later every year even though I make an effort to stay up.

New Years with Kids Mocktail

Get Creative with Mocktails

Grab some bottles of bubbly… bubbly apple cider and grape juice that is and start mixing up some fun concoctions (or let the kids make their own). All you need is some sparkling juice or sparkling water and a variety of other juices. Then let the kids have fun mixing them up

Consider adding a few mix ins like maraschino cherries or fresh fruits. And for dessert create an ice cream sundae or ice cream float bar!

Mini Corn Dogs with Ketchup

Serve Up Kid-Friendly Foods

Miniature or small finger foods work best with the littles. Consider cooking up some mini corn dogs or sticking with a simple cheese, cracker and meat platter. And snacks are a must so consider a variety of bunnies, pretzels, fish, and grahams. And I’m sure the kids would go crazy for this Inside Out Garlic Cheese Bread.

Need something for the adults too? Grab a few bags of Pretzel Crisps, and whip up this delicious hot pizza dip. It’s a crowd pleaser!

If you’re looking for more traditional fare, consider making a batch of black eyed peas to bring good luck with you into the new year.

New Years Eve Countdown Boxes - Play Party Pin

Have Some Fun

It isn’t a new years eve party without fun and games! Check out these great ways to ring in the new years with kids in style! From homemade balloon drops to creative ways to count down each hour, these bloggers have you covered!

In Southern California? Check out these kid-friendly New Years Eve parties hosted around town!

How do you celebrate New Years with kids?

ringing-in-the-new-years-with-kids

This post was originally featured on December 26, 2013.

Filed Under: Family Parties, Holidays, New Years, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , ,

How to Create a Wishing Star Wand + Pinnochio on DVD

January 13, 2017 by

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My daughter is obsessed with all things wands, swards, and sticks. Anything she can swing around and bop people on the head with (gently of course), she loves. And with our recent obsession with Pinocchio since it came out on Blu-Ray, it was the perfect way to commemorate the movie.

As we were planning for a family movie night, I decided to let the kids make their own wands customized to their likes and needs. It really was a simple craft and the kids had a great time doing it! With the help of mom and a glue gun to finish everything off.

So if you’re little princess loves wands as much as mine do, I highly suggest trying your hand at making a wishing star wand. It’s simple, easy, and takes less than 5 minutes!

How to Create a Wishing Star Wand

What you’ll need:

  • wooden dowels, cut to size (we purchased 48″ dowels and cut them in thirds)
  • felt, any color
  • ribbon, any color
  • glue gun

What you do: 

1. Cut out felt into the size and shape you want for the top of your wand. Cut out coordinating ribbon in the amount and length you prefer.

2. Do a dry run before gluing everything together to make sure the felt pieces fit together on the top of the wand.

3. Tie the ribbon onto the top of the stick and secure with the hot glue.

3a. Make sure to go all around the dowel so that the ribbon doesn’t slip down.

4. Now it’s time to glue down the felt pieces. Start with a small dab on one side of the dowel and adhere the first felt piece.

5. Then add a few dabs of hot glue to the other end of the dowel and the felt piece already adhered. Place the second felt piece on top covering the top of the dowel completely and sandwiching the ribbon in between the two felt pieces.

 
6. Hand the wand over to your favorite princess and watch them play! 

See how easy that was?

What type of wand would you make?

Disney’s timeless tale Pinocchio, considered one of the greatest animated films ever made with two Academy Awards, joins the Walt Disney Signature Collection. Now it will delight a whole new generation of dreamers with its masterful animation, unforgettable characters and award-winning music.

The movie which inspired the world to wish upon a star, arrives for the first time on Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere on Jan. 10, and on Blu-ray™ and DVD on Jan. 31 with hours of new and classic bonus features.

Filed Under: Crafts/DIY, Disney, Disney Crafts, DIsney Movies, Party Ideas Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Enjoy Summer Fun With A Root Beer Float Party

June 27, 2013 by

Root Beer Float Party

It’s the summer. And we all know what that means – party time! If you’re looking for a great way to celebrate summer and try out all of those tasty ice cream recipes you are seeing consider hosting a root beer float party.

With warm days and cool nights the weekends of summer are perfect for enjoying the classic root beer float and the gorgeous weather summer brings. Since my mom is in town visiting we hosted a root beer float party and invited her and our other extended family members down to enjoy the fun. And I couldn’t wait to use the adorable ice cream cone cups I picked up at a local discount store.

Root Beer Float Party party food spread

A Healthy Take on Summer Barbecue

Most barbecues are filled with tasty goodies but these summer favorites might not always be the best choice health wise. So I changed up my menu a bit and made a few healthier dishes to sub for our party favorites.

In an effort to stick with my goal of staying healthy and losing weight I made a few minor changes to our barbecue menu.

Our lighter fare items consisted of:

  • 97% Fat Free Hot Dogs
  • Turkey Bacon Burgers with Lite Cheddar
  • Watermelon Feta Salad – recipe here
  • Mixed Greens Salad with Homemade Italian Dressing
  • Corn on the Cob

The turkey bacon burgers were simply pre-made turkey burgers from the store with turkey bacon and light cheddar cheese on top. Super simple but very tasty! And less fat than a beef patty. I’m pretty sure I turned my mom into a turkey burger convert!

With most summer barbecues we find ourselves faced with heavy, filling sides like potato salad, macaroni salad, and pasta salad so I decided to lighten things up and served this delicious watermelon feta salad instead. Not only are watermelons in season right now, they’re sooo good paired with feta and basil!

Now the mixed greens, hot dogs and corn on the cob were easy additions that rounded out the meal. We served some veggies with a yogurt ranch dip that we picked up at Walmart to munch on before our meal. No need for heavy appetizers because we were saving room for dessert!

Root Beer Float Party dessert table

Root Beer Float Bar

After our delicious meal it was time for dessert! And what better to serve on a hot summer day than a root beer float bar with all of the ingredients and toppings set out for the guests to serve themselves.

Our root beer float bar included:

  • Vanilla Ice Cream
  • Root Beer
  • Whipped Cream
  • Cherries
  • Straws/Spoons/Cups
  • Root Beer Float Cupcakes – recipe here

With the combination of vanilla ice cream and a creamy root beer we had the highest quality ingredients for the perfect root beer float. The guests loved them! And you can easily add more great ice cream toppings to your table to put your floats over the top.

Since it was a root beer float party I couldn’t resist making cute little root beer float cupcakes to go along with the root beer float bar. They just fit the theme perfectly.

Root Beer Float Party making a float

Root Beer Float Party Ideas

Root beer float parties are the perfect way to celebrate many summer occasions. If you’re looking for an interesting spin on 4th of July or Labor Day or simply have a birthday to share, guests love being taken back to their childhood with this favorite.

I was able to easily put together this party with the help of the fabulous inexpensive decor found at various retailers. A checkered tablecloth, some pinwheels, and other barbecue decor helped set the stage for our party and create a gorgeous spread.

By including a mix of plastic and glass cups for our floats I was able to safely serve the kids as well as the adults without worrying about anything breaking. And I couldn’t wait to try out the ice cream cone glass cups I found a few years back! They fit the theme perfectly.

Root Beer Float Party enjoying a float

Lighter Option with Half The Fat

If you’re watching your weight or trying to cut back on your soda consumption like I am you don’t have to forego the root beer float! With reduced calorie soda and lower fat ice cream varieties you can enjoy a lower calorie and lower fat option that fits your plan.

And if you choose to serve the lighter fare menu I outlined above there’ll be no need to worry about your waistline at your next get together!

Many classic flavors of summer can easily be created in a healthier, more figure friendly way. You just have to be a bit creative and try out new recipes!

Root Beer Float Party having fun

Another great flavor combo for your party would be the classic taste of a 50/50 bar in your glass. It’s super simple. Just grab some orange soda, vanilla ice cream and your favorite cup. Pour the orange soda over the ice cream and stick your straw right in. Mmmm!

Top your floats off with some tasty ice cream toppings and you’ll have one heck of a sweet treat.

DSC_0261

What favorite summer recipe would you like to lighten up?

Filed Under: Family Parties, In the Kitchen, Kids Parties, Party Ideas, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Miss M’s Ladybug Lemonade Birthday Party

December 10, 2012 by

Ladybug Lemonade Party

There’s something simply magical about a child’s birthday party. No matter what age they are, birthday parties are filled with joy and cheer! So when we asked my daughter what she’d like for her second birthday we were thrilled to hear that she wanted to include her love of ladybugs. And with that her ladybug lemonade birthday party was created.

After quite a few months of pinning great ideas, designing her birthday invitations (and asked the wonderful Cherish Paperie to print them), and coming up with a few ideas of my own for the food, decorations, and entertainment the day was finally here. And we were ready to party!

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Party Ideas, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Simple Ideas for a Magical Disney Princess Halloween Party

October 25, 2012 by

There’s something magical about Halloweentime. The change of the seasons, the feel of the air, and the decorations and dressing up.

This year my kids have caught on to the magic! They eagerly awaited the day we chose our costumes for this year (my son will be going as a duck and my daughter a ladybug, both homemade) but didn’t want to leave it at that.

So I decided to create a celebration separate from our Halloween party next week to allow the kids a chance to dress up and have some fun!

Filed Under: Disney, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , ,

Lego Duplo Party {The Food}

August 19, 2012 by

As I mentioned in my party post, I wanted to keep this party focused on the basics. With a few simple decorations and some doctored up fun foods our party was the perfect Lego Duplo

To show off the drink cups a bit more I covered them in yellow paper and drew little faces on each of the cups to represent a different Lego guy. If you look closely you can see that each face actually matches the Lego on top of (and hanging from) the cups.

Munchies were also Lego themed. We went with peanut butter and honey sandwiches and cheese and crackers.

The peanut butter and honey sandwiches were super simple and fun! I made the sandwiches, cut off the crust (and ate them!), and cut the sandwiches in half.

Then I used my smallest round biscuit cutter to cut out small holes out of another slice of bread. I used some more peanut butter to adhere the bread to the top of the sandwiches. Two for each rectangle.

If you have a peanut allergy you can easily use sunflower butter instead. Or make the sandwiches with meat and use cream cheese to adhere the bread dots to the top. I was also considering making cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches as well. There are endless possibilities!

The cheese and crackers used the same techniques. I slathered two crackers with cream cheese and sandwiched in a piece of cheese in the middle. Then I used the cream cheese to adhere some cheese circles to the tops of the cracker sandwiches.

I had all intentions to coat these rectangle sandwich cookies with red, green, and blue chocolate and cover them with little m&m dots but time got away from me so I simply served them as is. Not as exciting but still fit the theme! And the kids couldn’t get enough of them.

As a play on the Lego guy’s head shape I made some watermelon & feta skewers for the mamas. This is my latest favorite combo and adding a bit of basil makes this a super tasty bite on a stick. You can also cube up the watermelon, toss with feta and basil, and serve as you would a salad!

In order to satisfy the mamas at the party I decided to throw together a simple quiche. Honestly, there’s nothing special about it. And really… it’s more of an egg bake in a pre-made frozen pie crust. I simply combined cooked sausage, spinach, 6 eggs, a cup of cheese, a cup of cottage cheese, some salt and pepper and poured it into the crust. I then baked until it smelled done (maybe 35 minutes?) and pulled it out.

And the color is yellow like a Lego head, right? Haha… might be too much of a stretch.

Yum!

If you were planning a Lego Duplo party what would you serve?

Filed Under: Lego, Party Ideas, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,


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