Circus Birthday Party -Success!!

Well, I'm finally getting around to posting about my son's party that happened recently. After weeks of planning & designing, my son's Circus Birthday Party for his 5th Birthday was a a success! He was thrilled & so was I. We had a lot of fun & so did our guests. We had a concession stand with individual popcorn & cotton candy as well as a clown, balloon animals, games with prizes & we had lunch & Birthday cake of course too. The games wer "Pin the Nose on the Clown" which I did another post about earlier and a "Knock down the Pins game". We also had a basketball hoop game & a large Circus cut-out that you put your heads in to take pictures like you're one of the circus performers. My niece made balloon art as in; dogs, flowers, giraffes, swords, hats, swans. The kids loved that & my sister was "Bubbles the Clown" & she looked great! She diidn't really have a specific duty but, it really helped add to the circus effect to have a clown there. I used a tent canopy (like the kind you put up at a sporting event or over at festival booths) as a Circus tent & used it for the kids to eat under. I used plastic red & white table cloths (from the dollar store) that I cup up to make the tent "curtains". The tent turned out cute & it really made the circus look complete. I used a dog crate with stuffed lions & tigers in it to make it look like the animals were waiting in their trailer cages before performing. We served corndogs & chips for lunch with fruit as well. I made a large 12 in. round cake with circus stripes on it & put some circus figures that my son had on it. Baking is defintely one of my passions & I love making cakes. In the past, I've made much more elaborate cakes for Cameron's Birthdays but, I had so much other stuff to do that I had to do something more simple this year. I had circus themed goody bags for the all of the kids to take home &they had stickers, foam clown noses & Barnum's Animal Crackers in them as well as a couple of other trinkets. Cameron helped me fill them up. We even had circus music which was basically the same circus theme looping over & over but, no one seemed to mind & it realy made it seem like a real circus. Several of Cameron's friends & classmates came as well as his Grandpa (my dad) & my circus helpers (my sis, niece & 2 nephews). At the end of the day, we were all tired but, I had one really happy 5 year old to tuck in bed that night!

Cute Clown Party Game

So, I'm getting ready to throw my son a Circus themed Birthday Party in our backyard. One of the games that we'll be playing is "Pin the Nose on the Clown". I bought a cheap (for only $1.41!!) online at birthdaydirect.com and I glued it to a posterboard & wrote a sign for it on the posterboard. The game is really just a great clown face on thin, glossy paper so, I had to put it on something so, that I wouldn't have to stick it to a wall (the party will be outdoors. Alos, I felt that the games we play needed signs to explain what they were. The game comes with 12 paper noses that you cut out & you can put tape on the back of them to stick them to the clown face. Since the game was so cheap, I actually bought an extra one so that we would have more noses for more kids to play. There is also a cheap, black paper blindfold included but, we'll probably use something else instead. We will write each kids name on the noses so that we'll kmow who's nose is whose when they're all on the face. I think the kids will really like it.

Balloon Animals

In preparation for my son's upcoming Circus Birthday Party, my 13yr old niece is practicing making balloon animals. She has done a little ofthis in the past & is willing to be the Balloon Animal Maker at the party. I found some fairly easy illustrated instructions online & printed them off for her. You can find the long skinny balloons to make the animals with at Party City for around $4 for a a pack of 25 balloons & a few other places sell them too. It's better not to buy the cheapest balloons you can find because they definitely don't hold up as well & pop while you're twisting them or blowing them up. You can also buy the balloon pump for about $5 at party city too. The pic that's posted is a pic from my niece, Hannah, on her first day of practicing when we recently got together for Easter. I am doing my son's Circus Party on a tight budget while trying to incoporate as much circus fun as I can. Believe me, this will be a lot cheaper than hiring someone to make balloon animals!

More play with Boxes

Here's yet another post related to kids playing with boxes.... Another fun idea with a box that's big enough for a kid to sit in (especially if it''s a big shallow box) is to put toys in it & let a kid play in the box. This is especially great for 1 & 2 yr olds. You can put blocks, or other toys in the box & let them play. You can even use one a a mini-ball pit. It's amazing how much longer a toddler will play with toys just because it's in a different way. My 22 month old sat in the box for a long time playing. As you can see by the pic, she even put a doll stroller in there! Older kids will really use their imagination with this. Try this & remember to think outside the box!

Snacks in a Muffin Tin

Okay, here is a great idea although, I cannot take credit for it. I have seen the idea on more than one website but, thought I'd post my version for my friends & faithful floowers (are there actually any out there?). Some people use the idea for lunch or dinner but, I do this for snacks sometimes. I use a silicone muffin tray w/6 compartments and I put snack foods in it to keep my kids busy while I'm cooking or something. It comes in handy when you're trying to prep dinner but, you have to fill it w/healthy stuff in that case otherwise, you'll be annoyed that they don't eat their dinner. I usually fill the compartments w/dried fruits/raisins, cheerios, marshmallows, goldfish, graham sticks, blueberries, cheese cubes or anything that I think my kids will like to munch on. I'm limited w/Cameron because he is super picky & will only eat certain foods. Emily on the other hand, might eat the tray itself since she likes everything! I've got to start getting more creative w/Cameron because even he is starting to not like the handful of things that he supposedly likes. That's a whole nother story! Anyway, this would be good for getting kids to eat more balanced meals because you could put small amounts of fruit, veggies,crackers, cheese & meats in the compartments & the kids will actually eat them because of the way it's presented. Kids are more likely to try something when it's presented in a fun way & when it's an option rather than just "eat what's on your plate!". Give it a try. If nothing else it keeps them occupied for awhile eating out of it! Also, as a side note....Muffin tins are great for practicing sorting small things (for those that are over the choking hazard age) or for storing small craft supplies in. You can even just give kids the muffin tin to play with. You'd be surprised what they come up with. BTW, I like the silicone one for the kids to eat out of because it's a more kid-friendly size for snacking but, the bigger metal ones are better for playing or sorting or actually making real muffins in :)

Painting Rocks

Here is a fun idea that can be 2 seperate fun activities. I did this with my son when he was still an only child & decided that both of my kids would have fun doing this now. It's great for kids who love parks or nature and kids who love art. First, you'll want to collect rocks of various sizes. You can find them in your yard or near your home. If you want to make this a seperate activity, go to a local park and go on a rock hunting expedition. My kids love this. We bring a big bucket or bag to put the rocks in & bring them home and wash them off with the garden hose. Then, as part 2, the same day or seperate day, we paint the rocks using paint & paint brushes. We use washable paint, only because I'm paranoid of the kids getting permanent paint on their clothes etc but, you could use tempera or some other more permanent type if you're going to keepps the rocks outside. The washable paint may eventually was away from the rain & stuff if you leave them outside. Someimes we make a painted rock collection to display or use a painted rock as a paper weight. You could also make a colorful rock garden outside as well. Try it, the kids will love it!

Gift wrapping large presents

A great way to gift wrap a large present is to use a plastic disposable tablecloth. They come in all kinds of prints & colors & you can get them for a buck at any dollar store. What could be better? Short post but, maybe it's something you never thought of. :)

Cheesy, Crunchy Chicken Tenders

Here's a great variation on Chicken tenders. It is really easy & they are baked so, still pretty good nutritionally. I made them & my whole family liked them. We dipped them in honey mustard & served mashed potatoes & broccoli on the side. They would go great with a lot of other sides too. Here's the recipe: 2 TBSP Olive Oil 1/2 tsp black pepper 1/3 cup dijon mustard 1 1/2 cups (3 oz.) Cheez-it Crackers 1 1/4 lb. chicken tenders Put rack in lower third of oven & preheat to 475 degrees. Brush a baking pan w/olive oil (I line it w/aluminum foil for easy clean up) or you could also use cooking spray but, spray generously. Pulse crackers in food processor (or put in ziploc bag & bang the crap out of them w/flat side of a meat tenderizer & transfer to bowl. Stir in black pepper. Toss tenders in dijon mustard & then drudge in Cheez-it crumbs). Arrange on oiled pan & bake truning once until golden brown (about 15 minutes). Hint: If the pan is not oiled enough, when you attempt to turn them, the coating will get stuck to the pan -Not good. Enjoy!