Hi there. I’ve posted games, and cake ideas. Some food ideas. Check out the recipe section for more. Our favorites are usually make -your-own pizzas, pop, chips, and garlic dip! yummy! All that’s left is the party invitations!

Some quickies right here: (click the title for a printable pdf file)

invite-pretty.pdf

The gorgeous graphics for this design are from Megan Farrow of Studio Flergs.  You can find her here.

invite-cowboy.pdf

invite-splat.pdf

invite-water

And a link for free invitations here.

Good luck - remember to take it easy today!

Hugs,

Cathy

Just shoot me now and get it over with!

Here’s what we’re talking about:

Goal: have party

Challenges: children

Solution: activities!!!!!!

Girly:

• Blind Barbie: in pairs, the blindfolded person paints the partner’s face (whose hands are tied behind back). Then switch. Take pics for party favors. Winner gets a real makeup item!
• Custom hand Bags - Make simple bags out of tea towels or old jeans & decorative trim. Use art smocks and give them fabric paint. The “winner” gets to fill her bag with a real make up item!
• Airplane relay: pack into suitcase: oversized hat & dress, gloves, necklaces & heels.At starting line, girl throws on clothes from suitcase, takes suitcase with her. Runs to end, removes clothes, packs suitcase. Runs back to starting line, passes suitcase to the next girl.

• Older girls: Beauty rituals: invite the make-up sales lady in your neighbourhood to show the girls how to do pedicures or manicures. Send everyone home with nail polish.

Games:

• Air soccer. form teams or get a partner. Each member gets a straw. Teams face each other across a table. Mark a “goal” with masking tape on the table. Drop ping pong balls one at a time in the middle and see who can “score” without using their hands. ie: blowing through the straw.
• how many marbles can you get (with your toes) out of an ice-cold wading pool?
• Science experiment: who can build the highest tower with ice cubes and salt?
• balloon-popping contest
• clothes pegs relay: place clothes peg between the knees, run to end and ‘pee’ it into a container
• treasure hunt: make a list of crazy items (something smelly, something that sticks to a spoon, etc)
• young kids: the favorites: duck, duck, goose! London Bridges, Ring-a-round the Rosie, pin the candles on the cake, etc.
• Who am I? Place names of celebrities or tv show characters on labels. Stick one on each child’s head. they get a partner. And take turns asking questions to figure out who they are. First one to figure it out wins.
• Cloud 9: who can build the highest tower using only 20 large marshmallows and 10 toothpicks?
• Dress for success! Who can get the most clothes on in a minute? (use a pile of clothes from dad’s closet)
• Bobbing for candy: place candy in bottom of large container, cover with as many cotton balls as you can buy. Give them 20 seconds to ‘bob’ for candy each. No hands!
• pinata
• chocolate race: place frozen chocolate bars at one end, children must adorn oven mittens and apron, run to chocolate, use knife and fork and get as much as they can down in 1 minute
• blind pudding/ birthday cake: One kid is blindfolded and given a bowl of pudding and spoon. He must feed his partner who has hands tied behind back. then switch. Good picture op!

For those parents who prefer to fain ignorance on all things creative, here’s a searchable list of activities by child’s age and season! Activity Planner - ParentCenter

Here’s the ones that I’ve tried:

Ballooon Cake: A round cake with 3 rice crackers and licorice sticks = 3 balloons for the 3 year old!

Gift/ Present cake: my baby was born on christmas. Could there be anything more appropriate than a present cake? I wrapped a cookie sheet in wrapping paper, covered with plastic-wrap. squished 16 or so cupcakes together. Added icing, gf licorice strings, and smarties to make a cute present cake.
Ice cream cake - you know we didn’t get a pic of this one - but trust me, it was adorable! We put together the ice cream cake recipe (found here), and topped with blue-tinted cool whip. Put gumballs(beach balls) and gummy rings (that looked like life preservers) in the wavy “water”. And topped with “beach” umbrellas. The kids took home an inflatable beach ball as a party favor. And the beach balls made for a lot of fun at the pool party.

Popcorn cake: remember those old red and white striped boxes that theatre popcorn used to come in? How about white and red icing, with real popcorn spread on the top of the cake? My popcorn-addict hubby loved it!
This is a cute idea for a fire-less/ candle-less cake. For Haley’s birthday - 4th I think. We were at a barn, and they couldn’t risk candles/ fire. So they have these cute licorice sticks with marshmellows resting on top. Haley had to blow the marshmellows off the sticks. It was very cute. And she thought it was great!

I remember this as one of the toughest parts of my post-partum depression. Feeling as though my mothering was suffering. The birthday cake wasn’t intricate enough!! We are so hard on ourselves as mothers - and it needn’t be that way!! Emma was delighted with pudding cups & sprinkles! We defrosted purchased pastry shells, scooped chocolate pudding inside and topped with pink sprinkles. She loved it! And now, I look back and admire my tenacity for making something even when I would have preferred to be in bed.

Don’t ya love an easy birthday cake?? I find the fuss of a birthday party a lot of stress, so if I can afford one, I buy the cake and whatever else I can too! Or - have it somewhere else! Ie: the theatre, bowling alley, swimming pool, local gym, McDonalds.

And another easy - peasy birthday cake for a 2 year old: ONE 9″ round cake plus cupcakes for more guests.

Cut the cake like so:

And place the pieces like this:

Easy peasy!

In case you need them, I have a Yellow Cake, Divine Carrot Cake, Ice Cream Cake - gluten free & easy!!! that are all gluten free (and a chocolate cake that is coming soon) posted in the recipes section.

Happy birthday to your little one!

Take care,

Cathy

Check out this site: Team Gluten Free if you are a celiac- or gluten intolerant. They offer training, nutritional information, fundraising ideas to raise awareness and education in your town! Seems like a good idea… but not for me right now.

Hope you mommies are having a terrific day,

Cathy