Pinkalicious Party!

Here are some photos from Aeven's Pinkalicious party.  They are way overdue, since her birthday was in September.  I felt like you just had to see all of this pinkaliciousness though!

We combined two of her Pinkalicious books for the party.  We took ideas from the original Pinkalicious and Pinkalicious and the Pink Drink.

The puffy pinky centerpiece.

Is it Pinkalicious enough?

Pink donuts!  Every morning birthday party needs them.

Pinky cake pops.  

The pink lemondade stand to hand out party favors.  

The party crew.

Aevie loved this part.  

The kids blow bubbles in the Pink Drink book, so we did too!

My little Pinkerbelle!

I'm Baaack....Kind of!

Well, it has been a long break my dear friends, I mean one friend who reads this!  I have been feeling sick and lazy due to a new development.  By new development I mean the baby who is draining all of my energy and making me feel sick all the time.  Oh the maternal instinct in my just sings, doesn't it? 

Ya know, I really  love babies.  I love holding them and taking care of them and loving them.  The only problem is the whole being pregnant with them thing.  I don't think I'm very good at this part of the plan.  You would think I would have figured that out before now, but I thought that was all practice and this time I would get an A+ in pregnancy.  Not so my friends!  I'm getting an F this time around.  I'm sick and whiny and ridiculous.  My house is a mess, the animals are running the zoo, and my grooming habits leave something to be desired.  You want to come over for a visit, don't you?  I know you do, you old you. 

Well, anyway, I'm going to try to update the blog situation more frequently.  I have to get on with things.  If that means sitting in front of the computer doing nothing worthwhile, but updating this blog...so be it!   

It's Over

We started school this week.  I am mourning the quick passing of summer.  I love summer.  It's so summery.  I thought I would be ready and excited for this school year, but I'm not.  I feel just like I did at the end of summer when I was a kid.  It's like grieving the loss of being carefree.  That's right, I said grieving the loss.  That is how hard I take summer coming to an end.  I had to share my sadness.  I know I will move on and get excited about new seasons and new experiences this year, but right now, this week, I'm sad.  I miss summer already.  Goodbye frolicking at the park.  Hello work and staring out the window wishing I could sit outside for hours for no reason.  Goodbye swimming pool.  Hello hoodies.  Goodbye picnics.  Hello boring old brown kitchen table.  I think you get the point.

SAHL signing off.

Awww...Look at That

Is this the sweetest thing  you've ever seen, or what?  I dare you to show me something sweeter.

It's Been Too Long!

I've missed you.  You old you.  You, the one person who reads this.  When I say you, I mean me.  I'm pretty sure I'm the only person who reads this, but I'm going to update myself anyway.  Here are some pictures from the Big L's Robin Hood birthday party.  I know, I know, it was almost a month ago now.  Better late than never?

This is the castle entry.  Biz wanted the "party room" to look like the castle.

I hope you can tell what these cookies are supposed to look like!

Here's the birthday boy with his arrow cookie in his bow.

The party kids!  Aren't they cute with their Robin and Maid Marion hats?  Did you notice that Aevie had to be a Robin Hood?  Of course, because Bizee was.

My beautifully talented sister, Amber made this Pin the Tail on Prince John poster.  Isn't it so awesome?

She was so close!

The bow and arrow contest.  She looks like a natural.

Here are their bags of "gold."  When I say gold I mean candy.  The kids had to find these little bags on the grown ups or the "rich" and try to steal them.  I didn't get any pictures because I was running away from greedy hands!

3 Reasons I love Staying at Home

1. If all my shorts are dirty I can just cut off a pair of sweatpants to wear for the day. This is totally acceptable in my line of work.

2. My lunch hour can be anytime from 11 am to 3 pm. Or, on a good day lunch can actually last from 11 am to 3 pm. When I say lunch, I don't mean a break. I mean, actually eating.

3. Number 3 really should be dedicated to the fact that staying at home allows me to be with my children all day. Although this is wonderful and the real reason I stay at home, I want to dedicate number 3 to something else. The third reason I love staying home is...wait for it...I only have to wash my hair every 7 to 9 days! Isn't that beautiful? Doesn't it almost bring a tear to your eye? I know, be jealous, be very jealous.

I totally forgot...

about my blog.  oops.  Oh well, I'll write something tomorrow.  Yes, tomorrow.  I'll think about it tomorrow, at Tara.

SAHL, signing off.

Fun Flower Cupcakes

I made these cupcakes for Ilsa's party in Minnesota.  I stole the idea.  I admit it, but it was such a cute idea!  Last year, a little girl on Kyle's basketball team brought them for treats.  Her mom told me how to make them, so maybe I didn't steal the idea.  I just, sort of, borrowed it.

For these cupcakes:

Bake one dozen E, D, N free cupcakes.  Spread each cupcake with icing.  Cut big marshmallows in fours crosswise.  Lay sticky side of marshmallow in sprinkles or colored sugar and arrange on cupcake to form a flower.  For the inside dot I just piped it from a bag.  Super easy!

Ilsa's 1st Birthday Party!

Ready to open presents.  Okay, so I'm ready to open presents because the Shib had no idea what she was supposed to do.

See?  Look at the confusion on this child's face.  I don't remember mine, but I feel like 1st birthday parties have to be somewhat traumatic.  Maybe that's why we don't remember them?  Or is it that whole one is way too young to remember anything?  Either way, trauma.

This is a picture of Biz smashing balloons because, again, Shib was traumatized by the first pop and had to go inside.

Here she is totally freaked out and not understand what was going on.  She was a trooper though, she just sat there looking stunned.  Not one tear.

As you can see the eating of the cake was a little bit of a scary endeavor as well. 

She got a little more comfortable with the sugary goodness though.

Happy to comfort another baby.  I think her maternal instincts kicked in and she had to be happy and strong for little pink baby.

Ilsa's party decorations

I decided to make the decorations for Ilsa's 1st birthday party.  I thought this might be the only opportunity I had to make all the pretty things I wanted her to have at a birthday party.  My two other monsters started having opinions about such things at a very early age.  It's nothing spectacular, pretty simple really, but everything was fun (and cheap) to make.

I made the allergy friendly cake recipe and then crumb coated this cake with a homemade lemon strawberry butter cream (made with Earth Balance).  For the swirly decor I used a couple of cans of Pillsbury because it took so much frosting and our beloved Earth Balance is getting more expensive by the minute!  

I made this banner from material scraps and bias tape.  It was the fastest sewing project I've ever finished.  I say finished because I have started and quit many projects very quickly!

I made these flower puffs for the back of all the chairs.  I just took four pieces of tissue paper and folded accordian style then pinched in the middle with a pipe cleaner and fluffed up each of the pieces.

Instead of a pinata we made a balloon smash.  The prizes were inside the balloons.  

This was made out of coffee filters!  I found this idea and tutorial at http://colorsareblushandbashful.blogspot.com/2010/10/diy-paper-lantern.html

This one is made from streamers.  I just twisted the streamers to look like flowers and hot glued to the paper lantern.

I found this tutorial http://www.theidearoom.net/2011/01/tissue-rosette-kissing-balls.html to make kissing balls out of streamers and styrofoam balls and used the same idea on a paper lantern to hang up.

It Finally Happened...

The kids are sick!!!  We made it through the whole winter with no sickies and now, when it is beautiful outside and flu season is over, the kids are all sick.  Shib has had a cold for about a week now.  She is all snotty nosed and gross.  Biz and Aev both had fevers today and were complaining of headaches.  So, we spent this beautifully hot and summer like day inside watching endless hours of Netflix.  It was awesome.  Oh wait, it was totally boring.  Okay, it was a little awesome.

I had that mother guilt/anxiety thing going on where I was worried about the kids being sick but still feeling guilty that they weren't outside "enjoying the day."  What's up with that?  Why can't I just take the day as it comes?  It's like I always feel like I should be doing the opposite of whatever I'm doing.  As if it would be healthy at all to take feverish kids out on a 95 degree day.  No, I have to obsess all day about how they are stuck inside like it's the last hot day we are ever going to have.  I also acted as if they are the only children to ever have a fever.  I couldn't stop obsessing about why they were sick.  Did they catch a virus and from where? Was it from the toy aisle at Target?  Was it a kid at soccer or blastball?  Was it from Kyle working at the hospital and now they have some crazy incurable hospital disease?  Are they over heated and dehydrated because I insist on them always "enjoying the day" even if it's a zillion degrees out?  Is it allergies?  Seriously, what is wrong with me?  

I Got Nothin...

Shib is still waking up at all hours of the night.  I don't know what to do about this and I'm sleepy.  I'm a terrible mother and I have no discipline when it comes to listening to my enormous baby (in all senses of the word) cry.  I'm back to being referred to as Stay-at-home Loser.  I will respond to it.

SAHL signing off.

"Arrrrgh!  Don't we look like pirates  Mikey?!"

Strawberry Shortcake Party!

Jelly turned 4!  She wanted a Strawberry Shortcake party, so her mommy and I went looking for supplies.  You know, those character party supplies are pretty expensive, so I went looking on the internet for ideas.  We managed to come up with a cute party that was Strawberry Shortcake inspired and the little strawberry girl made very little appearance, but the little red haired girl was non the wiser.  Here are some pictures from the fun day.

Strawberry shaped cookie pops

These were cookies in a little clay pot that were at each place setting.

I just thought these crepe paper flowers were cute.  

The party table all ready for the kids!

Pink frosted cupcakes were requested by the birthday girl.  I added the strawberry tops made out of rolled out Starburst candies.

The kids getting ready to eat some sugar!

Jelly Bean blowing out her four candles.  I can't believe she's 4!   

The kids showing off the strawberry seeds they just planted in their little pots.

The party continuing with a very suspenseful game of Duck, Duck, Goose or Duck, Duck, Gray Duck depending on if you grew up in Minnesota or ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD!

3 Reasons I Wish it Were Still the Weekend

1.  Kyle usually gets up early with the kids on the weekend and lets me sleep awhile.  Now it's Monday, so I awoke to a leaky baby laying next to me.  When I say leaky, I mean she leaked through her diaper and there was no escaping the pond she created in my bed.

2.  Because it was Mother's Day weekend I decided it was okay to eat donuts and drink soda all weekend.  Now it's Monday, and I have no donuts.

3.  It was a beautifully warm and sunny weekend.  Now it's Monday, and the sun is nowhere to be found.

We are so good at being so bad...

at taking pictures!  My little family has such a hard time taking a family picture.  I know all families feel this way, but seriously, Kyle and I are as bad as the kids.  We have major photo taking issues.  Here are our attempts at a nice family photo on Easter.  The last one turned out okay.  At least we were all smiling and no one has that oh so familiar look of tired eyes.  And, on another positive note, the kids fingers are far away from their noses and the tears haven't started rolling out yet.

Happy Family:  Take 1

Happy Family:  Take 2

Happy Family:  Take 3
Good enough.  That'll do till next year.

 

Easter Treats

Easter egg cookies.  I love spring colors!

Easter egg cake pops!  A little sloppy, but the kids loved them.

Easy E, D, N Free Spring Pasta

1 box of your favorite pasta
A good mix of vegetables (about a cup of each kind of veggie)
1/2 Cup Earth Balance
1 Cup soy milk
3 cloves garlic grated
pepper
dab of extra virgin olive oil

Boil a box of pasta according to the package directions.  While the pasta is cooking, in a small sauce pan, add a dab of olive oil and grated garlic.  When the garlic starts to cook up and smell good and garlicky add the butter and let melt.  Now, add the cup of soy milk and let bubble a little to thicken.  I used frozen vegetables and just added them in the boiling pasta water the last couple of minutes of cooking.  Otherwise roast up your fresh vegetables while the pasta is cooking.  To serve, pour the milk mixture into a large bowl, add the pasta and vegetables and toss to coat.  Serve and eat it while it's hot!