choo choo train themed birthday party

recently, my two sweet boys turned two and four. to celebrate their big days we threw them a joint train themed backyard birthday party. (wonder how much longer i can get away with a joint party?)  i made the number shirts (above) to commemorate the day and in the party colors using an applique process. (tutorial coming soon).

this balloon wreath was on the front door and greeted everyone as they arrived. it was something that i was asked several times, "how did you make it?!" it was a little time consuming, but really simple. i think it will be a treasured tradition in our family to hang on birthdays. fun, right? you can find the diy tutorial here.

i made and hung tissue paper pom-poms in the party colors from the trees for a festive look. you can find the tutorial here.

fabric flag pennants decorated the front and back on the house. they were bright and colorful and ensured that guests could find our home quickly and easily. (tutorial coming soon).

the bubble station was a fun and messy hit! the bubbles were wrapped in train themed wrappers, there was a "bubble station" sign and we used a plastic drink dispenser (picked up inexpensively from target). if you do this, be sure to have a plastic storage bin underneath the spicket as a catch-all. it was a last minute addition and proved to be *very* useful.

all printed material was by jenn at nickwilljack. you can have the entire collection emailed you in editable files for a inexpensive rate through etsy.  she was a pleasure to work with and as long as you are willing to put in a little elbow grease printing, cutting and gluing you too can have a fabulous train themed party.

*super* cute water bottle wraps were my all-time favorite. they said "chugga chugga". how cute is that?! again, all thanks to jenn at nickwilljack via her etsy shop.

silverware wraps that say "chew chew". too cute!

"goldfish crackers" pillow box. 

hanging circles from the dining room light fixture so no one would hit their heads.

cutest "happy birthday" banner that is totally customisable with whatever you want it to say. again, all thanks to jenn at nickwilljack via her etsy shop.

homemade cupcakes with butter cream frosting. anyone want the recipe? the frosting alone is to die for.

cupcake toppers using the printable files and coffee stir sticks (cut in half) from starbucks.

last minute cupcake stand made by wrapping a cardboard box with wrapping paper and gluing on printable circles. easy peasy.

time to sing and celebrate my birthday boys! 

i believe that one of the keys to a successful party at your home is having enough for the kids to do. since these munchkins were mostly between the ages of 2 and 4, a lot of organized games were not going to work. we were lucky to have some generous friends that let us borrow the jumpy and roller coaster and we also had a few play things already in the backyard arsenal. here are some of the things that kept the kiddos happy and busy the entire party:

fisher price: jr. sport & slide bouncer

little tikes adjust n jam basketball set

power wheels thomas & friends thomas the tank engine

step 2 up & down roller coaster

kidkraft outdoor playhouse

step2 naturally playful sand table


when it was time for the guests to go home, we had a basket with favors.  (a train whistle from oriental trading company and *super* cute thomas the train crayon rolls. we also included a pillow box with candy inside for the older siblings that came (or if the parents wanted a sweet treat to go). 

 the crayon rolls were from a fantastic little shop on etsy. (you can find them here). they were so amazing to work with. responsive, quick turn around and great prices. i highly recommend using them.

all in all the party was a huge success. the kids were happy and that is all that really matters, right? wonder what they will be into next year? 

mmmmm, mondays: chicken pesto croissants

i'm busy working on all my spring planting and yet i still have pesto left over from my harvesting last fall. with enough pesto to last me through the summer, here's a delicious summer sandwich with poached chicken and pesto...delicious! if you haven't read our "make your own pesto" post, check it out and plan to freeze some of your own for next spring!

chicken pesto croissants

4 full sized plain croissants, sliced open for sandwiches

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 celery stalks, finely chopped

1 white onion, finely chopped

1/2 to 1 cup pesto sauce

olive oil

toppings such as romaine lettuce, fresh mozzarella, and fresh tomato

boil the chicken breasts in water seasoned with chicken bouillon, worcestershire sauce, and minced garlic about ten minutes or until cooked through. cool and chop into small, bite sized chunks. mix with onion, celery, pesto sauce and enough olive oil to make chicken moist. spoon onto open croissants and serve with desired toppings. enjoy!

friday fun finds: teaching easter's meaning

i love easter. i love the spring and all the celebration that easter brings. just like christmas, though, it has become increasingly difficult to teach my kids the meaning of easter in the midst of all the bunnies and eggs. here are some fun things we've found to help us share the meaning of easter with our kiddos.

my kids love these on easter sunday. they are an interactive, fun way to teach your kids the easter story and there are tons of options out there to find or make your own. each egg is filled with an item that will help the kids learn another part of the easter story. eleven items to fill up eggs and one empty egg at the end of the story. perfect visual messages for your little learners.

several stores sell pre-made options.

resurrection eggs

here are some cute ones you can make yourself:

homemade resurrection eggs from mommysavers

easter is full of sweet treats. these ones are adorable and share the easter message.

empty tomb snacks from catholicicing

plant an easter garden early enough to have the grass sprout by easter sunday.

easter garden by colleen hammond

make resurrection rolls...such a great idea for kids!

resurrection rolls by women living well

easter traditions

we lived in south america for five years. our latin american friends know how to do easter right. with their catholic roots, they have an entire week to celebrate "semana santa" or "holy week" and we very easily fell into their traditions. here are some things that we still try to do to make easter last a little longer and to share the meaning of easter with our children.

thursday: this day is called maundy thursday. it is celebrated as the day of the last supper. if you want to learn more about the day, you can read up on it here. we have the tradition of making bread together as a family. we then will take some time during the day to explain the last supper to our kids and eat the bread together.

friday: this day is good friday. we typically will do a craft that has a cross in it. there are tons of great ones on oriental trading that are very cheap. you could also easily make some crafts of your own. my kids are pretty young to grasp all that good friday means but we can share some of the story while they are busy making their crafts.

saturday: this day doesn't have the significance in holy week that the other days do. we use this day to embrace some of the traditions from the u.s. we dye easter eggs and get the easter baskets ready for sunday morning. i also have the kids help to decorate our table for the easter meal. they can decorate easter placemats and put out all of the easter decorations for sunday afternoon. not only will this give them something special to do in preparation for easter but it will also give you one less thing to do if you head off to church on easter morning. if you make a special breakfast for easter morning, it is also great to have some recipes you can make the day before and this can be a great activity to let the kids help to prepare.

sunday: we head to church for easter sunday morning. after our lunch and the quests for easter eggs, we pull our our set of "resurrection eggs" to share the easter story with the kids. these eggs are one of our kids' favorite things to do on easter sunday. check back tomorrow for an easy "how to" to make some of your own.

we hope you have a fantastic easter any way you choose to celebrate it.

moving from a crib to a bed: is it time for the big boy or girl bed?

i know that many people look for the "right time" to move their children from a crib to a bed. i personally never had that opportunity. with my first, he just started climbing out a little bit before his 2nd birthday and we had to quickly make the switch. it turns out that my youngest followed in his older brothers footsteps and started stealthy sneaking out of his crib, going to find his big (4 year old) brother and climb into bed with him. this would be cute if they actually slept...but what ensues next is only a keg short of a raging, up-all-night college party. no fun for mommy.


so, alas the time had come to say goodbye to the crib. we move our kids straight into a twin sized bed with one side against a wall and a bed rail on the other. we put a step stool at the end of the bed, mount a bookcase on the wall next to the bed and a gate at the door and call it a day.


i know of some people that buy a small toddler bed and if that works for you, that is wonderful. for us it was just extra money to spend for a limited use and we decided against it both times. i also know of some friends that have had great success with using a crib tent to keep their little ones safe and sound in their crib for as long as possible. i don't know much, but what i do know if that you have to do whatever is right for *your* family and *your* child. you will know what the best solution for your family is when all is said and done.


here is our youngest boys new "big boy bed":

supplies that we used:

bedding:

pottery barn curious george sheet set (you will want 2 sheet sets, especially when potty training time comes). you will need sheets, a blanket, a pillow (we use two), and possibly a quilt or comforter of some kind. you may also want to have a pillow sham and bed skirt depending on the bed and your personal style. we are blessed to have an *amazing* homemade curious george quilt that my mom made (priceless).



waterproof mattress cover (get a couple)

i like this one from bed, bath and beyond. it is thick (not flimsy) and covers the mattress well. also, it doesn't make the crinkly, plastic sound that most other waterproof mattress covers do.

wall mounted bookcase

pottery barn catalina magazine rack

this is the perfect size for fitting on the wall next to the bed and it fits children's books perfectly. we have a "no toy" rule for the kids bedrooms, but they are welcome to read as much as they want to before they go to bed. this eliminates most arguments about going to bed and we rotate new books into the cases to keep them entertained as well as their old favorites.

twin mattress and box spring this is up to you. i was shocked at how expensive twin mattresses can be. we chose to get ours through costco.

metal bed frame


optional: headboard or bed frame. we used an old wooden headboard that was at my grandfathers house that i spray painted a dark navy blue and just attached it to a simple metal bed frame from costco.

bed rail

one step ahead--hideaway extra long bed rail 

this is the bed rail that we happen to have leftover from when my first born used it. i am sure that there are also other fantastic bed rails. we chose this one because it is extra long and because it can be hidden underneath the bed when not in use (or to help make the bed).

hope that our journey has helped you as you get ready for yours. please comment below and share what has worked best for you when the time for the transition to the "big boy/girl bed" comes.

mmmmm, mondays: linguine with shrimp and pesto

this one is so simple and is a favorite with my family. if you have homemade pesto, it's time to pull it out of the freezer. if you don't, here's a plan for getting your homemade sauce ready for next year. in the meantime, enjoy a ten minute meal the whole family will eat.

linguine with shrimp and pesto

shrimp - i buy the frozen, peeled, raw shrimp at costco. according to various men of meat departments and several reliable websites, frozen shrimp is actually fresher than the "fresh" shrimp you would buy at the meat counter. it's also cheaper. my kids love shrimp so i put a ton of it into this recipe. the nice thing about a frozen bag of shrimp is you can prepare just what your family will eat.

chopped garlic - about 2 cloves or 1 tablespoon of crushed garlic

olive oil

salt pepper

pesto sauce - if you have frozen pesto, pull out about 1 cup of frozen pesto. if you are buying pesto sauce at the store, use one cup.

alfredo sauce - 1 use one jar of store bought alfredo sauce per cup of pesto to make the sauce a little more mild in flavor.

dried linguine

parmesan cheese

pour the frozen shrimp into a shallow baking dish. coat with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic. allow to sit for about ten minutes. prepare the linguine per package instructions. while pasta is cooking, cook the shrimp on a grill or an indoor grilling pan (or your george forman) until cooked through. this will only take about 5 minutes. heat the sauces together in a small pan. add the shrimp to the sauce and pour over cooked, drained linguine. pile onto plates and top with grated parmesan cheese. enjoy!