A Fairy Good Birthday - Sleeping Beauty -Themed Party

I’ve had a lot of clients in my 19-year public relations career, but one of my toughest clients to date is my own kid.

We just wrapped another birthday party season for Miss Lennon and let’s just say the party for her classmates really challenged me.

Let’s recap our previous party themes (and I may have some blogging catch up to play):

1 - Flamingle

2 - Tea for Two

3 - Camp Lennon

4 - Strawberry Fields FOURever

5 - Frozen Fifth on Christmas in July

6 - Harry Potter

That brings us to the lucky seven. We invited a small group of family and friends over for a summer barbecue with a “Here Comes The Sun” theme - with some fun rainbow and sun decor. Of course, it rained right when the party was starting, but…then came the sun!

For her classmate party, Lennon decided more than a year ago that it would be “Aurora” theme. Also known as Sleeping Beauty. While a slumber party would have been the natural choice, due to the pandemic and maybe age, these girls weren’t ready for an actual slumber party.

Like I said, Lennon is my toughest client. So after some brainstorming, I decided to hone in on the three fairies that watch over Aurora - Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather.




I found the perfect location very close to our house - a floral cottage - which reminded me so much of the “cottage” where Aurora, or Briar Rose as she was known, grew up!

 

I went with some minimal decor - some pastel green, pink, and blue balloon garland and hydrangea centerpieces featuring each fairy. I also added just a garland of flowers matching the fairies that I stocked up on during the after-Easter sales! The benefit of prepping almost a year in advance is scoping up deals when we spot them!

“Make It Pink! Oh no. Not Pink. Make it Blue!” - Wing Station

When guests arrived, they picked a crown egg. Inside was one of the three fairies and that determined what color wings the little “fairy” would receive (blue, pink, or green). We honestly had no arguments about the colors! I found both the crown eggs and wings on Amazon.

“A crown to wear in grace and beauty, as is thy right and royal duty” - Flower Crowns

Next, the girls selected a flower crown. Amazon for the win again, and I purchased this pack of crowns.

 
“I’ll get the wands!” - DIY Fairy Wands

For the first interactive craft, girls made wants. My helpers and I added glue to wooden star wands and the girls decorated them with sequins and gems. For a final touch, we added glitter!


“I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream. I know you, the gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam!” - Face Glitter

I probably could have gone a little bigger here with maybe a face painter, but we always wash that off a few minutes later. I found some face gems and glitter that are apparently very “festival-friendly,” so these girls were totally ready for Coachella by now.

After some chicken nuggets, fruit wands, and butterfly and flower-shaped sandwiches, the girls were ready for the main event - Fairy Gardens.



The floral cottage set up a DIY garden space. Each girl filled a glass bowl with magical gems, dirt, succulents, more dirt, and then some flair - and of course, fairies!

 

We had just enough time left for a DIY butterfly craft, cupcakes, and presents!

 


“Oh, you darlings. This is the happiest day of my life. Everything's so wonderful!”

It was truly a magical day for Lennon! After a nap and some rest, I’m ready to take on next year’s challenge!

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How I Homeschooled - Flowers & Bugs

Early in this quarantine / distancing / whatever this is officially called, my husband mentioned that it’s like living the song in the Rapunzel movie (Tangled). Last week, I realized we were going from painting, to reading to dance - we were literally living the song “When Will My Life Begin.” 

I heard from some readers that last week’s post helped, so here we go with a recap of our recent activities!

The sun was shining on Monday and we kicked the week of learning all about Flowers!

• We started with some YouTube videos on how flowers are made. Man, I learned some things that I totally forgot!

• Next up - flower painting. For our paintings, we’ve been using watercolor paper. It’s a bit thicker than normal printer paper. I had some 11x14 paper in my craft closet, and I’m totally going to Amazon some more.

• It was nice day, so I thought a fun activity would be to plant something. THANK YOU TARGET for offering curbside pickup! We ordered a Fairy Garden. There are also some options from Amazon, but those delivery dates aren’t trustworthy right now, but hey! Who knows how longer we will all become homeschool teachers!?

• Funny story about the Fairy Garden. I was so worried about not touching anything that once the girl put my Target bags in my truck, I drove home - only to find out that we didn’t have a Fairy Garden, but some Drain-o, Slim Fast, and something else in a large jug. I immediately drove back to Target and received my Fairy Garden and dish brush.

• While we were waiting on the Fairy Garden, I had to keep the kid busy, so I broke out this flower puzzle thing that I bought when she was like 1.5 and way too young to care. SO, if you are in the market for a gift for a 3-4 year old - I’d recommend this!

• My kid is giving me a big NOPE on my worksheets now, but I did my best to integrate in this flower-themed one focusing on sight words.

The flower activities got us through two days, so thanks to an Amazon delivery we moved on to BUGS!

Let’s take a quick trip back to two weeks ago. I had a great butterfly day going. Lennon painted this awesome butterfly, we watched some Eric Carle on YouTube - you know, The Hungry Caterpillar - and other videos about how butterflies are formed. That night, she woke up because she had a bad dream - about bugs.

So heading into these activities, I had to go a little softer on the bug content.

• Amazon delivered this little Melissa & Doug butterfly magnet painting activity (for just under $5!), so I used it to set the tone for today.

• Easing up on the hardcore bug videos, we revisited a favorite Netflix show - BEAT BUGS! A perfect way to introduce the kid you named Lennon about the Beatles! The Beat Bugs website also has some great coloring pages and printables for kids (just click on each character).

• We brought out our Beat Bugs toys that include a Yellow Submarine and Magical Music Beat Bug Keeper.

Guys - my lessons, or days, for that matter aren’t perfect. I had a project to get out the door, so bug day took a turn and Lennon watched some Ladybug and Cat Noir on Netflix. That’s still bug themed, right?

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Add Substitute Teacher To My Resume

There’s a part of me that always wanted to be a teacher. Like most kids, I would play “school” by setting up my stuffed animals and teaching them assignments. 

Fast forward to Great Social Distance of 2020 and I find myself playing the role of preschool teacher. Things started out okay, then my student began to rebel. My worksheets were no longer fun and she learned the term “I’m bored.”

This marble run game counts as STEM or STEAM or whatever, right? 

So what did I do? I channeled my inner kid and decided to take things up a notch with theme days. Sharing here in case you too are in a homeschool rut.

Last week, we had two big theme days - Space and Boutique.

Our kid’s preschool is sending home some activity suggestions and asking us to keep a journal. These two ideas are tweaks to their suggestions. 

Space Day

• Ironically, Lennon woke up wearing unicorn space pajamas, so it really helped set the tone for the day.
• I’ve been hoarding this spaceship pop up tent for almost two years now, so what better time to bust it out. This Toy Story tent is super cute too.
• While finding planet printables to laminate, I discovered some fun planet songs via Netflix Junior on YouTube. Search around there and you’ll find several cute songs that explain the planets. 
• After the excitement of the new tent started to wear off, the kid said “I want to paint,” so we gathered up anything circular shaped around the house and made our own little solar system. We used the flash cards to determine what color each planet would be and Lennon painted them. You know we touched this painting off with some glitter. 
• When you ask Lennon what she wants to be when she grows up, sometimes she’ll say “An astronaut,” and I know that NASA has a YouTube channel - sadly the videos were a little too advanced for our preschooler. 
• Warning - space lessons can get a little confusing in regards to whether Pluto is a planet or not. In this house, Pluto is a planet! 

Lennon’s Boutique

• One of the school activities was to “make a grocery store.” Knowing that we have plenty of princess dresses, I took things up a little notch by working with Lennon to create her own store.
• First order of business was to create a logo. Using PowerPoint, Lennon typed her name and the word “boutique” herself! I used a font that she could color in. 
• While Lennon colored, I made clothing tags and faux money. We also made shopping bags!
• I’m trying to teach Lennon what I do for work, so I printed a Facebook post template and had her help create an advertisement for the store. 
• Next, it was time to get our store ready. We rearranged some clothing racks, shoes, set out accessories, and finally, priced the clothing with the tags! 
• Finally, it was time to open! 

To get Lennon excited, I asked for her help to brainstorm some themes for the upcoming days/weeks. I'm going to work on my "lesson plans" later today. Here’s our preliminary list - and, if you have any fun ideas for these themes or in general, PLEASE send them our way!

• Rainbows
• Cooking - Goal - To have her cook a dish start to finish by herself. Think PB+J or maybe a quesadilla 
• Life Skills - Laundry, maybe some banking, writing an email, etc. 
• When I Grow Up 
• All About Me - making sure she learns phone numbers, addresses, etc. 
• Health Day 
• Take Your Kid To Work - yes, this has become the everyday, but like really learning about our jobs
• Magic 
• Gardening 
• Friendship Day - the kid picked this one! 
• College - WVU, duh. Thankfully, they made some resources for parents!
• Music - When mom’s in charge, we about to learn about some hip hop. Stay tuned for a Tootsie Slide. 
• United States - exploring the states

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Strawberry Fields FOUR-Ever

Before my daughter turned three last year, an idea for her 4th birthday party hit me. Her name - Lennon - was of course very closely inspired by a certain musician / band. She’s a fan of the Netflix show Beat Bugs, so knows most of their songs. I knew we’d have to do ONE Beatles-themed party at some point in her life. And, this was the perfect time.

I give you - Strawberry Fields FOUR-ever! 

I scoured the internet and it doesn’t appear that anyone ever used this exact theme (or posted about it), so I thought I’d show some of the party elements here for others!


I’m typically not a fan of double themes, but I was able to make these two work with each other vs. against.


I kept the decor strawberry themed. For the “field,” I made about 30 strawberries out of construction paper that I actually had on hand! I printed a pattern from an internet search and spent a rainy afternoon cutting. I then hot glued the strawberries to sticks. Super easy. 

I decided against helium balloons this year and thank goodness I did. Apparently that helium shortage is real. Most of my usual places are out (i.e. multiple Party City locations, Dollar Stores, etc). The day before the party, I used a little hand air pump to blow up balloons. Then, I added little black dots and green construction paper stems. I created small bushels of balloons for the pillars of the picnic shelter. 

In case of rain - WHICH we totally had - I made a little “Join the band” craft. Kids could color their own guitar, get a faux tattoo, pick a pair of John Lennon glasses and walk Abbey Road. I cut the guitars out of poster board and added string so they could "wear" them. I had a vision of taking each kids’ picture to make a “backstage pass,” but my husband brought me down a level! 

Knowing that we’d likely face elements - like wind and rain - I kept the table decor simple by printing out quotes from Beatles songs. 

Truth be told, no one really took advantage of my “Penny Lane” game, but again, rain. Lol. I purchased a bundle of strawberry graphics from Etsy and had a large sheet printed at Sam’s Club. The idea was kids could throw pennies and try to get them on a strawberry. Apparently I didn't even take a picture of this, but I wanted to share the idea!

Now, for the best part. I love a good pun and this menu was FULL of puns. 

For drinks, we had:

• Help, I need some water
• I feel wine 
• Lovely margaritas 
• Helter Seltzers 
• Here, beer and everywhere - and even a beer called 8 Days a Week! 
• Hey, Juice (we needed something without alcohol for the kids!) 

The shelter is next to a small playground where the kids spent most of their time. We also had a strawberry piñata per the request of the birthday girl! 

Last, but not least, my mom made favors for both the kids and moms! Kids received a strawberry-themed basket of goodies, while moms got a strawberry candle!

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My Sunny Valentine

You guys know that I live for a good themed class treat. I feel like Valentine’s Day is a holiday where I can really get my creative juices flowing.

Last year, I already rolled with the gem-themed cards and ring pops, but saved another idea - heart sunglasses!

As soon as I possibly could, I ordered these sun-themed Valentine cards from Minted. I mean, I totally love a standard Valentine Card from Target, but I can’t help myself with personalized paper goods. Yes. I’m that extra mom.

I ordered heart-shaped sunnies from Amazon. All pink for dance class and multi-color for school. I do fear some kids may get testy with the color variety (there are some blues and greens), but oh well.

I’m planning to punch a hole in the envelopes, while avoiding the card (already testing it) and attaching the card with a ribbon.

In the end, for 30ish "treats" I came in a little under $50. So, about $1.66 per kid. A little pricey, but worth for my future homeroom mom portfolio.

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Happy Camper: Lennon's 3rd Birthday Party

I know there is a trend of parents abandoning the big birthday parties for their kids. I think several factors are behind this trend: people want to spend their money on experiences, long invite lists (classmates, your friends’ kids and family), and then there is social media. Instagram and Pinterest have put pressures on parents to have picture perfect parties. 

My stance on this - if you’ve been reading this little blog, you know that I love a good theme and a good party. I love to craft and I love getting friends and family together. Yes, it’s a lot of work, but it gives me an excuse to have my crafts done by a deadline! Three years in, my kid loves a good party too. She’s been telling random strangers for months that she “has a birthday coming up.”

Without further ado - in January my mom was ready to start crafting for Lennon’s 3rd birthday - in July. So looking around our living room, I thought - what theme could I pick now that she won’t hate in six months. And I spotted her favorite Christmas present - the Barbie Camper. And that is how “Camp Lennon” was born.

While my kid loves every Disney princess, she changes her preference really quick. If I plan her birthday around a character six-month out, she may not love that theme when the party approaches.

Back to Camp Lennon.

With the help of Etsy, I purchased some illustrated camp-themed clip art and created a logo. This set the tone for the other crafts.

Last year, we discovered the perfect little park with a picnic shelter adjacent to a large playground - a great setting for Camp Lennon.

Here are some of the party details. You’ll see that I did my best to carry the logo through various elements.

I used Zazzle to make the birthday girl a shirt with the Camp Lennon logo.

One of the first things that I crafted were these camp pennant signs to use as centerpieces on the tables. The backside had a teepee. I needed something to hold down the flags, so I put them into these pastel tinted jars from a craft store with rocks. 

My mom made favor "knapsacks" using bandanas and sticks! 

Knapsacks and s'mores station! 

Don't feed the bears scavenger hunt! 

Happy Trail-Mix Bar. A little hard to see, but we had Grizzly Bears (gummy bears), Teddy Bears (teddy grahams), the Catch of the Day (goldfish), Rainbow Trout (multi-color goldfish) and Fish Bait (gummy worms). 

Arts & Crafts table. This was a last minute addition when the weather forecast wasn't in our favor. Campers could make their own necklace, camp pennant, or canvas bag. For the bags, I had various felt stickers and fabric markers. 

The birthday girl picked out her cake from some photos online. "Pink with sprinkles" was her inspiration. 

I was really proud of the container that I found for my "dirt." You almost can't spot it in the bark bowl! 

I've already started preparing for next year ; ) 

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