Gingerbread Man

Today we had a fun Sunday afternoon making a gigantic gingerbread boy and girl. After checking out a book from the library, the Gingerbread Man retold by Eric A. Kimmel, my son was very interested in this story. So to take a step further we made our own!
I used my friend's sugar cookie mix, Holiday Cookie Mix by Betty Crocker.
We made the mix and while it baked we read the story.
Once the cookies cooled, I let the kids decorate just using random supplies in my cabinets.
Once my son finished his decoration, I took his plate and ran out the door... just like in the story! He chased me all around our apartment complex as I shouted "You can't catch me I'm the Gingerbread Man!"
He was tickled with excitement. My daughter enjoyed her sugar rush. In all, a successful project.
A really fun afternoon, a very simple and inexpensive idea I'd thought I'd share with you!

Racing Cars

For Timothy's 4th Birthday Party, a theme was perfectly crafted for him. For a little boy who absolutely adores cars, a Racing Cars Party was planned.
Going a step beyond just having a ton of Disney Cars Theme Decorations or other cars decor, I planned a few racing car activities.
Each child was given a "box car" to race. Setting up a decorations table is encouraged so each child can put their own special touch to it.
Then let the games begin. A simple race followed by a game of red light/green light is sure to be a hit. Be prepared to play a few rounds of each!
Ready? Set. Go have some fun!!!
Racing Cars Party Kit on sale for $10.

A Super Father's Day

I always thought my dad was Superman. & when I see my kids playing with my hubby I can tell they think he's Superman too! My husband is our family Superhero! So this Father's Day I'm making a special superhero gift for my husband!

I thought I'd pass along the idea.



The Superboy images are from aivault.com, they have a African American boy & girl image in vector and jpeg format. Also a Caucasian boy in jpeg format.
Cool images found here.
For an accommodating cool treat make "Super dad" some red velvet cake pops. What is a cake pop?
In short, their the new hot item! It's a cupcake on a lollipop. Just how cupcakes have been stealing the limelight from cake, I believe these are next up!
Instruction & images are from bakerella.com found here.

What I plan to do is first make a border for my photo collage using scrapbook paper, cardstock, and the images from Aivault. Then I'm going to take a photo shoot of my kids' in last year's Halloween costumes. If I didn't have a cape on hand, I'd revert to a towel or their blankey. Can't you just see a toddler in their diaper with their favorite blankey zipping through a grassy lawn? I'm going to arrange the photos using my favorite online photo site. I plan to insert the collage of my 3 kids inside my photo border inside a nice photo frame.

Have A Super Father's Day!

"RockStars" & Stripes

What's more American than Rock & Roll? Whether this 4th of July will be celebrated with a family get together or a neighborhood block party Rock Out this Independence Day with my Rockstars & Stripes plan.

Decorate with Red, White, & Blue.
Hook up you Xbox or Wii console & gather everyone around to play Rock Band or Guitar Hero. Rockband allows you to have four players play at once, 2 on guitar, a drummer, and yes! even a microphone! Don't own a gaming console? Rent one from www.wiirent.com or simply make it a karaoke night. Update your music selection with www.partytyme.net
Gonna rock out at night? Add disco lights!
You can't be a rock star without looking like a rock star. So give your guests a Rock Star makeover. Supply sunglasses, tattoos, make up, & other accessories. The more glow the better!
Or instruct your guest to come dressed up.
Find accessories from tattoofun.com, hottopic.com, & spencersonline.com

Setting up for a block party? Or in the backyard? Set the stage with an inflatable movie screen & projector. For sale or for rent.

Itinerary:
When your guests arrive give them their name tags & let them chose their own stage name. Make sure you have a sharpie handy!
Then give them their Patriotic Lyrics Quiz. (Famous Patriotic songs with a few missing words) Be prepared to have everyone humming in no time! Give everyone the same amount of time to fill in the blanks. It's out of a possible 18. Once the time is up (suggested 3-4 mins) read off the answers. For each answer your guest gets correctly give them a raffle ticket. Have them fill their name on the raffle ticket & then collect them in a bowl.
Then the Rocking Out begins! Set up a Stage Board. Just a poster board or use your child's easel to label: Guitar 1 - Guitar 2- Drums - Mic
When you pull the names out, first pick gets to choose their instrument. Therefore 4th pick has to take whatever is left over. The person who got the most correct in the Patriotic Lyrics Quiz has the better chance of winning since they will have more raffle tickets to be chosen from!
Then play a round of Rockband. When the score is given, reward the Rocker with the highest score a star on their star card. You can reward with stickers or stamps. Find them on clearance at your local craft store! Be sure to discard the chosen raffle tickets & select four more!
First player to fill up their star card (suggested 4 stars) wins!
Hand out the Voter Cards so everyone can cast their votes.
Then use the Tally Sheet to keep score.

Once the game is over, have a fun rewards ceremony, giving out awards for
-Best Dressed Rockstar
-Best Performance
-Most Likely to Quit their Job & Become a Rockstar

For the following: Patriotic Lyrics Quiz, Star Card, Voter Card, & Certificates plus other Party Planning Tips purchase for only $5!