School Lunches - Part 4: Fun with Fruit

Packing fruit in with the kids' lunches is a given, but that doesn't mean I can't try to be a little creative with it!

Here are a few things I've done:

Idea #1: Kabobs. This is a great way to use up the 'scraps' you may have in the fridge. And they look so fun and colourful. A great switch from the eternal apple slices.

Idea #2: Variety! This is a biggie. Just changing what fruit they get every day is a big help in getting them to eat it. I totally understand. I don't want to eat the same food four days a week either. So when I go grocery shopping, I try to get as much of the seasonal fruit as I can. Maybe one day, the kids will have a little container of grapes, the next slices of kiwi, the next some melon balls, and the next a pear. Variety is a big deal.

Idea #3: Slice them up differently. Just having it look different than it always does can inspire kids (and grown-ups!) to eat more of it.

Two ways to pack strawberries: whole, or sliced.

Orange wedges, orange circles.

Idea #4: The magic banana! This is so fun. I actually read this in a book of kids magic tricks and thought it would be great to do in their lunches. Take your regular banana, and a clean pin. Poke the pin through the peel, and sweep it back and forth a few times to cut across the banana, without letting it poke out the other side. Repeat at 1" intervals all along the fruit. Then when your kids peel the banana, it will be sliced and they will wonder how you did it.

Idea #5: Dippers. I don't like to do this too often, since dips are generally sweet extras, but once in a while it is fun to include a fruit dip for them. A few of my favorites are:

Honey - Lemon:

1 carton (6 oz) lemon yogurt

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese

1 tablespoon honey

Combine in a blender until smooth. Serve with sliced fruit. Store extra in refrigerator. (but there won't be any extra!)

Marshmallow:

1 jar (7.5 oz) marshmallow fluff

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese

Combine until smooth. Hint - have the cream cheese quite soft before you make this. Serve with sliced fruit. Store extras in refrigerator. (but again, you probably won't have any left!)

For a no-work required, (and healthier) dip, just include a small container of yogurt and they can dip with that too. And since I'm not a huge fan of the chocolate-hazelnut spreads, I've never included that, but I'm sure there are kids who would love to dip in a little cup of that! And hey, as long as they're eating the fruit, right?

Cake Pop Tip

A while back, I saw an idea for a really cute reindeer cake-pop. I loved it, and wrote it down to use in my activity advent calendar. This Saturday was the big day.

But when I went to get the instructions for how to make the actual cake ball part, everything I found seemed time consuming, and if you wanted it to work out right, you needed to buy special equipment, (pans, bakers etc). I was a little disheartened and almost moved on to something else.

Then I had a brilliant beyond brilliant idea.

Donut-holes. They are round, they are ready, and they are yummy.

So we shimmied off to Tim Horton's, bought a box of timbits, and came home to produce these fun little confections:

Granted, mine isn't as cute as the one I found online, but that is more a reflection on my own cake-pop decorating skills than the cake-within-the-pop. I totally recommend skipping the baking and using donut-holes.

Trust me, you'll thank me for this one.

Christmas Advent Calendars - Part Three

We are a religious family, so I like to take some time out of the playful, exciting parts of Christmas, and focus on the birth of Jesus Christ. We have two advent calendars that we do to help us with that.

(sorry about the sideways photo. Wish I could fix it)

This first one is called Scripture Ornaments, and you can download and make your own here. It is a good one for younger children since the ornaments are shaped differently, and you put them on the tree based on finding their matching shape, rather than by finding an answer to a question. There are questions with each one, and you do look up a scripture to find the answer, (ie, Why didn't Mary and Joseph stay in the inn, Luke 2:7) but to hang the decoration, you don't have to get an answer right.

The other is for middle-aged children. Like the first one, it involves looking up a scripture about the birth of Christ and finding the matching picture, but these ones are much more specific, and some pictures are very similar. The kids need to be able to read the summary beneath each picture to find out the right picture. Still really great though and we certainly wouldn't stop doing it because it is more challenging.

Christmas Advent Calendars - Part Two

The Family Christmas Activity Calendar.

This is my favourite advent calendar we do, and it is a little different every year. (I should also mention that it is an idea I lifted off my brilliant sister. Ahh, the advantages of having siblings!)

Essentially, you do something with your family every day, which is why it is my favourite.

Last year I finally found a wooden advent calendar with hinged doors for days 1-24, (I'd been searching for just the right one for ages) and so I write the activity for each day and put it in the spaces. But before that, I would use fun little envelopes and write the numbers 1-24 on the front and the kids would open a new envelope every day. I have also seen a cute set up of using Christmasy baby socks on a string to make a garland, and each little sock has the day's activity written down inside of it. Whatever delivery system you want to use is great. So, each day the kids take a turn getting the slip of paper and we read it together and then do the activity.

We have had lots of fun with it in past years. I try to make sure we have some games, some crafts, some baking, and some service all mashed into those weeks before Christmas comes. There are big projects (like making and decorating a gingerbread house) and small, relaxed ones, (like watching a Christmas movie together), which keeps things varied and helps on days when you have a lot or a little bit of time available.

In past years, we have:

Made salt dough reindeer...

Gone tobogganing...

Made detergent snowmen...

Baked lots and lots and lots of cookies....

Played in the snow...

And decorated the tree.

This year, since I am due with our fifth baby in the middle of the month, I tried to do the 'bigger' projects at the start of the month, and work my way into some lighter, easier to do, activities for the later half of the month, since I assume I'll be somewhat busier.

Here is this year's line up:

December 1: Write letter to Santa

December 2: make and decorate gingerbread house

December 3: Kid Christmas Party

December 4: Sugar Cookies

December 5: Go caroling and deliver goodies to neighbours

December 6: Make pom-pom ornaments

December 7: Decorate wooden nut crackers

December 8: Jelly-bean Santa game

December 9: Make paper snowflakes

December 10: Make Rudolph cake pops

December 11: Bake gingerbread men

December 12: Chocolate lollipops

December 13: Paint the Christmas tree puzzle, then assemble it

December 14: Make lamingtons

December 15: School Christmas concert

December 16: Church Christmas Party

December 17: Watch Christmas movie

December 18: Make Christmas crayons

December 19: Play Pass-the-Parcel

December 20: Watch out, Rudolph!

December 21: Paint ornaments

December 22: Pipe cleaner craft

December 23: Go tobogganing

December 24: Watch Nativity Pageant

Looks like it is shaping up to be a fun December!

School Lunches - Part 3: Note From Home

What I miss most about having my kids at home with me for lunch is the connection I get to them during the day. I miss them. I want to have a little piece of them. And, what if, just what if, they feel the same way about me? What if all they need is a little bit of Mommy in the middle of their day to make it a little brighter? So I am a fan of the lunch bag note.

Idea #1: The silly note. I've blogged this one before. But we are still having so much fun with it. I like to find jokes that are fun, quick and easy for them to remember and to tell their friends at recess. It is also fun to have jokes that are seasonal. Like ghost jokes at Halloween, Rudolf ones at Christmas, or if you know what they are learning about in school, you could try to tie that in too. If they are doing a unit on dinosaurs and fossils, put in a dino joke. If they are learning about the sea, do a pirate joke. There are lots of ways to go with this. Just have fun.

Idea #2: The love note. There is nothing wrong with writing a quick "I love you" on a note and slipping it into their lunch bags. In fact, that is a very nice thing to do. But my favourite love notes are specific ones. For example, if you noticed your son being especially thoughtful with one of his younger siblings, write that down and tell him how much you appreciated that. Or if your child comes home and gets all their jobs done right away without being asked, write them a note to tell them how proud you are of them for being so responsible. You could also use a love note to tell them something about them that you really admire about them. Maybe they are kind, or polite, or patient, or have any number of admirable qualities. Let them know. Kids need to know what it is that they do well.

Idea #3: The good luck note. This is a great one to do on a day when you know your child is facing a test in school. Especially if it is something they have been working on and worrying about. Plus, it shows them that you are aware of what is going on in their lives. You care, you are concerned.

Idea #4: The 'When you come home' note. I love these ones! It gives them (and me too!) a little boost to get through the rest of the afternoon, knowing that they are coming home to something fun that day. "I am making sugar cookies today. When you get home let's decorate them together!" "How about we order pizza for supper tonight?" "Dad got tickets to a hockey game and he's taking you!" "We're going over to Grandma's house for a visit today!" Whatever will give them a little spark.

Idea #5: The note in secret code. These notes should probably be kept short, since they will have to spend some time figuring out the meaning. For example, you could write the note in different colours, and only the words (or letters if you want to be extra tricky) written in red are part of the letter. Or you could write out a series of numbers, and each number is a letter of the alphabet. Or write a note in pictures and see if they can figure out the meaning.

Idea #6: General little letter. This is just a basic, 'Dear Daughter, How is your day today?' message, but can be great too. Tell them what you plan to do for the day, ask who they played with at recess, what did they learn about in math today, remind them that you'll see them soon, etc.

School Lunches - Part 2: Same Ingredients, Different Presentation

My kids aren't really fussy eaters, but when it comes to sandwiches, it really all comes down to ham and cheese. They will not touch peanut butter and jelly. (Isn't that supposed to be the childhood standard? How did I get the only kids who can't stand the stuff???) Anyway, if they are going to have a sandwich, they want to have ham and cheese.

So we've been doing that. But even something they enjoy can seem repetitive after a while. So here is how we shook up the norm:

Idea #1: Home made Lunchables. I put crackers, cheese slices, and rolled up slices of ham into a Tupperware, then when they have their lunches the can build their own creations.

Idea #2: Baked-in-a-blanket. I used a package of Pillsbury crescent dough and wrapped the triangles around the ham and cheese before I popped it in the oven. They loved these. I have had requests for more several times.

Idea #3: Kabobs. These were another one they really liked. No bread this time, but I just strung cubes of meat and cheese on toothpicks and filled up the containers. Easy peasey.

How else would you shake up the standard sandwich?

School Lunches - Part 1: Adding a bit of Silly

I have always brought my big kids home for lunch during their school days. I think it is the best thing for them and for me for several reasons, but at the risk of going on and on and on, (which I can, and have) I'll keep it short and just say that the bell times at our school have changed for the year, and there isn't time enough to get them home, feed them, and get them back to school on time for the afternoon bell.

So we are all adjusting.

We have done special picnic lunches together on the school grounds, and that is great, but weather doesn't always make that possible, and with our Canadian winters, I know there will be stretches of not just weeks, but months, where they will just have to have a packed lunch.

I try to make their lunches interesting, but there is only so much you can do to vary the food you send, especially when they don't have access to a microwave to warm up what you send.

Then I was clicking around on blogland, catching up with friends, and one of them had posted a bunch of lunch ideas she had gathered up. It was awesome! She has so many ideas, and what I loved was that they weren't all just food suggestions, which are good, but also ways to make the regular things a little more fun.

I've tried out a few so far, and my kids are really loving the 'silly lunches' I've been sending this week. As I try more, I'll post them here for you to see.

Idea #1: Funny-Faced Fruit

This was such a fun and easy way to make them smile when they opened up their lunch bags. All it took was a sharpie and 10 seconds to draw the doodles. I made a silly boy for my silly boy, and a silly girl for my silly girl. You could do this with anything that the peel is taken off before you eat it, I used a banana, but you could do it on an orange too.

Idea #2: Joke of the Day

This was another great one that doesn't take any time at all to really add in, and gives them a smile. I just write a quick little note and slip it into their bags. I have found a couple of fun kid-joke websites that I've been using as resources. Some places to check are here, here, and here

Hope you have fun trying out these ideas along with me!

Canada Day Book Suggestions

Here are some books you may want to read with your kiddos this weekend.

M is for Maple: A Canadian Alphabet



Canada in Colours

A Porcupine in a Pine Tree

(okay, this is technically a Christmas book, but it is really cute!)

The Half-Birthday

Do you remember how far apart your birthdays were when you were little? I do! It was almost torturous!

Long before I was a mother, or even married, (okay, I think I was still in early high school) I saw a tiny little note in a magazine about celebrating on the six month mark. I loved it. Loved it! I tucked the idea away in the corner of my mind and when I had my family, I dusted it off and it became a tradition for us.

And this weekend we celebrated with our oldest son.

I keep the 1/2 birthdays very simple. I think that since I love parties and creating them for my kids, I could easily lose control and end up having full blown birthday bashes, when all I meant to do was give them a special day to ease the wait till their real birthday. So we decided long ago just exactly what a half-birthday would entail.

The night before, I always make a simple banner that hangs over the table and reads, "Happy 1/2 Birthday, George!" (or Sue, or Freddie...) and hang it up before I go to bed. Then in the morning when they come out of their rooms, all rumpled with sleep, they see this cheery sign reminding them that today is their special day.

The most important part is the half-birthday cake. I make a basic two-tiered round cake and cut it in half and decorate it. (I let the special child decide on the flavour and colours to use) Isn't it fun? And really, very little work and time is required.

On top of the cake, we light their age-and-a-half number of candles. So this candle has seven full sized candles, plus one very small candle, on top. Seven-and-a-half, you see.

Their half birthdays also include a family supper where all the grandparents come over and I cook a menu designed by the half-birthday boy or girl. This year included a request for three different kinds of pizza, (Can you guess his favourite food?) and no other side dishes to go with it. He wanted pizza, and only pizza.

Finally, they get ONE gift. Just one. Usually we try to have it be a new book, since I am so in love with children's literature and want so very much to develop a love of reading in my kids. This year, our man opened a box set of Junie B Jones, by Barbara Park. He loved it, and read an entire book this evening.

The half-birthday has been great for our family and I would completely recommend it to yours.

10 Ways to Celebrate Chinese New Year Without Planning On It

I always thought it sounded so fun to celebrate Chinese New Years. I kept meaning to, but because the date changes each year it kept sneaking up on me. Then when it suddenly arrived, I would have no plans or preparations completed, so I'd let it slide. Year after year.

Then two years ago, I got together with a couple of other moms and we planned a very fun day with our kids. It was great, but I also learned that I was way over estimating how hard it would be to add this into my schedule. Of course, you can go all out and make it very authentic if you have the time and inclination, but you can do a lot of things to mark the day that take very little, if any, advanced prep.

Here are some great, quick ways to celebrate Chinese New Year:

1. Wear red. Red is the lucky colour in Chinese culture for this day, so I dress my children and myself in it for the occasion. Even my husband remembered on his own this year! Ha!

2. Eat oranges. It is a traditional food for the day, and something we usually have stocked in our fridge.

3. Go online with your kids and find out what the animal was for the year of their births, and discuss the traits they may see in themselves that match their animal.

4. Go out for Chinese Food at supper! Talk about no prep, this is a breeze! No planning what is for dinner! No chopping vegetables! No dishes to do! Yes, it will cost a bit, but we almost never go out to eat, so the splurge didn't feel too painful.

5. Pop into your favourite grocery store, go to the bulk bins, and pick up some fortune cookies. Very fun, very cheap. While you're there, pick up a small flower arrangement and go bring it to a friend. Exchanging flowers is a custom for the day that I find completely wonderful.

6. Watch Mulan. Okay, it might not be the most 'high brow' way to introduce your child to China, but it is fun, takes no planning, and they'll like to have a special movie for the day.

7. Watch a dragon dance on Youtube.

8. Pass out Lucky Money in a red envelope to the kids. This was one thing my daughter kept asking about all day! "Did you get red envelopes for today?" "Do we get lucky money?" "Are you keeping it a surprise?" Truthfully, I had forgotten about the tradition to give children some lucky money, and I didn't have any red envelopes in the house. So I folded up some red construction paper and came up with these in about 5 minutes. I don't give the kids much money - $1 each from my change jar was good enough!

9. Get back on the Internet, look up a few simple Chinese symbols and let the kids try drawing them, or tracing one you've made. Alternatively, let they try it with a paintbrush like a real calligrapher.

10. Break out the secret stash of candy that you keep hidden from the kids, (you do have one, admit it!) and make up a candy plate. It may not have the authentic sweets you'd find in China, (do they have Twizzlers there?) but it will bring your kids the same joyful surprise that it does to children across the sea.

Glass

I am not an interior decorator. Far from it. I look at people who have made their homes beautiful and I wonder how they pulled all those different things together to make one wonderful looking room.

But I do know that just about everything looks better when you display it with glass.

These mini pumpkins I bought for Thanksgiving suddenly look dressed up and fancy when I put them in a pedestal bowl.

Gum balls and Hershey Kisses look completely eye catching, and bags of saltwater taffy look lovely sitting on a cake platter.

And somehow even spooky rubber spiders and plastic frogs manage to look pretty when they are in glass jars of 'potion ingredients.'

(Just to be clear, I didn't think of putting these creepy things in glass. That was a mom at the Potluck Halloween Party - but it does help to prove my point: glass really can make anything look beautiful.)

The 'Potluck' Halloween Party

I hosted a Halloween party for my kids and their friends this year and I did something I'd never done before; I asked the other moms to help. It was a 'potluck' party, where each mom brought an activity for the kids and either a treat to eat at the party, or a contribution to the goodie-bags. I provided the lunch, an activity, the piñata, and decorated the house. The rest was up to them.

And it was fabulous!

For lunch I served fresh fruit and had skeleton-hand tongs to serve them, made crescent rolls (they look like moons, you know) peanut butter sandwiches cut with pumpkin cookie cutters, cheese sticks with a slivered almond on the end (to look like fingers with fingernails) and I served chips in plastic cauldrons.

It was a simple lunch, and went over well.

One of the other moms brought these cute wicked-witch cupcakes as a treat, another brought homemade doughnuts, and I served my spider cookies.

After we ate, we moved on to the activities. One mom brought this game of GHOST, which is played like BINGO.

And she also brought a target toss game where the kids got to throw 'ghosts' into the mouth of a jack-o-lantern. Both her games were very well received.

This mom made 'monster slime' with the kids. I loved this, since I know I wouldn't have thought of it. She brought all her ingredients in jars and mixed up the 'potion' with the kids helping, and then she taught them how to blow bubbles with it. It was both disgusting and delightful.

Another mom brought the materials to make a jack-o-lantern craft with them. They mixed up some glue and shaving cream and then she had lots of accessories for the children to create their own design of a pumpkin. This one covered in eyes was my favorite.

This mom brought a TON of craft supplies and helped the kids design and make their own custom monster. They got very creative with it and we had all sorts of things come out of the workshop.

I did a bobbing for apples station, and loved watching the kids. Some of them had no fear and plunged right on in, and others were very careful about staying dry. We had one girl come with a green face to be the Wicked Witch of the West, and by the time she was through, she had very little make-up left!

Our last activity was the piñata. My children came up with the design for this on their own. I did the paper and glue on the balloon, but the decorating was all them. Didn't they do great?

It was such a fun way to spend the afternoon with all our kids, and I've got to say that it really was one of my favorite parties. It was so great to have other smart, involved mothers be on board and bring their ideas to the party. The kids had a great time with the variety of games and activities, plus it was way less work than if any one of us had put it on alone!

Next time you have a party coming up, try including other mothers into the planning and carrying out. The Potluck Party. Why didn't I think of it sooner?

Storytelling

Stories are one of my children's most favorite things. They love them. And, happily, I have learned of their amazing power to help keep my children patient.

-Doctor office waiting rooms

-Lines at the grocery store

-Picking up siblings at school

-Doing hair in the morning

-Long car trips....

The list is endless. They will sit, (or stand as the case may be) and listen intently while I tell them a story. They do enjoy when I tell a classic tale we have read from a book many times, but they really love when Mommy tells a 'make-up story.' They can be about anything, and they don't even have to be that great if my brain isn't working so well and the creativity switch is in the 'off' position. As long as I'm telling one, they are engaged in it.

We tell stories about aliens, jungle animals, farm animals, dinosaurs, princesses, wizards, and regular kids. Stories can take ten minutes, (doing hair) or two, (picking up siblings at school).

Make-up stories have also helped out at sad times. They are a great distraction. They have come to the rescue so many times.

-Sickness

-Bad dreams

-Skinned knees

-Loss of a toy

-Immunization day...

And not only do they get us through the rough patches and boredom, they have taught my children creativity and fundamentals of storytelling. My kids can tell really good stories of their own. When they tell their make-up stories, they have settings, characters, and plot. Their stories have a beginning, a middle and an end. There are struggles and triumphs, heroes and villains, magic and reality. Even my three-year-old has learned to make up his own tales of adventure. It is so great to see them imagine a world all their own.

Storytelling. It is just plain wonderful all around.

Love Notes and Surprises

I like to leave my kids surprises for them to find when they wake up in the morning. Just little things, but things that let them know that I'm thinking of them, even while they are fast asleep.

Without question, their favorite surprises are when I bake cookies after I've tucked them in and leave a couple on a napkin with a simple love note beside their beds. When they wake up in the morning, they find the treat and are always excited. My kids were VERY lucky this week and actually had cookie surprises twice.

I also really like to leave them little cards with pictures of us together, and for my older ones who are starting to read, I like to leave a simple letter telling them something they have done that I was proud of them for, or telling them what I admire about them. It is special, and it lets them know that I am noticing when they do good things. It feels good, for both of us.

10 Tips To A Successful Party

I love throwing parties for my kids. Birthdays, holidays, meeting the kids from school, or even just great weather are all reason enough for me. I enjoy the party prep and I have fun seeing their anticipation as the big day approaches, but their happiness at the event itself is my biggest payoff.

Sometimes after parties, parents will ask how I pulled it all together, and as their own child's special day comes closer, I've gotten phone calls and emails asking for suggestions or asked to lend I hand. I'm always flattered, and since putting together celebrations is something I enjoy, I am happy to help.

I don't want to say my parties are the pinnacle of perfection; the people from Martha Stewart haven't tried to hire me to their staff, but here are my top 10 secrets to party success.

10. Start early. If you wait until a day or two before the party, suddenly the amount of work is overwhelming, and getting ready is not any fun because it is stressful. But if you start a week, or even 10 days early, you can spread it out, and just do one or two small tasks each day. Then the morning of the party, you can breathe and enjoy yourself, instead of turning into a frantic, cranky mother as you rush to string up the crepe paper.

9. Choose a theme. When I settle on a single thought I can direct my energies in one direction, and it is easier to think of games, decorations, party favors, cake designs, etc. It can also make remembering their day easier for them several months, or even years later. My seven year old can tell you what he did at his fourth birthday because he knows that they all tied into Disney characters. With no theme, parties may tend to run together in their minds. (Plus, it is cuter in the pictures! Everything matches!)

8. Let it be guided by your child's desires. It can be tempting to have the party you want (after all, you are the one doing the work) instead of the party your child wants. For example, I really wanted to do a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory birthday for one of my sons at his upcoming birthday. He thought it was a fun idea, but then told me that it would be better for his next birthday, because this time he wants a Sesame Street party. Okay. It is, after all, his birthday.

7. Set a budget, and stick to it. Children's birthday parties should not break the bank. Treat bags should not cost an arm and a leg to fill. Decide a reasonable amount for you to spend, and work within it. If you get creative, make rather than purchase the decorations, borrow some things from your friends, (remember to happily lend your items in return when they come looking for help) and get to know your local dollar store, you really can put together a beautiful, fun, and memorable day for your kids.

6. Watch your numbers. A basic rule of thumb is to invite as many guests as they child's age. If they are turning seven, then a guest list of seven should be enough. There obviously has to be a little wiggle room here, to account for siblings etc, but a party of 15 three-year-olds is going to turn into a hectic zoo.

5. If at all possible, try to hold at least some of the party outdoors. Loud, noisy children are easier to love where they aren't filling a room with their own voice. There is more room to play a physical activity in the yard then say, in your living room. Games are easier to clean up, the pictures turn out nicer, and you don't even have to mop up the icing from off your kitchen floor. Good reasons, all, to take it out back. (That being said, you should have a back-up plan in your head just in case you get an unseasonably rainy, windy, or cold day)

4. Write it down. Entertaining a group of kids for two or three hours takes a lot of planning and even a bit of strategy. You need mix up the quiet games with the loud games, with the crafts, with the snacks... The list of activities gets long fast, and if you write down all the things you want to do, and the order you want to do them, you won't miss something during the hustle and bustle of the party. I write it on a 3"x5" card and stick it in my back pocket. Whenever I need to know what is coming up, I just whip it out, and we stay on track.

3. Make and keep traditions. It is fun to have something that is always going to be at the parties you have. For our family, it is a pinata. We have pinatas at every birthday party we host. They aren't terribly difficult to make, you can fill them with whatever you want, and they are fun to smash. Granted, pinatas need a few days to make, but if you are starting early in your preparations, this isn't a problem. And if all else fails, you can grab one at a store for a little extra cash. If pinatas aren't your thing, fine, but find something that your kids love, and that you can see growing with them each year, and try to create a consistent element across all your parties.

2. Have enough help. On the day of the event, even if you have done all your prep and planning well, it is so much easier to pull it all off if you have an extra adult or two to help you out. While you are manning the craft, your husband, sister, mother-in-law, etc can be getting the materials for the next game ready. While you are taking pictures of the birthday boy with his cake, they can be getting the garbage bag ready for the napkins, paper plates, and plastic forks that will soon need to be disposed of. Things run so much more smoothly, and it lets you live in the moment a little more.

1. Relax. Remember that parties are supposed to be fun, happy things. If you are getting too wound up trying to make the perfect cake, design cute little decorations, or worrying that your daughter's hair stays in perfect ringlets, you are missing the whole point. Take a deep breath, and remember that those little details in the end, aren't what the kids will take away from this. They are going to remember the way their party made them feel like the most important person in the world, and that is what we are aiming for.