For the invitations, I pulled out my inner-Martha and made “message in a bottle” invitations. It involved a couple of nights work (those short precious hours between the time when the children have gone to bed and tired Mothers cant keep their eyes open for one minute longer), a printer, left-over coffee, tea, and my trusty stove’s gas burner. Throw in some sand and old shells lying around the house (from the last beach holiday), a bit of string, glass mineral water bottles, and hey, presto!

As luck would have it, both mine and my husband’s printer were acting extremely temperamental (and headed for the junk yard), so I went ovet to my sister’s house, parchment in hand. We found the perfect font, and in a few minutes, cooked up the wording:

Ahoy Matey!
Captain Natasha will be in harbour
On February 11th, 2007
at three o’clock in the afternoon
in search of a motley crew
and will navigate her way to
The Pooldeck (of our apartment building)
to meet suitable recruits
for a swashbuckling adventure bash!!

No liver-belly cowards or landlubbers need attend.

Now soak in coffee, burn the edges, tie and stuff in the bottle, seashells and sand. Easy and fun. And expect to get lots of compliments from the parents!! Oh, and I also put the bottle in a brown paper bag, with a “jolly roger” drawn on with a felt tipped pen. Those skulls get easier to draw once you’ve done them at least 10 times.

[tags]invitation, message in a bottle, pirate, birthday[/tags]

All is finally back to normal here at home. The kids are healthy, Daddy is back from his trip, and Mom is back to pirate mode. One of my major coups this week has been finding the perfect birthday cakes, and thanks to my internet-research-savvy sister, she found me a girl who makes the most fabulous birthday cakes and pretty decent prices.

I love to bake, but in all honesty, one of those fancy “themed” or shaped cakes are totally beyond me. I’ll just leave that to the experts, thank you very much. So when I found this girl called Erika, (a pastry chef in her twenties, baking from home) who could pull off not just the cakes, but matching cupcakes and cookie lollipops in pirate theme, I was thrilled. She sent me a few sketches for approval, and asked for any other input I may have to make the day as special as she could for the kids.

A few more sketches and emails later, we were set! The pirate cake is actually going to be a huge treasure chest, with booty richly overflowing out. But thats not all. Places on a cake board decorated like a desert island beach, she is going to make an edible replica of the treasure map I drew for the party! Add to that some mini-moulded pirate candles we bought to place around the map (5, of course), and we’re set. Exciting stuff aaargh!

[tags]pirate, pirate birthday, pirate cake[/tags]

After my soon-to-be 5-year-old saw a fabulous pirate girl costume at our local party shop, it was a done deal. Its going to be a pirate party!! Luckily for Mom, the shop was on 50% off (hurrah!), so we stocked up on plates, hats, cups and so on. Next up was research time on the internet, as I was more of a girly kid in my youth, preferring princesses and castles to dirty, brazen-mouth pirates. I think my daughter takes after my hubby in that respect!

Online, I found some pretty great resources, like Birthday Party Ideas, which I would highly recommend for any parent planning any party. Written by parents who so kindly share their experience with loads of tips and advice, the site has all the birthday party themes any kid would want, with over 150 categories of fantastic birthday party ideas. I love it!!

For Pirate Kids party fayre, the site Pirate Party Food has some easy kid-friendly recipes to give you some creative ideas when planning for the party’s menu.

More ideas which came in handy were found at Boardman’s Birthday Party Ideas, like some thorough instructions for the invitations like how you should dip the paper in coffee for that old ragged look, and very pirate-y wording like:

“Aye…..ye be invited fer some birthday spirits at Captn Tyler’s Buccaneer Bash
Chart yer course fer the “location” ? day of month
We be a meetin at “time” fer some swashbuckling fun, grub and kiddie spirits.
Wave yer flag if ye be attendin or hav yer mum send message by yer phone to “number”
Sees ye there…..aarrgghh!

Yesterday we hit the shops in search for pirate loot for the prizes etc, and although we did find a good amount of stuff, I’m still kicking myself for not being more organized and getting stocked up at Halloween when all the pirate-y goods like skeletons, skulls and so forth were everywhere. But such is the last-minute decision making of 4-year-olds! I’ll have to search for my inner Martha now. Aaaarrgh!

[tags]Pirate party, kids’s party, birthdays, 5th birthday[/tags]

With Christmas, New Year’s and The Three Kings come and gone, most parents are sighing with relief that the frenzy of decorating, shopping, cooking, organizing and so on is officially over. NOT at our household. Why? Because in a couple of weeks time, I’ll have to be sending out the invites for BOTH by kids’ birthdays, which means more shopping, more cooking and a lot of organizing. Sigh.

My two childrens’ birthdays are one day apart. It could have been on the same day (owing to a scheduled c-section for baby # 2), but due to a mass consensus by friends and family around the globe, we decided that having their own special days would probably be what they would want later on. Two years later, I can’t help but wonder if we made the right decision. Surely a “same birthday” would mean one day of festivities (okay, two if it falls on a weekday and so theres the actual one plus the party?) rather than the double/quad celebrations I will face for the next 20 years (or more?).

Not that I’m complaining. If you’ve been reading my blog, you’ll be able to tell by now that I’m the kind of Mom who just thrives on creating happy (indulgent?) childhood memories. Unbirthday parties, crafts and baking, and frequent special “mommy day” at the mall complete with a toy, ice cream and a ride on the carousel. So, a party (or two) with all the trimmings is indeed de rigeur in my household.

In my 5 years as a parent, I’ve learnt the ins and outs of birthday planning the hard way, which includes various mistakes like a too-hard treasure hunt (where the kids couldnt find one dang clue) and inviting too many big kids (when the Barney mascot got mauled at my daughter’s 2nd) to name but a few. Last year’s bash, where my daughter turned 4 and my son 1, was a Powerpuff/Rowdyruff swimming party complete with puppet show and PPG mascot (who thankfully did not get mauled but did a very weird dance that made me nervous). It was nowhere as insane as my daughter’s 2nd (the one with the over-8’s), but it was still pretty crazy. And even if they shared the “big party” (not easy to do theme-wise with a girl and a boy, mind you), we still had to do 2 other ” actual day” celebratory planning. This year, I hope to put some of what I’ve learnt to good use and stay small and simple.

So on that note, and those two uber-special days in February drawing near, let me welcome you to The Land Of Birthdays here at the Parenting Blog!! (if you hate birthdays, please stay away from this blog because this WILL be my obsession for the next few weeks).

[tags]Birthdays, kids parties[/tags]

A wonderful family Christmas tradition I started since the children came along is baking Christmas cookies. My daughter is now nearly 5, but we started doing it when she was 2, and actually do it all year round. Of course, during Christmas it becomes even more special as we make enough to give away and its a good excuse to use our special cutters in holiday shapes like a Christmas tree, bell, star and angel. The gingerbread man is my daughter’s favourite, as is the snowman.

Everyone has a favourite cookie recipe of their own, but this particular one is ideal for the busy Mom as they freeze really well and come in handy when the kids just want to do the shaping and icing part (and you have enough on your hands to want to mix and measure). Oh, and best of all, these taste really good too!

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

Heat oven to 375° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

With an electric mixer on medium-high, beat the butter, brown and granulated sugars, corn syrup, and vanilla for 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat until combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture to the egg mixture. Add ingredients from the variation of your choice.

Unless the directions for the variation state otherwise, form the dough into tablespoon-size mounds. Place on the prepared baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake until lightly browned at the edges, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer the cookies to wire racks. Cool completely.

To Make Now and Bake Later: When you mix a batch of cookies, double the recipe. Bake half the dough according to the recipe and divide the rest into 4 equal portions. Roll each portion into a log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap each log in plastic, then place in a resealable plastic bag. To save yourself time and hassle, label the bag with the flavor, the oven temperature, and the baking time, adding 3 to 6 minutes to the regular oven time. Freeze the dough for up to 3 months. To bake, slice the frozen dough into rounds about 1/2 inch thick, making as few or as many as you would like. Bake on a parchment- or foil-lined baking sheet.

Yield: Makes 40 cookies

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 105(43% from fat); FAT 5g (sat 3g); SUGAR 8g; PROTEIN 1g; CHOLESTEROL 17mg; SODIUM 67mg; FIBER 1g; CARBOHYDRATE 15g

[tags]Christmas, Holidays, Christmas cookies, cookie recipe[/tags]

One of the great things about little kids is that they love making things, and they love giving away their creations away even more. Grandparents and the like are especially good candidates to receive such offerings, and will probably appreciate them more than the usual pair of socks, sweater or sewing box.

Here are some ideas my kids are aching to try:

Drum Ornament
toilet paper rolls, red and white contact paper, felt, or paint, glue, gold metallic yarn, toothpicks Cut the roll in thirds. Cover with red paper, felt, or even paint or markers, just so it is covered. Glue 2 circles of white felt, paper or fabric just big enough to go over each end and glue around the edge about 1/8″. Using gold metallic yarn (like the plastic canvas stuff), anchor one end to the top edge of the covered roll, then glue to the other edge going down and at an angle, then angle back up to the top and continue around in the fashion. Glue a couple of round toothpicks to the top, add a string for hanging.

Wreath Ornaments
Use green tempera paint to paint seven 2 1/2 in. wide pieces of paper towel of toilet paper tubes. When the paint is dry thread a pipe cleaner through all the tubes and twist to secure them together. Cut out at red paper bow, and glue it to the wreath. Thread a piece of red ribbon through the tube on top and tie to make the hanger for the ornament or wreath.

Pinecone Ornaments
Gather pine cones (they don’t have to be large). Spray paint some gold, some silver, and some with clear sealer and while still wet sprinkle glitter on liberally, then spray again with clear sealer. This should be done in a well ventilated space. You could also have the kids paint the pine cones by hand with gold or silver paint, or dabbing glue on the cones and sprinkling with glitter. When the cones are dry, tie a beautiful ribbon around the top (ones that still have a bit of stem attached at the top work best), and you have a very nice ornament.

Swirled Ornament Balls
You need clear plastic balls (ornament balls) with a gold top and loop, to pull string through. Different colors of acrylic paint and the kids squeezed different colors into the ornament ball. When each color is squeezed in the ball, the children turn the ball around and around to spread out the color. Each one is different &beautiful!

Christmas Snowflake Ornament
Using craft sticks, spray paint them white. Or the children could paint them white. I like to use the cut out craft sticks for this project. Glue 3 of the sticks together to form a snowflake design. Start by making a “X” shape with a dot of glue in the center of the sticks. Lay the next stick horizontally on top like this > —- . Let the sticks dry. The children apply glue & white glitter. Glue a paper clip to the top of the stick to use as a hanger. Add a green or red ribbon to the paper clip.

Ornaments of glue & glitter
Trace a simple star or whatever design on paper (tape the paper to the table), lay wax paper over the top so you can see the design (also tape it to the table). Have the kids put glue over the outline of the design & then sprinkle on the glitter. Dry overnight & then peel from wax paper.

Yarn Ornaments
Wax Paper, Glue, Glitter, Yarn - various colors Cut yarn into various lengths. Dip yarn in glue & lay on wax paper, over lapping each piece. Let dry. Pull yarn off wax paper, attach a string to the top, apply glue & add glitter. Hang to dry.

Popcorn Ornaments
Here’s a twist on traditional christmas trims. Instead of stringing popcorn on string for your tree. String it onto medium-gauge wire and bend the wire into shapes such as bells, hearts, or stars. Add a ribbon to the top!

Christmas Tree Balls
Clear glass or plastic tree balls (ornaments), small Christmas accessories or toys, ribbons, cotton, sequins, glitter, glue Remove the top hook part from the bulb. Fill the ball with such things as: cotton puffs, a sprig of holly or mistletoe, a small toy, bright strands of ribbon, etc. You can also add a small picture. Roll it up and stick it through and it will unroll itself. You can also decorate the outside of the bulb, just be sure to not cover up what is inside the bulb. When finished, put the top back on.

Paper Tree Ornaments
Cut out 4 triangle tree shapes. Fold each one in middle. Glue together. Add sequins or holes punched from colored paper for decorations. Cut out circles or heart or shapes & do the same as the tree for different ornaments.

Bear Ornaments
Precut bear shape from green or red poster board. Make hole punches all around and allow the children to sew in and out of the holes with red or green ribbon. Glue a pocket on the front of their bear and add a message in the pocket. One big bear hug. Just for you. Merry Christmas Love _______”. We added a ribbon string for hanging. Also used old Christmas wrap cut into heart shapes to decorating the pocket etc.

[tags]Christmas, Holidays, Christmas ornaments, homemade ornaments[/tags]

Lately nearly every place we go to is adorned with Christmas decorations - poinsettias, wreaths, garlands, lights, santas, snowmen, and yes, styrofoam balls covered in glitter, ribbon, rhinestones and so on.

At our local Gymboree, where my son and I attend twice-a-week lessons (which he LOVES by the way), there are lots of the homemade variety, of balls in different sizes, simply decorated with multicoloured glitter. Many had impressively had Gymbo the clown too.

My daughter thought that these balls were just “beautiful!”, and asked if we could make some at home too. As Christmas is coming, I thought I’d don my SuperMom cape for the holidays and get down to some serious Yuletide styro-ball-ornament making. You have to love the styro ball. Its cheap, easy to find, and easy to decorate for little kids.

Heres’ how to do it:

Styrofoam Ball Ornaments

*styrofoam ball (about 2 1/2 inches)
*glue
*paper clips
*paint
*craft items - glitter, jewels, ribbons, etc

Put some glue on one end of a paper clip and push it into ball, this will be the hanger. Paint and decorate as desired.
You can also paint with glitter paint, glue on “jewels” & tiny shells and ribbons as below.

Ribbon Covered Balls

* Styrofoam ball
* 1/4″ satin ribbon
* Dressmaker pins
* Christmas cording
* Ribbon for a bow
* Pearls, beads or other decorations
* Hot glue

Take a large pen and poke a hole all the way through the center of the ball. Secure the ribbon with dressmaker pins at one end and basically just wrap the ribbon around the ball through the hole. At each end of the hole, secure the ribbon with a pin. Then after you cover the whole ball, you can push some pretty cording through the hole and tie a knot at the bottom and make a bow or something like that at the top for a loop to hang on tree. You can also use a hot glue gun to add other baubles like beads, pearls or small crystals.

[tags]Christmas, Holidays, Christmas ornaments, styrofoam balls[/tags]

I was about to post another totally adorable DIY costume, but I came across these totally disgusting appetisers, which are just too horrible not to share.

To be honest, I feel physically sick when I look at these, but I’m pretty sure it will elicit joy from my daughter and her kindergarten gang. I’m debating whether I should serve it at my next drinks party……just to see the faces of my friends.

These grotesque digits are actually delicious pretzels, and the recipe makes about 45 of them - so perfect for a party (or scaring your husband when he raids the fridge in the middle of the night). The recipe also suggests you sprinkle the fingers with rosemary, to complete the freakish, bristle-laden look.

Ingredients:

24 blanched almonds, halved lengthwise
Red food coloring, optional
1 tablespoon sugar
1 scant tablespoon active dry yeast (one 1/4-ounce package)
5 1/2 to 6 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons baking soda
1 large egg
Sea salt
Dried rosemary (optional)
Vegetable-oil cooking spray

1. Place a small amount of food coloring in a shallow bowl, and, using a paintbrush, color the rounded side of each split almond; set aside to dry.

2. Pour 2 cups warm water (110°) into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough-hook attachment. Add sugar; stir to dissolve. Sprinkle with yeast, and let stand until yeast begins to bubble, about 5 minutes.

3. Beat 1 cup flour into yeast on low speed until combined. Beat in salt; add 3 1/2 cups flour until combined. Beat until dough pulls away from bowl, 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low; add 1/2 cup flour. Knead 1 minute more. If dough is sticky, add up to 1 cup more flour. Transfer to a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth, 1 minute.

4. Coat a large bowl with cooking spray. Transfer dough to bowl, turning dough to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap; let rest in a warm spot to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

5. Heat oven to 450°. Heat 3 quarts water to boil in a 6-quart straightsided saucepan over high heat; reduce to a simmer. Add baking soda. Lightly coat two baking sheets with cooking spray. Divide dough into quarters. Work with one quarter at a time, and cover remaining dough with plastic wrap. Divide the first quarter into twelve pieces. On a lightly floured work surface, roll each piece back and forth with your palm into a long finger shape, about 3 to 4 inches. Pinch dough in two places to form knuckles. When all twelve fingers are formed, transfer to simmering water. Poach for 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer fingers to baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, blanching each set of 12 fingers before making more.

6. Beat egg with 1 tablespoon water. Brush pretzel fingers with egg wash. Using a sharp knife, lightly score each knuckle about three times. Sprinkle with salt and rosemary, if using. Position almond nails; push into dough to attach. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool on wire rack. Fingers are best eaten the same day; or store, covered, up to 2 days at room temperature.

[tags]Recipes,Halloween,Appetizers,Pretzels[/tags]

One of my 20-month-old son’s favourite words are “Fshhhh” (and he also gets into a near-hypnotic state with his Grandma’s fishtank), so when I saw this costume I was overwhelmed with “awwwww!!!” picturing him in full adorable goldfish glory.

But like I said, I have already purchased a costly Thomas number(again, drat!), so this will have to wait in the wings until baby #3 arrives (?). Martha (who else could concoct such perfect cuteness?) also recommends that this one only works with babies who dont walk yet, so my little O already missed the boat about a year ago!

MATERIALS
60-inch-long piece of kraft paper
1 1/2 yards of orange wool felt
1 yard of 1/4-inch-thick polyurethane foam or one bag of wool-blanket batting
4 sets of Velcro fastener dots, 1/2 yard of pink wool felt
Scraps of black and white felt
White craft glue.

1. To make patterns, draw a grid of 2-inch squares on kraft paper; copy templates by hand onto it. Using fish pattern, cut one piece of orange felt and foam with front scoop neckline and one piece orange felt and foam with back neckline. Use orange part of pattern to cut one front and one back from orange felt for lining. For the front, layer foam, then whole felt, then half felt; stitch around top from notch A to notch B, with 1/4-inch seam allowance. Turn right side out so foam is between felt pieces. Quilt front from top to bottom, making rows of 4 1/2-inch scallops 2 1/2 inches apart. Repeat with remaining pieces for back. Place front and back together, right sides facing. Sew around tail from notch A to notch B, with a 1/4-inch seam allowance. Turn right side out. Sew Velcro fastener dots at shoulders and underarms, as shown on template.

2. Use hat pattern to cut two pieces of felt, one orange and one pink, and one piece of foam. Layer pieces: foam, pink felt, and orange felt. Sew top, bottom, and one side closed with 1/4-inch seam allowance. Turn right side out. Quilt as above. Fold in half, pink side out; sew along short edge. Turn orange side out. Cut eye from black and white felt scraps. Glue on as shown.

[tags]Halloween,Halloween Costumes,Baby, Baby Costume,Goldfish Costume[/tags]

It is never too early or too late to teach your kids an appreciation for the arts. Music a rhythm in everyones blood and everyone has a creative side, Expose them to the arts and help them develop interest and skill.

Where to start? Look for local musical productions that your kids can relate to. Annie is a favorite and so is Oliver Twist. There’s the Sound of Music, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and the Wiz. Who knows? You may even find your child on stage one of these days.

If you aren’t really into theater, how about getting your kids into Disney. They have one of the widest collections of plays, musicals and movies made for television and wide screen. Their animation series starting with Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Little Mermaid, Hercules and Aladdin, just to name a few, have been entertaining kids (and adults since Walt Disney first decided to push for his dream. The music that went with his films are beautiful and are now classic to the families who watched them.

If your child expresses an interest to learn an instrument, be encouraging. The most practical instruments to learn are piano or guitar - just to get started. The beauty of these two instruments is that your child can play the instrument and still sing (if he is so inclined). He might even be inspired to begin composing his own music.

It works a lot better though if you also have an interest in the arts. Your child wants to be encouraged but not forced. Your enthusiasm will help them develop a love for the arts without them feeling like they are going for a visit to the dentist.

[tags]arts,musicals,plays,Anni,The Wiz,Narnia,The Lion,The Witch and The Wardrobe,Disney,Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty,Hercules,Aladdin,Little Mermaid[/tags]