Let's get this Pawty Stawted!!!

As I stated earlier...I love planning my children's parties! Fulton has requested an ice cream social. So I got my wheels turning and went to my favorite place for some inspiration...the Internet! I created my inspiration board from some other great blogs and websites.

Ice Cream Social Inspiration Board



Photo credits:
Red and Blue Tissue Poms http://sweetlittleparties.blogspot.com/2010/09/win-happy-birthday-to-me.html, Balloons http://www.simplybabystuff.com/brownblue.html, Invitations and Toppings http://katelandersevents.blogspot.com/2010/03/ice-cream-birthday-party-for-boys.html, Tablescape http://rufflesandbells.wordpress.com/2010/04/30/woodsy-poppy-red/, Take-Home Treats http://sugarshop.typepad.com/sugar_shop/2009/02/rice-krispy-treat-pops-tutorial.html, Cupcake Toppers http://thetwosavvysisters.blogspot.com/2010/06/new-party-collectionvintage-baseball.html, Ice Cream Tent http://www.dandydonsicecream.com/

I was blessed with S and F being born right smack dab in the middle of college football season. So we either have to do parties on "off" days or Sundays. So we chose the Sunday following F's birthday. I used my Mom Agenda planning section to get me started.

The Details
Date: 9/12
Time: 2:30-4:00
Where: Our house
Menu: Cupcakes, Ice Cream Sundaes, Toppings- sprinkles, jimmies, cherries, crushed oreos, chocolate chips, gummies, m&m's, sugar wafers, cherries, chocolate syrup, caramel syrup, whipped cream, Beverages- bottled water, red and blue kool-aid
The Decoration Ideas
Color scheme: Red, white, light blue, and brown- fabric/tablecloths, paper pinwheels, tissue pom-poms, napkins, bowls, spoons
Games and Favor Ideas:
Pin the cherry on the sundae, cherry on the spoon relay; ice cream scoop, ice cream foam pop-gun, or rice krispie pop
(We actually decided against games because it was forcasted to be very hot and it was a shorter party. And party favors...Sometimes I think parents throw away plastic toy party favors as soon as the child goes to sleep and it ends up being a waste of money. So we went with the rice krispie treat pops.)

Ice Cream Social Event Board

(Click photo for larger view)

Left to right: cupcake tree, autograph mat (Each MM has one from every birthday. They are my favorite mementos and I hope they'll be theirs too.), treat basket and treat, personalized water bottles and kool-aid on ice, toppings, wagon with gifts, invitation by Letter Bugz, blowing out #5, cupcake toppers and ice cream tags, paper pin wheels lining the walk to greet guests, tissue pom-poms suspended from ice cream tent.



This is what we ended up with! F loved it and was so excited when he walked outside to see the staging. He said. "Wow! This is MY party!" I was very pleased with how it all came together.

 

Practically Yours,

An update

A simple equation for my readers:

+

+

=

I am a speech therapist by trade and a stay at home mom by the grace of God, the hard work of The Yard Man, and the little sacrifices we make as a family. In an earlier post I was struggling with how I could use my degree and still be at home with my MM's. I also want to still be able to use my talents and keep my creative juices flowing. IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK?!?!

Which leads me to my update on a few things...

# 1- So I have been researching part-time speech therapy prospects and have a couple "in my pocket goin' jing-a-ling-a-ling". (Go on...I hear ya...sing it sista.---I loved that song.) The extra cashola sure would be nice and it would keep my foot in the do' for future speech gigs. Not to mention with these particular prospects I would be available for my little MM's. I just gotta keep praying one of them will work out.

# 2- I have been trying to revamp my business website Letter Bugz Social Stationery! I have decided to move away from stationery and focus more on my themed invitations with coordinating thank you notes, favor labels, and address labels, as well as photo cards. I will also be adding children's birthday party services soon. These will include a variety of services such as; custom invitation packages, inspiration boards, handmade decor, and full-service party planning for a WIDE range of budgets! I have been praying for a while now for God to help me use my talents in a way that others may also benefit and the LORD knows how much I love planning fun parties and entertaining! So, I am going to give this a shot and I am hoping He will give me the strength and knowledge I need to get this up and running. Word of mouth is the best advertisement, so I also hope I can count on your support and prayers as I dive in to something new.

# 3- On an organizational note: Daily I think about how much I enjoy planning parties and celebrating birthdays. But at least three times a year I am reminded exactly how much I LOOOOOOOVE it! Well it's one of those times of the year. Tomorrow, September 9th, is MM2's 5th birthday. I can't believe it! About a month or so ago, I asked MM2 what kind of party he'd like. He said he wanted an Ice Cream social! So I have been hard at work shopping around for specials on supplies for DIY decorations and all the party necessities! Details to come!!!
 I have been plundering through photos of the past 5 years to include in MM2's celebration of life presentation at school. This reminded me that back in the summer I began organizing all my printed photos from 1974 to present and got stuck somewhere in the early 2000's. I need to get on it again! I was on a mission and I have fallen off the wagon. But Hobby Lobby and Target have great stylish photo boxes for storage and I bought a few last time they were on sale. Organizing photos makes projects like this very easy...only MM2 was born in 2005 and I didn't make it that far in "operation photo organization".

Any who...just an update.

Practical Tip- I am trusting in the Lord. He knows me best of all and it will work out the way it is supposed to!

Practically Put- Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. -Proverbs 3:5-6

Practically yours,

Time Budget

Love this! I really need to think about my time budget. I tend to over-commit myself, as I'm sure most mothers do!
Are You Budgeting Your Time Effectively? - Budgeting - daveramsey.com

Practically Yours,

It's Suppah Time!

Happy September, y'all!! It's almost fall, school is back in full swing for most of us, and obligations to ball games, after-school activities, volunteerism, and various other "things" to keep us crazy and busy are at hand. Along with all of this comes the daily dreaded 5:00 question..."what should I fix for supper"?  Sometimes planning dinner for my family of 5 feels so overwhelming! It can also be very costly. Even though I "coupon", it seems that all the stuff I need for new creative recipes are never on sale, nor do they have coupons!!! And I truly love sitting around the table with "all my men". I feel it is of vital importance to every family, but I get so sick and tired of dreaming up healthy inexpensive meals. I needed help.

We are Dave Ramsey freaks! He dictates everything we do with our $. One night, while searching his site a few months ago, we found this awesome site. I didn't try it at first, but after asking around, a good friend said she had been using it with her family and she convinced me to give it a try. It's the greatest concept ever and worth the $1.25 a week! I don't have to think about supper...YAY!!!

Y'all check it out...you can choose regular menu plans, low-fat menus, or WW POINTS menus!
E-MEALZ Easy Meals for Busy and Frugal Families

In a typical week, I use my little BLD menu schedule that I created. Now, I don't have to dream up dinners...they're done for me on E-Mealz and all I have to do it plug it into my schedule. If you'd like a copy...just let me know.

Practical Tip- Planning regular meals can be a pain in the be-haunkus, but it is so important for the health and well-being of our families. It is also a huge challenge for most people. So, even if you don't want to do the E-mealz, you could plug in dinner ideas of your own to my BLD schedule or make your own. It makes feeding the masses a little easier!

Practically Put- Luke 9:12-17
12Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, "Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here."

13He replied, "You give them something to eat."
They answered, "We have only five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all this crowd." 14(About five thousand men were there.)

But he said to his disciples, "Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each." 15The disciples did so, and everybody sat down. 16Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to set before the people. 17They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

Practically Yours,