Shark Party!

For 3 years in a row my middle son has requested a shark party. At first I was tempted to encourage him to pick something else but then I realized how easy he was making it for me. At this point I had down what to do and had kept the decorations from the previous year. However, of course I had to add some new twist! I had my husband run to Lowe's and get plywood and then drew out surf boards for him to cut out. We then painted them and used the decorative duct tape to add cool stripes. He also cut out tons of shark fins with the remaining pieces of wood. I used these to line the sides of the huge home-made water slide...If you have a hill at your house, you have to try this! The kids LOVE it! Get a couple rolls of the thick plastic, stake it down or use sand bags to hold down the sides. Then get cheap dish soap from the dollar store and cover the slide with it to make it extra slippery. It is AWESOME!

Here are some of the inside pictures. I used sand buckets instead of sacks for the goodie bags and filled them with all things beach and summer related. Things like water guns, bubbles, chalk and livesaver candy are good ideas.

New Years Eve: Family Style

                 New Years Eve is just days away. It has snuck up on me like always. And to be honest I haven't seen midnight in years. With 4 kids sleep just seems a tad more important. However, that doesn't mean you still can't have a little fun even if it is staying in with the kids! Here are some kid friendly ideas.

These cute New Years Resolution Sheets are easy to fill out for the kids. They are created by Jinxy Kids and can be printed for free New Years Resolutions

These cute Pop-Up Homemade Firework Crafts were created by My little 3 and me. These are super cute!! Find the Tutorial here Pop Up Firework Craft

My Kids love to make these Party Poppers and they are so Easy! Fill them with confetti, little pieces of candy or small trinkets. The directions can be found here: Party Poppers

Confetti Wands....My daughter would love these! Find the tutorial here:Confetti Wands

Lastly, every New Years Eve Party needs a balloon drop. Balloon Drop Tutorial


Even if the kids go to bed at 10, they will love feeling like they got to celebrate the New year!

Super Hero Party

Sometimes a cringe at having a party at the local party spot. But my son was set on it and really sometimes they aren't all that bad. The challenge was getting enough time to turn the boring rooms into something cute and work around their food restrictions. 
 

My son wanted a super Hero Party.  I found lots of cute things on Oriental Trading. Including the capes and masks, the stand-ups and the tablecloths. 
Oriental Trading Super Hero Supplies

I found really cool printables from Anders Ruff. I used these for centerpieces and to put on the back of the capes. Anders Ruff Super Hero

I made cute Super hero bags to hold the thank you loot and goodies. 

More photos of the party below

Kauai Vacation

So, this may not be holiday, party or style related but I wanted to share how some of my summer time has been spent. Our second vacation of the summer was an "adult" vacation. My husband and I traveled with my aunt, uncle, cousin, his girlfriend and my grandpa to Kauai.

A few shots of our beach house. Wonderfully quiet and peaceful. Just what we needed!

Our chef cooked the fish that the boys caught on the boat that day. The Hawaiian sweet potatoes (purple) were awesome!

If you are planning a trip anytime soon to Kauai, Joanna is a great masseuse. My husband says she is "the best"!

Ok, so I have to take credit or maybe blame for the next few photos. I really wanted to hike to the water falls that were just down the road from the house. Four miles in and four miles back. Probably not the best idea after 3 days of rain!

The views were amazing of the Nepali coast and I'm glad we attempted the hike!

The beach after the first 2 miles of the hike.

We were out searching for sunrise shells when my aunt spotted this super cool crab. Pink and purple!

My husband and cousin went fishing on the rocks during the morning.

I still can't believe we got my 78 yr old grandpa to come with us!!

Golf was a major part of the trip. (The way my grandpa was convinced to come!) I think he golfed 5 days in a row!

The course was great and the views were amazing!

The view from the back porch.

Rainbows in Kauai are a sight to see. The colors are so bright and look close enough to touch!

Me, my aunt Terri, a local and Amanda

Let's Celebrate!

The 4th of July it's such a fun holiday! It's really a time to me that is not stressful. The menu is simple, desserts are fun and activities are all about celebrating. It's about being with your family, enjoying summer and all things American!

Please bare with me on my blog. This past month truly has been crazy! We took a family trip to Hawaii. Our 78 yr old grandpa went with us, which I was so excited to actually even get him on an airplane! :) I now have 3 days from when we got back from that trip to taking the kids to Disney World for a week. I am trying to squeeze as much family time in as possible while the NFL is going through this lockout. A summer vacation is rare with my husbands occupation. Oh, and did I mention I will be launching my website next month?! It's been a labor of love. So, with all this going on and designing two parties this past month my blog has suffered. Thanks for your understanding and just bare with me! :)