Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting {A Ninja Party}

My son turned 6, and what better way to celebrate than with a Ninjago birthday party!  What 6-year-old boy doesn't love a little Ninja mixed with Legos!  Well, here is what I did for those of you thinking about throwing a Ninja party yourself.

The Birthday Shirt:

Cole of course wanted a "6" shirt, but I didn't want anything too cheesy or childish.  I decided on a throwing star with a 6.  Then on the back, I did his name.  I simply printed out a template, then cut out the fabric (2 layers of knit).  Then I stitched them on.  I used the font "Last Ninja" for the lettering and the throwing star.  It's free--so just google it.

Ninja Headbands:

I followed these instructions for the headbands.  But, to make it EASIER (much), I sewed the right sides out & just did a rolled hem at the bottom rather than having to turn the tube inside out (I tried one that way, and it was going to take WAY too long.)

Throwing Stars:

 Beforehand, I had made throwing stars for all the kids using these instructions.  The boys got to decorate their own star, and then they took turns aiming and throwing them at some balloon targets.

Ninja Moves:

 We let each of the boys take a turn showing off their Ninja moves.  My husband held the balloons for them to use as a punching/kicking bag.  It was pretty funny watching them each with their own little Ninja style!

The Pinata:

No party at my house is complete without a pinata.  If you are interested in making your own pinata, take a look at this past post.  It was funny though.  I made the pinata pretty strong (thinking we could have 15 boys needing to get a good whack at it).  Well, the strings broke after round one, but the pinata was still strong.  So, we decided to let the kids kick it, karate chop it, and even head-butt it.  Very funny!

 The Cake:

After looking online for different ideas, this is what I came up with.  It wasn't quite like how I had planned in my head, but I was happy with how it turned out.  I used 2 cake rounds for the bottom.  Then used a large pyrex bowl to create the dome portion of the head.  For the eyes, I just used tootsie rolls (regular flavor & vanilla).  I just rolled them out flat.

What a fun party!  I sure love that boy of mine!  It's hard to believe he is 6!

Father's Day REPOST

Last year I made a Father's Day Questionnaire.  You can see the original post HERE.  Well, it is one of my most visited posts, so I thought with Father's Day just around the corner, I would repost it--And give you all a link to the questionnaire.  Hooray!

Here is a picture of what my son came up with last year:

I am excited to have my kids fill them out again this year.  I think it will be fun to compare them to last year.  I just LOVE seeing the things kids come up with!

Click HERE to download your own copy.  It might take a minute.  If it doesn't work, please let me know!

Oh What Do You Do In The Summertime?

Is it summertime for you yet?  My kids still have a week and a half of school left--ugh!  I think I was ready for school to be done a few weeks ago.  Oh well.  But while I am anxious, I know we will all go a little crazy in my house if we don't have some FUN things planned.  To help with this, I created this:

I love when a project comes together how I have planned in my mind!  This little project started brewing in my mind after seeing similar kinds of things on other blogs.  I have had these cute little buckets and the little rod for quite sometime--just been waiting for the right project.  Finally, I figured out what I needed them for!

Here is what I did:

I just used Q-Tips for this.  You don't need very much.  I just spread some along the corners, edges, and randomly through the middle of the board.

To paint the wording, I used the same process I always use when making signs.  Find out HERE.

After I painted the letters, I did a little more sanding over the whole thing--mostly just to give the wording that worn look to match the rest of the board.  Then I just hung the rod.  Simple!

For the buckets, I decided to have one full of activities for me to do with the kids while the husband is at work (or sleeping--he works nights), one full of Family activities, and an empty one to fill up with the activities we actually do (hopefully it will be full by the end of the summer).

I am so excited.  My kids are too--in fact, we did our first activity this afternoon.  We made THESE delicious cookies that I pinned a few weeks ago. Delish!

Hooray for summertime!

Little Stools

First, I have to just say that my husband is THE best!  After seeing these cute little stools/benches on Pinterest (I'm sure you're not surprised), I knew that I NEEDED to have some.  I knew they would be PERFECT for our backyard patio area.  So what did I do?  I showed my husband and he quickly got to work.  What a good man I have!  After he had them built, I did a little painting, sanding, and staining.  And that's it!

I love that they were quick and easy.  I love how they act as great seats for kids (and even adults).  I love how they make a great leg rest.  I love how they are fantastic for photo shoots.  Oh, and I love that they didn't cost a thing to make because we had the scraps lying around.  Yay!  Now, go make some of your own (or get your husband to do it)!

Growing Seeds {I HEART Gardens}

I Love, Love, Love having a garden!  There is nothing like picking fresh veggies right out of your backyard for dinner.  Oh, and NOTHING beats a home-grown tomato.  Mmm.  Love.

So anyway, we recently moved about 8 months ago.  One of my big requirements was that we needed to find a place we could have a garden.  Well, we found a great house--but a garden was out of the question.  Big bummer!

Well, luckily for us, we found a place to have a garden--it is a few miles from our house, but I feel SO fortunate for finding such kind people who are willing to share their property with people such as me!  Hooray.  I was seriously giddy when I found out we would get our garden after all!

It seems that we always have a few seeds that never come up, so I decided to get some seeds started at home that we can transplant to our garden.  This is done quite easily.

I simply took some egg cartons, filled them with planting soil, placed a seed in each spot, lightly covered with more soil, and watered.  We had sprouts within a few days.  It has only been a week now--and look how big some are getting!  Hooray for zucchini, and cabbage, and squash, and cucumbers, and watermelon.  Tomorrow is the big day we will transplant these beautiful sprouts.  

Transplanting is easy too.  I just use scissors to cut apart the individual sections of carton.  Carefully kind of cut away the bottom of the carton.  If you can't really cut away because of the roots don't worry.  The carton will decompose and the roots will continue to grow through the carton.  Then you can just plant the individual section in your garden.  Pretty simple!

Happy Planting!

A Mother's Love

Lately I have been thinking about how grateful I am to be a Mom!  It seems I get this overwhelming feeling of love each night as I check on my three little ones before going to bed.  I'm not sure if it's the quietness or what, but seeing my kids asleep sure seems to put life into perspective for me.  It gives me the hope and motivation to be a better mom, wife, and person the next day!

Anyway, when I have babies that I putting to bed, the last thing I say to them before kissing their little cheeks and laying them in their crib is "Momma loves you."  I'm not really sure why, but I do.  I did it with all three of them.  So one day I decided I needed to make a printable to frame in my baby girl's room.    And of course, I thought maybe some of you would like a copy.  I made two different ones.  I would love to know what you think--and which one you prefer!

Click here for the white background

Click here for the brown background

(Both are 5X7's)

Another Chore...Please

Okay, so I don't know about you, but I get so tired of my kids whining about their chores.  I'm sure you've heard it too. "Why do I ALWAYS have to clean my room," or "I have to do EVERYTHING" and the list goes on.
Well, I decided to make little punch cards and a prize basket to help motivate my kids to HAPPILY do their chores.  Hopefully it will help--even just a little. The day after I explained the idea to my kids, my kindergartner came home from school and actually ASKED ME for a chore to do.  I would gladly take more of that.
Yes, this is a picture (even if a bad iphone pic) of my kids doing the dishes.

 It's a pretty easy process.  Do a Chore. 

 Punch your card.

 Punch all 10, Pick a prize.

 Just a little motivation to do a few chores.

And, to make it easy for you, feel free to download my template.  It's nothing fancy, but I wanted something simple I could quickly print without using all my color ink (don't you hate how expensive it is!).  

**Be patient.  It take a minute to load**

Click here for the punch card sheet

Click here for the chore prize sheet

Let me know if it helps at your house!