Thanks to Disney Parks and Mom Select for the opportunity to host a Disney @Home Celebration, and for the goodies that came in our party pack. All opinions expressed here are my own and here is how we showed our #DisneySide.
Last month I received a package in the mail full of goodies and treats. Originally we were going to have a birthday party but my just turned 4 year old was having a hard time recovering from a stomach bug so our party got moved to Valentine's Day which also happened to be the day we were scheduled to have a Children's Fellowship. Part of our topic for the day was learning manners and how we could be kind to others with our good manners.
Is there any better way to have good manners than at a tea party? All the goodies in our party box were just right for a princess tea!
My daughter & her grandma made some super sweet Frozen cupcakes we found at our local Sam’s Club. They were super cute and a big hit with all the kids (and parents).
We had all the boys seat the girls and we all practiced our manners while we ate our snacks and treats.
Even the boys used their manners, they just didn’t use the hats.
After the “tea” party time we played games and activities that were provided in the pack. The favorites were pin the smile on Mickey & Disney Parks Bingo. All the kids participated in the pin the smile on Mickey there were so many laughs and giggles when the blind fold came off.
I loved how classic games like pin the smile on Mickey or Bingo were just as much fun for the kids as if we’d had a video game or something “high tech”. We used goldfish crackers as our bingo markers, I think the kids ate as many as they used on their boards. The bingo games got a bit excited at times and we all cheered for each of the winners.
We all had a great time showing our #DisneySide and playing games and practicing our manners.
The older girls in our group enjoyed making hair barrettes with the craft kit that also came in the box.
The party pack came with a bunch of great goodies to make party favors for all the ladies big and little. The girls were excited to receive the princess goodies and I added a few other treats in there too.
We had boys at the party so I found in my stash a few Disney goodies to make favors that suited the young gentleman in our Children’s Fellowship.
The goodies even covered party favors for the parents. Which they really liked getting a gift too.
Overall we had a great time celebrating and practicing our manners and showing our #DisneySide.
Thanks again to DisneyParks and MomSelect for sending me the party pack.
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and I have a couple friends who are working hard to bring awareness as well as raise funds for kids.
My sister-in-law, Lisa, has set a goal of raising $3,100 this month for Addison, her best friend’s daughter. Addison has Leukemia and is undergoing chemotherapy. The money raised is going directly to her family to help with medical costs. When Lisa reaches her goal at the end of the month she is further supporting Addison by shaving her head! I’m sure you know that with any fundraising effort every dollar counts and is much appreciated!!
The second opportunity I wanted to share with you is my friend Stephanie’s new blog, Precious and Priceless Kids. She is very passionate about bringing awareness to different kids with medical needs. She is not fundraising but just trying to share these kids’ stories with more people. I know Stephanie would love it if you could “like” the Precious and Priceless Kids page on facebook.
I just recently found out about the Great American Backyard Campout which is being sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation. The event encourages you to get your family outside spending time together and enjoying the great outdoors.
The National Wildlife Federation also uses this event as a fundraising opportunity:
NWF uses 80 cents of every dollar you raise in the Great American Backyard Campout® to support programs that address the problems of America's indoor childhood and the health risks associated with them. Your funds are used to establish and maintain programs to make outdoor time a priority to protect children's health and ensure their readiness to learn.
Our local community is hosting a huge campout at a local park for families all over the area to participate. So check your area for local events.
Since my main focus these days is packing up all our things I noticed our camping equipment still tucked away in the garage and I thought about making sure we use that sometime soon and remembered this event. I am going to sorely miss our current backyard it is super big, shady all day long, and tons of fun for the kids.
So this Saturday my hubby and the kiddo will be setting up camp in our backyard. We’re borrowing my parents new fire bowl and pulling the tent out of the garage. Here in Atlanta the forecast is showing Saturday as being in the 90’s I think they might have a bit more modern conveniences like a fan in their tent but I know they’ll have fun! Baby girl and I will be joining them around the fire to make s’mores and share stories. We’ve invited Grandma & Grandpa to join us too.
I am running to the store tomorrow to pick up snacks, bug spray /candles. Do you have any favorite camping snacks or activities? How about a recommendation for effective (but not toxic) bug repellant?
If you have read this blog you should know that my son is a HUGE Thomas the Tank Engine fan. One of the highlights of the last few years has been our family outings to Day Out with Thomas.
Day Out with Thomas is a super fun event for the whole family. This event is a special opportunity for your little engineer to meet the No. 1 Engine, and have their picture taken. Your child can also meet Sir Topham Hatt, the controller of the railway on the Island of Sodor.
Not only do you get to meet Thomas the Tank Engine but he will also take you on a train ride. Day Out With Thomas events are held around the country at railway museums and parks. The big blue engine will pull coaches along the tracks, puffing steam out of his funnel and tooting his whistle.
The event is more than just a train ride, you can definitely spend a whole day immersed in the the world of Thomas & Friends. Play tables with all the Thomas products you can imagine. Coloring tables and tattoos, story time, and lots of other activities will entertain your whole family.
Let’s not forget the souvenir tent. Our son has been diligently saving his money up to purchase something at the event. We nearly own every wooden railway train there is so we look to find one of the new releases each year.
Because each location of Day Out with Thomas is different they also offer their own activities and interest. Over the last three years our family has been to three different locations to see Thomas. All the volunteers and organizers do such a great job of making each Day Out With Thomas the most fun day for any engineer.
At the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum we enjoyed putt-putt, a choo choo bounce house, petting zoo, a “Rocky” crane engine demonstrations and performances from Mr. Billy and an illusionist. There were tons of food vendors and places to sit.
For an additional charge you can take a second train ride at the museum which takes you through a tunnel built in 1858 and to the engine workshop as well as a real life turn table. To see a turn table in action was super exciting and quite amazing. at the end of the line the museum volunteers invite you into the workshop where they share about the man power, volunteers, and money it takes to keep their steamies on the rails.
One of my favorite parts of the whole day was getting to explore and ride in different types of train cars. We rode as a family in an art deco styled sleeper car where there were sleeper cabins and working potties. We also rode in a former dining car. It was neat to think about how families used to travel like that all the time and in some serious style!
- Day Out With Thomas 2011 – Leader of the Track Tour
- Day Out with Thomas 2009 – The Hero of the Rails Tour
I will never forget the first time my son saw the life sized tank engine, his smile was so big! Getting to see your kid meet his hero and playmate is pretty amazing. Even at 5.5 years old my son is so excited to attend Day Out With Thomas again this year. He has been counting down for weeks for this Saturday. We are headed up to Chattanooga, TN to see Thomas at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum. We have been to this museum once before on a non event weekend and it was so much fun for the kiddo they have a great set up and a TURN TABLE. That was a major highlight to see an integral part of my son’s train table in real life.
I think you can tell how much we love this event as a family. If you have a train fan in your household I cannot recommend this event enough.
FIND A DAY OUT WITH THOMAS EVENT NEAR YOU! PURCHASE TICKETS TODAY!
Have you been to a Day Out With Thomas event? Tell me all about it!
Last weekend we had a blast in Chattanooga at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum at the Day Out with Thomas event. This was a capture my dad took of our family laughing so hard at something funny my dad did on the train.
Our little homeschool group is getting together this Friday to celebrate Valentine’s Day and exchange Valentines. I had a friend and my mom come over and help me do a preliminary clean up of the house and I ran over to Target to pick up a few clearanced Valentine themed items. I’m putting together little goodie baskets for the kids. I’m decorating the playroom and using the kiddo’s train table as our activity/dining table. I covered his wall decals with a plastic table cloth and the playroom is starting to look like a party!! I’m making cupcakes for the kiddos to decorate and thought the little containers would make a great take away so they can take a cupcake home.
I told you last time I posted about the Laughing Pizza event down at the Georgia Aquarium. We had a great time as a family watching a great mini show from the people at Circus Camp, the Laughing Pizza movie, a live performance, and a meet & greet with Laughing Pizza. Oh yes and getting to watch those super fun beluga whales.
I especially loved how “small” the crowd was at this event. Although the room was full it was a much more intimate venue than say the Georgia Dome or another arena. It really made for a great time for our family. Many thanks to Michelle @ Macaroni Kid for providing the opportunity for our family to attend.
The kiddo got to walk the red carpet.
There were lots of great vendors and sponsors of the event. The major sponsors were B98.5 & Shumate, and of course the Georgia Aquarium.
We loved that Circus Camp had performers out in the lobby entertaining the kids while we waited for the doors to open. They also put on a great show for all of us before the movie started. I’ll tell you their show really made me want to runaway to Circus Camp too!
The OMG Booth had a great set up, letting all the guest get their pictures taken with word bubbles containing Laughing Pizza lyrics. So much fun!
Photo Credit: OMGbooth.com
Don’t forget to “like” Laughing Pizza on facebook to score a free download!
After the live performance we got in line to have the kiddo’s CD signed. That was lots of fun and very exciting.
Photo Credit: Laughing Pizza.com
Since our little girl has started walking she thinks she can go anywhere. I kept her contained most of the time but once the event was over we watched the beluga whales for a while and both kids just loved how playful the whales were. They’d swim right up to the window and then quickly turn away, make a big circle and come back again. One even pooped right in front of us! All the kids squealed at that.
We opted not to go from the premiere to the aquarium since we had already pushed little girl past her nap time by a couple hours. We love the aquarium and definitely want to go back real soon.
The Ballroom at the Georgia Aquarium is such an amazing venue and this event for families was a great fit. And if you get the opportunity to attend family event like this it is well worth the money!!
Is there anything more Atlanta than our favorite musical family at our favorite family destination?
That’s right Laughing Pizza is hosting a film premiere event at the Georgia Aquarium!!! My five year old and almost one year old love to dance and Laughing Pizza’s songs come on in between their favorite pbs kids shows, it is adorable to watch them jump up and down and shake to the music.
A little bit about the band:
Laughing Pizza is a real family band who write and perform all original pop-music for families. This mom, dad, and daughter trio travel across the nation performing at theatres, museums, music festivals, nightclubs, schools, and other venues. Lisa and Billy (the mom and dad) are both classically trained musicians and former music teachers with a history of success in the grown-up music business. Emily, their 15-year-old daughter, plays multiple instruments including flute, drums, guitar, piano, and bass – and co-writes all of the Laughing Pizza songs with her parents – all while attending school online and crafting the new Laughing Pizza clothing line!
A little bit about the event:
Atlanta's family-favorite musical group, Laughing Pizza, invites families to the grand Oceans Ballroom at Georgia Aquarium for a one-time, VIP family film premiere Saturday, Feb. 4 at 11:00 a.m. The award-winning band and world’s largest aquarium are teaming up for the world premiere of Laughing Pizza: The Concert Movie as well as a live performance by Laughing Pizza after the screening.
Beginning at 11:00 a.m., guests will get the “red carpet treatment” with photographs, spectacular views into the world’s largest aquatic habitat, Ocean Voyager, as well as views into the charismatic beluga whale habitat from within the grand Oceans Ballroom. There will also be entertainment by Atlanta's own Circus Camp and more. The VIP screening of Laughing Pizza: The Concert Movie, will begin at 12:00 p.m. (The film has already won 5 out of 5 Doves from the Dove Foundation, and was endorsed by the Parents Television Council.) After the screening, Laughing Pizza will perform a few of their hits, and guests will have the opportunity to meet Billy, Lisa and Emily, up close and in person!
Laughing Pizza is a real family band that writes and performs all original pop-music for families. Their music videos can be seen every day in more than 18 million homes on PBS stations and TV On-Demand channels around the country. This mom, dad and daughter trio (from right here in Smyrna!) travel across the nation performing at theatres, museums, music festivals, nightclubs, schools, and other venues – including the White House (with Miley Cyrus and The Jonas Brothers). Their live performances are energetic, interactive, dance-filled shows that get kids and parents up and moving, and they have a loyal following all across the country.
When:
February 4 at 11:00am
Where:
Georgia Aquarium in the Grand Oceans Ballroom
How to get tickets:
VIP Red Carpet Premiere tickets include admission to the film, live performance by Laughing Pizza, meet and greet with the band, and red carpet festivities. VIP Red Carpet Premiere tickets are $15 (Children under 1 years old are free).
For an even more spectacular experience, guests can upgrade their tickets to the VIP Red Carpet Premiere Plus ticket, which includes admission to the premiere and its events, as well as admission to the Aquarium and the 3:30 p.m. showing of AT&T Dolphin Tales. VIP Red Carpet Premiere Plus tickets are $34.95 for adults and $28.95 for children. Children ages 1-3 years old need only a film pass, as they are admitted to the Aquarium for free. Premiere Plus Combo tickets are ONLY available until Feb. 2nd ($10 per ticket savings).
Online ticket purchases for the show event itself are through Feb. 3rd online, then tickets must be purchased at the door only.
For more information and to purchase tickets, CLICK HERE. The event is sponsored by Shumate and B-98.5FM. A portion of all proceeds will go to The Georgia Aquarium’s SEA Program.
The VIP Red Carpet Premiere Plus ticket is a fantastic deal you get the whole aquarium experience after a super family show.
I am super excited to celebrate Valentine’s Day in our homeschool this year. I have such great memories of celebrating this holiday in my elementary days.
We’d pick out the just right pack of valentines from the store (the cheap ones without licensed characters LOL) write our name on the back and put them into those cheap little envelopes with a conversation heart stuck in there with the note. We’d have our class list and we’d work down the list writing each classmates name onto the envelope, making sure each kid got a treat.
I remember at some point becoming really aware of what each thing said and making sure the valentines and conversation hearts that were for my boy classmates didn’t say “love” or “kisses” HAHAHA.
Another memorable part of celebrating Valentine’s Day in elementary school was making our mailboxes. Wrapping a shoe box in construction paper and writing my name or cutting it out and gluing it onto the box along with lots of hearts and stickers. That was such a fun craft project that made the holiday extra special.
The kiddo and I are hosting a valentine party at our house for 2 of his homeschool buddies and their moms. I’ve been having too much fun searching the web for inspiration. I’ve compiled a big pin board over on pinterest all about Valentine’s Day, Love, and Happy Hearts.
![Valentines on Pinterest.bmp]("C:\Users\Elizabeth\Pictures\Picasa\Screen Captures\Valentines on Pinterest.bmp.jpg" "Valentines on Pinterest.bmp")
I’m also hosting a Valentine Swap with friends and family. The kiddo and I will be sending out one Valentine for everyone who commits to sending us one. It is similar to the Christmas Ornament exchange I’ve done in the past. If you’re interest in swapping valentines with us leave me a comment below and I’ll invite you to the event.
I’m excited that we will be crafting together and making handmade valentines for all of our friends and learning more about love, friendship, and caring for those special people in our lives.
Are you doing anything to prepare for this special day? If you’re looking for a quick Valentine for coworkers, family, or your class check out my Free Printable Valentines.
I’m joining in on the Dare to DIY blog party hosted by NewlyWoodwards
For the next few weeks she has picked themes for the diy challenges.
This week’s theme is:
Party Date: Monday, Nov. 14
Dare to… be thankful!
Take some time making your own DIY Thanksgiving project. It could be a fun Thanksgiving advent calendar, a banner or something completely unique. Post about what you made, how you made it and photos in its new home.
(Last year's)
I took my inspiration from the uber talented Becky Higgins, in 2010 she made a grateful poster that was set out for all her family to write on.
Photo Credit: Becky Higgins.com
Now that my oldest is able to write his letters I wanted to start this tradition this year. I used a chipped frame that we had lying around the house and a piece of poster board trimmed down to size. I used my old school Sizzix Die Cutting machine to punch out the letters for Thankful, out of some brown cardstock I had in my craft supplies. The hardest part was getting the letters lined up and glued on looking straight. Each of us picked a color to write our blessings on the board. It has been fun to see what makes my 5 year old thankful. Like, eating 3 candy, arbys, outside, look mom is on there too!. He also is very excited to have such a large writing area and as you can see likes to write super big!
The poster sits low on the wall so that my son can easily reach and write. I sit the pens on top and that is working pretty well. It sits right outside our bedrooms and is visible from our living room. I like having it in a high traffic area so we are reminded to be thankful and to document those blessings.
My goal is to make one of these each year on Nov 1st and keep it going until Christmas or the new year. It will be fun to look back and see what we were thankful for at different points in our lives.
Last week we had my husband’s parents in town for a whole week which was such a treat! We stuck to our normal routine for most of the week--chiropractor, homeschool, errands, etc. Plus it got super cold last week and I don’t like taking my babies out when it is damp and icky. So we stayed inside most of the week.
Friday Ken took off from work and took us all (including my mom) up to the North Georgia mountains to Burt’s Pumpkin Farm and to an apple orchard. He had heard about the pumpkin farm from coworkers and I had just recently read the review from couponsaregreat.net, so I knew it was just the right place to go.
The morning started out a bit rocky, we got out later than we had wanted, and got some breakfast on the way. We got to Burt’s around 11:30am which was a decent time on a Friday the main parking lot was still half empty and we got a spot right up front. Since there wasn’t too many people at this point the pumpkin farm was very stroller friendly (YAY).
There were so many pumpkins!! In all sizes and colors! This was the kiddo’s first time at a pumpkin farm or patch. I had only been to one once before in a church’s parking lot. The kiddo and I were both super impressed with ALL the pumpkins!! Rows and rows of big and small and white and orange pumpkins!
Of course I took a gratuitous amount of photos of the kiddos sitting in the middle of a bunch of pumpkins! Even though it was still super chilly it was pretty nice in the sunshine.
They had a cute little hay stack for taking photos, which we did. Thanks mom for taking these! I was pretty distracted by the cold weather I forgot to take a photo of the kiddos with Ken’s parents. OOPS!
We decided to go on the hayride, I remembered from the coupons are great post that you sat right on the hay, so we verified that there were no seats in the wagons. This was a disappointment, having brought 3 grandparents with us on this trip 2 of them couldn’t ride the hayride because they would not have been able to get up and down, from basically the floor. However I thought the hayride was the best part of the whole place. It cost us $5 a person to ride, and I felt it was well worth the cost. The ride was about 20 minutes with lots of scenery and a pretty comfy ride. Baby girl really loved eating the hay HA! At the end of the ride you go past the parking lot and we noticed it was completely full (about an hour since we’d arrived).
After the ride we grabbed a wheel barrel and went to go pick out our pumpkins. We purchased one for each person in our family. I had fun chatting with the kiddo about what attributes he was looking for in a pumpkin: bumpy/smooth, short/tall, orange/yellow, etc. He did a great job finding a pumpkin with in budget (under $10) and that he liked aesthetically.
We loaded up our pumpkins and checked out. I’ll tell you about our adventures at the apple orchard in another post.
Have you ever been to a pumpkin farm? Do you have a favorite pumpkin patch/farm in your area? Share your links in the comment’s I’d love to see what fun you and your family are having this autumn.
The kiddo is turning 5 in a few days and we’re having a pirate party. We go BIG for the odd number birthdays (his 3rd birthday we had a huge carnival). I knew I wanted to build a pirate ship…ahem well I guess I knew I wanted my husband and dad to build a pirate ship. Planning starts early with these projects as it takes awhile to convince them to come along for the ride LOL!
I found this image of a pirate ship in a vintage children’s play structure book…and this is the inspiration for the whole project:
Sadly the book just showed this with no plans or instructions. I started researching the internet, and only finding a few options. A couple weeks ago I finally settled on a simplified idea. A friend of ours did up a drawing for me of what I explained to him I was trying to do.
So we’ve been busy designing, shopping, cutting, thinking, painting, and constructing. Basically all our free time has been thinking about this party and planning.
I did a mock up with index cards to get a feel for what we were looking to accomplish.
I did the drawing and my husband and dad did the cutting.
I did the supervising and the revising LOL:
I also primed all the pieces, and the kiddo helped too:
One of my favorite parts is the seahorse, the hubs cut this out using a jig saw it notches into the front panel:
That’s where we’re at right now. I’ve cut the steering wheel and anchor out of plywood using my rotozip (see mom I finally used that birthday present from 12 years ago LOL!) I’ve got a few more things to prime and the painting is almost done! We’re looking to get it installed early next week. I’ll post more pictures soon.
So I promise to post more about this pirate party as it unfolds. Catch you later!
