The Poky Little Party, Part 2 (or, Can I Take a Nap Now?)

Yesterday was The Small One's third birthday party.  While his official birthday isn't until tomorrow, we always celebrate on the closest weekend (and preferably the one closest to President's Day, so Mommy has the day off afterwards to recover.  This year we were supposed to have school as a snow makeup day, but a surprise ice storm this morning at 5:00 gave us a snow day on our snow day makeup -- talk about irony!).  Two or three months ago, I started asking The Small One what kind of party he wanted.  I wasn't sure he was really comprehending the question, but after listing a few options such as "Cowboy", "Fire Trucks," or "Micky Mouse," he announced one night during our bedtime snuggle that he wanted a "Poky Little Puppy" party.  This was probably due to the fact that we had just read that particular tome (for the hundredth time in his short life); however, I ran with it.  So, I hit Pinterest and the internet for ideas, and came up with what turned out to be a fun day!

First, I made some invitations on Microsoft Word using a scan of the book's cover.  I made the invitations look like an actual book.  When the recipients opened the "book," the party invitation was inside.

So, next, I started thinking of decorations.  Now honestly, I'm not much of a decorator -- balloons and streamers are just NOT my thing.  But, I wanted to do *something*, so I made a banner to hang across the ceiling.  I made it by scanning the pages of the book and printing a color copy of each page.  I then cut triangle shapes from each page (that had a picture on it), laminating them, punching holes in the top, and stringing them on yarn.  This was one of my favorite things from the day -- it's still hanging up, and it may find its way into the The Small One's Big Boy Room, as he has decided he wants it to have a "puppy" theme.

And then, food!  I copied many ideas from my oh-so-talented cousin Kay, who had just done a Poky Little Puppy 1st Birthday for her Little Man.  We had "pup"corn (just air-popped popcorn), "snausages" (little smokies, because I wanted something that wasn't sugary), "kibbles 'n bits" (Cheez-its Mix -- just a version of chex mix, but the one that the store happened to have on sale), "puppy chow" (which we midwesterners call "puppy chow", but which seems to referred to as "muddy buddies" in other parts of the country), and "Milk Bones" (which I found in the store -- Scooby Snacks, which are cinnamon graham crackers in the shape of bones), and "rawhide chews", which were Pirouline cookies in a jar.  I bought a bunch of dog bowls at the Dollar Tree and used those as the serving bowls.  To decorate the food bar (we had other activities on the table), I used a dollar store tablecloth and cut a picket fence out of poster board. I also made a sign out of cardstock that said "Don't ever ever dig holes under this fence again!", which is one of the pictures from the story.  Considering I don't have too much snackage left (okay, I lied -- we will have puppy chow for weeks around here unless I take it to the teacher's lounge at school and let them at it), I think the food was a hit!

The Small One was very adamant that he would have a "tocklet" cake.  He and I checked on Pinterest for Poky Little Puppy cakes, and they were all WAAAAY above my talent level.  So, we checked out cakes for three year olds and found one that looked like even I could handle it.  It was two bundt cakes cut to make a "3", then frosted and covered with M&Ms.  As I was trying to be an overachiever, I bought the special colored M&Ms to match the Poky theme.  In retrospect (and after being financially poorer after the experience, I think I could probably have bought several pound bags of M&Ms and just not used the red and brown ones.  Lessons learned.  The cake wasn't perfect (I had problems with the "toklet" frosting getting on my fingers as I placed the M&Ms, and then getting on the M&Ms themselves), but as always, it was made with love.  The Small One seemed to really love it!  I didn't think it would be enough to feed all the people we had invited (thankfully? only about half of those who said they would come actually did...), so I also made a batch of "strawberry shortcake" cupcakes (there's strawberry shortcake in the book, so I played around with the idea of a strawberry-filled vanilla cupcake.  I ended up putting a spoonful of strawberry pie filling in the center of each cupcake before baking.  The filling dropped to the bottom and made them a bit messy to eat, but they tasted fantastic, especially after being iced with cream cheese icing (and a chocolate paw print!).  

As for activities for our attendees, we had a "Color the Puppy" station, with puppy coloring books and an assortment of crayons, colored pencils, and markers (props to my mom, for realizing the markers were not washable and pulling them out of little hands before we had a marker nightmare).

The Small One and I made some cut-out sugar cookies the day before the party in the shapes of a puppy and bones, and we also had a "Decorate a Cookie" station, with icing and a variety of colored sugars and toppings (what a great way to empty my baking supplies cupboard of all the odds and ends of different sanding sugars and nonpareils I've accumulated over the years!).

After cake and ice cream (and presents from the multitude of wonderful guests who cheerfully ignored my "no gifts" request), we played "Stick the Sticker on the Puppy" (thanks Party City).  The kids (and Grandma R) enjoyed trying to stick a pawprint sticker on the puppy.

And so, the great Poky Little Puppy is over!  The Small One, his daddy, and I will all be eating cake and snacks for a few days, and I've had a great time enjoying the photos.  Great thanks to all who came -- the family we were born with and the family we chose.  Guests are always gratefully welcomed here at Critter Country, and when they come to celebrate such a special day for my Small One, words can't express how joyous I am to have them all in my life!

The Poky Little Birthday Party, Part 1...or Pinterest Envy

So, I admit it...I have Pinterest Envy.  I avoided that particular website as long as possible, knowing that it would not in any way, shape, or form be good for my peace of mind if I joined...and then I got the iPad.  See, part of getting the iPad was the iPad training course.  Part of the iPad training course was figuring out all the cool apps available for the iPad.  And...one of the main places we were instructed to look for those cool apps was...you guessed it...Pinterest.

So, you see.  I didn't have much choice.  I was instructed to join.  It was part of a class, and this good little student always does what the teacher tells her to do.  I was instructed to sign up for an account, and I did.

Getting sucked in, though?  That was all me.

It started out innocently enough.  I spent my Pinterest time (yes, in this iPad training class we had dedicated Pinterest time...they were pretty amazing instructors.  There was also lots of food.  I would take this class again.) looking through educational pins.  I started my first board: "Classroom Ideas."  Then I happened to notice a recipe for those cinnamon-coated almonds that I crave when I go to the state fair, so I started a second board: "Yummies."

And thus began the downward spiral into Pinterest Envy.  I'm up to (cough -- says under her breath) 15 boards, including one for my newbie foray into fangirling for both the BBC's Sherlock and the upcoming (she says with bated breath and reverence) Outlander television series on Starz.

Those who know me know that I like to make and do.  Sometimes my efforts to make and do are quite successful, and sometimes they're...well...not so much.  Pinterest has given me so many ideas for cool make and do "stuff" that I will never get it all made and done.

But we did have strawberries dipped in white chocolate and then green sugar for Christmas.  They were pretty amazing.  So were the green and red sweet pickles.  And the apple pie I made with the apple pie filling I canned using a Pinterest recipe.

So, it is time once again to plan a little boy's birthday party.  Year 1 was pretty easy -- just a "First Birthday" theme.  After all, it was his birthday, but he didn't much care what was going on.  Lots of people were paying attention to him, he got to rip up some shiny paper, there were new toys involved, AND he got cake.  Theme and activities were not so very high on his list of priorities.  Last year, I attempted to go with a "Bubble Guppies" theme, although thanks to the fact that the Nickelodeon marketing machine seems focused exclusively on Dora, it was more a fish theme with some pictures of the Bubble Guppies printed off the computer and hung around the room.  He got a fish for his birthday, which he thought was pretty cool AND which the cats promptly tried to eat (said fish now lives happily in my classroom, where he is visited and adored daily by a herd of 8th graders).  Again, he didn't much care about the trappings as his favorite people came to see him AND there was cake.

This year, though, the stakes are a bit higher.  He is a little more "with it" and has actually been to some other parties.  His personality is really starting to come through, and he has opinions, which he thoughtfully shares with Mommy.  They usually involve the words "No" and "No Like Dat."

And so, I asked him what kind of birthday party he would like to have this year.  Would he like firetrucks or cowboys or Paw Patrol?  It was bedtime, and we were reading his favoritest book in the entire world, so I was not surprised when he told me that he wanted a Poky Little Puppy birthday party.

I was okay with that -- my cousin had just had one for her little man's first birthday party, so I figured I could just copy some of her ideas.  She's creative and smart and the pictures from the party were very cool.  Plus, I knew she wouldn't mind if I borrowed her ideas.

And then I made the mistake of getting on Pinterest to see if I could find anything else that might be fun for the Poky Little Birthday Party.

My mind is still reeling, and I am still absorbing the wealth of information about cool makes and dos possible for one short birthday party (and let's be honest, Chayton isn't going to care about the theme as long as his favorite people are there AND there's cake).  I have been pinning and shopping and pinning and planning and mentally putting together this party for a month now.  I'm quite excited (others might substitute the word "obsessed," but it's all semantics).  Of course, this may have something to do with the fact that we had an entire week of snow days last week and I had quite a bit of extra time on my hands.  Seriously.  I had plans for a simple party with friends and family (and cake).  Not so much any more.  I fully accept that any stress I am feeling about this party is completely of my own making, but I really think Pinterest deserves just a *little* bit of the blame, too...

At this point and time, we're going to have a "tocklet" cake -- Chay's strongly-expressed opinion on this has been crystal clear -- in the shape of the number 3 (thank you, Pinterest, for the information on how to make that out of 2 bundt cakes, frosting, and THREE POUNDS of M & Ms), as well as some "doggy" food: muddy buddies (often referred to here in the Midwest as "puppy chow."), Pirouline cookies for "dog chews", Chex Mix for "kibbles and bits," and "pupcorn." We're also going to have puppy and bone cookies the guests can frost and decorate (because honestly, I just hate frosting sugar cookies.  If there's any way I can pass that particular job off to someone else, I will do it.).  Oh, and punch.  Some sort of punch.

We also have a pinata, which is just too darned cute to smash into smithereens, so we'll just make it the centerpiece of the table.  We have a "put the sticker on the puppy" game, as well as a puppy paw print bandana to cover eyes; "doggy bags" with pencils, bubbles, and another toy; puppy coloring pages; and my personal favorite -- a puppy "adoption center" with a stuffed puppy for each small guest, along with an adoption certificate and collar to put on the puppy.

I am having fun.  I am having fun.  I am having fun.  Tomorrow when I am cleaning the dining room and baking and freezing dog- and bone-shaped sugar cookies, as well as assembling "doggy bags" and figuring out where I am going to put 40-some people next Sunday afternoon, I will keep reminding myself that I am having fun (seriously, I am.  Party City is a store I haven't really shopped in before, and now I know why.  I'll need to confine myself to the dollar store from now on.).

Unless I find myself with a few spare minutes, in which case I will probably hop on Pinterest.  You know...just to see if there's anything else cool to make and do.

Back to the Blog!

It's 8:22 p.m., and my soon-to-be three-year-old is watching cartoons and drinking root beer.  Granted, it's the last swallow in my glass and is mostly colored water, but since I've spent the entire day running around town shopping for his (hopefully) amazing birthday party next weekend, I'm going to cut myself some slack in the not-quite-mother-of-the-year department.  Plus, thanks to five consecutive snow days, he and I have not been apart for the past 8 days, so Team UmiZoomi and root beer to the rescue.

"Yo doos good, Mommy!" he says.

Yep.  It is.   Enjoy it, Buddy.  Mommy's got some writing to do.

This is actually my second try at a blog.  I had a pretty decent one going a few years ago.  Then I had a kid.  'Nuff said.

But, he's getting a little more independent every day, and I find myself REALLY missing writing, so we'll give this another go.

After he gets off my lap and goes to bed.  Because, honestly, when he crawls up there, says "Big hug, Mommy," and snuggles in...well...I've suddenly got an urge to put the iPad away and catch up on the adventures of the Mighty Math Team.