Godzilla Me

December 18, 2017December 18, 2017Leave a comment

So. Youngest is now 7. Seven years since this sassy monkey was dragged out of me.

We decided on a Godzilla theme a while back and I finalised it during the week when kids were sleeping, much to the chagrin of 9yo when he said “geez Mom, you don’t have much time to plan the party.”

Everyone had security clearance badges and had to pass the very tight security protocols.

We learned about sightings of Godzilla and circulated a diagram of the beast and saw a pic of it/him/her eating the pile of fish, which we then ate a replica of. He insisted.

Trader Joe’s Scandinavian Swimmers are waaay better than Swedish Fish

They tried the gummy worm experiment, too. I didn’t do it quite right but the kids got a kick out of the soda overflowing, exactly like the vinegar volcanos and there were bubbles all over the worms so, a bit of excitement.

We dined on snacks and also these cool boiled eggs, made by breaking the shell and resting in food coloring until go-time.

Then it was time to find the nest because as we all know, even if the beast is dead – rightly or wrongly – the babies will always come back to haunt us. Think Batman: The Dark Knight Rises. So the kids ran off, hot on the trail of swedish fish, and they found the nest!

Here’s one I prepared earlier.

The eggs are merely water and baking soda, set in the freezer for a few hours or overnight. Add a few drops of vinegar+water and tiny dinos are revealed inside the egg. And then everyone scram and watch the movie.

Honestly, the hardest part was getting everyone’s attention to do the background storytelling and to set the scene. After that it was all red wine and pretzels.

❤❤❤

Another Birthday Party

September 12, 20151 Comment

Seven years old. Time flies and (insert more sentimental clichés).
7yo had plenty of big ideas for how he wanted his party to be but we finally settled on BMX Bandits. We’ve had it for a year or more and sometimes the kids watch it 10 times a week, what with sneaking it out in the morning, on weekends after lunch and before bed some days. But school is back so I’ve had to hide it. Anyhoo they love it.

So I picked up a few styrofoam gravestones from the party shop and then made a bunch more from annoyingly heavy cardboard, because in the movie they run away from the bad guys through a cemetary.

Took the clothes off the line before people arrived

So we had the kids run under the trampoline, down the hill, past the boys’ little-used-but-painstakingly-put-together hideout, up past the birds, then through the graveyard to where the bikes were waiting for some radical action. We hired a bubble machine and had the sprinkler going at the end because it turned out to be a hot day, and there is a great foam fight at the end of the movie.

Not quite as foamy as I'd have liked

The kids then watched the movie while adults relaxed outside and polished off the snacks.

Simple but so much fun! I highly recommend getting radical on your kids’ next party.

It’s his Birthday

December 13, 2014December 16, 2014Leave a comment

Nearly 4yo will be 4 on Tuesday, and his birthday party is tomorrow. Almost strictly little people might be an opportunity to tone down my expectations and decorations, especially in the kitchen. I have pinned a bunch of stuff and tried my hand at the rice krispie treats this morning, but I forgot that working with rice krispies and melted marshmallow blows. So no krispie dog bones, or cute dog bowls with widdle treats inside, wah. Nearly 4yo is having a Paw Patrol party. Luckily we have plastic construction and fireman hats, plus a few extras. I’m expecting Chase (the police dog) and Super Spy Chase to be the faves.
— time out for accidents, the actual birthday party, shopping afterwards then being glued to the box for coverage of the seige in Sydney —

The party was fun, though the kids didn’t keep any of the hats on long enough for photos! This was taken afterwards.
The backyard was too soft and squishy for an obstacle course, which was my original thought, so the kids had to make a nest for a family of birds thag had lost theirs, before the baby bird got too cold. I had that great idea while I was fuming in the spare room over the farking lego spread ev-ree-where, and toys hell to breakfast.
I made the certificates because I thought they would be a fun take home novelty, without buying plastic crappy novelties for the treat bags.