Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss style

We'll be reading and learing about Dr. Seuss in honor of his birthday, so we decided to kick off the week with a Dr. Seuss lunch and activity day. I took a little time yesterday and dipped pretzels in white chocolate, then rolled them into sprinkles the colors of our theme, made "green eggs" with chocolate and M&M's. I went the chocolate route because the idea of getting my children to actually consume green chicken eggs was highly unlikely!

I had a great time gathering candies in our red and aqua colors. They added just the right touch to our Seuss table.



Here's the table all set up. I literally did the happy dance in the aisle at Walmart when I found the little bottles of juice that matched! Goldfish crackers in a goldfish bowl...too cute to pass up!



Our food interpretation of the cat's hat.



Dessert fun! Red velvet cupcakes, cream cheese buttercream frosting, and a topper of blue cotton candy. YUM!



I even found enough red and aqua goodies to fill a few goodie bags! These would be great for a Seuss themed birthday party!

Spring cupcakes

Colored coconut and Easter jelly beans...unite! These little beauties are much simpler than the flowerpot design, and just as festive for celebrating Spring!

Frugal party planning-pizza night

Pizza. It's a staple in our house. I can't remember a single week that hasn't included pizza of some form for either lunch or dinner. We LOVE pizza! For that reason, my daughter's next party is planned to a T, and I have 7 months to sit back and relax!

Pizza makes a fantastic party theme, because it is SO easy to personalize to you or your child's taste. If you are grasping at straws for pary ideas, or have a pre-teen locked in the "too cool for school" stage, a pizza party birthday is the way to go! Not only will you be covered in the food department, but having them assemble their own will allow them to be entertained. 2 birds, 1 stone...BRILLIANT!



Recently, we were guests at party where we played the most inventive game, PERFECT for kids in the aforementioned pre-teen set. A giant sugar cookie pizza crust was made ahead of time, and a wide variety of unusual ingredients were purchased. Canned fish, pimentos, strange vegetables, etc were selected and displayed for all to see. One at a time, the children spun a spinner that corresponded to the various delicacies. To their knowledge, these toppings were being added to the pizza based on whatever came up on their turn to spin. What was REALLY going on the pizza were marshmallows, gummy worms, and other tasty treats. The best part is, the kids were called in one at a time, and blindfolded for their first taste of the creation. After tasting, they were told to ham it up for the benefit of those going after. The sounds the girls made had the imaginations of those waiting racing. SO much fun!

If you can't bring yourself to purchase canned squid or other strange objects, have the kids decorate a sugar cookie as their sweet treat, in lieu of cake. Chocolate sauce or peanut butter would make a great base, and bowls of candy, fruit, and nuts for toppings will make the party very memorable!

Frugal party planning-firetruck fun

Are your kids attracted to fire trucks as much as mine? With good reason, my children can not get enough of the trucks, or the men who risk their lives to put out fires. We had a great time celebrating the boys with these very simple firetruck decorations at their party!









I ordered this cake pan and chocolate mold from Amazon, and when they came I just KNEW our party was going to be special!








We paid our local fire department a visit, and asked them if they would have time to stop by our party and visit with the kids. Saturday morning I got a call first thing from fire fighter Steve, who said they'd love to bring a truck by our party. The kids were playing games, when lo and behold, a fire truck pulled up right in front of our house! The kids loved climbing up on the truck, and the men got a kick out of the small children's admiration. I'm sure the neighbors were wondering what was going on, but we had a great experience! The crew even turned their siren off as they blared away.....SUCCESS! ;-)





The kids all had fire hydrant drink cups, that doubled as bowling pins for the game we played before enjoying a simple snack of cheese and crackers, little smokies (Har har), and carrot sticks.

Say it with sprinkles....LOTS of sprinkles!

There's nothing better than a cookie or cupcake slathered up with butter cream frosting and covered with sprinkles. Sweets can be personalized for any occasion under the sun. I keep a gallon sized bag full of all colors and shapes in the top of my pantry, and pull them out on the regular!

I will admit that I have purchased frosting in a can on at least 2 occasions, but with a recipe as simple as the one I use, it isn't hard to whip up a batch of homemade butter cream. Here's my favorite:

3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup softened butter or stick margarine
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla OR almond (my favorite) extract
1 to 2 Tablespoons milk, more as needed

Beat together sugar and softened butter on low. mix extract and milk and beat until whipped and fluffy. Color if desired. You can even substitute cream cheese for the butter or 1/2 and 1/2 for a great frosting for red velvet!

See, wasn't that easy? Your kids will thank you for it, I promise!

Playing with your food

With Spring at our doorstep, it's the perfect time for flowers to pop up everywhere, even in the kitchen! Did you know that terra cotta is perfectly safe to bake in? Just wash it, and make sure it's still slightly damp, and you have a perfect starter for these flower cupcakes. Placing a small piece of parchment paper in the hole at the bottom of the pot will assure your "soil" doesn't leak, and placing your pots in a muffin tin keeps them from tipping over in your oven as you put them in or take them out. I picked up some Easter candies for the petals and center, then added butterfly picks that I found at the local craft store. My boys took these to Mother's Day Out in a wicker basket to celebrate the coming of Spring.

Spring is coming!

We took advantage of the warming weather, and did a little bird watching on Valentine's Day this year. After taking in the sights at our local nature preserve, we headed home for a bird inspired meal, with a "Whoooo loves you?" theme. Spaghetti is very easy to manipulate into nests, and I rolled out a few meatball "eggs" to go in them. Served along with "grass" beans, "tree" broccoli, and a heart cut out of Pillsbury pizza dough, our day was tied together with one very easy meal. Afterwards, we exchanged Valentine's and made these great owl cupcakes together. Can't think of a better way to spend love day!

Get those kids in the kitchen!

My kids are obsessed with the idea of mixing, measuring, and pouring. In fact, the sound of chairs being drug across the tile floor can be heard when I do something as simple as heat up frozen waffles! While not always the quickest route, incorporating kids in the kitchen has so many benefits. Teaching fractions and direction following is painless when there's a chocolate cake at the end!

In this microwave society, it's common to reach for a package of cookies, rather than take the time to stir in a few eggs. I have nothing against the little elves that bring chocolaty goodness to people everywhere, but there's such character building potential in cooking and baking. Precision, patience, and creativity come alive as kids take part in making their own food! One does not have to be Martha Stewart to make a memory with a child. Perfection isn't even in their vocabulary!


Pick up a few boxes of your child's favorite cake, cookie, brownie, or muffin mix. Your next rainy day will be painless if it's filled with the teachable moments that happen naturally over a mixing bowl!

Eat what you grow, grow what you love!

Maybe it's because the sun is warming the air on a pretty predictable basis now, or maybe it's because I'm stubbornly determined to teach my children how to successfully plant/tend/harvest, but garden fever is in full effect around our house. Thankfully for us, we live in Florida, and have a little space devoted to growing.

It never ceases to amaze me how much more willing my boys are to eat their veggies when they had a part in bringing them to the table. From the planting and watering to the pruning and eventual picking, my kids are involved. We started with a tomato plant, slowly added herbs and beans, and will be adding onions, broccoli, and carrots in the next few weeks.

I don't have what people call a green thumb, but I have learned so much during the process, and really enjoy getting my hands dirty right alongside my little ones as we grow things together! I'd love to hear what you're growing this year!

Frugal party planning-Part 2

Now that you've seen some of the party decor, let's talk $$. The first thing my husband asked when I approached him with my idea was, "Can we afford this?". As a frugal shopper and couponer, I was so happy that he asked, because I worked so hard to plan this party on a budget! (Anyone else like to share their shopping successes with friends and family?!?)

I was ALSO glad I had began planning a full 6 weeks in advance, because saving money often means investing a little more time into the details. Do not allow a time crunch to sink your party! Designate a notebook as your party planning book, and brainstorm ideas for food and decor. There will always be last minute addons, but you can keep from breaking the bank if you put your ideas on paper before you begin.

Make sure that at least half of your items can be prepared in advance. Before I learned this trick, I was the frazzled woman, running around the house tense and snippy. Although I enjoy making birthdays special for the people I love, these parties had me up at 5 A.M. prepping food and decorating the party space. By the time the party started, I was a MESS! Wrap boxes in colors that coordinate with your theme. Get a large piece of thin, light wood and decorate it as the backdrop. Fill candy jars with colorful treats, and get those goodie bags stuffed early. You will be amazed how good you feel with these projects crossed off before the big day arrives! These are also great ideas for your spouse to help with, if you happen to be a Type A (like myself). Delegating a few tasks to others can give you extra time to focus on the details you want to personally oversee.

Our party was mid-February, so I began nailing down the theme right after New Years. I collected boxes in every shape and size, and became the toilet paper general, swiping used rolls to be the perfect Lego toppers. Party City had the best selection of solid colored wrapping paper, and I scooped up enough rolls to turn our entire house into a giant Lego! (Ok, not really, but it FELT like it by the time we were done!)

Each of the 4 tables at the party had a giant Lego in the middle, the food table had a Lego stack, the children's table had Legos hanging above it...and my total investment was about $6.00! How's that for frugal?!?

We chugged enough water bottles to create this fun ring toss game:


I used some extrabucks at CVS to get some tissue boxes for next to nothing. These were wrapped and dotted to look like legos, and would have been set up with balls for bowling if we had needed any other entertainment for the little ones.

The menu was themed, but not too hard, or expensive to create. I cooked a whole ham and sliced it into rectangles along with cheese and bread for a "build your own sandwich" table. Strawberry, pineapple, and blueberries were stacked for fruit picks, carrots, tomatoes, and cucumbers were stacked for veggie picks. We made these rice krispie Legos: and served the grid pretzels along with juice boxes wrapped in lego paper.

The part of the party I was most proud of was dessert. Several evenings were spent at the dinner table painting little Lego men into this awesome mold. Wouldn't this make some adorable little soaps, or even crayons for the goodie bags after the food making is complete? I love finding multiple uses for my purchases!




We used them to top cupcakes made with my homemade buttercream frosting for a special treat. The boys loved them, and I loved not having to slice a cake!

I was able to keep the cost of the party right around $100, including the rental of the park pavilion. We had 30 guests, and could have fed at least 10 more with what we had left. It really pays to plan ahead and find ways to create magic, instead of just buying it off the shelf! Our themed party was very special, and I know the boys will remember it for years to come!

I LOVE to help with party planning. If you have an idea you would like to encorporate into your child's special day and are stuck on how to get things rolling, send me a message on my facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/PurpleCarrotsInc/247967425287908

Frugal party planning-LEGO part 3

The morning of the boys' party dawned a bit chillier than I expected, but the sun was shining. (After raining ALL night!) I arrived a few hours early and assembled some boxes over the children's table as a mobile. All the frugal preplanning came in handy, and the party was a success! The boys celebrated in perfect Lego form, along with family and friends!

Somehow I managed not to get a picture of the food table after the food arrived, but the ham sandwiches worked out great!

Frugal party planning-LEGO Part 1

What a great use for that pile of crayons we all have in our homes! These sturdy Lego brick crayons are perfect for kids of all ages!






These make a great addition to goodie bags. They also serve as a great ice breaker activity or a party snack, because they snap together and taste like Sweet Tarts!






Visit my pinterest page for links to the great printables I was able to personalize for our coloring books!




The homemade crayons we made turned out exactly as I had hoped! Even the teenagers at the party wanted to take them home! I packaged them in little baggies along with a note that read, "Thanks for adding a splash of color to our birthday!" and included them with coloring sheets that I found.

Around the world-U.S.A.

Thanksgiving is such a special time. It's never too early to pass on the love of family and friends to our children! We gathered together with our special friends to enjoy this meal of pulled chicken, dried cranberries, fresh beans, sweet potato fries, cornbread leaves, and turkey cookies, which the kids assembled themselves. It was nice to have a kid-friendly meal with some of their favorites, and to give thanks for each other!

Around the world-Brazil

Soccer was played, rain forests were planted, and a fantastic meal was served that included carne asada, spanish rice, black beans, and fruit salad. The meal was finished up with some amazing Brazilian caramels that the kids made themselves!

Around the world-Egypt

Journey with us to Egypt! We spent a week studying the traditions and customs of this sandy country, and finished off with a feast. The kids made their own mummy dogs by wrapping cresent roll strips around a hot dog, and we served it up with falafel, tomatoes in vinegar, and shish ka bobbed chicken and veggies. I think I'm ready to walk like and Egyptian!

I HEART you!

You have my heart! Here's a simple way to serve up a love themed dinner. Meatloaf was made on a cookie sheet and cookie cutter hearts were cut out. I hit the Dollar Store for some cute bowls to fill with stuffed peppers, and green bean casseroles. I also picked up a heart candy mold and melted those wonderful chocolates into heart shaped garnishes for everyone's plate. For dessert, I cut strawberry cake hearts, dabbed and layered them with fresh strawberries and cool whip. A feast for the eyes, and the stomach!

All cutters used in these meals can be found in this wonderful set!

Pirate Party

We had a very exciting pirate adventure week to end our schoolyear. At the end of the week I served up grilled tilapia, buried treasure rolls stuffed with creamy veggies, white rice, and freshly grilled vegetables. We finished our meal with a treasure cake, which was a loaf cake filled with jolly rancher jewels.(along with coins and a string of pearls for effect) Some crushed graham cracker sand made it look like it had just been unearthed! Arrrrrrrg!

Ahoy, matey

It's not very often that I get to pack a lunch for my kids, but the boys started a Mother's Day Out program and it gave me a chance to pack this themed meal for my favorite pirates! Peanut butter fish shaped sandwiches, goldfish, shark fruit snacks, and blue punch in a perfectly divided container set their day afloat!

All cutters used in this blog can be found in this wonderful set!

Life on the farm

In the mood for lunch, farm style? If so, here's a great way to encorporate life with the animals into your lunch! We had a great time making our own butter, and used it on some cow shaped bread. I served it up with pigs in a blanket, a cheese sampler, fruit trees made with broccoli and pepper pieces, chicken feed (nuts and seeds), and hay stacks made with chocolate and chinese noodles. The next day we headed to the farm to talk to the animals. We were ahead of the game, because we used this lunch to talk about the foods we eat and where they come from! :-)

All cutters used in this blog can be found in this wonderful set

Summer fun

Summer is the perfect time for a fun lunch! Keep these ingredients on hand, and you'll be in for some rainy day giggles! For our lunch, we had boat sandwiches, blue jello beach with crushed graham cracker shore, Teddy Grahams in life saver preservers, goldfish crackers,star fish (star fruit), sweedish fish, and AWESOME octopus, which I made by sticking spaghetti into hot dog halves, and boiling until wiggly. Serve with Hawaiian Punch (or corse) and be prepared for some food play! My kiddos had a great time with this meal!

All cutters used in this blog can be found in this wonderful set!

Our love meal

Start your little one's morning off right with this love breakfast! French toast sticks are so easy to manipulate! A touch of red in their syrup, fresh berries, and bacon twisted before cooking show them your heart! I served this meal on Valentine's Day along with strawberry milk. Did you know you can freeze a thin layer of Cool Whip overnight and cut it out into shapes with a cookie cutter? Our milk had a beautiful heart floating in it as an extra special treat!

Staying warm on frosty days

Here's a plate perfect for any winter's day. Snowman sandwiches, holiday mac and cheese, popcorn snow, carrot "kindling", and a cute little bowl of snowman marshmallows. For this meal, I served up blue punch, and froze some of the punch in a snowflake ice tray for a little frosty fun!

All cutters used in this blog can be found in this wonderful set!

Polar Express

Here's a great lunch if you're going to be watching the wonderful Christmas movie, The Polar Express. We parked in the family room and enjoyed a carpet picnic, and the kids had a great time with our very movie themed lunch! Train engine ham sandwiches, candy cane and oreo RR crossing signs, pretzel train tracks, crushed popcorn with Parmesan cheese for snow drifts, and a green rice krispie tree with rainbow sprinkles as lights. After the lunch we sipped mugs of...HOOOOOOOOT CHOCOLATE! It was a great way to get in the Christmas spirit!

All cutters used in this blog can be found in this wonderful set!