birthday
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Friday, August 19th, 2011We have collected many board games over the years. Even before we had kids, TechyDad and I had several that we bought for game nights and/or when we had company over. Back in the day, Scattergories, Trivial Pursuit, Monopoly, and Upwords were favorites.
As a child, I remember playing board games with friends all the time. Titles that come to mind include:
- The Game of Life
- Allowance
- Uno
- Monopoly
- Trivial Pursuit
- Boggle
The list could go on and on. Games were huge on cold winter nights, or to pull out during summer days after we ran and played.
Now that we have kids, our most used games are things like Candyland, Chutes and Ladders, Memory, Rush Hour Jr, Uno, and others for 10 and under.
While NHL would prefer his Nintendo DS and Wii games, we all need to unplug. Board games are the perfect time to do this and allow us to have special time together where we can work on many skills. For NHL’s birthday, he received a new game and it has been used a LOT lately. Here it is:
What I love about this game is it takes something familiar with the kids (Disney) and puts a fun spin on it. The kids know the Pictureka game show, so they were excited to have a version for our house. Yes, it says ages 6+, but let me tell you my 4 year old was keeping up with us. The only item JSL needed assistance with was reading the cards. If people told him he was looking for “items with a tail,” he was good to go. Yes, I knew this would be a popular game in our house. Locating games that are appropriate for 4 and 8 year olds can be very tricky, or impossible at times.
So my question to you this week:
What are some of your favorite board games to play with your family and why?
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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.
Aloha #165
Lion Cupcake Construction
Thursday, August 18th, 2011When NHL asked me to make his birthday party an animal, specifically lion, theme I did not cringe – well not right away. First, we went to the craft store, party supply place, and I went to Google to see what was out there. Thanks to a quick search on YouTube, I found a fun video and was all ready.
Let me take you on an adventure as I got ready for my practice run of the lion cupcakes. First, I had some of my items set to start. No comments about mixing Pillsbury and Betty Crocker items please.
- Cake mix – Or, if you want, use a from scratch recipe
- Frosting – I had two cans so I could have plenty of the two colors I needed to make
- Black icing – Note: This did not work well. Thanks to this, I bought Wilton black sparkle
- Food coloring – To make 2 shades of orange for the lion face
- Popcorn – We now wonder if popcorn from our Whirly Pop with some salt may have been better to add a salty/sweet contrast
Not seen in the photo:
- Pretzel sticks – lion whiskers
- Mini chocolate chips – lion eyes
- Cheerios – lion ears
- Eggs – We did not use eggs because my niece is very allergic to them. I used the item below.
When making the practice batch of cupcakes, JSL wanted to help me out. He had a lot of fun making the “eggs” and mixing everything else together.
Then, the cupcakes were ready to head into the oven.
Thanks to the egg replacer, they bake faster and are still a bit “squishy” when they come out of the oven. While I was waiting for the cupcakes to cool, I set up an assembly line of sorts. For some reason, I took the photo before the cheerios were here. Then, my hands were full of icing and I never went back. You get the idea.
First, you use the darker orange to cover the entire cupcake and then put a smaller light orange circle within that.
Then, JSL helped me to put the popcorn mane around the entire cupcake.
Up next were the Cheerio ears and pretzel whiskers.
Then, we gently placed the mini-chips for the eyes and drew on the nose and smile.
Here are my practice lions. You can see the blobs that happened with the original black icing that I bought.
The boys were not upset with the blob faces on the lions. They thought they were quite fun and delicious.
When I made them on Sunday, I tried a few different things to make them a little easier. Although I liked the ease of the Wilton gel, it was runny and the faces did not stay the way I made them. Perhaps if there was room in the refrigerator that would have helped. Still, they came out cute. Here’s a view from the party:
If you are curious about the video I used, or the other animals here it is. The Howdini video: Jungle Animal Cupcakes: Monkey, Lion, Tiger, and Zebra Cupcakes.
So there you have it. Have you ever made cupcakes that were a little different? I would love to hear about it since I am on a cupcake kick!
Happy 8th Birthday NHL
Wednesday, August 17th, 2011Dear NHL,
I can not believe that you are already eight years old. It seems like yesterday that Daddy and I were in the store picking out your crib. Then, we brought you home and suddenly you grew up before our eyes.
So much has happened in the last year. Some were amazing, while others ones I wish we could have shielded you from. No matter what, you will learn and grow and have survived these bumps in the road of life.
Now let’s take a walk down memory lane at the last year – NHL at 7.
After your last birthday, you really started to enjoy using the Nintendo Wii, and, with time, the DS. Daddy and I allowed you to try your new games and often your little brother watched on in amazement. Of course, now he’s starting to get some of the Wii games thanks to you helping him. (August 2010)
Second grade, well it proved to be a challenging year. Academically, there was no issues for you. Sad to say, it will probably be the year we hope to forget. Rather than dwell on the drama that included switching schools, let’s recall the happy times. Just after the year started, we went up to the lake for a big extended family weekend. You were so thrilled to drive the boat with Uncle M. (September 2010)
Much of October was filled with preparing for Halloween. You were thrilled to be Luigi again since your love of all things Super Mario was really getting started. (October 2010)
Thanksgiving this year was even more special thanks to Uncle I, Aunt M, and cousins SG and BA coming. This meant celebrating Chanukah a little earlier. I think your favorite part was often reading to the little kids. I loved one of your gifts – your new Thing 1 shirt. You may not remember this, but when JSL was born Daddy and I used to call both of you by those names. (November 2010)
December found us keeping busy with Chanukah, snow, and a fun outing. We all went to see Toy Story 3 on Ice. You loved the entire show and could not wait to see Lotso. It was a magical family outing that we all needed with special time together. (December 2010)
Snow, snow, and more snow greeted us in January. There were several days that school was canceled. This was also the time that I gave you my old laptop to use. You adored playing math games and more on it. I think your favorite snow day was the one where we never got our of our pajamas and stayed warm playing games. (January 2011)
February brought us even more snow and a lot of ice. At a certain point, even you were getting sick of it. Of course, since you were 7, you liked to play outside, build, and try to keep warm. By the end of the month, we were all dreaming of our upcoming trip to Florida. (February 2011)
The magical month of March arrived just in time for a much needed escape from life here in NY. We were lucky enough to be able to go to the second Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. You certainly showed that you are a NDK (Neurotic Disney Kid) and enjoyed every minute wanting to know when we could go back again. Seeing the joy in your face and the stress melt away was beyond magical. I think the highlight for you was meeting Beast since you had been begging for that moment for months. (March 2011)
The snow finally melted away and some warmer weather came to stay. You adored the times when we could head to the park and run around without a worry in the world. Of course, it also allowed you time to be silly in front of the camera. (April 2011)
Much of May was spent getting used to new things. A new school, your little brother turning four, and heading to the circus. You were fascinated with the circus clowns, animals, and acts in general. May was definitely a month where we turned things around and started to see the light at the end of the second grade tunnel. (May 2011)
Lots of things were going on in June. The end of the month officially made you a third grader. Much to our surprise, you were so sad to see things end at your new school. It made my heart so happy that you liked the new place where you learned so much in a short time. We also found a new favorite ice cream location. Yes, we met Nana and Papa there for lunch a few times and we were ok with that. (June 2011)
This summer, we have kept busy going to crafting events. You really do enjoy trying new crafts, as well as learning new things at the library’s passport program. Different countries, lizards, t-shirt making, and more thanks to our travels. Of course, the summer would not be complete without time under the water at the fun new park we found.
Suddenly, it is August again and the end of being a seven year old. You now love chapter books, are into Harry Potter (with a crush on Hermione), and are determined to finish and win DS games. You are a big helper, especially when it comes to your littlest cousin. You loved spending your birthday party weekend helping him around the park and other locations. (August 2011)
With tears in my eyes, I honestly find it hard to believe that you are already eight. You start third grade in a few short weeks. Getting to really watch you and spend time being creative with you this summer has taught me so much. I look forward to watching you grow, learn even more, and become the person you want to be. With some help, I hope that Daddy and I can make it more stress free and fun this year. I truly hope that your dreams and wishes come true and you have an amazing year – you deserve it!
Love,
Mommy
Lion Cupcakes and Birthday Food
Monday, August 15th, 2011Sunday morning, I left to go to Nana and Papa’s house before the boys to get some things done for NHL’s family party. I stopped at the grocery store to get some produce, drinks, and dip. After this, I went to their house to start the Asian Salad.
Then, it was time to get the line ready for the lion cupcake construction. This time I had everything set and was ready to go. The only real complication here was space to put the completed lions on. After two were made, I noticed that the fresh frosting was making the Wilton black sparkle gel run a bit. Thanks to this, I put all of the lions together minus their noses and smiles. While I worked on that, my mother helped me to get the cucumbers ready to put with the rest of the veggies and some Dill Dip.
Just before lunch was served, I drew on the rest of the lion faces. A special thanks to Christina and Tom for cheering me on while I worked on all 21 lions and a chocolate chip one just for the number candle. Toward the end, the smell of the sugary frosting was getting to me.
We had tilapia, Phineas and Ferb macaroni and cheese, pizza, Asian Salad, and the fresh veggies. Lots of food for everyone to enjoy.
Once the kids finished eating, they played for a while. They were getting a bit rowdy, so I pulled out my bag of tricks. The teacher in me had a bunch of different arts and crafts to do with the kids. More on this coming soon. While they were crafting with me, everyone else was switching over the lunch food to prepare for cupcakes and fruit. When the crafts were done, I set up the cupcakes.
I do believe that the birthday boy enjoyed his lions.
More to come on the birthday fun as we celebrate NHL’s actual special day later this week. A huge thank you to all of our family that came to make the day even better.
The Yankees Stink Shirt
Saturday, August 13th, 2011Dear JSL,
Yesterday morning, I had to bribe you a little bit. It was Papa’s birthday and I wanted you to try to make him smile. As you know, he’s not really into the smiling thing. Case in point:
Anyway, there is a shirt that Uncle I bought NHL when he was little. The shirt is not exactly loved by Daddy. He does allow one of you to wear it on special occasions for Papa. This morning, I pulled it out, but you were not really into wearing it. So I bribed you. Lucky for me, you asked for some lemonade with breakfast. DONE! Here you are wearing the shirt at Hoffman’s.
I think the problem with wearing this shirt is that you get a lot of attention. Seeing that we live in NY, a Yankees Stink shirt either gets a lot of glares, or laughter from Red Sox fans in the area. Of course, this didn’t phase you too much. You liked people looking, smiling, and giving you attention. Plus, you were busy being a big helper on the rides with cousin BA.
Then, you were thrilled to go again, leading the way with BA in the back driving solo.
Of course, during this time NHL was on the roller coaster with Uncle I. You did not quite get what a big deal it was that they were in the front row.
What impressed me even more was you also went on a ride you were not too sure about. Rides up high seem to get you scared. Cousin SG wanted to go on one with you. After chatting a bit, you agreed to try it. You can tell you were not thrilled here.
Then, while you were whirling around above, I heard giggles. Yes, you were laughing and smiling while flying with cousin SG for your last ride of the day.
Of course, you probably thought the ice cream that came right after this – rainbow sprinkles and all was another part of the bribe.
Thank you for being such a big boy. You helped Papa smile and you made me so very proud by being such a big helper.
Love,
Mommy
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If you want to participate in Dear Kid Saturday, head on over to Cutest Kid Ever by clicking on the button below.
Birthday Cupcakes
Friday, August 12th, 2011It’s true. Several years ago, I decided to start making cakes for the boys instead of buying expensive ones from a bakery. Some of this decision was to make matters easier, at least I try to tell myself that. Another factor was the need for an egg free cake since my niece is severely allergic to eggs. The egg free requirement has pushed me to making cupcakes since cakes with the “fake eggs” are too moist and fall apart. Check out what happened to NHL’s special lemon cake that he wanted last August (oy):
Thanks to the cake failing miserably at the last minute, an emergency run to the store was needed. The funny thing was that people devoured the cake mess. So I am now insisting on cupcakes that stay put in their paper boundaries until we can use real eggs. Truth be told, cupcakes are fun to make. Of course, after decorating 10 – it gets a bit tedious when you have other items to prepare for a party. The last request in May was from JSL. He wanted a Jake and the Neverland Pirates Party. The cupcakes that resulted were here:
I have learned that I LOVE my Wilton icing decorator. With one little step, my cupcakes get a boost and look more professional. When we asked NHL what theme he wanted for his birthday this year, I was a bit anxious. Would we be able to find items and how would I be able to carry it into the cupcakes.
I lucked out big time. NHL wanted something with animals, specifically lions. Thanks to his love for the safari at Disney’s Animal Kingdom – the idea was born. Earlier this week we had all of our supplies and decided to do a test batch of the lion cupcakes that I wanted to make for this weekend.
More to come about the lion cupcakes soon. I took a bunch of photos during the experiment and more will be coming after the weekend with the new tools I bought to make it even better. A big thank you to Amanda from The Cupcake Blog for having her amazing resource guide for all things cupcakes. Love the inspiration that keeps the fun going. Oh and my little lion up there, it was featured the other day since I shared it with Amanda on Twitter.
One more thing before I get to the Aloha Friday question:
Happy Birthday Dad!!!!!
So, my question to you this week:
If you could design a dream cupcake, what flavors would you incorporate and what would you decorate it with?
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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.
Aloha #164
Sushi Style Birthday Dinner
Thursday, August 4th, 2011For our birthday celebrations, we try to go to a restaurant that the person likes for lunch or dinner on their special day. For the boys, this usually happens on their day since the weather is typically nice in May and August. I am the lone winter birthday in our immediate family and often get snowed out.
Yesterday, was TechyDad’s birthday. The boys were not really interested in going out, so they went to have pizza with Nana and Papa. This meant that the birthday boy could really pick the location he liked. He decided to go back to Mr. Fuji’s. We went there on our 10th anniversary the night of our plumbing fiasco. The meal was delicious, so I was all for it.
We ordered our meals. I went vegetarian so I could share with TechyDad since I was not too hungry. First, our Miso Soup and salad arrived. It was quite good.
We decided to have one of our favorite sushi rolls from our previous trip there. Here is our avocado and peanut roll. This was just as delicious as the first time we had it. I could have stopped right here.
As I mentioned, we ordered vegetarian so we could try two items and share. TechyDad has the vegetable sushi meal. It was really a beautiful presentation.
I opted to have the Teriyaki Tofu. It was served with some white rice and under the lightly fried tofu were amazing onions in the tangy sauce.
We normally would not have ordered anything after our meal, but TechyDad had received a really amazing birthday coupon via e-mail from Mr. Fuji. It included a discount and free Tempura Ice Cream.
There are no words to describe the ice cream properly. It seriously should be illegal and makes me really curious about their tempura cheesecake (imagine me drooling).
Then, it was time to head back to the boys who wanted to use TechyDad as a boat. Apparently, the little guy is talking about cruises lately. Hmmm…. maybe he dreams of a trip on the Disney Dream as well.
I tried to get a good photo of the kids with the birthday boy, but they were acting too silly. This was the best of the batch.
And then it was time for birthday cake. TechyDad had requested a cookie cake, so the boys and I went to purchase one earlier in the day. It was quite colorful.
Here is the birthday boy making a wish – possibly for some quiet time.
I do hope that TechyDad enjoyed his birthday meal out in quiet, and had fun with the colorful birthday cake in the end. More about that coming on his blog.
Birthday Wishes for TechyDad – 2011
Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011Today, I am breaking away from being completely wordless to wish my amazing husband, TechyDad, a happy birthday. For ten years, we have celebrated your big day as husband and wife. Eight years ago, we sat wondering on your special day when our first child would be born. Of course, that would be just two short weeks later.
Thank you for being the most amazing husband who gets my love for all things Disney and is now a proud NDD at The Disney Driven Life.
I love Tweeting to you and texting sweet nothings so the kids can not spell them while in the room. Wow, how things have changed in a few short years. I can not wait to sit and relax together on our belated 10th Anniversary trip without the kiddos.
At least then you can sit by a slightly larger pool and not worry about getting hit in the head with a water toy by the boys.
The boys are so lucky to have you as their father. It isn’t every parent that would go running into the splash area at the park.
Thank you for being the man of my dreams and riding this adventure of a life with me. I love with with all of my heart and hope to have many more amazing years together.
Love,
Your Angel Forever
Previous Birthday Posts to TechyDad:
- Happy 00110011 00110101 B-Day TechyDad
- Birthday Wishes for TechyDad
- Happy B-day to the Geek of my Dreams
- Happy Birthday JL!
Carnival and Chocolate
Sunday, July 31st, 2011Yesterday, I wrote all about our travels to Canada, Australia, India, Russia, France, Mexico, and China while staying home. Thanks to the Passport to Fun programs at Michaels, we had the adventure of our life at the local craft store. In the end, we went to eight of the eighteen countries. We missed two because the boys were still in school at the end of June. Then, I completely forgot about the Egypt day on June 25 and Bahamas on June 28. Luckily, I got our act together in time for Canada and beyond. I wish we had been able to make a few others, but they did not work with our schedules and two did not seem age appropriate for my kids.
On Saturday, the program ended with Brazil. What a way to end it making Rio Carnival masks. The boys had a blast working on these with all of the glitter, feathers, and sequins.
Of course, while in Michaels we HAD to check out other items. TechyDad looked for a case to house his grandfather’s old telescope in. Both of the ones in stock were cracked, so we are waiting on that. Then, we looked around for ideas to use for NHL’s 8th birthday. NHL has said that he wants lions and other animals as the focus. We chatted about it while walking around and came up with a safari theme. Seems perfect since he loved the Safari at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. I know one day I would love to take him on the African Trek I went on.
While checking out the Wilton cupcake making supplies, we wandered over to their chocolate mold section. NHL fell in love with some things there. TechyDad thought they were really interesting and said we should use our coupons and pick them up. So we did. Don’t these look fun?
So we will be making the Oreo/Pretzel molds to go along with some kind of lion cupcake. Do not think there will be time to paint the chocolate and make it pretty, but it’s still fun and something the kids can help with. If you have any lion cupcake suggestions – I would love to know.
What have you been up to this weekend of July?
A Special Message to Nana
Sunday, June 5th, 2011Today is my mother’s birthday. She is an amazing woman who has taught me to go for my dreams, be an independent thinker, and love the scientific world among many other things. Watching my mother with the boys has been amazing. She took on the role of Nana and never looked back. She loves spending time with all four of her grandchildren. Nana gets on the floor to do puzzles, race cars, and will do anything for the boys. My mother was also the one who has met us way too many times to assist during emergencies with the kids.
The boys wanted to do something special for Nana until we see her later on today. Here they are:
Happy Birthday Mom! We love you and wish you a magical day filled with all of the things that you enjoy. May you have many more happy and healthy years ahead for all of us to make wonderful memories together.
