Birthday Boy

Wow. My baby is year old already. I know it's cliche, but I really feel as if it was only yesterday that he was a tiny little newborn. This first year has been full of adventures and accomplishments and adventures and accomplishments deserve to be celebrated. 

On Client Two's actual birthday, he was, of course, greeted with a delicious birthday waffle. He mostly just wanted to eat the fire off the candle but he enjoyed the waffle as well. Later that day, we headed to the mall for his one year pictures. My normally smiley little man was unusually solemn faced but he did brighten when he got to smash into a cake. After pictures we headed back home for a little mini celebration including presents, balloons and cake. 

This past Saturday was his birthday party. I decided to do a simple Little Monster theme. I made a bright monster "Happy Birthday" pennant banner to hand on the fireplace and some cute little monsters reading "I am one" to go on his highchair. Client One helped me put up some monster face stickers all over the house to make it scarier and some giant googly eyes brought the front door to life. A few Ugly dolls decorated the table and the rest of the decorations were mostly balloons from the Dollar Tree. Oh, and, of course, he had his very own birthday outfit.

 

Not too many kids were coming to the party, but I did want a couple of games. I made monster bowling pins from old two-liter bottles and a bowling ball from a bouncy ball purchased from the dollar store. Client Two loved knocking the pins over and setting them back up! I also made a little Monster Buckets game (Bozo Buckets style) with little ping-pong balls decorated by Client One. My favorite game area, however, was the Adopt A Monster station where guests got to choose a monster to take home, filling out their own adoption certificate.

The food was fairly simple. I made homemade pizza as the main course. I gave chips fun, monstery names. Regular potato chips became "Monster Scales," Bugles became "Monster Claws," and Cheetos became "Monster Toes." We also had fresh strawberries (some dipped in white chocolate) and Monster Mash popcorn (cookie butter popcorn.) Everything was delicious and Client Two was a big fan.

Of course, no birthday is complete without the cake! I made a little 6" monster cake with little monster cupcakes in bright colors. Since Client Two had gotten to smash into a 6" cake for his birthday pictures, he only got a cupcake at his party, but he was happy with it. Before singing "Happy Birthday," we changed him into his special cake smashing outfit to reduce as much mess as possible. 

After his cake, he got a quick rinse off before changing back and coming out to say goodbye to his guests. The couple of kids that came got a little blue monster goody bag filled with a puzzle, some monster candy, monster teeth, monster finger puppets, a monster book and a monster play pack.

All in all, I think Client Two had a wonderful birthday! He got some fun toys that he is already loving and an awesome 3 Sprouts toy chest to store them all in! I still can't believe he's already one, but I'm happy to celebrate this and the many birthdays to come!

Things I Love about Having Kids

Being the parent of young kids can sometimes be chaotic and crazy. There are definitely days where I am completely exhausted by 9:00 am. But despite all the frustrations that come with children, there are a few things all mixed in there that I love. These are things, that one day, I will miss terribly. Children grow up way too fast and one day, all the chaos that comes with parenting will be gone. Here are some of the things I will miss the most.

• Toys scattered all over the floor
  Okay, it can be exceedingly frustrating to clean a room only for it to be destroyed by a hundred toys minutes (sometimes even seconds) later. We have a playroom where the majority of  toys are supposed to stay, but somehow they always migrate out. Despite wanting a clean house, I don't always mind the toys. I like the fact that Client One has built a block wall the length of the hallway and that Client Two has dropped half a dozen toys across the floor, all dripping with drool. Why? Because they are more than toys. They are part of the essence of childhood. They remind me that my children are fun and creative. One day, all those toys will be sold, thrown away, passed on, or in storage. My house will be clean, but my children will be grown.
• Assorted hair accessories sprinkled across the bathroom counter
  I honestly do very little with my hair. Shoot, I'm lucky if I find time to run a brush through it. Client One, however, gets her hair fixed on a daily basis. Granted, she screams bloody murder about half the time, making anyone within a 5 mile radius think she's undergoing the worst torture know to man. To ease her pain, I buy her sparkly head bands, glittering hair clips, fun hair ties, special brushes, most of which are decorated with various Disney princesses and cartoon characters. These special hair accessories clutter the counter in the bathroom, but they still make me smile. She loves them and she looks cute in them. I will miss them when she decides she needs "grown-up" hairclips that are boring and not fun at all.
• Pictures decorating the refrigerator
  Before hubby and I had kids, I thought our refrigerator looked dreadfully boring. It just sat there, keeping food cold, bearing little more than a few boring magnets holding up delivery menus. Now, our fridge is a constant display for artwork and pictures. Some of them are color sheets, others are free-hand drawings, but I love them all. New pictures that were done this morning are posted right next to ones done a year ago, marking Client One's artistic evolution. Right now, only Client One's drawings decorate the fridge but it won't be long before Client Two will add some of his own masterpieces and I will cherish them as well.
   
• Random Cheerios scattered throughout the house 
  I am somewhat amazed at all the places I find those tiny litter pieces of cereal. They get everywhere. But do you know why I love them? Because they are evidence that a very sweet little boy was toddling near there not long ago, and I love that little boy to death. Cheerios are one of Client Two's favorite go-to snacks. He carries fist-fulls around with him and hoards them in his cheeks. When I find those little O's around the house I am grateful that my little baby is still baby enough to be satisfied with this simple snack instead of  demanding an endless supply of cookies like his sister.
• All the loads of laundry filled with tiny clothes 
  Laundry is one of my least favorite chores, but I often find myself smiling when I finally decide to fold it. I love the tiny little clothes with adorable themes, pictures and sayings. Client One is getting too big too fast but I am happy she still wants to wear shirts with glittery hearts, kittens, and Disney princesses. I love that she wants to wear her leopard print leggings every other day. I also love that a few pieces of her dress-up clothes make it into the laundry on occasion. And, of course, I love the little man outfits that Client Two wears. Who knew collared shirts and khaki pants looked so adorable? I smile because some of them bring back fun memories. No, the stain on the bottom of Client Two's pants did not come out but we had so much fun digging in the mud that day.
• Children's shows 
  The random accents of the Octonauts drive me crazy as does the weird animation of Peppa Pig but Client One loves both of those shows. Her current favorite is Wild Kratts and I find myself randomly singing the theme song. I also find myself quoting random lines from many different children's programs. Sometimes, after a day of nothing but animated shows with squeaky voices I just want to binge watch some Downton Abby but I really don't mind the children's shows. Many of them help educate my clients and keep them entertained so I can eat, shower, clean, etc. They are also something my kids love and therefore I love them by extension.
• Obnoxious Kids' music
  Some days if I hear "The Wheels on the Bus" one more time, I'm going to shoot someone. Those songs are total earworms and I find myself singing them in my sleep, but they are more reminders that my children are still little and innocent. One day, I will be walking past my clients' rooms to hear loud, crazy music playing, possibly with a few curse words slipped in. They won't want the sweet, fun songs that involve motions. The only motions they will do with songs is the eye rolling that will accompany my choice in music. So, for the moment, I will turn up "The Itsy, Bitsy Spider" and sing it with Client One at the top of my voice while Client Two giggles and claps along.

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Elf on the Shelf

Only a couple more nights until Christmas which means you only have to find a couple more locations for your Elf on the Shelf. By this late in the Christmas game, I'm sure that you, just like myself,  have found yourself standing in the middle of your house, elf in hand, searching desperately for a place to put it. Well, I have decided to share all the locations I have put my elf into one handy post in the hopes that together we can get through those last couple nights of elf brain freeze.

1. I'm Back

    This handy location was perfect for when our elf reappeared. But it can be used as a going away as well. Simply position your elf on the window and write on the window with the dry-erase marker.

2. Mistletoe Mischeif 

3. Trim the Tree

     Our Elf brought a special gift from Santa as a reward for good behavior. 

4. Hanging Around for Movie Time

5. Do You Want to Build a Snowman?

6. Riding a Reindeer

    Don't forget to use other Christmas decorations in your elf's adventures! 

7. Video Game Downtime 

8. Tea for Three

9. Fishing Fun

10. The Reason for the Season

      Even an elf can bring the focus back to Jesus.

11. Mouse Chase

12. Snowflake Craft

13. Self Portrait

14. Picture Perfect

15. Bat-Elf

16. Candy Land with Friends

17. Gingerbread Village Fun

      Our elf brought magic "seeds" to plant in our gingerbread garden (bowl of sugar) and we planted them and found they grew into candy canes. 

18. Bathroom Decoration

19. Hanging in There

20. Having S'more Fun 

21. Christmas Cookies

22. Stocking around the Christmas Tree

23. Story Time

Well, there you have it! 23. ideas for your elf that aren't really messy or crazy. Even the more elaborate scenes only took a few minutes to put together. 

Merry Christmas!