Strollerderby : birthday

Bet You Can't Do Better Balloon Art

JeanneSager — Tue, 12 May 2009 21:34:00 GMT

People who hire clowns for their kids' birthday parties are either epically brave or epically dumb. Never want to be one?

I have found proof that even YOU can make the world's awesomest balloon animals for your kids, no clown required. Just trust me, you don't have to be the "can tie a cherry stem into a knot with my tongue" kind of person to handle this one.

See? Problem of how to entertain the kids at the birthday party solved. You can thank me - or thank Blogadilla who created this template for every parent's sanity.

Image: Blogadilla

Crafty Playdate: Birthday Tees From Way Back

JeanneSager — Fri, 08 May 2009 18:31:00 GMT

I sometimes think my constant persusal of craft blogs is proof I'm a bit of a masochist at heart. Because looking at some of these totally rockin', oh so easy to do at home projects is like driving a knife into my still carpal tunnel from pregnancy plagued wrist.

I'm not Martha.

So when I find something that makes me go, dude, I could so totally do that, I have to share it with you. Because if I could do it, a completely untrained monkey flown in and suffering from the affects of ebola could probably do it.

And hey, I love monkeys. Who doesn't?

So what's the craft? Yeah, yeah, I'm getting to that.

Over at Tangled and True, Jenn takes you through the entire process of making a totally retrolicious vintage tee for baby.She gives you the font, walks you through the stencil making, even tells you what paint to buy. OK, so stencil practically readymade and a keep it simple stupid walk through? Hello, sold to the non-Martha mom browsing the net. Although, it's free, so is it really sold?

Anyway, the number shirts caught me - because with my daughter's birthday coming up, I've been debating "is it too dorky to buy her a 4 tee for her 4th?" Because right now, I don't care. I've found a craft project she and I can do together, that will result in a funky tee for her birthday, and (cha ching) work as birthday gifts for all the kids whose parents say "oh, they don't need anything and refuse to give me a blessed idea of what their kids like."

Check out the whole process over at Tangled and True and get cracking - summer birthday parties are coming up fast!

Image: Tangled and True

Three Generations, Just One Birthday

JeanneSager — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 21:37:00 GMT

The chances of having three generations in one family share the same birthday are seven in a million.Meet number seven - she was born February 2.

So, for that matter, was Anala Broussard's mother, Jasmine, and her grandmother, Cherise Terry.

I had to laugh at the comments from an astrologer in the Mercury News article on the family: "These kind of ties between people is a strong sign that they are karmically linked and shared other lives." Yes, they're karmically linked all right, biologically linked too!

But whether you're the superstitious type or not, there's something just this side of coincidence about every female in one family making her entrance on the same day.

As the Terrys point out, it does have a drawback for Mom - her birthday ceases to be important as the focus of celebrations and parties goes to her daughter, and now it will go to her daughter's daughter. But I suppose it must save a bundle on birthday cakes?

It also bears noting that Feb. 2 is Groundhog Day - and like Bill Murray, this family is apparently living one day over and over again.

Does your family have a double - or triple - birthday? Has it impacted celebrations?

Image: Mercury News

Smackdown: Party On Baby!

JeanneSager — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 14:37:00 GMT

I love birthday parties.

Not the Chuck E. Cheese fifth circle of hell parties, but the sprawling mid-summer lawn parties with the kids running wild through a backyard sprinkler, the adults huddled under the trees with a few bottles of wine, coolers of beer and a big cheese platter.

Somehow, the big guy (girl) upstairs saw fit to ensure I can throw one every year - they made sure I gave birth in June. And every year since my daughter turned one, I've made a trip to the beer store, stocked up on veggie burgers and hamburgers and pulled out the grill.

My colleague Jen says birthday parties for kids under three are silly unless you're inviting immediate family only. I respectfully disagree - and not just because I love me a good party on a warm summer's day.

Our kids' birthdays are momentous not just for the kids. At one or two, Jen's right, they barely know what's going on. They cover their faces and clothes with cake and make feeble attempts to rip through wrapping paper. Those first two birthday parties are as much about the adults in the equation as they are the kids. They're a celebration of a Mom and Dad's proudest little accomplishment; and when it comes to celebrating - I say the more, the merrier.

The mentality comes, perhaps, from having a large extended family. Invite one of my father's siblings and you have to invite all six . . . and their spouses . . . and their kids. The summer birthday thing plays a role too - I'd feel strange throwing an outside party in my close-knit neighborhood and not inviting the neighbors over to join in. Truth be told, it wouldn't be a party without them. When something is worth celebrating, I'd like to make it a truly celebratory occasion - and that means piling on the guest list.

It also means inviting plenty of kids. Because I can't fathom how to make the "invite the number of children equal to your child's age" method work. Most of my closest friends HAVE kids. So cutting down on the number of children would mean cutting down on my own friends as well. And a party - a summer barbecue anyway - doesn't feel like a party to me without kids. Kids splashing in the wading pool. Kids peddling tricyles down the driveway. Kids having juice box squirting contests in the backyard.

For my daughter, there is fun too. Even at one she knew she was the center of attention, and she was lavished with love. The photos to me are priceless memories - not least because the two parties before my daughter turned three were the last two attended by my grandmother. One day, my daughter will be able to look back through the pictures and see her great-grandmother there, alive, vivacious and thoroughly enjoying the chance to spend time with several of her great-grandchildren.

Soon enough, my daughter will beg for the Chuck E. Cheese party or its equivalent. A few years after that, she'll be begging to go to the mall with her friends on her birthday - without her parents. Marking the day that forever changed my life and my husband's will shift entirely to her, and we will have to honor our favorite day some other way, some private way.

Kids are kids for only so long. I say celebrate every moment.

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Kindergartner Gets Best Birthday Present EVER

JeanneSager — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 15:34:00 GMT

I pride myself on being a pretty good gift giver - at least when it comes to my kid. But I can't top Casey Hurles.

The Army specialist came home from Iraq, then let his family wrap him in a box and cart him to son Gabriel's elementary school.

While Gabriel chowed down on cupcakes with his classmates, Casey sat quietly in the box, waiting. When he finally tore off the bright balloon-covered wrapping paper, the kindergartner jumped back and yelped - but it didn't take too long to recover.

The Nevada six-year-old hadn't see his dad since June when Spc. Casey Hurles left for his second tour of duty in Iraq. When Hurles realized his leave would fall right in line with his son's sixth birthday, he hatched a plan that's been four months in the making. Returning home, he had to hide out at his parents' house to make sure the surprise wouldn't be ruined.

Watching little Gabriel burrow his face in his Dad's chest, returning again and again for more hugs, might bring on the waterworks (it did for me), so grab the tissues before you watch!

Now isn't that the best birthday present a kid could get?

Image/Source: Nevada Appeal

Baby Born on Mom and Dad's Birthday

JeanneSager — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 17:26:00 GMT

I used to think I had it bad - birthdays in my family and my husband's crop up in nearly every month of the year. There's no time off from gift-buying and card-choosing.

Then I heard about Tyler Nash and fiancee Erika Cherry. They just welcomed home a new baby girl - born on Tyler's birthday. Erika's too. Every member of the Cherry/Nash family has the same birthday.

The parents are, of course, ecstatic - and they should be. They just had a baby (and she's a cutie too - check out the picture). But I've got to feel a teensy bit bad for little Faith Nash.

She's got to share Dec. 23 with Mom and Dad - one birthday cake, three names. AND she's got to share her birthday-week with the big J.C. Fortunately, her parents are well-schooled in how to keep Christmas from crimping your birthday-style. As they've been there, done that, they're planning a lot of half-birthday celebrations.

Image: Colorado Springs Gazette

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Three-Year-Old Eats Solid Food for the First Time

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 20:31:00 GMT

There’s nothing quite as sweet as a child’s very first bite of birthday cake. (Particularly if you had health nuts for parents, so sneaking bites of carob bars was the closest you got to sweets until you were four. Not that I’m still bitter.) But imagine if that first bite of cake was also a child’s first experience of solid food.

Declan Stringer from the U.K. has suffered from an undiagnosed illness his whole life, making it impossible for him to eat solid foods on his own. Up until recently, his mother had to liquefy all of his food so he could eat it through a feeding tube.

But Declan has been getting healthier and healthier, gaining the ability to eat normally just in time for his third birthday. His family was overjoyed to watch him happily munching on a cake in the shape of castle. As his grandmother, who baked the cake, said, “I always believed he would conquer this. I say he's the king of the castle.”

Photo: The Telegraph

Store Refuses To Make Cake for Toddler Adolf Hitler

Kelly Mills — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 20:31:00 GMT

Oh, the hardships of being a white supremecist. Heath and Deborah Campbell tried to get ShopRite and a local grocery store to make a birthday cake for their three-year-old, named Adolf Hitler. And they actually wanted the cake to say "Happy Birthday Adolf Hitler" (I guess just using "Adolf" was out of the question, hmmm?) But apparently they are so persecuted that the stores refused, though the grocer did offer to leave room for their own inscription. The story has some awesome quotes, like Deborah lamenting how sad it is the store can't make a cake for a kid, and Heath saying, "Other kids get their cake. I get a hard time. It's not fair to my children. How can a name be offensive?"

Um, yeah. I have no idea. Oh, and believe it or not, ShopRite won't make a cake for their two-year-old either. Her name? JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell. Oh boy. By the way, Wal-Mart is willing to do the cake.

A psychologist quoted in the story says he believes the names will cause problems for the kids later in life. Hmm, ya think? But he also points out that the parents' views are kinda likely to damage the kids too. Oh, and that any problems they face in school later "would be icing on the cake." Get it? Icing? Riiiight.

Of course Adolf and siblings live in a house decorated with swatstikas, but the Campbells insist the swatstika "doesn't really have a meaning. It's just a symbol." Just a name, a symbol, and a few kids who are gonna have a rough road. Seems like an inscribed cake might be the least of it.

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Saks Fifth Ave Deep Sixes Libby Lu, Tween Girls Weep Rhinestone Tears

JeanneSager — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 20:55:00 GMT

In this economy, something had to give. That it was the place tween girls go to get ~~whored~~ dressed up in feather boas and glitter make-up proves we might just be ready to leave the lipstick behind us and move on.

Bought by Saks Fifth Avenue in 2003, Club Libby Lu has been billing itself as the go-to spot for the birthday girl who wants to have everything and parents who will pay for it. The cheapest "Libby Du" package gets a girl a sash and keepsake frame, goodie bag, compact glitter and temporary tattoos and a Libby Du with one accessory. That's $25 . . . per girl. When's the last time you saw a tween girl who could pick between her best friends for her sweet eleven? Come on, Tiffany's her best friend, but Taylor's her bestest friend, and ooooh, Mommmmm, she can't go without Ashleeeee.

Now she'll just go without, period. Libby Lu got the axe as Saks faces projections that companies reliant on Manhattan-based sales will suffer significantly this holiday season. Twenty percent of the company's earnings come from its flagship store in New York City, but the big spenders who've lost big on Wall Street in recent months won't likely be lighting up Fifth Avenue this year.

Their little darlings won't be partying at the mall much longer either, apparently. Club Libby Lu's seventy-eight stand-alone shops and twenty boutiques located within department stores will be closed within six months. The girls will have to go back to makeovers the old-fashioned way - surrounded by sleeping bags and pizza boxes with MTV providing the soundtrack and their little brothers providing the irritation.

They can cry all they want, but they'll have to get in line for the tissues. In this economy, Mom and Dad have already wept their way through a box or two.

Source: CNN Money, via Jezebel

Image: Club Libby Lu

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A Real Housewife of Atlanta Spent 18k on 11-Year-Old's B-Day Party

SunnyChanel — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 20:42:00 GMT

Last night I was flipping channels, trying not to get immersed, yet again, in financial or election news. I found a very guilty pleasure-ish escape with last night’s episode of Real Housewives of Atlanta. One of the women profiled on the reality program is a buxom blonde bombshell who was described on Jezebel as “the white woman who actually looks like one of the Wayans brothers in White Chicks,” who threw a birthday party for her eleven year old daughter Brielle. How does she roll? She spent an estimated $18,000 on the celebration. How the hell did she do that? Well, she got a whole slew of Brielle’s friends and had an all day fiesta that went into a slumber party at the InterContinental, all arranged by a party planner. Not only did they take a Hummer limo to the hotel, had oodles of food, a stellar suite but the eleven-year-old birthday girl, yes eleven years old, received not just one but two Louise Vuitton bags from her mom. One, her mom mentioned she had given her a couple of days before, but this one was better.

Not surprisingly, her mom felt that the spoiled Brielle wasn’t as appreciative as she should be and pulled her aside to tell her she should be more happy and excited. But when 18k is spent on something as an eleven year old’s birthday, not even a big benchmark such as 16 or 18 or even 21, then her reality is just wack. At least Kim knows she spoils her daughter, saying that she herself wasn’t spoiled growing up and had to work for everything. On the upside, she does plan on getting her daughter involved with charity work to see how real kids live.

You can check out a clip of the show on Jezebel here.

Happy Birthday Beatrix Potter!

Amy Kuras — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 02:30:00 GMT

Do you know these words?

"Once upon a time there were four little Rabbits, and their names were
Flopsy,
Mopsy,
Cotton-tail,
and Peter.
They lived with their Mother in a sand-bank, underneath the root of a very big fir-tree."

Yep, the Tale of Peter Rabbit, written by birthday person Beatrix Potter.

Her many books depicting sweet, soft nature scenes and cute animals are kind of out of vogue now, at least as out of vogue as anything so classic can be. If, like me, you only dimly remember the books from your own childhood, check out this online version here. Looking at the books as a parent now, I am struck by how sweetly they are drawn but how they don’t shy away from bad things -- Peter's father, we find out, "was put in a pie by Mrs. McGregor."

Yikes.

Potter herself was a fascinating woman. She was a well-known mycologist (the study of fungi) and wrote the books she's best known for in her 30s and became secretly engaged to her publisher, who died before the wedding could take place. Having gained financial independence, she bought 4,000 acres of property in the Lake District in England, much of which was left to the National Trust on her death in order that it be preserved.

Happy Birthday, Miss Potter!

No presents for this kid - just donations

Brett Singer — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:00:00 GMT

More nice news – an 11-year-old in Greensboro, North Carolina told her friends not to bring presents to her birthday party. Instead, she asked them to bring canned goods that she will donate to a local food pantry.

This isn't the first time Audrey Mangum decided to forgo gifts in favor of more charitable pursuits. This has been going on for four years. Previous birthdays included items such as teddy bears and toys to be donated to less fortunate families.

Some kids, of course, brought presents, and Audrey was happy about that, proving that she's nice, but not nuts. "That is pretty cool," said Mangum. "They didn't even have to do that."

Cool kid! I have a friend whose daughter did something similar one year, and everyone was pretty charmed by the gesture. Frankly, I think it would be nice if more kids did this sort of thing, but I think the idea needs to come from the child. That is, if you say, "Hey, Toy Boy. How about this year you don't get presents and your friends just bring cans for the food pantry?" you may not get a great reaction. Then again, maybe not every kid is going to think of this on their own, or they might be embarrassed to bring it up for fear of being teased (not to mention not getting any cool gifts.) Has anyone ever done this with their children?

Image/Source: digtriad.com

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The Return of the 10 Grand Birthday

Kelly Mills — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 19:01:00 GMT

Write about parent-y stuff long enough and you'll notice certain stories cycle in and out again and again. One of the modern classics is the super-duper expensive birthday party for kids. Yes, some parents are hosting shindigs that cost up to $10,000, and there's even companies like Over the Top Productions that will help you ~~spend your money~~ plan your kid party. These stories usually have quotes from some parent who says it was worth it to "create a memory" that will last a lifetime (though often the kid is so young it's unlikely they'll make a mental snapshot of that pony ride) and then there's a few folks who didn't exactly mean to spend so much, it just sort of happened.

The counterpoint to all this is the idea that lavish events send the kids the wrong message about consumption, and the notion that parents are doing it to keep up with other parents, and feeling undue pressure. Are there actually parents out there who worry, "Well, the Finkleberg kid had that sweet affair at the Ritz, so how are we gonna top that?" Sigh. Then there's tips on throwing an inexpensive event. Call me crazy, but I think if you show your kid love year-round, how you celebrate birthdays is probably not going to rank very high in importance, and you should just do the kind of party that feels right to you.

Three Kids, Different Ages, Same Birthday, Same Family

Madeline Holler — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 22:35:00 GMT

My birthday is one week after my sister's. Both of my kids had the same due date, but the younger one's birthday is eight days after her sister's. My niece and her great-grandma share a birthday. So I'm not all that impressed by kids of the same family who were born years apart on nearly or exactly the same day. After all, there's a 1 in 365 chance any two people share the same birthday, right?

Still, even I can see there's something kind of kooky about this British family: three kids, all born on January 29th. In fact, odds were far more against this happening than with just two -- 7.5 in a million or 133,000 to one.

The family's first two kids were born two years apart. Twelve years later, the youngest was born. She had been due in early February but doctors determined the mom needed a c-section and Jan. 29th was the only date available.

All of this brings me to my next point: in planning your family, did you consider shared birthdays? I thought it was a bit of a rip-off as a kid, sharing the spotlight, pretty much knowing what I was going to get for gifts or getting my gifts early (or my sister getting hers later) ... and then look what I went and did.

Fun Birthdays Despite Recession

Madeline Holler — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 22:36:00 GMT

In all this talk about economic downturns and recessions or "recessions" and whatnot, politicians are overlooking one very important thing when calculating rebates and tax cuts and interest rates freezes and economic stimulation: what the hell is a parent to do about birthday parties?

Listen, party-planning expert Lisa Kothari, author of Dear Peppers and Pollywogs...What Parents Want to Know About Planning Their Kids' Parties knows your pain and she wants to help out with her three-part series on recession-proof children's birthday parties. Thank God, because I was worried we'd have to leave it up to our kids this year to create their own fun.

For Part 1, she counsels to "think outside the box," but goes on to give some cool ideas, so stick with me. The first is a Messy Party, with these sugggestions.

Invitations stamped with handprints.
Make a mess out of balloons and streamers; hang them all over the place in no set pattern.
Have the kids paint pictures with chocolate.
Let the kids decorate premade sugar cookies.
Set out paint, roller brushes, and butcher paper for the kids to make fantastic creations.
Have a bunch of stamps and water-soluble ink out and have the kids stamp their arms and legs all over and stamp one another!
Place a pile of dirt in one area of the yard and have the kids make dirt creations using twigs, rocks, and other natural elements.
Make a traditional round cake, ice with vanilla frosting and then drizzle different colors of icing into your own messy masterpiece. Add candy toppings as an added bonus.

Outrageous Cookie Party

Make plain cookie dough and then set out these ingredients for kids to get creative with. Bag them up to take home. Be sure to warn parents in case the kids decide to share.

Ketchup
Mustard
Chocolate Syrup
Ranch Dressing
Steak Sauce
Cherries
Yogurt
Cheese
Peanut Butter
Balsamic Vinegar
Jam
Pesto Sauce
Tomato Sauce
Relish

Don't forget to request all birthday gifts in cash. (Who's going to pay for all that wasted pesto? We're in a recession!)

So what are you doing for a cheap birthday party this year (or any year)? Canceling the tiger cub rental? Yeah, me too. Me too.

Photo: Once Upon a Bash

Happy (Belated) Birthday, Strollerderby!

Karen Murphy — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 20:05:00 GMT

You know that sinking feeling you have when you feel like maybe you forgot something and can't remember what it was exactly? And then days go by like this and all of a sudden WHAM it hits you—it was your best friend's birthday, and dammit YOU MISSED IT?

Well, that's how I am feeling today. Because your good friend and mine, Strollerderby, had a birthday a few days ago AND WE MISSED IT.

True! Strollerderby launched December 2006, and the very first post is dated December 6, 2006. Care to check it out? I came on board a few weeks later as did Rachael and Mike, just after the first of the year, but our very own Alisyn was on hand from the very beginning. I know you want to see her first post, and here it is.

Since a year ago you've seen some branching out with the launch of Famecrawler and Droolicious, to handle the celebrity and product-pimping aspects of the parenting life. And you've seen a bunch of talented writers leave, and a bunch more join us. It's a pretty wonderful group we've got going here.

All in all it's been a pretty good year for Strollerderby, I'd say. And a large part of that has been you, of course.

Oh, and I know that WE, the writers, are having a blast.

So now that the old SD is a whole year old, how about you weigh in with what you love and don't love about it? Don't worry about hurting anybody's feelings; SD's not a baby anymore.

Here's to another year, Strollerderby!

P.S. Hands off the cupcake. It's for Kelly.

Spousal Birthday Gifts for Yourself

Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 13:08:00 GMT

Let's face it -- you're the one doing the dishes, you're the one cleaning up the messes and wiping all the asses, so when it comes time for your spouse's birthday, indulge yourself. Throw yourself a happy birthday party. Or at least buy a really cool present that can easily go both ways.

Take my wife, for instance. (Insert Henny Youngman line here if you must.) She recently had a birthday, and you know what she unwrapped? An ice cream maker. Considering that I go through a pint of Haagen-Dazs every night, I was sure she'd see through my nefarious plan.

Thankfully it was a gift she asked for, but it still got me thinking. We've been together for more than 10 years now, and I've missed a decade of great opportunities.

Now I'm wracking my brain trying to come up with other gifts that could just as easily be for yourself as for your spouse. The new family pool. The new family car. The new family beer maker and three-way with the hot new nanny. While my wife will read this and probably begin her search for the "new husband gift," I'm wondering what else is out there?

Have you ever given or received a two-way gift? Something in a box, I mean. No, not that box. Jeesh.

Crafty: Martha-Worthy Cupcakes Without the Effort

Karen Murphy — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 18:48:00 GMT

Why do I do things the hard way? In my life, I'd get word the day before that my kid needs 24 celebratory snack items to take to school the next day. I'd set to work with my organic stone-ground whole-wheat flour and my barley-malt syrup and craft some little macrobiotic taste bite that will be reduced to a bunch of oatmeal-topping crumbs on the classroom floor the next day, completely forgotten, disdained.

Why not make it easy on yourself and create something memorable at the same time? J. Caroline Designs totally knows how to do this. Order cupcakes from the grocery store bakery? You can do that? Well, hello, NOW I know! Top them with an easy take-home-and-enjoy flower made from paper? and a straw? Yeah, this is totally my kind of craft.

Brilliant. And OMG how cute.