Pet Themed Birthday Party

Kevin's birthday is in May and Krish's in June.  I had a long talk with Krish.  I talked to him about budget and finance.  He is going to be 8 and yes, I have been teaching him finance, economics and budgets for a while now.

But this talk was for two other purposes as well: one to convince him to agree to a combined birthday party, and the other to encourage him to invite friends that he would enjoy his birthday party with, rather than using a birthday party to make friends.  I think the talk helped put the right ideas in his mind.  After the party, he had all the experience and reasons to validate those ideas.  He is a smart kid and I am sure he will make the connection.  If not, I will gently point these out to him when the next birthday party comes around.

The Location

I requested their daddy to book the clubhouse in the community he lives in.  We didn't get to see the place until the day before the party and I was absolutely stunned by its perfection - cozy, spacious, it was just like home.  It had the perfect little kitchen, a separate dining area and a separate room where the kids played their own games.  It came equipped with tables, chairs, etc, etc.  In one word - perfect.

The Invitation

As usual, it was PicMonkey.  It is free no more.  Though I could have done with just the free trial, I felt I should pay a month's charge since I have been using it for almost 4 years now and I really appreciate this tool.  I highly recommend PicMonkey.

The theme was "Pets" this year - both of them were in hearty agreement.

We took a picture of this picture from a pet book that Kevin has.  It worked out beautifully.

The Food

The food was homemade.  At last!

The menu:

• Vegetable Spaghetti
• Mac and Cheese
• Tortilla Wraps
• Peas Pulav
• Channa Masala
• Paneer Wraps
• Fruits
• Birthday Cake

Daddy Karthik made Spaghetti and Peas Pulav, and I made the rest.

The food was a success.

The Cake

My sources:

Moist Chocolate Cup Cake Recipe By Foodess Jennifer Pallian
Fluffy Chocolate Frosting By Foodess Jennifer Pallian
Fabulous Party Cakes and Cupcakes by Carol Deacon

Supplies:

Wilton 24 Cavity Mega Muffin Pan
Wilton Natural Skin Tone Fondant
Wilton White Fondant

The process:

The cupcakes were a hit.

The Celebration

We finished the party with the pinata, of course.

The Party Favors

I got the party favors from Oriental Trading.

Paw Print Assortment
Dog House Favor Boxes

Krish and Kevin gave out the party favors as soon their friends came in.  This also kept them occupied and was in itself a fun activity for the host kids and the guest kids alike.

The Conclusion

Krish and Kevin had an absolutely enjoyable time.  We were able to take care of the guests like at home.  The kids played with each other and had a good time.  And Krish's best friend declared to him contentedly "This is the best birthday party ever... it's a no brainer."  Krish said pretty much the same to me.

We were all very happy.

Special thanks to Maitri, Surabhi, Eiko for taking pictures at the party and sharing them!

Ninjago Cake - Kevin's 4

Nothing calls for celebration like a "birthday" does.  This is the only occasion, event, tradition that I follow religiously.  Especially when it comes to my little ones, my excitement rivals theirs!

My son Kevin turned 4 last month.  Last year, I made my very first venture into making a fondant decorated cake - Pocoyo themed - and he loved it.  So I was sure the cake was going to be the highlight again.  His birthday fell on Memorial Day this year so we all spent the day with him - no work, no school.

My plan for the day - decorations, cake, new clothes (it is an Indian tradition), his favorite candies, balloons, presents, flowers and lots of hugs, kisses and love!

I took my older one, Krish, and Kevin to bed the night before, waited till Kevin fell asleep and stepped out to the garage to smuggle all the stuff from the car.  I came back and thought - Krish is bound to be awake because he knew my plans.  He and I are so alike - we enjoy the process as much as the outcome.  I thought it would be only fair to let him have his share of the fun.

I tip-toed into the bedroom and just as I thought, he was waiting for me to come get him - he knows me too well!  We commenced on our tasks.  We brought out the boxes and rummaged in it.  Whatever decorations, party ware, I buy, I save them till they completely fall apart.  The decorations we chose to put up in the living room this year were from Krish's 3 year birthday party, and some from his 5 year birthday party.  I try my best to be economical and environmentally responsible in anyway I can.

Krish said I should hang one of these right by the bedroom door so Kevin will see it first thing when he walked out.  Man was he right!  Kevin walked out, saw this and his mouth opened so wide in surprise and joy!

The only new decorations I got were two dollar store helium balloons - they are super, I tell you.

Once the decorations were done, presents wrapped up and placed in strategic locations, we sat down to make the fondant decorations.  I had just put in the cake to bake in the oven.

I watched a lot of interesting videos on youtube.  The following ones inspired me:

Ninjago Lego Fondant Cake How to make by Piece of Cake by Ilse
Behind the Scenes: Lego Cupcake Ninjas | Cupcake Jemma

I followed the idea in this mainly:

How to make fondant Lego Ninjago figure / Jak zrobić figurkę Lego Ninjago

I am extremely grateful for technology and to these people who share so freely, their expertise and ideas.  You can learn anything you fancy, sitting right at home, by your own schedule, at your own pace, without a cost.

Here is my take on it:

Needless to say, Kevin loved it.  He never eats cake, so it is all about playing with it!

He enjoyed and appreciated all the things we made to make his day special.

Recipes:

Chocolate Cake Recipe
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Fondant:

Wilton Primary Colors Fondant
Wilton Natural Skin Tone Fondant - I used only a little black, but these colors are always useful.

I used a black food marker that my friend, Surabhi, gave me.  If I hadn't had that I would have bought the food paint and brush like in the video.

Try it. :)

Pocoyo And Puppy Themed Birthday Parties

By far, this year has been the most successful as far as organizing birthday parties goes - for many reasons.  One, I didn't do all the work.  Two, the kids chose places that were most appropriate for their ages and everybody had fun.  Three - solely from my perspective! - at last, I have learnt the knack of relaxing and having fun while playing host!

My three year old son wanted a Pocoyo themed birthday party at Sillygoose Playground.  His dad ordered all the party stuff from Amazon and arranged food to be delivered from Pizza Hut; and Kristen and Nikki at Sillygoose Playground did an awesome job setting up the place - and taking care of every single detail thereafter.

 

The cake was awesome - layers of chocolate cake and white cake with custard and chocolate mousse filling and whipped cream icing from Torrance Bakery.  Like I always say, photo cake is the best and the least fuss.

My seven year old son wanted a Puppy themed birthday party at Vault PK.  He and I discussed, and he chose the party stuff from Oriental Trading.  Luckily, we forgot to order hats!  Yes, I say that happily and greedily because how could I possibly let two birthday parties go by without doing atleast one measly DIY project.

This time too, picmonkey aided us design the invitation.  I loved this part!  Krish knows exactly what he wants - it is always a pleasure to work with somebody with so much clarity.  And when you pitch an idea to him, he gets on board with so much gusto that you feel completely gratified!

His cake - Marble Custard - was from Angel Maid Bakery.  This year both the cakes were super hits among the guests and many inquired where we got them from.

I thought the party favor was the best of all years - Krish gave a small stuffed puppy toy each to his friends.  It was cute, simple and perfectly in theme.  Kevin has been carrying his around the past one month - he has named it "White". :)))

The Magic School Bus Birthday Party

After Mickey Mouse theme for two years in a row, many characters took his fancy this past year. I was almost sure it was going to be Clifford; then Daniel Tiger came a close second, but finally, "The Magic School Bus", it was.

My son was turning six and this was the easiest and the most fun birthday party that I had organized for him till date.  Simply because I did not over think anything. I let my son do it all. He chose the guests all by himself. My only request to him was that he call only his close friends to keep the party size manageable so that his younger brother would not feel overwhelmed.

The Setting

We had the party in the open courtyard of our condominium and I moved most of the furniture so there would be lots of room for the children to run around. I deliberately did not organize any activities for the kids, I just put out a few games on the table. I wanted this party to be more like a glorified play date rather than a regular birthday party. I wanted food to be there for everybody to help themselves whenever they wanted. I wanted the kids to interact and play with each other or occupy themselves however they wanted.  I wanted us adults to just hang out and have a relaxing time.

The Food

Food was simple and not a single item was homemade - unlike any other party I have organized before: Pizza, drinks, fruit, salad, candy and ice cream cake.

The Theme

Handmade Invitations

Decorations

Handmade Banner

Yellow and Blue Balloons

School Bus Tent

This tripled as an in-theme decoration, a play thing and a photo prop.

https://www.amazon.com/Giga-Tent-First-School-GigaTent/dp/B01GGEZ7ZQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1467789127&sr=8-2&keywords=Giga-Tent-First-School-Play

Globe and Flowers

My son loves flowers - he chose this colorful bunch. We thought his globe as a decoration went perfectly well with the theme.

Party Favors

My son gave a handmade bus ticket and the party favor as soon as he received each of his guests. I taped name tags on the favors so that there would be no mix up.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002SWBM78/ref=s9_hps_bw_g21_i7

 

Cake

We got an ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins for which my son chose the design from a catalog. Then we made it in-theme simply by printing out his favorite characters from The Magic School Bus, cut and glued them on skewer sticks and stuck them on the cake. I made a fondant school bus, custom made to my son's wishes.

Final Touch

My son remembered the throne from Pump It Up and wanted a special chair just for him. Impromptu, we customized a chair by drawing on a white t-shirt of his dad's with markers and dressing the chair cushion in it. Voila!

My son thoroughly enjoyed his party and every one of his guests made his day. All of us had an enjoyable time.

This time, the thank you notes went by email and SMS, since we sometimes forget to deliver handwritten notes in time.