Kevin turns 5 - Ninajago Theme Again

Kevin's choice was clear.  Ninjago theme again!  I had a lot of fun with DIY this time.  I find doing things like this therapeutic and calming.  It takes a lot of time, but for me it is completely worth it.

The Venue

First, the venue.  This was the easiest part.  The clubhouse in the community we live.  We had had the kids' birthday party the previous year there and it was just like hosting in your own home - only it gave us the option to not have to both prep and stage in the same place.  We prepped at home.  This saves cleaning up before the party, though it doubles the cleaning up afterwards.  But it gives you more energy to entertain the guests.

The Invitation

Kevin always makes decisions quickly and with clarity.  While I was waiting for him to join me in designing his invitation card, I was browsing Ninjago pictures on the official website.  He walks up, sees a picture, tells me this is what he wants as his invitation, waits for me to explain that with this picture all we can probably do is just include the information and nothing more, he understands, he is happy and that was it.  Done.  As simple as that.

I need not even have signed up for PicMonkey for this!  But he was completely content, so no regret, no worries.

I had the invitations printed at Walmart and they included envelopes for free.

The Food

The food was homemade by yours truly.  I love cooking and since the party was at 4PM, we planned a menu, that, in my opinion, was fitting for tea time.  Also, tea party is another of our biggest favorites anyway!

The Menu

Lemonade
Asian Salad (from Costco)
Vegetable Puffs
Cucumber Sandwiches
Paneer Rolls
Mac and Cheese
Crepe Station - Crepe rolls with Hershey's Chocolate Syrup and Nutella on the side
Fruit Platter

The Spread

The Cake

The theme being Ninjago, the cake I knew was going to be easy, since I have done one once previously - Kevin's 4th Birthday.

Cupcakes are the easiest to make and prep.  I do not even bother piping the icing, I just slather some and stick a fondant decoration or something to make it tie in with the theme.  I somehow like the lack of finesse when it comes to the cakes I make.

A whole cake called for more decoration to cover the messiness I spoke about before.  I found out that though fondant looks great nobody ever cares to eat it - even I myself wouldn't - I who would shamelessly eat everything with a (lot of) hint of sugar in it.  The small decorations I make are alright because the kids love to have one on their serving - to play with, nibble on, or just for the fancy of it!  So I decided to make a small cake so Kevin could cut it like he wanted and cup cakes in addition to serve everybody.

The cake is what we spend most time on usually - looking for ideas or just thinking about it - and that is the only unknown factor.  I always put together the ideas only the last minute.  I go with whatever creative mood I am in.  It has always worked out well for me and the kids have always loved it that way as well.

Cake - Chocolate Cake by Foodess
Frosting - Cream Cheese Frosting by Paula Deen

The Favors

Having had to deal with innumerable party favors this year, I decided to keep it simple.  I went with Kevin's favorites - paint and play dough.  And, as usual, the party favors also doubled as decoration.

The Party

We ended the party with Pinata ofcourse - Kevin picked his favorite dynamite pinata!  And what was special this time was, Kevin started the game with Krish finishing it!

Thank You

I had made Thank You cards back when Krish was born, 9 years ago.  I still had enough left and we used the same this year.  Kevin took the thank you cards to school with goody bags to share - Oreo and popcorn!  Again, his favorites. :)))

It was an absolutely fun birthday party for us.  As usual, thanks to my good friend, Surabhi, I have some beautiful pictures to cherish.

Easter Egg Hunt

I make my own traditions with my children - and we celebrate in a way that gives us joy, and not as mores dictate.  Egg hunt during Easter time is one such occasion.  Yes, you got that right, Egg Hunt is our tradition. :)

Krish had his first egg hunt at home with me pointing out the eggs to him when he had barely learned to walk.  Then, we started taking him to the Breakfast and A Visit with Bunny event, organized by the City of Torrance.  This is something I highly recommend - I love this event.  Both Krish and Kevin enjoyed it every time we have been to it, though it is highly predictable.  We try to stick to it every year, but not all goes the way you plan.  This year too, we had to give it a miss - but it turned out to be a good thing.  Krish and Kevin, 8 and 4 now, are grown up enough to appreciate something more than just picking up eggs strewn around.  So I thought a real egg hunt with clues would be in perfect order.

The evening before Easter, we went to Dollar Tree and they picked up eggs and candies of their choice.  Yes, again, you got that right.  They knew I was going to organize the egg hunt with clues and stuff the next day.  Taking part, pooling ideas, making contributions together, the anticipation, then seeing it all come together the way you envisioned, or sometimes surpassing it even - all of that is so much more fun than a surprise that I always involve the kids every step of the way - except for the clues and the setting up of the hunt. 

In the night, I made the clues and placed them around the home while they excitedly moved from one room to another and shut themselves in at my behest to avoid seeing what I was doing.

The three of us went to bed - all three equally excited - eagerly awaiting the morning!

We were all jet lagged from our trip abroad the previous week - so our sleep cycles were completely disrupted.  Krish woke up first - he got ready and was reading, patiently waiting for Kevin to wake up.  When I woke up, he made me coffee - the adorable darling!

Then, when Kevin woke up, the first thing he did was to check if Daddy would join - Kevin is one that never leaves anybody out - but he was lost in sleep, made oblivious by a different time zone.

Then, with clean teeth and hot chocolate in tummy, the bunnies set out on their egg hunt!

Happy Easter!

My little bunnies,

Open the hamper,

Pick a basket each,

Pick up your clues,

And begin your hunt!

Bunnies, carrots, eggs,

And fun await you!

1. Clue For Krish

Bound by words,

Under lock and keys,

Find us two eggs,

One for you

And one for your little brother!

When we were teens, my brother and I used to play a mock Crystal Maze - we would hide marbles, write up clues, and send the other seeking.  "Under lock and key" was one of the clues I used then.  I am glad to be sharing with these two little brothers what I shared with my brother.

Krish correctly found the box among his books, underneath his journal that has a lock with his keys beside it.

2. Clue For Kevin

By the globe that spins,

Roll two mats,

Snuggled inside which

Are two carrots,

One for you

And one for your big brother!

With Krish's help, Kevin also had no trouble cracking his clue!

3. Clue For Krish

In the house on the cliff,

Guarded by Hedwig

And the Pink Big Mouse,

Find us two bunnies,

One for you

And one for your little brother!

Krish had built the house for his pet with popsicle sticks and hot glue; and the owl, - I referred this as Hedwig to bring in Krish's Harry Potter fascination into this - and the mouse were crafted by Kevin.  So it was not difficult at all for them to make the connection.

4. Clue For Kevin

Nestled among pine cones,

Inside two acorns,

Lay two eggs,

One for you

And one for your big brother!

This pine collection is Krish's.  Again, Kevin and Krish make the connection in no time.

 

5. Clue For Krish

Cute little dogs,

Black and white,

One named Krish,

Another named Kevin,

Guard a basket,

Carrying two eggs,

One for you

And one for your little brother!

I had made these stuffed dogs - again, all familiar to them.

6. Clue For Kevin

Look in the refrigerator,

Look in the oven,

Look for us,

Two little eggs,

One for you

And one for your big brother!

After checking the real ones, they made a beeline for their pretend ones!

It was an egg hunt to remember and cherish!

Yes, we make our own traditions, our own moments, our own happy memories!