Wednesday, March 27, 2013

My Snackbox Arrived!

Oh my goodness, the excitement.
Food.ee Snackbox arrived!

I got a Food.ee Snackbox in the mail today.
Snackbox Contents

All that deliciousness is Gluten Free!

I promise I'll tell you more about Snackbox (and share an awesome, totally worth-waiting for, coupon code) later, but for now I'm off to bed.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Pirate Party Planning

I dislike party planning; I like parties, but the whole process of figuring out activities, food, decorations, not to mention cleaning my house, its just not for me.

My townhouse always seems crowded, loud and stuffy and despite my best efforts, everything seems disheveled. This year, I'm doing things differently.

We are NOT having the party at home; we are having a gymnastics party, where the kids will be entertained for a full hour.

We are keeping the party short; our facility rental is 2 hours, which is more than enough stimulus for a bunch of four year olds.

We are having two parties in one; my boys are 25 months apart and the thought of doing this all over again next month seems more than a little daunting. Instead we have a couple two year old joining in on the fun and we're calling it a joint party.

Pinterest is my saviour; I've been rounding up party ideas and inspiration and suddenly party planning is actually kind of fun.

I started off by sending out these invitations...

And this inspired me to make a treasure map that will double as schedule of events for the kiddos, because knowledge (and the illusion of control) in the midst of chaos is essential if we want to minimize meltdowns.

Although I can't draw myself, a guy at work happily doodled this treasure map, which we tea stained to give them an aged look.

And of course the kids need pirate hats. I considered these pins, but ended up going with this 3 pointed pirate hat pattern that I made using posterboard.



And I'm certain the kids are going to love 'Feeding the Croc' instead of the Shark...

Bolt loved making making treasure chest loot bags, similar to this...
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And I really wanted to make a treasure chest for the loot box, but I kept forgetting to bring a file box home.


So what do you think? Am I just imagining it or is this party gonna rock?

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Tiny Tigers Taekwondo

Bolt - Side kick - feb 2013

After months of consideration and much discussion, we enrolled Bolt in Taekwondo last November.  We felt that he could benefit from the structure and discipline and we felt it would be a good way to funnel some of his boisterous, though sometimes aggressive, energy.  The decision was made easier by the fact that his older cousins, as well as his Aunt and Uncle attend Taekwondo at the Richmond Black Belt Academy.

Bolt - Front kick - feb 2013

As we expected, the first few weeks were tough; Bolt didn't understand the expectations, rules or even how long the classes would take. He seemed to enjoy himself in class, but when we asked him about it, he would say that he didn't want to go. With his cousin's and Aunty's help, he has really come to enjoy Taekwondo and his ability to retain the moves, follow instructions and partake is far beyond what I would have expected.

Tiny Tigers is an internationally recognized program for preschool aged children from 3 to 6 years old; as long as your child is able to generally pay attention and follow some instructions they are welcome to join Tiny Tigers.

And seriously is there anything cuter than 4 year olds doing Taekwondo in unison?
Tiny Tigers Kicks - feb 2013
These photos are from a few weeks ago when the Tiny Tigers earned their orange half belt.
Tiny Tigers Forms - feb 2013

Interested in trying Tiny Tigers Taekwondo? Contact the Richmond Black Belt Academy and let them know that Amber sent you, and they will be happy to have you attend a few classes to try the program out and see if its a fit for your family.

I have received no compensation for this post and all opinions are my own.