Monday, December 31, 2012

Transformers Themed Birthday Party

My big little man turned 5 a few days ago and we had a Transformers themed party!  Poor birthday guy got so sick so suddenly we had to cut the party off pretty quick.  But, he managed to blow out one candle and make it barely through the pinata before being rushed to bed...we opened gifts the next day and he ate cake a few days later.  So, I didn't take a ton of photos because I was busy tending to my sick birthday boy.  But, I have a few to share!

The invitations I made on my computer and printed myself.  I found a great Transformers font free online that worked great!  I got the idea for the wording from some web searches for Transformer invitations..."Sammy is Transforming into a 5 year old!"  Since I painted his whole face to look like Optimus Prime for Halloween, it was easy to put his head on an Optimus cartoon for the front cover!

The birthday boy requested a red and blue cake, so I layered two cakes (one red, one blue) with chocolate frosting in the middle.  I colored some cream cheese frosting to cover the cake, and used a tube of pre-made black frosting for all the black areas.  Here are a few cake pics...


 Above are some progress shots of the cake decorating.  (Okay the red cake turned out pink, but don't tell him that. He hasn't seemed to notice.) I just did a Google image search for "Transformers logo" and used that for reference.  It's a little distorted being taller than it should be but I didn't want to waste too much cake making the proportions just right. I cut the outer shape, frosted it in gray, then traced the lines of the design in the gray frosting.  Next I put on some white, then blue and red, which I squeezed on with a small frosting tip and then spread & blended with a knife.  I wrote Sammy's name and a big "5" on the side of the cake. It turned out pretty cool.

I found some shiny silver candles that worked great and added a "5" candle as well.

For a super easy activity I did a Google image search for "Transformers Coloring Sheets" and printed out a dozen or so, sprinkled them on the table with some crayons, and the kids did some coloring.

This year I decided to buy the pinata instead of making one.  I was going to try making one that was the simple Transformer face logo but with Christmas and all that was going on, I just ran out of time. Plus when I saw how cool this one was on Amazon, I thought it was worth it.  He now is sitting on Sammy's shelf in his bedroom and I'm sure he will be enjoyed for a while.  It also looked really cool as a centerpiece sitting in the middle of the table up until it was time to use it.



It only comes with 8 strings and we had 9 kids, so I added  a couple.  However, they weren't necessary as it was opened up on the 2nd or 3rd try!
 We don't really have a good place to hang a pinata so what I do is just attach it to a pole and then have a couple of the guys hold it above the kids' heads.  It works just fine!  (Thanks to my husband and my Dad!)

I didn't get a photo of the goodie bags, but I made labels with the kids names on them and stuck them to paper lunch bags.  The insides had a few Transformer goodies from Amazon...







The stampers were really fun and it came with a little pencil pouch that I wrapped that up as one of Sammy's gifts.  And with 2 dozen of them, I was able to give a couple to each kid with a few left over.  The cupcake rings were a great hit.  The little bug transformers were cute... cheaply made and I'm still debating whether they were worth the $20, but still kinda cool to have an actual little transformer for each kid.  Then I just added a little candy and the kids used their bags to gather up their pinata winnings.

I meant to play some Transformers cartoons during the party but didn't get around to that..but that's another easy way to add to the theme if you're going with a cartoon or character!

While seeing my little boy so sick that he missed out on half of his own birthday party fun made ME cry, I don't think it ended up phasing him too much.  At least I hope not.  Now to get him well enough to get through the several belated Christmas parties we have coming up in January that were postponed from his last sickness!! Ugh, gotta love this time of year!




Monday, December 17, 2012

Perspective

As you are wrapping up the toys you purchased for your kids this Christmas, did you ever stop to think that you might not even get to see them open their gifts? These are the type of things running through my head this week in the wake of the tragedy at Sandy Hook elementary.  Today is the first day back to school, and a particularly tough one for parents across America who are hugging just a little bit longer before waving goodbye to their kids as they get on the bus.

Do you ever sit down with your Bible and flip through it, waiting to see if a verse speaks to you? On Friday night I was only able to dedicate a short time in the Word but the one that leaped off the page for me was Ecclesiastes 9:12.

"Moreover, no man knows when his hour will come: As fish are caught in a cruel net, or birds are taken in a snare, so men are trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly upon them." -Ecc 9:12

Not a particularly comforting verse...I was hoping for something about justice and punishment for evil, or another reminder that these little angels are with Jesus.  Instead, what spoke to me was a reminder that none of us, not even the most innocent and defenseless, are guaranteed our next breath. Sobering to say the least.  But I didn't take it as a warning to live in fear of what may come, but rather a reminder to treasure each moment and not take anything for granted.

So what can we do in response to a horrific event such as this? What can WE do, no matter how close or far we live from Newtown, CT?  How can every one of us make the memory of these children live on, long after each victim is laid to rest and the news coverage fades?

We can gain some perspective.  And see our lives and roles as moms through a new lens every day. 

Perspective is the one common thing that I make it a point to gain from every personal tragedy in my own life.

When we get dragged down by the hard and mundane parts of motherhood, we can remember...we still HAVE our babies.  We can take the not-so-fun parts of parenthood as reminders of how lucky we are to be experiencing them at all.

Little 6 year old Charlotte's mom will never again be up all night changing sheets while she is sick with the flu.

Seven year old Daniel's mom will never have to scrub stains out another pair of his dress pants.

Little 6 year old Olivia's mom will never receive a report that she talks too much in class.

Josephine Gay, age 7, won't ever get into trouble for giving herself a haircut on school picture day.

The mother of six year old Ana won't have another opportunity to break up a fight between her and her brother.

Six year old Dylan's mom will never get the chance to clean up his spilled milk again.

The mother of 6 year old Madeleine won't have the pleasure of picking up her Barbie accessories scattered across the floor again.

Catherine, 6 years old, will never get in trouble for playing in the sandbox in her brand new dress.

Seven year old Chase's mom won't ever get to scold him for running in the house again.

Six year old Jesse's mom will never hurt her foot stepping on his plastic army guys.

Little James, 6 years old, will never get in trouble for throwing a ball in the house and breaking a family heirloom.

Seven year old Grace will never spill her grape juice on the new, white carpet.

Six year old Emilie's mom won't get the chance to scold her for coloring on the walls.

Six year old Jack's mom won't ever get to remind him not to leave his bike lying in the driveway again.

The mother of 6 year old Noah will never have to tell her little monkey to stop jumping on the bed for the millionth time.

6 year old Caroline will not reach the age of arguing with her mom over what is appropriate for her prom dress.

Six year old Jessica will never again have to be told to share with her little brothers.

Six year old Avielle will never get to back her dad's car into the mailbox as a newly licensed driver.

The mother of 6 year old Benjamin Wheeler will never spend a night waiting up for her teenager who is out past his curfew.

And the mother of 6 year old Allison won't have the opportunity to tell her to eat her vegetables one more time.

Perspective is a big one that can really change your life. We can strive to appreciate the moments we have with our children...EVERY moment.  And while I know that every mom needs to vent now and then to keep her cool (myself most definitely included), we can learn to think twice before complaining.  We can make sure we are surrounded by the right audience when we need to vent, remembering just how painful it may be for a mom who has lost a child to hear us complain about our potty training woes.  We can raise our children with the morals and character that are essential to understanding the value and sanctity of life.  We can raise awareness and do what we know is right for our mentally ill children, no matter how hard it may be.  And we can thank our teachers & principals, so many of whom love our kids enough to lay down their own lives for their protection.

 "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.  And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers." -1 John 3:16 

We can teach our children to remember the heroes and not the villains, and to look for the positive in every situation...as Mr. Rodgers' mother told him to "look for the helpers."  But most importantly, we can pray for the grieving families and friends of these lives cut short, because  "the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." -James 5:16

Hug your little ones close this Christmas, Mommas, and pray for those who cannot.  May 2013 be a year of new perspective and life's moments lived to their fullest for you and your families!

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Thrift Vicariously through ME! I.D. Mommy Shop is Now OPEN!


As many of you faithful ID Mommy followers already know, I love thrift shopping.  Over the course of this past year, I have come across a lot of fun vintage, retro finds while searching for things to complement my new 1950's style kitchen makeover.  During this process, I have found myself accumulating some things that I didn't end up using myself, or just thought would be perfect for someone else's kitchen with a different era theme.

SO, to prevent my home from appearing on an episode of "Hoarders," I've decided to give Etsy another chance and open up a shop to sell my funky vintage finds to those of you who don't have the time, energy, or obsession with thrifting to find them yourself!

It's taken me a while to finally get stuff up there, but literally within 1 hour of opening my shop today, I sold an item.  So, while this likely was just a fluke, you may want to check it out while there is still a selection! ;-)  Below are some photos of a few of the items I have up for sale right now.  I of course plan to keep adding things, so be sure to check back often! I've also added a link to the shop on the right column of this blog.

Vintage Tupperware measuring cups

Awesome ceramic ash tray - fits with my kitchen but I don't smoke!

Cool copper colored plastic tumblers
 Got anything in particular you're always looking for?  Let me know and I'll look for you!  Seriously, I'm always looking for reasons to make my thrift store rounds.

Love these yellow salad tongs!
The more you buy, the more excuses I have to go out thrift shopping!  I hope you enjoy thrifting vicariously through me! :-)

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