Recap of my lil Punkin's 1st B-Day Party!

This year is a special year because my youngest son turned one!  My nephews son also turned one,  three days later,  so we figured we would host their 1st Birthday Party together.  We went with a Sesame Street theme as both of our boys love Sesame Street...especially Elmo!  We wanted to keep the party simple- small get together with homemade cupcakes,  Spaghetti Dinner and Smash Cakes.  Before the party we went to the mall to get their 1st Birthday Pictures taken.  We ordered special cupcakes and then let them go to town on them!  We thought that since it was Easter coming up the following day we should get their Easter Pictures taken too.  The party went great,  excluding the fact that I forgot to bring the highchair,  so we had to take turns on the highchair for the smash cakes.  Other than that the party went great and all the kids had a blast. 

My younger sisters bday is also on the same day as my son,  which happened to fall on a Thursday this year.  I actually had my son scheduled to be born purposly on her B-day,  yes a scheduled c-section.  So any ways we celebrated My sisters 26th B-Day along with my sons 1st Birthday.  Then on Saturday we celebrated my sons bday again along with his cousins 1st b-day too!  MMM..the cake was filled with strawberries and whipped cream,  it was so good!  My son celebrated with an Easter cupcake!

On Friday(the day after his bday on his actual bday and the day before his big bday party) I took him to his first trip to Chuck E Cheeses.  I felt so bad for him because he had to get 6 shots and he was such a little trooper about it so this is wear we ended up!  He loved the rides and even though it was his first time he wasnt timid or scared at all!  The admission was free,  and everything takes a token(which only costs 25 cents).  After some rides and pictures we were out of there,  but we will surely be back soon.  I have two other boys that love Chuck E Cheese's.

I was very pleased with how their smash cakes turned out!  I ordered them from Safeaway,  as that is where I normally order cakes from.  I was able to have them customized  so that was pretty awesome.  My sons was the Elmo cake and his cousins was the Big Bird cake.  I took a sheet cake and customized it into two baby cakes.  The babies loved them,  as you will notice in a image to come!

 In case you havent guessed,  these pictures are of their smash cake face!  Yes my own little Mr. Cake Face and the other little Cake Face!  These are some of the cutest pictures ever!  I took pictures of all three of my sons at each of their 1st birthday parties eating smash cake and now it was my little Jr.'s turn along with his baby cousin. 

Never underestimate the power of a ball!  My mother purchased one for all of the chidren to play with it and the kids stayed entertained playing with it and kicking it all over the yard! .

The kids had a blast playing outside on their ride on toys!  My two year old was so proud of his new little vehicle!  

...And my littlist man is now 1 year old!!!!!!!

Tru Moo

I am sure the majority of you have heard of House Party.  For all of you that have not,  I will briefly explain to you what House Party is all about.  Let me first say that this is probably the best site that I have ever found on the Internet!  House Party is basically thousands of parties across the country,  hosted by people just like you!   House Party hosts are provided with free party packs to share with guests at the party.  Each party is unique and focuses on certain brands and products (such as Gerber) from sponsors.

First sign up with their site.  Secondly,  browse their House Party Upcoming Events section and apply for as many as you would like.   When you apply to host a House Party,  you will be asked a variety of questions to make sure you will make a  "good fit" to host the particular party that you are applying for.  You are probably wondering why they would give this to you for free!  Well the answer is simple...you spread the word about their products while hosting the party and getting your guests to try out their products, which is a great way of marketing for the company.

Once you apply to host a party you will have to confirm your app. by clicking on the confirmation email.  That's it!  Lastly wait to see if you are one of the lucky people selected to host the party!  If you are selected you set up your party by setting up all the details,  emailing invitations,  uploading pictures,  and joining Party conversations!  The party packs usually arrive about a week before the party,  but each party arrival date and time varies from party to party!  I have been selected to host some awesome parties in the past including: Gerber,  Wizards of Waverly,  Sauza,  DiGiorno,  Green Works,  Durex,  American Ninja,  I Cant Belive its not Butter Bake Sale,  UV Safe and Bright House Party and recently a Tru Moo House Party!

I was super excited to host a Tru Moo Party for my sons and extended family!  Tru Moo provided me with the following items to make my party a success:
-$5 Visa Gift Card                -1 Tru Moo Apron                -1 Tru Moo Reusable Grocery Bag    
-15 Tru Moo Light up Fans  -15 Tru Moo Lunch Bags      -15 Tru Moo Sticker Sheets
-15 Crazy Straws                 -15 Tru Moo Coupons(for guests).

There was an issue with some of the fans overheating so we were advised not to use the fans.  This was the first time I have ever encountered any issues like this with my party pack.  Because there were plenty of fun stuff in the party pack the fans did not make a big difference although they were really cool!  Each fan lighted up with the saying "Tru Moo".  I actually tried some of them out and none of mine overheated however a couple stopped working within a day. 

The Tru Moo Party proved to be a big hit with the younger and older children,  not to mention...their parents!  The Goody Bags were super easy to put together because the party pack came with lunch bags, so there was no need to purchase favor bags!   At the party there were lots of Crafts,  Valentines,  Cow Food and Cow Themed Drinks and plenty of Deliciously healthy Tru Moo Milk!  I was very lucky to be able to host this awesome Tru Moo House Party.  Thanks House Party and Tru Moo for making this party possible.

*Disclaimer-  I was selected to host this party as a member of House Party and received free products.  In no way did this alter my onion of their brands/products.  All of my opinions are one hundred percent honest and true.*

Etsy Elmo Week Review #3- Better Than Normal Review/Giveaway **Closed**

Better Than Normal is a fantastic site on Etsy that sells customized Crowns in many different colors and themes.  Along with her husband,   she has been creating these specialized crowns in order to help her son that suffers from a rare brain malformation called Congenital bilateral Perisylvian Polymicrogyria.   All of the profits from their shop goes toward helping their sons condition.  To learn more about her son and their life living with this condition,   please visit their Blog..  Each of her crowns are hand made  and can be customized to your liking.

Better Than Normal Shop offers over 70 handmade items that are sure to please each and every Birthday child who receives one.  Better Than Normal offers great styles for both boys and girls including popular themes and styles.  Besides Birthdays,   the crowns can also be worn while playing dress-up,  keeping your children entertained and happy.  The Crowns range in price from $18.00-$30.00 depending upon which style you choose.  She enjoys trying new designs and ideas,  so contact her with any requests that you may have.

Each of her crowns can be customized with a name or initials or their age.  Because most of her items are handmade,   her turn around time varies upon her current demand.  However,  i f you have a special event coming up,  she does offer rush orders.  Feel free to contact her with any inquiries about her current turn around times. 

Better Than Normal was kind enough to send me a customized  crown for my sons 1st Birthday Party!  I had  never even heard of customizable  Birthday Crowns until I found her shop on Etsy.  I was excited to be able to have such a wonderful opportunity to review one her fabulous creations on my blog!  I already knew i wanted to go with a Elmo/Sesame Street theme for his party so i was so excited when I saw the "Red Monster" Felt Birthday Crown which is inspired by the character "Elmo" on "Sesame Street".   I was even more excited when I received it in the mail!  It came in a flat shipping envelope and was very light weight. 

The crown features a Elmo character with bright red and orange colors to match the theme.  Each crown includes a Velcro strip that keeps the crown secure and in place while allowing for easy adjustment.  It was very easy to adjust and fit on my sons rather large head.  All of her crowns are made using 2 layers of heavy duty felt with cotton in between.  The round parts(Felt Gems) at the top of the crowns,  can be multicolored or a single color by customers request.  Each Crown is hand stitched using contrasting embroidery floss.  I really liked the hand stitching as it makes for a more homemade look!

GIVEAWAY:

Win: One lucky winner will receive their choice of any crown on her site!

Rules:

*You must leave a comment for each entry.

*You must leave your email address in each entry (so i can notify you if you win).

*Giveaway is open to US only!

*Giveaway will end on 2/28 and all winners will  be notified by email.

*Winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning email or a new winner will be chosen in your place.

Mandatory Entry(+1):

~You must follow me on GFC(or already follow me)

Optional Entries:

~Visit Better Than Normal's Etsy Site and let me know which design crown you would choose.(+2).

~Follow me on Facebook.(+1)

~Follow me on Twitter.(+1)

~Tweet about this Giveaway(can be done daily) Make sure you include the url to my giveaway and leave me your id so i can verify.(+1).

~Blog about this giveaway and leave me the link in your entry.(+5)

~Enter any of my other giveaways(+1)

*Disclaimer-  Better Than Normal sent me a product to possibly review.  In no way did this alter my opinion of their products.  All of my opinions are one hundred percent honest and true.*



Celebrate your Lil One's 1st Birthday Party with 1stbirthdayparty.com/ GIVEAWAY!!!*CLOSED*

1stbirthdayparty.com offers a wide selection of party decorations for 1st birthday parties.  Party Pail is their parent site and operates 1stBirthdayParty.com.  The site has been operating for over 4 years now and served tens of thousands of customers.  1stBirthdayParty.com has everything to make your party a success and not have to stress!  From Decorations to favors and gifts,  they have it all!   Select from over 40 + themes to personalize your party with your favorite themes or characters.  Some of the items you can expect to find on their site is:  Tableware,  Games and Activities,  Cake and Cupcake supplies,  Favors,  Keepsakes and Registries,  Hats and Tiaras,  Clothing,  and of course party essentials! 

I love hosting parties and everything that comes along with it,  that is why i was estatic when Party Pail offered me a $60 coupon code to use towards purchasing party decorations for my sons party!  I spent at least an hour browsing their wide selection of wonderful products.  I found everything i needed to complete my party decorations.  Basically,  The only thing that i lacked was a cake and guests!  1stBirthdayParty.com offers Birthday kits that conveniently includes all the tablewear and decorations for your party!  This saves time and hastle because you dont have to spend your time trying to  coordinate a bunch of decorations into one theme.  

After searching through many themes such as First Birthday Boy,  Radio Flyer Red Wagon,  and Mickey's First Birthday,  i ended up going with the Sesame Street First Birthday.  Afterall,  my son loves Elmo and it is his favorite character on Sesame Street.  Besides the Sesame Street First Birthday theme,   i also decided to tie it in  with a regular 1st birthday theme.   When i first received the box i noticed it was well packaged and everything was in tact except for the hat which had a minor problem.  The pom pom puff at the top of the hat was slightly hanging down but that was not a problem as they took care of it as soon as i emailed them,   they promptly sent me a replacement hat,  free of charge.    They have wonderful customer service which we all know,  can be hard to come by sometimes.


1stBirthdayParty.com also offers a Closeouts section that includes deeply discounted items that includes a variety of decorations.  I ordered a few items from the Closeout section and was very happy with the price.  My favorite items that i reviewed were the Jungle Friends Plush Animals,  Satin first Birthday Cone Hat,  and the Big One Dots High Chair Kit.  The only thing i had a hard time finding on their site was pinatas.  They have a section for pinatas but currently only carry a Pooh Character Pinata.  I had fun chosing party decorations for my sons birthday and decorating with them!   Overall i reviewed 14 if their products ranging in price from (.89cents to $7.99).  I will briefly go over each product i reviewed:

1. Satin First Birthday Cone Hat-($5.99)  I chose this hat because it is brightly colored and will go well with the theme.  It always pays to get a really cute hat because really cute hats leads to really cute pictures!  I usually take my sons first birthday pictures at the mall and have them pose in a diaper with their party hat on and a cupcake.    
2. "I'm One" Cone Hats- I found this item in their "closeout"  section.  They come in a package of eight and make festive hats for the children attending the party.  Party hats also make great filler items for favor bags.
3. "I'm One" Party Cups-  I found these in the "closeout" section as well.  These cups  are the perfect size for party guests.  If you want to get creative fill each cup with some candy and favors then place in a clear celephane favor bag and tie it off with a curled ribbon. 

4. Polka Dots 1 Candle- ($0.89) These candles fit perfectly on top of your babies cake and add festivity to the cake.

5. Big 1 Dots Boy Centerpeice- ($4.00) This centerpiece is easy assembled and measures 27" long by 12" tall  and includes three dangling decorations.

6. Big 1 Dots Boy High Chair Kit- ($4.68)- This product makes a great addition to the decorations at the party and also comes in handy.  It contains three pieces:  a throw away bib,  floor mat and a decorative high chair banner.  These enhance your childs birthday pictures and set a festive mood.  The floor mats come in very handy because they save your floors from cake mess.  You know how messy it can get when your child goes to town on his/her own little cake!

7. Jungle Animals 48 Piece Favor Pack-($7.99)- This favor pack includes everthing you need to make eight goody bags!  The 48 piece kit comes complete with 8 Loot Bags,  8 Sticker Shapes,   8 Activity Sheets,  8 Animal Figures,  8 Prism Viewers,  and 8 two toned whistles.  My favorite thing about favor kits is that they require little time and price.  It is so much easier to purchase a kit rather than have to purchase lots of small items to go in the loot bags.

8. Mickey's Clubhouse Goody Bag-($2.55)- This individual goody bag comes pre assembled and requires no effort at all.  The goody bag is for ages 3+ and icludes an Activity Card,  Whistle,  Sticker,  Maze,  and Top.  These are perfect for unexpected guests at your party.  Purchase a couple to keep on hand in case any unexpected guests show up,  that way no one at the party will be left out.

9. Jungle Animals Jungle Friends Plush Animals-($7.79)- They come in a set of three miniature stuffed animals.  Each of the animals are 3" tall and includes a Zebra,  Lion,  and a Monkey.  Every child young and old usually likes stuffed animals so i like to put these in goody bags for the children at the party.

10. Sesame Street First Birthday Invitation & Thank You Kit-($4.12)- The best way to buy invitations i have found is in kits that contain the Thank You cards, as well.  This saves money and corresponds with your invitations.

11. Sesame Street First Birthday 7" Plates-($1.90)- Slices of cake fit perfectly on these dessert plates.  They come with 8 plates and include an adorable picture of Elmo along with the phrase"1st Birthday".

12. Sesame Street First Birthday Bib-($6.40)- Bibs come in a pack of two.  They are great to wear when the baby eats his/her first cake.  They are made of reusable vinyl and tie in the back.  My son looked super cute in his Sesame Street themed Bib.

13. Sesame Street First Birthday Party Treat Boxes -($4.72)- These Treat Boxes come in a package of six and feature  Big Bird,  The Cookie Monster,  and Elmo.  They are the perfect size to fit favors in.  Each box measures 5.25" long,  by 2.75" wide,  by 1.5" tall.
14. High Chair Kit-$ .   )- I found a High Chair kit in the closeout section and decided to get it to have on hand for an extra. 
     

GIVEAWAY:

  1stBirthdayParty.com is generously offering one of my lucky readers  $60.00 worth of FREE products of their choice,  along with free shipping. Mandatory Entry- You must follow me on Google Friend Connect and leave your email address so you can be contacted,  in the case that you win. 1stBirthdayParty asked to provide a little bit of information along with giveaway information and rules.  Below,  is the text that they wanted to include.

1stbirthdayparty.com is very excited about some of our newest products! So excited, in fact, that we can’t keep them all to ourselves; we are going to give some away for FREE! One lucky winner will receive $60 in free merchandise, plus free shipping! Whether you prefer wildly exciting "Monkeyin' Around" Birthday Party  or a more classic , Pooh's First Birthday Party,  you’ll find everything from the place settings and centerpieces to the balloons, invitations and more – all in one place. Check out our variety of  1st Birthday Party Ideas and Supplies, and start thinking about what you’d buy with your $60!

Here’s how you can win:

1. Leave a comment on this blog post telling us which items from www.1stbirthdayparty.com are your favorites!
2. On your personal blog, write a blog post about your favorite birthday party themes from www.1stbirthdayparty.com and link back to that theme’s page on www.1stbirthdayparty.com (a blog post counts as 3 entries).
3. Tweet about 1stbirthdayparty.com and our products (only one tweet per person, please; additional tweets will not count as additional entries).
4. Follow our parent company @partypail on Twitter.
5. Write a Facebook status update about which of our products you love, including our web address – www.1stbirthdayparty.com (only one status update please; additional status updates will not count as additional entries).
6. “Like” our parent company’s page on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/partypail.

Each time you’ve done any of the options above, simply return to this blog post and leave a comment with a link to your blog post, tweet, Twitter profile, Facebook status, or Facebook profile so that we can verify it. The more times you enter the better your odds are of winning! Odds of winning depend upon the total number of valid entries received.

No purchase is necessary to enter the drawing or redeem prizes. Participants must be at least 18 years of age and residents of the United States of America to be eligible to enter. Deadline for entry is the 17th of January, 2011. On or shortly after January 17th, 2011, winners will be chosen by random selection, and winners will be notified by January 24th, 2011. Check back here for an announcement of the prize winners as well!

Additional Entries:

Follow me on Facebook(2 entries)

Follow me on Twitter(2 entries)

Tweet about my Giveaway and leave a comment with the link.(1 entry)

Blog about my Giveaway.(3 entries)

*Disclaimer-  1stbirthdayparty.com sent me a $60 coupon code to use toward purchasing Free products to possibly review.  In no way did this affect my opinion of their products.  All of my opinions are one hundred percent honest and true.*