Rebekah’s Dora Saves the Snow Princess Party

How to Throw a Dora Party {easy and cheap!}

So, back in January or February, Rebekah decided she wanted a Dora saves the Snow Princess party.  Nothing changed in the next 6 months, except that she planned it more intricately.  About a month ago, she began crafting various items she was sure each party-goer would need.  In the end, though, we had grandparents visiting, and I had just gotten back from 3 trips {London, Ireland, & Rome} and barely got the party thrown together.  However, it was fun and I think the kids enjoyed it, so success!

Details

All we did was plan some sort of icy/snowy adventure the kids could do as an activity- we had 2-5 year olds, so it needed to be simple.  I made a map with pictures that I put in their party favour bags.  I had all the kids come in and sit.  I explained that we wanted to have a birthday party for Rebekah but that Swiper had swiped her party pinata!  I explained what a pinata was and what it looked like and that we needed to find it.  The map led us through several easy, fast activities that ended up with them finding the pinata.  The plan would have worked better outside, but we managed indoors.  When they found the pinata, we hung it and let the kids all take turns whacking it- seriously, so fun!!  No need to blind fold or turn little ones around until they’re dizzy- they need their focus.  As it turned out, the adults had to break it- the kids got to grab candy and put it in their party bags, which we made to look like Dora’s backpack.

Tips

  • Dora backpack favours

    Keep it simple- kids don’t need an elaborate story line or even one that makes a ton of sense.  For us, Rebekah pretended to be the Snow Princess and we never saved a snow princess {unlike the movie}.  For snowy effects, I had paper flakes hanging and the first activity was for the kids to make their own.

  • In Scotland, you can find pinatas at ASDA.
  • If you use a pinata, no need to fill the favour bags with tons of candy- just let them collect it from the pinata- mums will thank you for less sugar!
  • ASDA also has Dora {and other character} cakes for around 7 pds.  They’re not delicious, but they pleased the kids.
  • Here’s the tutorial for the hydrangea cupcakes- gorgeous, if you ask me.  Phyllis {my mil} is a pro!
  • I wanted purple party favour bags I could attach the Dora backpack to, but couldn’t find any.  In a pinch I found wee bags that were 4 for 1pd at Morrison’s.  I just cut out a backpack shape and added the face and then each child’s name so they could use it for the stuff they collected during the activity.

Happy girl

The decorations

Dora backpack favours

Some hydrangea cupcakes & a Dora cake

Lots of snow flakes

Many of my friends

She loved her cake!

Outfit #2...being a princess is a lot of hot work.

Shwoing off her Dora piece.

Rebekah and her good pal, Joshua

Rachel's gift to Rebekah was this awesome banner she got to paint herself! We thought she did a marvellous job!

Rebekah giving it a "go"

Luke taking a whack at the pinata

Rebekah...aka Dora/Snow Princess

Grumpy was there, too.

Swiper, no swiping.

Love her.

Just a sweetie.

Phyllis & me

Happy 5th Birthday, Rebekah!

Happy 5th Birthday, My Lovey Lou!

Rebekah is the most precious little girl I have ever met.  We are so blessed by her, her sweet spirit, her generous nature, her love of the Lord and passion to work Him into many random conversations, her crafting little ways, her mothering to Luke…pretty much everything about her.  The past 5 years with Rebekah have been sweet indeed- I still remember that precious little pointy chin the first time I saw her and her kicky little feet that only rested when asleep.  Looking back, I can tell you Rebekah Grace was a great baby who just loved being awake!  I would give a lot to be able to go back and forget sleep and feeding schedules and just hold her and enjoy her just as she was.  Regardless, those are my only regrets- I adored and still do that little girl with my entire heart.

Rebekah- I cannot say it enough: I love you.  You are everything a mother could want and I love just spending time with you.  You make my heart warm and my eyes water just thinking about you.  Our family would not be complete without you, and I am so, so glad you are such a good example to Luke and one day to your little sister.  You are my big girl now- thank you for being teachable and so purposeful.  I appreciate you more than you know.

Josh’s Birthday!

As you assuredly know, Josh turned 35 on Tuesday.  We got up, I made a delicious breakfast of sausage, eggs, toast, grapefruit, and tea.  Yum.  Then, we had a birthday lunch at Jimmy Chungs, a great Asian buffet we all love.  That night Josh cooked steaks, I made twice-baked potatoes and salad, and then we had coconut cream pie…well, Josh and I had pie- the kids had ice cream and a fun little carrot cake cupcake Josh’s office mates were thoughtful enough to send home for his birthday- candle included!  I will say that I am awesome at making this coconut cream pie with whipped cream {hate meringue} and toasted coconut flakes- all great tips from my mother-in-law!  Wanting another piece now.  Like right this second.

Oh- sweetness embodied- Rebekah made Josh a “book card” at school that had lots of pages and labeled pictures.  She also made 3 coupons of obvious value for Josh’s redemption.  I do love3 how kids think and give what they treasure most!

Good day, huh?  We even got a date night out of it, too, courtesy of Christy.

35 Things I Love About Josh

Happy 35th Birthday, Josh!

In honor of Josh’s 35th birthday, here are 35 things I love about my man….in no particular order.

  1. His sense of humor.
  2. The way he nicknames everything and everyone.
  3. That he loves me so much.
  4. How smart he is.
  5. He’s pretty cute, too.
  6. How much he likes to eat {almost as much as I do}.
  7. How long it took him to wear sweaters because he thought he looked like Bill Cosby.
  8. How much he likes reality shows.
  9. That we laugh at most of the same stuff.
  10. That he’s the father of 2 of the cutest kids in the world.
  11. How he teaches Rebekah the Bible and does crafts with her so patiently.
  12. How he can find mad deals everywhere.
  13. How he can fix most of my problems {even when I don’t ask}.
  14. How he’s a total hypochondriac.
  15. The fact the he has no less than 30 tabs open at all times on his trusty laptop.
  16. That he learned how to hunt to spend time with my dad and my brother, and then ended up loving it!
  17. How he can always fit a game of Old Maid in for Rebekah {and usually lets Luke be on his team}.
  18. How he has a hard time intentionally losing a game to his 4 year old.
  19. His love for all things pie.
  20. What a sweet and thoughtful gift-giver he is.
  21. The way he crosses his arms when he tries on a shirt.
  22. That he understands fashion and colors and what works {and conversely what doesn’t}.
  23. That he made a daughter just like him.
  24. That he will work for hours on my blog or something like it to fix an issue I didn’t even notice.
  25. How well he can explain things, especially complex things, to the point that I feel really smart.
  26. His love for Tim Keller and that all I have to do to “win” an argument is invoke his name.
  27. How we can’t play on the same team because he’s so competitive.
  28. How he abbreviates everything like it’s a big secret or special code {Hey, Em, do you have any CZ?  CZ=Coke Zero} and how Rebekah does it, too, not even knowing Josh does it {see #23}.
  29. How he makes me promise I’ll be careful because he only has 1 of me.
  30. How even when it’s freezing, he’s still warm- Rebes and I call it his “gift” and make him share it with snuggles.
  31. How affectionate he is.
  32. How much he likes to talk to me and tell me what he’s thinking about.
  33. What precise baker he is- he makes outstanding pancakes and biscuits.
  34. The voices he uses when he reads books to the kids- it’s amazing they let me read to them at all.
  35. How quickly he can make up a song in the moment- did I mention he sang to me when he proposed?

Josh, I love you!  Have a wonderful day!

Menu Plan Monday: Josh’s Birthday Week!

In the Malone family, we like to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries for at least a week.  Thus, happy 35th birthday week to Josh!  These are all foods Josh loves, so hopefully he’ll have a great week food-wise, too.  :)

This Week’s Menu

I’m linkin’ up to Org Junkie!