Summer Pool Party Birthday

What says “summer has arrived” better than a pool party?  We celebrated Sam’s 6th by diving into his birthday festivities.  As long as one has enough parents on hand to watch the swimmers, a pool party can be about as easy a party to throw as there is.  The kids couldn’t have been happier splashing around!  Just add water and let the fun begin!!

We kept the food super simple by serving sandwiches and watermelon.  I felt inspired to create a “water noodle garland” that I saw here.  And the cupcakes topped the Pool Party theme off with aqua blue icing and gummy bears floating around in their own mini-inner tubes (gummy lifesavers)!  I couldn’t resist adding a few sharks to the cupcakes, just to keep things exciting!

Happy Swimming!

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Frog Legs Birthday

We are having glorious weather in the Pacific Northwest and you can thank me because all it took was planning Duncan’s 4th birthday party inside to encourage those rays of sun to shine, shine, shine… Like bringing an umbrella on a walk, so too, does planning an indoor birthday party encourage the fickle Seattle sun to appear! (Click here for last year’s party: Rain Rain Go Away)

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Frog Legs is a hidden gem!  It is a kids culinary school, located in the Mount Baker neighborhood of Seattle, and is run by the beautiful and talented Mrs. Frog Legs, Laura Vida.  She is a picture of calm, as children bustle into her home to spend a few hours learning the particulars of measuring, stirring, and most of all having fun!  Every time I see Laura in action, I am impressed by her positive demeanor and her amazing memory for all the children’s names.  My kiddos have attended fabulous week-long summer day camps at Frog Legs in the past, which made it a natural choice for Duncan’s 4th birthday party location.  (Well, and the fact that we could be inside if it was pouring down rain.)

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Mrs. Frog Legs made it a very special day for Duncan.  Very Berry Smoothies, Create Your Own Pizzas, and Confetti Cupcakes were on the menu for the day.  The kids had a blast cooking, listening to some fun stories, as well as playing outside in the lovely yard.  I do enjoy planning a party, so I had to let go of that a bit by having our party at Frog Legs, but Laura’s attention to detail and decoration made me feel that I was in my own home, only better – since no clean up was required!  And I mean really, look at those cupcakes… pretty much every kid’s dream!!  Marshmallows, and gummies, and chocolate chips – OH MY!!

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Mrs. Frog Legs wrapped up the event with Duncan giving each of his birthday friends a recipe book of the day’s treats, a wooden spoon, and a homemade frosted cookie.  What fun!

Every so often, I believe it is the perfect choice to make things easier on ourselves, versus harder and more complicated.  This was one of those choices for me.  Duncan had a lovely day and so did I.  I was so relaxed, I think we might have even gotten a photo of our whole family!!  Something I definitely would have forgotten if I had been hosting this party!!

Thank you, Frog Legs, for making Duncan’s birthday feel super special!

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If you live in the Seattle area and are looking for a fun activity for your children this summer, check out the Frog Leg camps – your kids will love it!  And, as Mrs. Frog Legs says, “Hoppy Cooking!”

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Poole Pirate Picnic success this weekend!  We celebrated Sam’s 5th birthday this weekend by treasure seeking with a bunch of little scallywags!  Despite being  under the weather over the past few weeks, we pulled off a pirate picnic like we were a bunch of true buccaneers!  From hand drawn treasure maps to hand sewn burlap treasure bags to crafty Solo cup and aluminum foil hooks, we outfitted ourselves for mutiny!  Our kiddos became pirates over the course of a scavenger hunt that led them all over Luther Burbank Park, using their treasure-map reading skills to discover jewels (ring pops), booty (pirate booty snacks), weaponry (glow-in-the-dark swords), and pirate costume (hats, eye patches, and hooks). All ages got into this pirate extravaganza – the eye patches were especially popular (thanks, Target!).   The last treasure of the evening was a beautiful firework show, sponsored by the city of Mercer Island as part of their yearly Summer Celebration.  What a fantastic evening!  Yo ho ho, me hearties… Until next time!

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