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When it comes to throwing birthday parties, there are so many options. Most of the time. [But when I wrote this post it was March 2020 and, most families were having to change plans entirely! I grieved that year the loss of plans made and celebrations cancelled]. I'm grateful we have moved beyond those quarantine...
Our youngest turned ten this summer. It's hard to believe that both boys are in double digits now! For his birthday party, he requested a Lego Ninjago birthday party theme, and I was happy to come up with ideas. Truth be told, this was very easy to do for two reasons. Our oldest had a...
It was epic, according to the birthday boy! (Who, like this blog, turned 12 this year! Unbelievable!). Yes, we have avid Tolkien fans in the house. Our oldest has read the Lord of the Rings Trilogy no less than 10 times. The LOTR set was among the few books hubby brought into our marriage. (haha,...
This year, our youngest so turned nine! I am in disbelief, let me tell you! For his party, he asked for a LEGO birthday party theme, and I was happy to create one for him. I have secretly wanted one of the boys to ask for a LEGO themed party for years, because it looks...
I'm coming up (too quickly!) on a decade of being a mom AND running this blog. Surprisingly, I discovered that my birthday party planning posts are always in my most popular posts! So... my idea to create a party planning book to help parents throw a birthday party with ease was born. And now I...
Long ago...in a hospital not far away... our first child was born. This year he turned eleven and requested a Star Wars party. Since I've already written about Star Wars themed gifts, it wasn't a leap to dream up some Star Wars birthday party ideas! Star Wars Birthday Party Ideas Hubby is a huge Star...
Welcome! I hope you've enjoyed my DO-able Yourself Birthday Parties idea book! These are the Birthday Party Resources I referenced in the last part of my book and contains all the links to various birthday party guides, tutorials, and shopping links! Birthday Party Guides Get more ideas from the detailed blog posts that outline each...
Our littlest guy just loves the make-believe. He's always been our dress-up, stand-up, shout-it-out dramatic one! And I suppose we're on a bit of a "P" theme with him for his birthday parties: Peter Rabbit, puppies, penguins, and now... pirates for his sixth birthday! With some party themes, it can be hard to find kid-friendly...
The boys have been camping since they were babies, so campfires, s'mores, and lake swims are just the norm for them. I have wanted to celebrate both camping and my summer birthday boy together in a themed birthday party. And this is the year! My youngest turns five... and I'll save my tears about that...
Pull together easy birthday party ideas for kids in a snap with these fun ideas for all ages. I've collected links to ALL my birthday party posts here for you to find the perfect idea for your child. Birthday Party Ideas for Kids Find tips for party decor, invites, party food, party games. These ideas...
As much as the advent season is a time of waiting and contemplation, with young children you can't help but be drawn towards the celebratory side of Jesus' birth. The angels sing. Mary sings. The shepherds sing. Such a joy-filled time of song and wonder, joy and excitement can open a door into our children's...
I've had a long time to think about penguin party ideas - perhaps more than any human should have! Ever since we watched March of the Penguins last summer, my littlest one has been obsessed with penguins. The kid goes crazy for them! Everything has to be penguin themed! He's been talking about a penguin...
We've covered a lot of birthday party themes in the past six years. It's hard to believe this is my tenth themed birthday party post! My little baby is now six! *tears* and he asked me to throw a dinosaur birthday party for his big day! Over the years of throwing birthday parties, I've learned...
I can't pinpoint the exact time it started, but many months ago, as I was teasing out my youngest son's thoughts on his third birthday party, he blurted out: "I want a knight in shining armor fighting the dragon party!" So specific, this one! I attribute it to a) our homeschool reading of Sir George...
A shark birthday party is actually a really great theme for kids because it's got sea life fun with a dash of excitement and danger! One caution is that a lot of party goods and ideas are geared towards Shark Week and therefore a bit scary for the younger crowd. This party planning guide is...
Birthday parties? Yeah, we got them! Two a year, and so far I've thrown six themed birthday parties for my kids. I end up loving each one more than the last. It's so exciting to research ideas, and create DIY projects to go along with each boy's special day! For our youngest's second birthday, we...
Since I DIY a lot of our birthday party décor, we'd started talking to our oldest son about his fourth birthday party several months ago. Right away, he said he wanted a train birthday party… which we did for him at two years old. I didn't want to recreate the same theme, so I suggested...
Pull together easy birthday party ideas for kids in a snap with these fun ideas for all ages. I've collected links to ALL my birthday party posts here for you to find the perfect idea for your child. Birthday Party Ideas for Kids Find tips for party decor, invites, party food, party games. These ideas...
I've always wanted to throw a "literary" birthday party. But our oldest is so into cars and trucks and trains... Along came our second boy and by the time I started party planning a few months ago, he hadn't yet seemed to show a strong interest in any one thing. So I decided to use...
He'll be one year old next week. I just can't think about how fast this year has gone! But I have thought a LOT about is his upcoming birthday party. Even though we keep it small with just family, I like to go all out with my themes. This year's theme? Peter Rabbit in Mr....
Themed birthday parties have become my micro-hobby of sorts. For our son turning three, I wanted to do something with animals, but I knew he'd want vehicles, so I did a farm / tractor combo party! This party theme idea turned out SO well (and we've done many combo themes since!). Here's our ideas for a...
I love handmade, personalized decorations for birthday parties. Garlands and banners are my favorite! If you hang up a little swag of garland of paper flags - you have an INSTANT PARTY!!! So today I'll show you how to make a very easy birthday party fabric garland DIY project. I have often made pennant banners...
Saturday we had a blast throwing a train themed birthday party for our son's second birthday! We had about twenty family members over to celebrate! These train themed birthday party ideas were fun and easy to pull together to celebrate our new little two-year-old! Train Themed Birthday Party Ideas Train Themed Birthday Party Decorations Of...
...to hand sewn bunting... with of course some lovely paper straws from Sweet Little Birdy... I had to have sodas from our local soda bottler that matched the color scheme (the blue is bubble gum - it was the only blue soda I could find this time of year - in the summer Hosmer Soda sometimes...
Do I have to start EVERY birthday blog post with the disclaimer that "I can't believe" my kids are X-number of years old?! Because it's true every time. No matter how obvious it seems, the years go faster than the dishwasher gets filled up, it seems! So here we are, and I'm ready to share...
Does throwing a birthday party stress you out? Party planning and DIY decor is fun. But birthday party prep can quickly become over-the-top and stressful. You don't need to spend a ton or stress out to celebrate your kids! Celebrate simply, and enjoy the day with your child! DO-able Yourself Birthday Parties Ebook can help!...
We've been throwing a Noon Year's Eve Party for the kids for four or five years now. We saw the idea online, ran with it, and now it's an annual event in our home. We've tried various activities over the years to make a fun and celebratory morning. and you can see previous Noon Year's...
![Dear A, Now You're Nine! {a birthday post]](https://happystronghome.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Asher-nine-birthday-square.png)
It's true. I am behind on writing both boys' birthday blog posts. Time just goes so fast around here. We have a running joke: "nobody's allowed to get older." And the boys laugh and say, "But we HAVE to grow up!" I am still in denial about that! Ha! This February, our oldest turned nine,...
Every year we're trying to refine how we celebrate birthdays and what would make a meaningful, useful, and yet FUN gift idea for our children as they grow. This year our youngest turned five, and WOW the gifts at this age are SO incredibly exciting! Five year olds are on the cusp of... just about...
We've been a camping family since before the boys were born, so putting together a camping themed birthday party has been on my list for a couple years now. When my son turned five, he said yes to a camping themed party! And this DIY Gone Fishing Party Game idea is the perfect fit for...
When I first started planning for my younger son's fourth penguin birthday party, my first idea was to create penguins out of black party lanterns. Initially I was going to stack two lanterns and create a stand-up penguin. However, they didn't stack well, and I could not get them to stick together for anything. So...
When I was a little girl of about eight or nine or ten... we had the smallest library in the world in our town. It was a converted ranch style building. You entered the front door and turned right for the kids' section and left for the adult section. The walls were lined with books....
By age five, most kids are already "people who have everything" when it comes to gift-giving. We try our best to keep toys and "stuff" simple - it has to fit inside containers we currently own, haha. But... birthdays and Christmas still happen. We've been giving the boys "experience" gifts since our oldest's first birthday -...
We've been throwing a Noon Year's Eve Party for the kids for several years now. We saw the idea online, ran with it, and now it's an annual event in our home. We've tried various activities over the years to make a fun and celebratory day. After lots of trial and error (the fun kind!),...
Birthday gift ideas for children can be tough! When you attend kids' birthday parties (or send your kids along to one) do you struggle to come up with a great gift idea? You know, one the child will love, the parents will thank you for, and that your own kid can hold their head up...
We're back from a week of camping, and I'm really excited because I have so much to write about over these next couple of weeks: birthday parties, camping trips, and even getting into a little back to school fun! Just under two weeks ago, our second boy turned two! Hard to believe, but our pup...
This is a sponsored post and I received several items mentioned here as review items. All opinions are my own. As you know, our firstborn son just turned the unthinkable age of... FOUR! Which meant a birthday party and all that fun. Birthday parties mean birthday gifts, and you know I prefer birthday gifts that...
Just a few more days till the big event! The actual first birthday is in two days and the birthday party a few days later... I've been busy making plans and prepping... The invitation, I created using clip art purchased on Etsy and some digi scrap. This layout isn't original to me at all - I...
Can you say the word "Tradition" without singing the Fiddler on the Roof song? Me neither. Traditions pull us together, and keep the family threads from unraveling too far. I fondly recall going to my Italian grandmother's and waiting until midnight before we could open the gifts. In reality, we probably opened them at 9...
I was playing around with the leftover candy treats from my son's Shark Birthday Party (be sure to check out the shark birthday cake we made with the Surf Sweets Gummi Rings and other treats!). In trying to make use of the leftovers, I made these sweet and easy DIY Butterfly Treat Bags for Easter!...
I love creating printables that help homeschool families thrive! I offer morning time "menus" that align well with Classical Conversations Cycles. Plus I have a range of unit studies, devotional books, and children's books available. Homeschool Curriculum (Digital / PDF Printables) Includes 9 months worth of morning time poetry, picture, and scripture study. Aligns well...
LIVE CLASS - 2025-26Medieval History-Based Writing26 weeks via ZoomGrades 4-8, Ages 8-12 Using Andrew Pudewa's Institute for Excellence in Writing Program students explore and research Medieval History as they learn writing skills! From the IEW description: This theme-based writing curriculum allows students to delve into the excitement of medieval history. From the Anglo-Saxons to the...