Small Things Are Big Things

Mondays I like to share something I got. We all like to share a good deal, splurge, unique find or fun activity. If you got something awesome (or lame) recently and blogged about it, be sure to leave me a link to the post in the comments!

Today on the birthday catch-up series we’ll flashback to September for…

At this party Cy was 3 months old and I was just getting in the grove of having boys that get to match for events. (It’s no secret I match my family for special events… I’m that lame!) I got custom pirate tie tees from Sweet Lily Tutus. Cheri (from SLT) also custom made the Yoda tee above AND she makes other tie tees too…

  

Cy loved his matching tie onsie…

The party was at Serrano Creek Park in Lake Forest. It’s a great park and the kiddos got a kick out of the horse trail running though the place. Party favors were felt Superhero capes the kiddos got to decorate with stars. Great idea!!!!

The birthday boy wanted donuts instead of a cake…

Fun Fact: Kai & Eli have the same birthday, exactly 1 year apart, almost to the minute!

Don’t you just love little boy profiles!?!?!

Thanks for the awesome tie tees and SUPER fun SUPERhero party!

(dress from Kait Emerson Designs!)

Then a few of the party goers headed to an Eli’s Lids hot spot, In-N-Out Burger, to break some bread. 6 rambunctious boys + 1 princess = adorable!

 

Cheri has graciously offered 15% off anything in her shop with the coupon code 032910. She specializes in custom birthday outfits for girls, check them out!

Thanks Sweet Lily Tutus!!

Did you know UltraStar Cinemas had kiddo movies (Kidtoons) EVERY weekend for only $2.50??

I didn’t.

November is Care Bears: Share Bear Shines. The perfect show for a lil’ gal’s 4th birthday party…

We got to check out the UltraStar Cinema at Anaheim GardenWalk for one of Eli’s “best buddy’s” birthday party. They have known each other since birth. See…

The brand new GardenWalk is just a stone’s throw from Disneyland and I was more than impressed with the place!

We arrived for the 10:30am show (late) and had the whole theater to ourselves!!

The kiddos could chat and make a mess without bothering a soul… 

It was Cyrus’ first trip to the movies… at 4 months old. The lucky 3rd child gets it all. The big kiddos just saw their first movie this last June.

He slept the whole time.

It was awesome.

If only I could have had a quick snooze too. Or better yet my laptop and wi-fi to get some work done.

Not that I didn’t enjoy Care Bears… it’s a great movie… if your 10 and under… or high as a kite.

After the movie we had birthday lunch at Johnny Rockets and the kiddos ran around the patio area till nap time.

AWESOME!

If you’re looking for a no stress cost effective bday party idea… you’ve found it!

 

We had so much sugar fun, someone had a fit when we had to leave…

We’ll be back next month for Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas. You should come too. REALLY!! I think this is now going to be a monthly family “thing” for us. I can’t wait for next year’s schedule to be out!! Another pretty cool thing about UltraStar Cinemas is their $6 admission price to EVERYONE all day on Tuesdays and Thursdays! AND children, students, seniors and military are $6 all the time. Cool, huh!

(In case you didn’t notice the awesomeness of Eli’s tee shirt it says REAL MEN WEAR PINK. One can be yours in a couple of weeks because it’s the latest from Eli’s Lids!)

Mondays I like to share something I got this week. We all like to share a good deal, splurge, unique find or fun activity. If you got something awesome (or lame) recently and blogged about it, be sure to leave me a link to the post in the comments!

If you read regularly then you know my mom is awesome. Yesterday I got this little picture and note from her…

Don’t get me wrong, I love a good nativity. But American Indians…

Somewhere out there, someone is purchasing this beauty as we speak.

Baffling!

###

Dear people who made the Southwestern Nativity Set,

REALLY!?!?!?

Perplexed, KN

###

Mom,

I love when you’re snarky!

Smooches, me

Check out my latest post at OC Family. You’ll like my Time Change Clock if you like sleep or if the time change has screwed up your kiddos’ wake-up time!

I’m linking up with Kyla’s (From Funky Polkadot Giraffe) Too Cute Tuesday linky!! Check it our for some GREAT links!

Her Too Cute Tuesday post also mentions how we met last weekend…

She is one of those bloggers who does NOT disappoint in person. What a blessing to hang out for a bit! AND she loves our Lids. See…

Happy Weekend!

Coming Soon… (still working on those birthday posts!)

~Cora Jane’s birthday review

~Cy’s birth post

~3 awesome friend bdays

~A birthday guest blogger reveal!

This month’s MOMday Morning was the most successful yet with 601 entries and 73 tweets! Thanks to all who entered. The more entries we get the better we can make it for you.

The November winner of $100 cash, an Eli’s Lid and Pirate Tee is…

   

…Nicole from Mama NYC!!

The winners of a $10 gift card to Eli’s Lids & the Ann Corwin’s Parenting Passport are…

Jeff, dddiva from Our Loonyverse & gnwg.

Enjoy the book!

If you didn’t win be sure to enter in next month’s giveaway.

Smooches,

Donna & Heather from Blessed Nest,

Andrea from BYOG,

Soni from Stringbean Company

& Me

Eli has a new favorite pirate. The buxom blond girl pirate. Hubba hubba… Cora Jane has new favorite shoes…Cy has a favorite blanket. He loves to pull it over his head and sleep…

Halloween we hosted good friends for Tortilla soup and trick-or-treating.As you can see I’m making good use out of my kick a&$ leaf bowl. It served as the centerpiece with lil’ clementine jack-o-lanterns, skulls and glow bracelets.

It was Eli’s 3rd year as a pirate, Cora Jane was princess Ariel and Cy was Sebastian the Lobster. Hot Hubby and I were western folk. As you can see I strayed from my matching obsession. I intended for him to be Prince Eric and for me to be Ursula but the kiddos (and hubby) didn’t want me to be the bad guy. So I had to scramble a bit, but it worked out…  

Highlights…

~Making a matching mermaid costume for Cora Jane’s favorite doll. Something my mom did for me every year growing up. Of course I did it last minute (3pm) on Halloween day… just like my mom!

~My dad going the wrong way with another group of trick-or-treaters. He didn’t notice he had been chatting up another party for over 100 yards till we flagged him down.

~Cora Jane being escorted by all her grandparents to each house at a snail’s pace. She has them wrapped around her sweet little fingers!

~Eli wanting to go home after about 30 minutes because his feet hurt.

~Making all the kiddos gather into a group shot… 

(batman, pirate, unicorn, lobster, dragon, Ariel, flower)

Monday’s I like to share something I got this week. We all like to share a good deal, splurge or unique find or fun activity. If you got something awesome (or lame) recently and blogged about it, be sure to leave me a link to the post in the comments! If you want to win something awesome, enter MOMday Morning!

After at trip to Sam’s Club one shelf in my fridge looks like this (that lame short shelf that nothing fits on):

You all know I’m not “blessed in the kitchen” (Hot Hubby’s words), so I need all the help I can get when it comes to dinner time. I’ve found a marriage life saver at Sam’s Club – Fresh pre-made dinners!

These suckers are priced by the pound (usually totaling around $8-11), they make them fresh in the back, and feed my family of 4 with leftovers! All I have to do is cover it with foil, pop it in the oven and I have a “homemade” meal. 

This time I got rotisserie chicken enchiladas, 3 cheese stuffed manicotti shells (which I dropped twice before I got to the car!), macaroni and cheese (white cheese & penne pasta) with ham cubes, chicken fettuccini alfredo & pork loin with herbed red potatoes.

Huge hit with the family. See how yummy they look all cooked up…

The meals put smiles on our faces (& plates)…

(Thanks for the hand-me-downs Andrea from BYOG!! They look adorable on Eli.)

Do you make faces/pictures with the food on your kiddos’ plates?

I do.

And I’ve found they are more likely to eat new food if you do something cool with the presentation.

Hasta-la-pasta…

…as in manicotti-stuffed-shells-pasta-from-Sam’s in a big toothy smile.