Monday, December 31, 2012

Make It Monday! Chili Mac and Cheese!

So if you know me and I'd like to think that if you follow the blog you do know me... You know that I love cooking shows and shows that involve food... anyway I like Emerile lagasse and I know that a few years back he made an appearance on a particular show that was one of my guilty pleasures... on said show he made a recipe with the family called Chilli Mac and when I recently discovered that this show was on Netflix and I re-watched the entire show yes from season 1 right on through I remembered this recipe and when I heard Chilli Mac I thought wouldn't that be better as Chilli Mac and Cheese???

(PS can you name that show? 10 points if you can! haha)

And so My Chili Mac and cheese was born!


Here is the recipe... its easy....

Make your favorite Mac and cheese and also your favorite chili...

Here are my favorite recipes.

Creamy Mac and Cheese
2 TBSP Butter and flour
2 Cups Milk (at room temp)
2 Cups Cheese
1 TSP mustard
3 Cups cooked Macaroni

Start by making a rue with the butter and flour (melt the butter in a sauce pan and add the flour) cook the rue for a few minutes but don't let it brown too much. Add your milk and cook over medium heat until the mix thickens and can coat the back of a spoon. Add the mustard and then melt in 1 and 1/2 cups of the cheese (or as much as you like) once the cheese is completely melted add the macaroni and mix through.

Mild Marsh Chili
(There are no measurements for this recipe as you can make it as saucy or meaty as you like and of course you can make a batch that is as large or small as you need!)
Ground beef or chicken (turkey works well too)
Onion
Mushroom
Carrots (cooked and pureed)
Diced tomatoes
Tomato sauce
Chili powder, thyme, oregano, basil

Brown ground beef or other ground meat. Meanwhile cook carrots in a med pot, once cooked puree and set aside. Once the meat is cooked add mushrooms, onions, carrot puree and can tomatoes. Allow the mix to simmer and then add tomato sauce and spices to your taste. Simmer and serve. As with all Chili and tomato sauce the longer it simmers the better it is!

Now that you have that all done!


Layer your mac and cheese in the bottom of a pyrex dish, top with chili and then one more layer of the mac and cheese, top with cheese and bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. (The above recipe for Mac and cheese will have more than you need for the Chili Mac and Cheese so I make a dish of just Mac and cheese too... just top it with more cheese and pop in the oven!)


It comes out a little spicy, very cheesy and super tasty!

My whole family loves it! And I love that there are lots of left overs for quick lunches, plus there is also lots of options for supper chili, chili mac and cheese or just mac and cheese...


Hope you enjoy! Do you ever dream up a recipe from hearing about another? Tell me about it I'd love to give it a try just leave a link in the comments!

Happy Monday!

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Tell the Truth Thursday! My kid cracks me up!

If you've been here before you know that my girl Delaney is 4! (Hard to believe but she is....)

Anyway she is one of the lights of my life! She is bright and thoughtful and happy and beyond funny!

Funny to the point that I've considered starting a twitter along the lines of "stuff" my kid says...

The other day she looks at me and says... "Anyways back at the bat cave..." I lost it! I have no idea where it came from why she thought she needed to change the subject but it was just too funny!

She is a complete HAM and brightens my day with her funny faces and sayings as well as her loving heart!

She donates her toys knowing that little boys and girls out there have less than she does without us asking and she lights up at the littlest surprises and screams "it's just what I always wanted!" No matter if she knows what it is or not.

Today while practicing her writing and sending a letter to her Nana she says to me "Momma I'm just sending some love..." Then started singing a made up song that went like this " these are the true hero's of my family! I have great friends who always help me!"

She is one of a handful of people in this world that I'd give up everything for and when I'm unhappy or sad (which seems to be a lot lately) she is there, she makes me laugh when I feel like crying, she makes me smile when I want to yell and she warms my heart when I feel the world is against me!

There is no one I love like I love her!

That's my truth this Thursday!

What's your truth? Do you have a kiddo that is a true ham? One that can make you smile no matter how down you are? Tell me all about them in the comments!

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Have you Been Here? What Meegan makes!

Have you been to What Meegan Makes yet?

You should!

Meegan is a FAB blogger she is funny and lets face it she has great taste!

I just love all the blues greens and whites (and well all the colors) she uses! And as a Mom, Grandma, former Wedding decorator and all around creative person she has such great projects that save money and look so cute!

Meegan also has her own feature... The "Monday Blues"! Basically her love of blue has her asking facebook followers, Twitter followers and blog followers to email her a photo of a favorite blue item in your home and she will  share it on her blog and brighten up your Monday with the BLUES! I love it and I sent her my blue... (look for the watering can!) early on so pop on by and share you blues or just look at the pretty blues she shares week to week!

She also posts awesome things like Twelve Under $3 Christmas Decorating Ideas!
I seriously loved this... and may have had some similar inspiration as well!


And every Friday she shares her Favorite pins of the week!

Could it get any better???

Pop over and follow Meegan you wont be sorry!

Plus Meegan is her very own DOT COM and all...

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Oops another unplanned vacation...

So it seems that I have taken an unintentional blog vacation... for the last MONTH!

Holy cow I didn't realize it had been so long since my last post... but here I am back at it, well sort of...

I am so sorry that I haven't been posting but if it makes you any happier I have been writing in my journal somewhat regularly... It seems that when I am writing in my journal I have so much less time for my blog... The blog to me is about sharing my projects and getting my Momma self out there, as well as sorting out my thoughts when it comes to being a Momma. So I keep my journal to sort out my not Momma thoughts like things that happen in my everyday crazy not Momma part of my brain... things that happen with Robyn, things that happen with friends and family that I deem too private to share with... well.... the ENTIRE WORLD!

(I know the entire world isn't reading right now but once its out there you never know who is gonna log on and take a peep into my world through my bloggy windows... )

So once I feel a little down or upset I turn to my journal for comfort and to sort out how I feel... and then the blog suffers a hit because I've used all my writing abilities on my journal or I'm just too drained emotionally, physically or mentally to sit here and write out what is happening in my head that pertains to crafting or Momma-hood.

Another big drain on blog content is as I'm sure is the case with many bloggers is Christmas... between the busyness of the season (Christmas parties, parades, sing alongs, and tree lightings) and the gift making and cookie baking its just such a difficult time to blog. I don't want to spoil the surprise of the wonderful gifts I'm giving to my family and friends or the super cute items I am working on for Robyn and while I don't mind showing off what Im making for the kids, because lets face it at 1 and 4 they aren't exactly logging onto the blogosphere and checking out their gifts, but I don't want to show the whole world until they get it so its a little fun for Delaney to show off what she got from Momma and well its nice for her to brag that her Momma Made It! (it is after all how I named the blog!)

Either way I know its my own fault... I am making excuses I know that I am...

So here I go again thinking about the blog and how I have it laid out and how I want it to be and what I need to change to make it more me or more intriguing not only for those of you lovelies that are here reading whatever may happen to fall out of my head but also for me to want to keep posting and for me to have a nice little place for things to fall out of my head!

Happy Weekend Friends!
See you back here tomorrow... I hope!


Saturday, November 10, 2012

Photo Friday! Movember!

I know it's not Friday but this was too good not to share!

Happy Movember friends!
Be sure to donate to friends and family who are raising funds for men's health!

Saturday, November 3, 2012

All Grown Up... Sort Of...

Max was born in August 2011...


That is 15 months ago now...


Yet it seems like so much longer and so much shorter at the same time. He has already started to walk, he has had is first hair cut, he has said his first words, gotten his first tooth and has stolen the heart of everyone he has met.

It hurts my heart a little that he is 15 months old, it makes my heart smile a little too though because, well how lucky am I to be the one and only Momma this boy will ever have...


He seems so grown up and yet I know that there are so many things he is yet to experience and while I know I haven't done everything "right" I know that I am here and I love him and that will shape him into the man he will be...

Monday, October 29, 2012

Make It Monday! Pizza Casserole!

Your on Pinterest right.... Of course you are!

Well if your not following Momma Made It! pop over now and click the little follow button.... I'll make it worth your while!

Anyway....

If your on Pinterest you may have seen this recipe floating around over there and if you haven't here you go... your welcome! (see already worth your while!)

So I Pinned that Pin a while ago and like most other things on Pinterest I said yeah I'll go back to that and actually make it... except I DID!

And here is how it turned out!


I know right YUMMY!

Both the kids loved it and the hubby well it was Pizza in a bowl what can I say!

I did make a few adjustments to it as I used spiral pasta instead of the bow ties like the recipe says, and I didn't add the ham or the onion due to some picky eaters in our house... oh and I used the all natural peperoni you can buy at the deli (which is why the peperoni on mine is little wedges, it only comes in the lager slices so I just quartered them...)


So if you think this looks yummy stop drooling at the screen and hop on over to Cully's Kitchen and check out this awesome recipe that your family will love! (PS there will be left overs!)


Do you have a family favorite that I NEED to Pin? Leave me a link in the comments and I will be by to check it out ASAP!
Happy Monday Friends!

Friday, October 26, 2012

Photo Friday! First Family Trip in the Boat!

Robyn's Grandfather has a boat its a nice boat but in the almost 10 years we have been together I have flat out refused to get into the boat as well I am afraid... ok not so much afraid of the boat more so afraid of 1) Throwing up in the boat and B) Drowning... both very rational if you ask me...

Either way if you ask any mother can the kids go in the boat and she says yes you better bet your behind that no matter how afraid she is she will be going with you because 1) She will refuse for her children to do something for the first time without her there if she can help it and B) Her children will not drown without her...

So on our last rip out to visit Robyn's family we went for a trip in the boat and it was FABULOUS!

So for this Photo Friday I have just a few of the 170 photos that I did take! Enjoy!







Well as you can tell neither of us drowned and even better I didn't throw up either!
Happy Friday Friends!

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Tell The Truth Thursday! Why I'm Ok not making money blogging...

So as you may see here on the blog or rather you DON'T see here on the blog I don't have ads, I don't do sponsored posts, I don't sell anything really....

And well, I'm ok with that

I do consider blogging my job and the reason I do is because without blogging and crafting and connecting with you fine people on the internet I don't get out much....

Can you tell?!?!

Either way I consider blogging my job because it makes me take time out to make the blog better, to research for my projects, to make something productive about my day... and well that is how I keep up with the blog (or in recent days not keep up with it...) I make myself make time for it because it helps me keep my sanity as a Momma. And since my other job is being a good Momma my sanity is kinda important if ya know what I mean...

Now don't get me wrong I am not saying that sponsored posts are bad, not even thinking that selling ad space is evil or that selling your product is some crazy offense... to be honest that's just not how I want to run my blog right now...

Will that change in the future?

TRUTH... I don't know.

Would I say no to a few extra bucks kicking around... NO! Who would, but lets be honest here I'm just not at that point with this blog that I want to sell anything, my time, my space, even my opinion... and that is just what works for me.

Whats your blogging TRUTH? Are you making money on your blog? Is that what you set out to do or is it just how your blog evolved? I'd love to hear your story... share it in the comments!


Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Kid Craft! Thanksgiving Turkeys!

This Thanksgiving myself and Delaney took it upon ourselves to make a few super cool TURKEYS!

No we didn't make the dinner and serve it up for our family and friends but we made a few decorations for the dinner table to show just how happy we were that it was turkey day and what we were thankful for!

Now I'm not gonna lie I got inspired by many posts on Pinterest and I am sure that I am not the only Momma to think this up and post it on her blog so I will preface this craft by saying that I am in no way saying this was my own idea... lets face it I'm just not that smart!


So here is how we got our turkeys started...

For our Thankful turkey I cut out feather shapes from cardboard that I felt were Fall colored and I asked Delaney and all of our family members what they were thankful for.... notice that even little Max got in on the action... (Delaney insisted that we include some from Max and then said what she felt he was thankful for)



Then with double sided tape I added them to the back of a toilet paper roll but you could very easily replace that with glue....


For our other turkey I had Delaney trace her hand on more Fall colored cardboard and then I cut them out and we stuck them to the back of another roll... (sorry I was kinda busy watching a 4 year old eye the scissors to take any photos but its pretty self explanatory anyway...)

Finally we added googly eyes and a beak and then drew on the feet!

Presto two adorable centerpieces for our Thanksgiving table!

Monday, October 22, 2012

Make It Monday! Faking It!

So every now and then we all fake it... Its a necessity of life... just to keep your sanity you have to do it every now and then...

I am of course referring to fake baking... and no I don't mean at the tanning salon....

I have mentioned before that I was "cheating" and using a pre mixed dough to make cookies back when I was pregnant with Max, but that was out of the sheer need to bake, eat something that is just crazy bad for me and well not have to do all the work...

But today when I wanted to make a few muffins and saw the packet of oatmeal muffins in the cupboard I had no doubt in my mind today was a Faking It kind of day...

It's not hard to Fake It... you just have to put on enough of a show to make sure that your coving your bases and not to over do it because every one knows when your hollering at the top of your lungs just how great your muffins turned out your clearly not really doing it from scratch...
 
So here are my tips for Faking It!

I have two favorite ways to Fake It with Oatmeal Muffins...

The base of course is your plain Oatmeal muffin mix, on the back it will tell you to add water... DONT! Add milk instead then follow the rest of the instructions.

If you want to spice it up and make Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Muffins add a dash of Cinnamon and Ginger then add a few Chocolate Chips and bake... Easy right....
And better still... if you want to make Oatmeal Raisin Muffins....

Add the Ginger and Cinnamon and of course your Raisins.... then when you put them in the pans to bake sprinkle a little brown sugar over the top and bake as usual, the sugar will melt and caramelize a little giving you a crunchy sweet topping!
Bring that to the school bake sale and you can bet your behind that none of the other Momma's will be guessing that you Faked It! Well unless they read my blog too... and lets be realistic friends... they don't...

Happy Monday! And Happy Faking It too!

Friday, October 19, 2012

Photo Friday! Grandnans Tomatoes

Robyn's Grandmother (Grandnan to our kids) is an amazing woman...

She looks so much younger than her years, has a heart that is bigger than you can imagine, she always has a smile for us and our kids (even after a knee surgery) and she has the most lovely tomatoes growing in her green house!

I couldn't help but photograph them on our last visit they looked so good (and the lighting was perfect for the photos too...) I was temped to set up my own green house and start growing my own, and well lets just say that someday this WILL happen!


My Mouth is seriously watering here...


Anyone have a good recipe for Fried Green Tomatoes??

Happy Friday Friends!

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Tell the Truth Thursday! My Husband Makes Me Lazy...

So back a few weeks ago I mentioned that you may see this post coming up and well here you go...

This is my Hubby!

Yep that's him in all his glory... It's crazy but this photo really is him...

Anyway the truth is when he is at home I feel drawn to him like "Dude lets just sit on this couch and watch Doctor Who and How I met your mother forever... never mind that the laundry is piling up, the dishes haven't been done in a week and the kids require food..."

I just like to be with him is that so crazy... Well the TRUTH is YES, YES IT IS! Especially since he was off for almost 2 months this summer.... so not only did I just want to sit on my behind with him eating popcorn and watching TV but also I wanted to comfort him and help him through the tragedy our family had just experienced... 

Let me tell ya two months of wanting to be lazy with your husband makes you pretty lazy...

Whats the TRUTH about your husband? Share your story in the comments!

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Tell The Truth Thursday! A Facebook Truth!

So I have lots of friends on my personal Facebook page.... (OK not lots but enough... OK so Its more like a few, maybe...) and I love Facebook it's great for keeping in touch, sharing pictures, resources and keeping up on life with the people you are close to and even those ones you keep around to creep on I mean creep on I mean... oh hell I do mean creep on... you know you do it too!

Anyway I have the friends on Facebook that update every few months with Happy birthday to whoever or were moving or were having another baby and thats great... I have the friends that update every week or so with funny stories or pictures and such and thats great too... but we all have the friends that post every two minutes where they are, what they are doing and how sweet their child/cat/dog is.... and that is...

Ok lets tell the TRUTH here!

It's annoying....

I am all for letting the people you know in on your life, and what happens and who you are with and I do love that my Blog friends post frequently throughout the day but to see the same person update every ten minutes with personal issues kinda bugs me....

I mean things happen in life and they change you and your life in a moments notice, they flip your life on its head, happy and sad, blessings and sacrifices they all happen to all of us. I am so glad that I have the support of the people in my life be that in my household, on the Blog or even on Facebook but there are somethings in life that are sacred, some things that the world doesn't need every detail on...

I don't mean to offend if you are a constant personal life Facebook poster, and I don't mean to demean either but really don't you have support offline? Can't you call up a friend and say "Hey I need to talk!" or "Look this just happened can you help me?"

TRUTH be told this all stems from this summer.... and as I have mentioned previously my family suffered a great and tragic loss this summer when my Father-In-Law passed away, it took me a great deal of time to share that information here on the blog and I haven't shared it outright on my personal Facebook or on the Blogs Facebook page either... however about a week after his passing a "friend" on Facebook posted that a family member was ill and was not going to make it, she then posted repeatedly that day and over the next few days about the family members status and that she was so very sad, I felt heart broken for her and for her family but I couldn't help but feel that this was a bit on the inappropriate side. This poor family member was on their death bed and here was this girl posting every detail about it on Facebook.

Maybe I am just a little more private, maybe I just don't over step my boundaries when it comes to other peoples lives or maybe just maybe this crosses the line!

I am all for Facebook as I have stated above and previously here on the blog but I feel like it has allowed us to forget that the people we post about and the topics we discuss may just be a little to private for 400 of your "closest" friends to know!

I mean really the life and times of Jane So and So sure are interesting and I know that its hard sometimes to pull back and keep the info to yourself but really I don't need to know how many centimeters dilated you are or that your kid just broke his leg and the bone is sticking out and oh by the way have a look at the photo I just took at the ER! I know that having a phone that makes this all too easy to share, I know that sometimes you just need to get the words out, I know that the torment of feeling alone in the heartbreak is unbearable but... and this is a BIG BUT is it really helping you to post it on Facebook?

I know, I know delete this poor soul or block them and walk away right. Well thats fine and I do that to almost all of them... but like I said you have those few that you creep on...



Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Holy Cow It's FALL!!! And SPOILERS!

Well it seems time and motivation has gotten away from me again...

It seems that summer faded into the fall and here I am just catching up with the rest of the world... again.

Well at least I am here, I am back and I am doing my very best to get back to a regular schedule and a regular life... as you may or may not know we have had a bit of a crazy summer and its kind of thrown us off schedule....

This summer my Father-In-Law passed away in a very sudden accident, so naturally I took time off to deal with that, and it has kind of taken my head and my heart a little longer than I thought to get back to  blogging. I threw myself into planning the kids parties and a few other things and I tried to get back to blogging and back to life but its been harder than I thought and I really wasn't ready. It hasn't been easy, not that anyone has said it should be, it hasn't always been nice, again is it supposed to be, and frankly its been gut wrenching and terrible and I still miss him more than words can say...

Also we took some more time than usual this summer to spend with Robyn's mom and his family at their home in Little Hearts Ease, helping us all, kids included, to heal and get used to the new normal. Making that a bit easier Robyn took some time off work to help him deal with the stress and the sadness surrounding the loss of his Dad, that however made it harder to blog as I was wanting to spend as much time with him as possible... (this is however a whole other post in its self because seriously having my hubby home makes me so lazy and makes me so mad that nothing is getting done... Ha Ha look for the "My Husband Makes Me Lazy" Post in the future!)

Either way this is basically my "What I did over summer vacation" report.... as I am finally ready to get back to my life and "job" (in quotations because lord knows I don't make a cent telling you how I feel about this, that and everything else, sharing recipes and crafts! And I'm completely OK with that! hum... another post topic you might see in the future... )

So this was my summer vacation in a nut shell.... and by a nut shell I mean Instagram photos....














Not too bad of a summer considering the life events that threw us for a loop!

So that was my summer and I am full force into the fall now... so look out Thanksgiving and Halloween your on my list and I am so on top of things right now that we will be starting projects before you know it!

Ps: If you would like to see my Instagram photos as I take them rather than in one big post like this one feel free to add me to your Instagram! I'm simply mommamadeit (no spaces or punctuation!) You can also like my Facebook Page as well as I usually post my Instagram photos there as well!

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Sesame Street Party! Loot Bags!

I love a good kids party... heck I love a good party!

I also love when you can make your Loot Bags and make them fun for the kids without breaking the bank and filling them with junk toys and junk food!

I didn't DIY all of the Loot Bag fillers this year like I have done in the past (click here to see those ones) but I did make sure that there wasn't too much candy filling up the kiddos after cake, cupcakes and lots of cookies... I put in a fruit snack and a candy skewer, and then rounded it out with Sesame Street Stickers, bubbles, a glow stick and a thank you photo of my boy!


For Max's Loot Bags I knew that as one of our kiddos favorite characters Cookie Monster would be the star and I wanted them to be easy to make as well so I set out with my trusty scalloped edge circle cutter and a few brown paper bags to make my own Loot Bags as I have before! This was beyond EASY! I punched out a few Cookie Monster Blue scalloped edge circles and added a few crazy eyes, and a huge black smile then it was as easy as gluing Cookie to the the bag and filling them up...





I made the candy skewers myself and picked up the candy at the bulk store for about $8.00 and had enough for  9 skewers and some extra (ok a lot extra) for snaking at the house and on a quick road trip to visit family....





The skewers them selves were $1 at the dollarama (the bag had about 100 in it and while about 4 or 5 were cracked or split and unusable I guarantee I wont ever use the whole bag!)


To make the skewers I just threaded the candy on the skewer in a pattern and covered it with a sandwich bag (you know the type, the ones that fold over that you pick up by mistake when you are reaching for the zip up kind but not paying enough attention at the store...) then add a ribbon around and you have a quick easy Loot Bag filler!

As for the Photo I edited a snap of my boy in Picasa (It's my preferred editor) or you can do it in any of the online editors you use, then email to Walmart! I usually just add Thanks for celebrating my __ birthday with me... or Thanks for making my __ birthday special... or any cute saying I like to include the year so that it becomes more of a keepsake then just a thank you note. Now this where it can get a little expensive. I usually print about 30 photos as I want to have enough to put in the Loot Bags and you need a few extra for the adults at the party too... goodness knows that Nanny and Poppy need one and so does great aunt whats-her-name, and what about that old friend so-and-so. But at 19 cents a print its still not too bad, at just $5.70 (plus taxes) its a nice gesture to say thanks to kids and grown ups alike that attended your party and brought a gift.


So the price break down for each Loot Bag....

Paper bag: 0.02 (packaged 50/$1)
Photo:  0.19 (each)
Bubbles: 0.25 (packaged 4/$1)
Glow Stick: 0.19 (packaged 6/$1)
Stickers: 0.33 (packaged 6 sheets/$2)
Fruit snacks:0.33 (packaged 12 packets/$4)
Candy Skewers: 0.51 (Skewers 100/$1 Candy Bulk 8.00 for WAY more than enough!)

This years Loot Bags came in at roughly $1.79 per bag.... not to shabby if you ask me! 

Now you may look at this and say that's all you put in your Loot Bags? But keep in mind that you just loaded those kids down with not only cake, cupcakes, cookies and lunch but also a prize for the lucky cup and plate, a prize for each game, and a pinata! Trust me its ENOUGH!


What do you put in your Loot Bags? Do you skip them all together? I'd love to hear about your party and your Loot Bags in the comments!


Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Happy 4th Birthday Delaney!

My first born, my baby sugar, my sweetie pie was born this day 4 years ago.

It feels like so long ago yet it feels like it was yesterday....

I remember going into labour and the horrible night that went nowhere and resulted in an emergency c-section at 3 am, I remember the pure exhaustion after I was brought back for recovery, I remember shaking all over and the horrible headache from the spinal but most of all I remember being so in love with my beautiful baby girl....

She's not a baby anymore, she's a big girl who will be quite a woman someday!

I'm proud to be her Momma an her friend!

Happy Birthday Sugar!

Friday, August 17, 2012

Sesame Street Party Overview!

So as I have mentioned a few times we celebrated Max's BIG first Birthday last weekend (the day after his actual birthday) and I have to say it was quite a success!

So I figured I'd give you a run down of what happened and how it went before I give you anymore of the DIY's... so be prepared you are about to see LOTS of adorable pictures of my FABULOUS ONE YEAR OLD and his soon to be FOUR YEAR OLD big sis!

Birthday Boy waiting for friends to show up for some fun!












I love to DIY my decorations and while I have already shared the balloon wreath there is oh so much more to come... Including a whole post on a scalloped edge circle punch!
Playing Oscars Trash Toss!
Super easy Sesame Street theme game, just get a garbage can, I happened upon this Sesame Street one but a regular one would be fine too, and give the kids three pieces of "trash" have them throw each piece toward the can and try to get them in. If you get at least one piece in then you move on, move the trash can a little further away and you just keep going until only one kid gets the trash in the bucket.

CAKE!
What's a party without cake??? 
I make my kiddos their own smash cake up to age three, that way they can dig in get as messy as they want and eat as much as they want without man handling the cake for me the guests.....
 


Max's smash cake was seen on Facebook already but I will give you a few more details in a future post all about the cake... including the secret recipe to the cookie dough filling!






Of course there were presents! 

I wanted to make this area a little special and to make it a little Sesame street too I hung some of my DIY decorations and used a Sesame Street quilt that was given to Max as the present table cloth.
He's a proper member of the Kiss army now... and got lots of Big Boy Toys too!


There was food all around as well... 
Lots of cupcakes and cookies were served up along side of the BBQ and of course they were all topped off with DIY cupcake toppers!





Look for a quick cupcake topper section in the DIY decorations post next week!




I was so inspired by this post (that I found surprise surprise on Pinterest) that I just had to make a Cookie Monster Pinata!
It was super fun and the kids loved it! Look for a full post on making a Cookie Monster Pinata and what to fill it with soon!












So that is the Sesame Street Party in a nutshell.... It was a blast to plan, to DIY and to enjoy with my baby boy! I hope that you will join me next week to have a look at how it all came together from Invites to decorations and of course no birthday part series is complete without a cake post! 



Hows that for a Photo Friday?
Happy Friday!


Photos by Momma Made It! and family!