MOM Tip: Books For Cards

The next time you are invited a Baby shower or child's birthday party why not for go the greeting card purchase and pick out a book to use as your card instead.  You and/or your children can sign the inside cover congratulating the arrival of the new baby or wishing the child a happy Birthday and they recipient will now have a keepsake for years to come as well as inspire them to read and enjoy books long after the party is over.

Another idea is to ask all those attending a baby shower to d the same thing to help begin the new babies library of books.

You can find gently used books at second hand stores or look for clearance books during the year and buy them ahead just like we buy greeting cards ahead.

24 Birthday Celebrations Ideas

Birthdays are an opportunity for us to celebrate our children and show them that they are special and valued.

Many of these ideas are From the 24/7 MOMS Live Birthday Bash Webcast that aired on 7/19/11. Click here to watch it now and hear about even MORE Birthday ideas

Try one of these 24 SIMPLE ideas to celebrate your child's special day.

24 Birthday Celebration Ideas

1. Write on the bathroom mirror with lipstick or window paints Happy Birthday to your child. If you have a Teenager who drives, write on their car.

2. Birthday Fairy - When your child is sleeping place a small gift in their bedroom that the wake up to from the Birthday Fairy. ( my 9 year old invented this celebration idea and still tells me the birthday fairy brought him the gift in his bedroom)

3. Surprise your child with a new Birthday Outfit to wear, school age children love this as they can wear it to school.

4. Present your Child with a badge that says “It’s my Birthday” or a hat/ crown..or create a T-shirt.

5. Serve Breakfast in bed with candle and all . Wake them up to the family singing happy Birthday.

6. Serve a Family Morning Breakfast: Child wakes up to decorated table with a theme (use leftovers from past parties) be sure to have a small gift at their seat. Serve Pancakes with sprinkles or chocolate chips for breakfast.

7. Each year give the Birthday child a special place setting at their birthday meal. ( plate , cup). Or use a Special Birthday plate that every family member gets to use on their Birthday.

8. School Fun - Decorate your child's classroom door with a poster of your child and pictures of them and/ or Deliver Lunch to them at school.

9. Allow your Child to choose their Favorite Meal or place to go out to eat for dinner. Then around the dinner table, have each family member tell the birthday person something the appreciate about them.

10. Decorate the Dinner Table, use a special table cloth, dishes, decorations etc.

11. Bake a cake, then have Dad and birthday child decorate it together the night before the birthday.

12. Have Dad send flowers, candy, cards to school for them.

13. Write a letter or card each year to your child.

14. TEXT, Facebook, or leave message on phone recorder wishing them a happy birthday.

15. Ship a Birthday in a box - if your child is away form home on their birthday.

16. Give them simple gifts all day long : Next to their bed when they wake-up
At their Breakfast table
In their lunch
On their school desk
At the dinner table

17. Create a treasure hunt to find their gift.

18. Give gifts that go with number of years old...5 years old equals 5 pieces of gum or give them the number of gifts they are old so 5 years old 5 gifts.

19. Hang a special birthday flag outside your house.

20. Add to a charm bracelet or commemorative coin collection each year.

21. Mark your child’s height each birthday on a growth stick.

22. Have professional portraits taken each year.

23. Have Birthday guests sign something—bed sheets, pillow cases, piggy banks, frames at the Birthday party.

24. December Birthdays, celebrate with family on the December date then with friends in January - every child likes their birthday to last for a month.

Birthday Countdown Blocks

What kid doesn't get excited about their upcoming Birthday.  Create this simple Countdown to add more fun to the upcoming celebration from Holiday Snob.  Click here to get complete instructions.

DIY Birthday Plate

  Make your Own Family Birthday Plate!

  By Leslie Pleasants

Everyone has a birthday in your family so why not make it just a little bit more special with a tradition. Make a Birthday Plate that you bring out any time someone has a birthday. Whoever's birthday it is that person gets to eat off of that plate. If you want to make a plate for each person in the family you can do that too and personalize it with their name.

Materials:

Ceramic Plate

Porcelaine brand ceramic paint

(pens or brush on)

*if you use a brand other then Porcelaine make sure its

non-toxic and dishwasher safe

Make sure you wash the plate and take off any stickers. Completely dry. Now you can use stencils or freehand you design. You might be a scrapbooker and already have a cupcake stencil or have a cricut and make a stencil or purchase one from the store. This doesn't have to be perfect so you can make it your own.

Some ideas:

Balloons

Cupcake

Cake

Candles

"Happy Birthday!"

"It's Your Day!"

Present

Remember you have the middle of the plate to decorate but you can also decorate the edge of the plate too! 

Directions:

Follow the directions on the paint. You might need a second coat. Let the first coat dry first before applying the second coat though. Until the plate is baked you can fix any mistakes you made by washing them off. Or you can use a Q-tip.


In order for these plates to be used with food, the plates MUST be baked following the manufactures directions on the label. These plates will last for years and years. Even through the dishwasher!!

MOM Tip - Birthday Fairy

When your child is sleeping place a small gift in their bedroom that they wake up to in the morning from the Birthday Fairy. ( my 9 year old invented this celebration idea and still tells me the birthday fairy brought him the gift in his bedroom). Allow them to open it as soon as they wake up.

DIY MOMS - Birthday Topiary

This week you can create a FUN Birthday Celebration tradition with the DIY MOMS Birthday Topiary from Ready Set Create. For full instructions go to Ready Set Create by clicking here.

*Stop by each week for our DIY MOMS feature. 24/7 MOMS will feature a DIY ( Do it yourself) project by a MOM each week.

MOM Tip- Simple Bithday Breakfast

Begin your Child's special day celebration with breakfast

Sprinkle some extra fun on your child’s special day this year with a Confetti Birthday Pancake. Follow the simple instructions below to make this unforgettable birthday breakfast your family can share!

Confetti Birthday Pancake

Ingredients:

· 3 Aunt Jemima Frozen Confetti Pancakes

· 1 sliced orange

· 1 sliced strawberry

· Whipped cream

· Sprinkles

· Birthday candle

Directions:

1. Heat up 3 Aunt Jemima Frozen Confetti Pancakes and stack one on top of another

2. Decorate edge of top pancake with whipped cream

3. Add pieces of sliced orange on top of whipped cream – approximately ½ inch apart

4. Add a dollop of whipped cream to the center of the top pancake and top with strawberry slices

5. Add sprinkles

6. Place the finishing touches on your creation by adding a candle to the center of the top pancake

7. Make a wish!

DIY Birthday Wreath

This week you can create a FUN Birthday Celebration tradition with the DIY MOMS Birthday Wreath from How Does She. Stop by and see more fun ideas from How Does She by clicking here.

What would you do with 144 Balloons?

How Does She…make a birthday wreath?

This wreath is so festive and fun to decorate with for every birthday! Our good friend Amber is the pro at making them – she was so nice to let us take pictures of her making one so we could share it with all of you! She said she originally got the idea from a wonderful lady named Carleen Tanner. Amber is such a fun person to be around…as you can see in the picture (another thing she got roped into:)

“Hi my name is Amber and life is GRAND!

I’m married to my best friend & I am a mom to five beautiful kids (3 boys 2 girls).

Life is never dull! I love doing all sorts of new activities (riding a very small bike down a hill:)”

Five Fun Facts

about Amber:

I just ran a 5k and had a BLAST!
A Cadbury egg is my weak spot ( I have a lot in my freezer:)
I hate to wear swim suits
I have literally had to “get the lead out”…….
Purple is the best color around

If I were a Super Hero

“I think I would be the Patience Princess.

I so lack in this department and need all the help I can get.”

Now on with the Balloon Wreath!

First you need balloons. Lots and lots of balloons.

(2 bags of 72 count…the 1 1/2 to 2 inch sized balloon)

You also need:

1. 2 greening pin packs-found at Craft stores in the artificial plant section.

2. and a straw wreath -leave the plastic on so it doesn’t shed.

You just take a greening pin, stick the balloon in the middle…

and stick it to the straw wreath.

Push it in nice and tight.

Do this over and over and over until the whole wreath is filled in colorful balloons!

What a way to welcome the birthday person with COLOR! My kids love it when the birthday wreath comes out…it is now associated with birthday FUN!!!

Happy Birthday!

Thanks Amber for answering the question, How Does She…make a birthday wreath? You rock!

*Stop by each week for our DIY MOMS feature. 24/7 MOMS will feature a DIY ( Do it yourself) project by a MOM each week.

MOM Tip- Birthday Outfit

Kids love to play dress-up and what better time to do this then their birthday party. allow them to wear a costume or other clothing items that go along with the theme of their party. Such as if your daughter is having a Cinderella party let her wear a Cinderella costume dress or T-shirt with Cinderella on it or maybe your son is having a Spider man party same idea as Cinderella allow them to wear either an actual costume or fun T-shirt.

MOM Tip - Birthday Lunch

Serve lunch in fun containers to go with your child's them at their party. Such as if your child is having a Bob the builder party serve lunch in brown lunch sacks or small dump trucks or if your child is having a Puppy party serve lunch in dog bowls. Be creative and have fun.

24 Birthday Celebration Ideas

Birthdays are an opportunity for us to celebrate our children and show them that they are special and valued.

Many of these ideas are From the 24/7 MOMS Live Birthday Bash Webcast that aired on 8/31/2010. Click here to watch it now and hear about even MORE Birthday ideas

Try one of these 24 SIMPLE ideas to celebrate your child's special day.

24 Birthday Celebration Ideas

1. Write on the bathroom mirror with lipstick or window paints Happy Birthday to your child. If you have a Teenager who drives, write on their car.

2. Birthday Fairy - When your child is sleeping place a small gift in their bedroom that the wake up to from the Birthday Fairy. ( my 9 year old invented this celebration idea and still tells me the birthday fairy brought him the gift in his bedroom)

3. Surprise your child with a new Birthday Outfit to wear, school age children love this as they can wear it to school.

4. Present your Child with a badge that says “It’s my Birthday” or a hat/ crown..or create a T-shirt.

5. Serve Breakfast in bed with candle and all . Wake them up to the family singing happy Birthday.

6. Serve a Family Morning Breakfast: Child wakes up to decorated table with a theme (use leftovers from past parties) be sure to have a small gift at their seat. Serve Pancakes with sprinkles or chocolate chips for breakfast.

7. Each year give the Birthday child a special place setting at their birthday meal. ( plate , cup). Or use a Special Birthday plate that every family member gets to use on their Birthday.

8. School Fun - Decorate your child's classroom door with a poster of your child and pictures of them and/ or Deliver Lunch to them at school.

9. Allow your Child to choose their Favorite Meal or place to go out to eat for dinner. Then around the dinner table, have each family member tell the birthday person something the appreciate about them.

10. Decorate the Dinner Table, use a special table cloth, dishes, decorations etc.

11. Bake a cake, then have Dad and birthday child decorate it together the night before the birthday.

12. Have Dad send flowers, candy, cards to school for them.

13. Write a letter or card each year to your child.

14. TEXT, Facebook, or leave message on phone recorder wishing them a happy birthday.

15. Ship a Birthday in a box - if your child is away form home on their birthday.

16. Give them simple gifts all day long : Next to their bed when they wake-up
At their Breakfast table
In their lunch
On their school desk
At the dinner table

17. Create a treasure hunt to find their gift.

18. Give gifts that go with number of years old...5 years old equals 5 pieces of gum or give them the number of gifts they are old so 5 years old 5 gifts.

19. Hang a special birthday flag outside your house.

20. Add to a charm bracelet or commemorative coin collection each year.

21. Mark your child’s height each birthday on a growth stick.

22. Have professional portraits taken each year.

23. Have Birthday guests sign something—bed sheets, pillow cases, piggy banks, frames at the Birthday party.

24. December Birthdays, celebrate with family on the December date then with friends in January - every child likes their birthday to last for a month.

RePlay For MOMS of the Big Birthday Bash Webcast

Big Birthday Bash With Trisha Novotny and Valerie White. Fun simple celebrations ideas and tips. Click screen to watch this past weeks 24/7 MOMS Live Webcast.

24 Simple Birthday Celebration Ideas

Birthdays are an opportunity for us to celebrate our children and show them that they are special and valued.

Try one of these 24 SIMPLE ideas to celebrate your child's special day.

1. Write on the bathroom mirror with lipstick or window paints Happy Birthday to your child. If you have a Teenager who drives, write on their car.

2. Birthday Fairy - When your child is sleeping place a small gift in their bedroom that the wake up to from the Birthday Fairy. ( my 9 year old invented this celebration idea and still tells me the birthday fairy brought him the gift in his bedroom)

3. Surprise your child with a new Birthday Outfit to wear, school age children love this as they can wear it to school.

4. Present your Child with a badge that says “It’s my Birthday” or a hat/ crown..or create a T-shirt.

5. Serve Breakfast in bed with candle and all . Wake them up to the family singing happy Birthday.

6. Serve a Family Morning Breakfast: Child wakes up to decorated table with a theme (use leftovers from past parties) be sure to have a small gift at their seat. Serve Pancakes with sprinkles or chocolate chips for breakfast.

7. Each year give the Birthday child a special place setting at their birthday meal. ( plate , cup). Or use a Special Birthday plate that every family member gets to use on their Birthday.

8. School Fun - Decorate your child's classroom door with a poster of your child and pictures of them and/ or Deliver Lunch to them at school.

9. Allow your Child to choose their Favorite Meal or place to go out to eat for dinner. Then around the dinner table, have each family member tell the birthday person something the appreciate about them.

10. Decorate the Dinner Table, use a special table cloth, dishes, decorations etc.

11. Bake a cake, then have Dad and birthday child decorate it together the night before the birthday.

12. Have Dad send flowers, candy, cards to school for them.

13. Write a letter or card each year to your child.

14. TEXT, Facebook, or leave message on phone recorder wishing them a happy birthday.

15. Ship a Birthday in a box - if your child is away form home on their birthday.

16. Give them simple gifts all day long : Next to their bed when they wake-up
At their Breakfast table
In their lunch
On their school desk
At the dinner table

17. Create a treasure hunt to find their gift.

18. Give gifts that go with number of years old...5 years old equals 5 pieces of gum or give them the number of gifts they are old so 5 years old 5 gifts.

19. Hang a special birthday flag outside your house.

20. Add to a charm bracelet or commemorative coin collection each year.

21. Mark your child’s height each birthday on a growth stick.

22. Have professional portraits taken each year.

23. Have Birthday guests sign something—bed sheets, pillow cases, piggy banks, frames at the Birthday party.

24. December Birthdays, celebrate with family on the December date then with friends in January - every child likes their birthday to last for a month.

From the 24/7 MOMS Live Web Cast 7/14/2009