When my friend Abbie Schiller asked me if I’d help her make a DIY donut wall for her daughter’s bat mitzvah, I immediately cleared my calendar. “Now?” I begged. “Can we do it now, please?”
I’m just kidding, I didn’t have anything on my calendar to clear. Continue Reading…
Hey Party People! So I’m experimenting with my new Canon 80D and decided to make a short video about Smalls’ Madeline Party. I’m loving the quality of the DSLR- a serious upgrade from my iPad! What do you think? Oh, and what do you think of the party?! I’ve just upgraded my sound situation as well, so stay tuned for bigger and better videos!
Today my baby turned 5. We celebrated with a Madeline birthday party for which I made too many things with too much hot glue. Maybe I put so much energy into birthdays to avoid thinking about them getting older. It’s a nice distraction. It’s selfish really, with the added benefit that they enjoy these shindigs. I miss holding them close to me in overly-complicated baby wraps. I miss co-sleeping. I miss tiny fingers and toes. But they grow. They get longer. They get stronger. They get smarter. And then one day they run away from you and tell you your hair is stupid and you’re a terrible mother. Sigh.
Today she did not run away from me. And I guess my hair was fine. She didn’t mention it. Continue Reading…
It’s Pi Day, everyone! I am posting today to tell you that Pi Day doesn’t have to only come once a century. Math geeks and pie lovers unite…
Throw a Pi Party!
It was my brother-in-law’s 50th and my sister-in-law wanted to honor him with a big bash. His nickname is “More Pi”, which works on a couple of levels: his wife makes a mean apple pie for which he is known to make frequent requests and he is a big time computer scientist. Continue Reading…
Despite what some people say, Halloween is NOT just for kids. Who said that anyway? Someone slap some Groucho glasses on that guy. No one has the right to say what something is or is not for any one group of people.
OK, fine. One declarative statement is allowed: TOGA PARTY is not for children.
Every year, a fabulous mom and dad at my daughter’s school throw a big toga party fundraiser right around Halloween. We have many fundraisers throughout the year— cheese parties, spin class parties, shopping parties, but this party is by far the most decadent. Guests as well as servers dress in costume, the property is decorated like a Hollywood set, and the view is spectacular. Continue Reading…
When my cousin May (often referred to as ‘sister’) gave me a card during a recent visit to LA I had no idea what it could be for. I pulled it out of its envelope. SH*T JUST GOT REAL it read.
And on the interior: Will you be my bridesmaid?
I squeeeeealed! I’d never been asked to be anyone’s bridesmaid before. She likes me, she really likes me! My entire life I’ve waited for this validation from my younger and always cooler cousin. She had been the glue that pulled my DIY wedding together back in 2006— literally— tacky-gluing programs and place cards hours before I walked down the aisle. Finally I can reciprocate.
Lucky for me, she’s not a hardcore DIY-er. Continue Reading…
The red carpet is traditionally reserved for an elite set— famous people, rich people, people with unusually large… sponsors.
But our friends Elizabeth and Michael rolled out a different red carpet when they threw their daughter Ruby a Red Carpet Birthday Party. It was a celebration of childhood, individuality and friendship.
The power of the red carpet was in the kids’ hands. Ruby made a walk of fame with stars for each of her friends. Continue Reading…
My best friend Lisa asked me to host her shower! “At my place,” she said. UGH. Her place is beautiful, but it’s like a museum—filled with expensive things always arranged just so. I almost feel like I’m messing it up just by standing there, breathing. There was no way I could bring my kiddie party aesthetic to her house. No, not Oz, nor Alice nor pancakes would do for this event. It needed to be elegant.
To add to the challenge, Lisa had one simple request: NO GAMES. “No one is measuring my belly or guessing my weight. Capiche?” “Sure,” I said, hiding the puffy mallet behind my back… Continue Reading…
Vivi turned three! In our family, we celebrate this milestone with a pancake party.
Pancakes are yummy, but the real fun lies in the privilege of pouring syrup without parental guidance.
For Vivi’s pancake birthday party we transformed the house into a roadside diner. And yet again, we had another excuse to dress in silly costumes: me, as your fumbling diner waitress Shelly (think Vera with a touch of Flo) and Jonathan as the world renowned pancake chef Johnny Pancakes. Continue Reading…
This year we kept Pearl’s birthday party small…
…but fancy.
Once she said she wanted a tea party— a real tea party, I knew I didn’t want a bunch of plastic tableware. Since my girls happen to love tea, and parties, I figured investing in 15 ceramic tea cups makes sense for us. And the environment. Continue Reading…
