My Pattern for Success

To the Bushman Birthday Party: 

You are my friend if I am disciplined to follow my own rules.

When the prep time is too much, I know I'm straying.

You and I are buds if I follow the pattern.

After all, you are my creation.

September brings a birthday in the middle and at the end. 17 days apart makes for birthday craziness, especially on an even year (friend birthday party). However, I don't stress anymore. I have it down! I follow my pattern for success and it's just that...successful. 

Julie's Pattern for Successful and Inexpensive Birthday Parties

The Theme
Decide on a theme but don't go over-board or stress about it. A theme helps with an invitation, a cake and to plan out your activities. I love having a theme but I don't let it get me. Keep it simple. The children are not going to care if you spend weeks planning the decorations and party favors or if you throw something together last minute. 

This year we had a Spiderman theme and a pink princess punch party theme. I took a picture of my son in a Spiderman costume and used it as part of the invitation and decorations. I used my trusty Printshop program to make invitations. This one took ten minutes to design and print.

If I can find a cute graphic that goes with the theme, I'll use that as my base. It worked out nicely for the Pink Princess Punch Party. The invitation was cut out around the edges of the cup. It was cute, if I do say so myself. (Invitations edited)

The Decorations
Balloons, Streamers, Banner, Cheap Plastic Table Cloth
For the most part, this is all I use. Make it festive but don't overdo it. The children will still have fun - even if there are NO decorations. For the Spiderman party we did use some $0.99 web and plastic spiders. My little guy found a Spiderman poster at Walmart for $5.00 that he wanted. Forget that - it will just be torn and ruined in a day. So, we made our own with him as the star!

The Elements

I have the same elements for every child's birthday party. They just change based on the theme of the party.

1. Start with a Craft. This gets everyone involved and busy from the get-go. It also allows time for all of the children to arrive. The craft tends to be something they wear or use for party participation. For the pink party we made princess crowns. I found a website online that had the printable template. Voila - in ten minutes I found the template and printed them out. We picked up some stickers at Walmart and with some crayons for color, they made some beautiful crowns that were worn for most of the party.

For the Spiderman party, I found a Spiderman mask template that I printed on cardstock. The boys colored them for the first 15 minutes of the party. Add some elastic with a stapler and you have a prop to be used for later in the party.

(His cousin broke his writing arm three days before the party and was thus struggling to color his mask. The birthday boy saw the struggle and offered to color his mask for him. So tender and sweet!!)

2. Activity
Decide on a main activity. Having a lot of little games just makes me crazy. I prefer a 20-30 minute activity to four short little games; less planning which equals less time spent. For these two parties we had a "Punch Party" and a "Spiderman Adventure".

The Spiderman Adventure was amazing. The boys LOVED it. I utilized my two big boys as Spiderman and Venom. (Thank you to my amazing friend for letting us borrow the Spiderman costume and for the willing hearts of my sons!)

While the boys were finishing their masks, the birthday presents slowly disappeared. One of the boys realized they were gone and they all panicked. All of the sudden Spiderman appears - jumping over the railing and the couch. They were in AWE! I told Spiderman that the birthday presents were gone. He took them on a search outside which then led back to the house. They went downstairs and there was Venom with the presents. Spiderman and Venom had a mild little duel and Venom conceded. The boys rescued the presents and they all got a picture with the hero and the villain. I told Venom that he was a naughty boy to steal the gifts. He repented. Spiderman said his goodbyes and jumped over the railing and down the stairs. It truly was a hit - one of the best birthday activities yet!!! No cost, no preparation - just good old impromptu fun.

3. Games

The best birthday party game is Don't Eat Pete. I've written about it before - here. 

Add additional games as needed, depending on the age group and length of the party. Other games we love include The Candy Bar Game and The Family Game. I try to stay away from Pin the Tail and Duck, Duck Goose. Boys love throwing games; make sure to use soft items.

4. Presents
Play musical presents...or not. We play it by ear.

5. The Cake
Most of the time I make the birthday cake. With a standard 9x13 cake you can be so creative and make almost anything. For the princess party, I cut the cake into the shape of a crown and decorated with frosting and candies. I had a bit of help with the Spiderman cake, thanks to a cake kit from Maceys which gave me the web and Spiderman figure. I don't mess with fondant. Too much time...too much money. Plus I LOVE my butter cream frosting recipe.

6. Party Bags
Keep it simple! Always include a non-filled balloon. I think kids like this the best of anything. Some of my other go-to favors: licorice stick, sucker, fruit snack, stickers, pencil, notepad, bouncy ball, gum, bracelet, necklace.

Other Tips
Serve lunch or dinner as a good filler. Take pictures of the birthday child with their cake BEFORE people arrive. Make sure to charge all batteries for picture and video taking the night before. Have extra helpers around. Don't vacuum or mop your floor before the party. Do the dishes! Leave some downtime for the kids to just play and have fun together. Plan an extra game or activity just in case. Turn on some music for a dance party. Take a photo of the birthday child with each guest. If you incorporate a movie, make it short. Kids get bored. A 20 minute Spiderman episode was perfect. Bake the cake the night before. Frost it the day of the party. There is nothing worse than the birthday cake being too warm to frost and the clock is ticking! In my opinion, don't offer to take the kids home. It just adds another level of responsibility and something to worry about. Avoid opening presents with small pieces while the friends are still around. Things tend to get lost if you let them have a free-for-all. Before spending much time on anything, think, "Is this really worth it to my child or is it for me?"

"Stick" to those guidelines and you'll have a successful party every time!

Oh, and Happy Birthday to my Super September Stars. Love you both!!!

More to Come...but until then, Stick-to-it!

Gratitude Attitude

"Sincerely giving thanks not only helps us recognize our blessings, but it also unlocks the doors of heaven and helps us feel God's love." Thomas S. Monson

As people are going gaga over Halloween, I prefer to focus on the last day of our Gratitude month. Here are a few things we've done this week:

Grateful for Grandmas!!! Our mothers have done more for us than any other and thus, felt an especially great need to let them know how much we appreciate them.  We visited Sam's mother with a grocery bag full of her favorite candy in hand to replenish the stock that my children constantly deplete. This thank you banner depicts the many things that Grandma does for us...for always having candy, for giving great hugs, for telling fun stories, poems and songs, for coming to all of our events, for smiling and being cheerful.....

We also visited my mother with a carved pumpkin and a banner specific to her, too. Thank you for homemade rolls at Christmas, for always knowing what to do and say, for lending your home for birthday parties, for giving us treats, for the SANTA CLAUS DOLLS....
We enjoyed an hour of leaf-raking and weed-pulling to further show our gratitude for EVERYTHING!

 

I picked up a few gratitude remembrances to keep the spirit of gratitude in our home as we move on to our next "Be". 

"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, but learning to dance in the rain."

This has become a very popular quote. To me, it's a reminder to be grateful for the joys amidst the sorrows, or problems, or annoyances, or dumb stuff. Besides, I love the red polka dots!!

"Every day brings something beautiful if we are just willing to look up and see it." Marjorie Pay Hinckley

This is a refrigerator magnet that I found at Deseret Book. They have dozens of them with a variety of uplifting quotes. At the end of our year, we should have 9 of these on our fridge - one representing each "Be". Back to this quote....there is something to be grateful for every day. We just need to look for it!

Now, to come up with our "Be Grateful Celebration", but even more difficult - when to fit it in?

Today - Halloween activities
Tomorrow - 16th Birthday (License and Lunch and Family Party)
Friday - AHS Gala
Saturday - 16th Birthday Party
Sunday - Extended Bushman Family Home Evening

And then we move into our new monthly theme, "Be Smart".

Oh well, I'm grateful today for a family to spend so much time with, and that all my family on the East Coast is safe after Hurricane Sandy.

More to Come...but until then, have a Gratitude Attitude and Stick-to-it!

Why am I doing this?

Why? 

The age-old question. 

Why can't I have my own phone?

Why can't I drink a Dr. Pepper?

Why do I have to go to bed?

Why do I have to answer why all the time?

Why am I writing this blog???

I've been a little anti lately. The desire to write has not been there, and it feels as if there's not much to share or record. In fact, it's as if I've just been holding on, going through the motions...going from this activity to that chaos to that meltdown to that moment of joy. Most mornings I do try to sit down to write something, but doubtful thoughts creep in...Is this really important? Haven't I written about this before? Is this appropriate to discuss? I don't have any pictures to go along. This is interesting to me but will it be to someone else? I can't think of a way to begin. Why am I doing this? And so on...

As I was tidying the living room this evening, the basket of books I keep by the couch was a giant blob of unorganized reading material mixed with crumpled paper, broken crayons, dirty socks, random toys, and puzzle pieces. I decided to tackle it right then. It only took a few minutes to sort through it and create a nice basket of books with good stories to read to the children and beautiful picture books to look through. I decided to put my blog books in the basket. 

Background: A few months ago, I printed this blog to hard-backed books using the print service www.blog2print.com. The first book is for 2009-2010 because I didn't write that often. The second volume is for the year 2011. 2012 is going to be big! I may need to split it into two volumes. 

Why create these blog books if they are not in a place to be read? Before placing them in the basket, I opened one of them, perusing some of the past entries. A few of my children saw me sitting; they gathered 'round to see what I was doing. They were hooked! They spent the next 30+ minutes looking through the books - laughing, reading, remembering. Seeing this sight was an eye-opener for me. This blog - my words to them - really is important, and meaningful, and enjoyable to THEM. After all, I'm writing this for my children. I witnessed in this beautiful moment the impact that my time and efforts are having...NOW. Hopefully as they have their own children in the future, it will be even greater.

Quickly grabbing the camera, I recorded some precious moments...

 

So buckle up and enjoy the ride. Why, it's not going to end any time soon. 

More to Come...but until then, Stick-to-it!

Patterns to Ponder

Grateful for Print Shop Knowledge and a Daughter that Inspires Me

 Pattern: noun

"An original or model proposed for imitation; the archetype; an exemplar; that which is to be copies or imitated, either in things or in actions; as the pattern of a machine; a pattern of patience. Christ was the most perfect pattern of rectitude,patience and submission ever exhibited on earth."

Noah Webster's 1828 Dictionary

My amazing daughter is about to turn 16. She finished Driver's Ed. She already passed her driver's test (with a perfect score!!!). Now it's the waiting game. Just a few more days and I'll have a driver again. Woo-hoo. It's not just the driving aspect that is exciting. It marks a huge milestone, new opportunities, a day she's long awaited. I'm happy for HER!!!

One exciting moment is her first boy-girl party. Yes, she's been to other people's parties, but this is the first party for her that has included boys. This is a big thing! She's had her list made, game ideas mixing in her mind, and endless food possibilities mulling around for MONTHS! In preparing for the big day, she found a super cute birthday invitation on one of the popular photo sites. No problem...only $1.46 per invitation. WOW! Multiply that by 30-40 people and you're spending over $50.00 just for the invitations - a little piece of paper that will just be tossed in the garbage. She realized the expense and said, "Mom - I like this invitation. Could we design something like it?"

Yes, we can! We went to work with my favorite little desktop publishing program, Print Shop. It is one of my best friends on my computer and has provided so many amazing creations that have saved money and time. We played with different colors, font styles, and font sizes. We came up with the following:

I cropped out all the personal info, but you get the picture.

Now, zap it to Costco's photo center and for $4.00 total, you have some darling invitations, ready to deliver. With the money we saved ($40 plus), we can buy the food for the dinner at her party. With a little bit of desire, time, knowledge, and patience, money is saved and knowledge is gained, but more important, a lesson is taught. Those lessons, one by one, will be passed on to our children, and their children, and their children. The responsibility of raising stick-to-it kids is one that affects our entire posterity. 

Think of the things you've learned from your parents. Many of those attributes were picked up from their parents and so on. Now it's our turn to pass these patterns down - good or bad. What are you passing down? Kind of scary to think about, but amazing at the same time. Am I passing down patterns of righteousness, kindness, responsibility, integrity, virtue, love, time, service, self-reliance, knowledge, and industry? Definitely something to ponder!

This simple invitation was one way to instill a pattern of frugality and self-reliance. Multiply it by dozens and hundreds of childhood lessons and it becomes part of them. That's one powerful invitation! Can you plan and carry out the party for me, too?

More to Come...but until then, Stick-to-it!

 

The Red Headed Hostess

Grateful for the Red Headed Hostess

My Learning Style: Visual, Hands on Interaction

One part of the day that I truly enjoy is my personal devotion and scripture study. 5:30 AM rolls around so quickly, but it's worth getting up to have some quiet moments of reflection and peace before the joyful chaos ensues. I am a visual and interactive learner. I don't do well with just one-sense learning. Just reading the scriptures quietly does not catch my attention. Just listening to the scriptures on my phone does not provide adequate depth. I need to read, write, highlight, and record my thoughts to have a truly meaningful experience, and to embrace the lesson that is meant for me.

For spiritual organization, my new friend is The Red Headed Hostess. I discovered her website a few weeks ago and instantly felt like this was the method that would work for me. She has developed scripture journals, a fabulous way to organize your scripture study. I picked up a chapter journal and a topic journal when she had a $3.00 off per journal sale. The chapter journal allows you to take notes and write down inspiration for particular scripture chapters. The topic journal is for recording scriptures, quotes, and thoughts about specific topics. Both journals can be referenced to the other due to her thoughtful and organized layout. Multiple designs are available to fit your style. I also purchased a topic journal for my son who is preparing for an LDS Mission. Just for your information, his journal is not pink and green like mine.

Because October is our Be Grateful month, I chose Gratitude as the first topic in my journal. Immense joy has been had as I've recorded all the scriptures, quotes, and personal experiences I've had this month in one place. Now I have a complete two page spread about gratitude that I can refer back to for future reference.

Now that I've finished my Gratitude scripture study, I've moved back to regular chapter reading. I love having an organized journal where I can record insights for specific verses, words I looked up, other scriptures I cross-referenced, or thoughts from study guides. It makes my scripture study more meaningful and I feel like I internalize the principles more fully.

I'm grateful today for The Red Headed Hostess. She has provided a product that fits my style and my needs.Try it out and let me know what you think!

More to Come...but until then, Stick-to-it!

Write-Downable of Last Week

Grateful for Dates with my Hunk-a-Love!

Write-Downable (n) 

"A statement that is cute, funny, priceless, sensitive, loving, one-of-a-kind, sweet, or spiritual; a word, phrase, sentence, or story that touches the heart of another and is deemed worthy to write down, thus recorded forever and not forgotten."

Word Created By: The Bushman Family

Definition By: Julie Bushman

Write-Downable of Last Week:

In her prayer, "Please bless that Mommy and Daddy can go on a date." (4)

YESSSSSSSSSS! 

Either she is really, really thoughtful, or she likes it when we go. In fact, I could hear my teenage son singing Party on the Dance Floor when we walked out the door a few months ago. Wish I could be a fly on the wall when we're not home!

Things have been better when we get home from an evening out. I used to get upset when we'd get home and the house was a mess, the food didn't get cleaned up, the children didn't get bathed, or nobody was in bed. My expectations were too high and could not realistically be met. I've learned some things that have really helped...

Win-Win Ideas:

Give specific instructions, but limit the list. If there's too much, children are overwhelmed and will give up. Make sure the tasks can be realistically accomplished.

Prioritize the list. Have some Must-Dos and some bonus jobs or money jobs, as my kids call them. You never know when a child will be extremely motivated. You just might end up with a super clean bathroom or an organized pantry when you get home...definitely worth a few dollars!!

Call or text when you're thirty minutes from coming home. That's when the hustle tends to happen. If they get a warning call, the panic sets in and people get moving.

Point out the accomplishments and thank the children for doing them, because they feel appreciated and validated. They'll remember that feeling and will have the desire to be helpful the next time. 

Create an incentive for fulfilling "the list". When all the jobs are done, they can rent a specified movie on Amazon on Demand (I LOVE THIS SERVICE), have a treat, go to the park, go get ice cream (if the babysitter can drive...17 more days!!!!!!!!!!!!!) or open up a surprise bag (if Mom plans in advance). I love incentives, don't you? Kids do, too!

Date in Salt Lake - August, 2012

Since she prayed for us to go on a date, let's turn that faith into action. Where are we going, honey?

More to Come...but until then, Stick-to-it!