Birthday Letter for My Youngest Son (on his 9th birthday)

Every year, I write "birthday letters" to my boys on their special days. My hope is to compile the letters together and give them a book on their 18th birthdays. Today, my "baby" boy turns 9. Time is going by much too quickly, but I am holding on tight and enjoying the adventure. Here is my birthday letter to my sweet third born son on his 9th birthday.

My dearest "baby" boy,

Both of your brothers came into the world two weeks early, and you came two weeks late. I think that from the start you were taking your time and making sure you were comfortable before you made your entrance into the world. Now, as you turn 9, you are still taking your time getting comfortable with new social situations, but with each passing year, I can see your confidence growing, and I am very proud of you. You are special in sooooo many ways, but here are a few examples:

• You ask the best questions. You have a unique way of looking at the world, you have a wonderful sense of curiosity, and you are constantly quietly observing everything around you.
• You are funny. You are always making us laugh with your silly ways and crazy dance moves.
• You love playing ice hockey with your team and playing street hockey with your brothers. Your street hockey goalie gear is one of your prized possessions.
• You love being outside with your brothers playing softball, tag, golf, man-tracker, and soccer. You also love riding your bike.
• Your favourite colour is green, you love to watch the Disney channel, and you would eat nothing but crackers if I let you. (Multi-grain wheat thins are your favourite!)
• You love your big blanket, soft songs and being read to in a soft voice.
• You get cranky when you are over-tired or anxious... but you have a kind heart and give great cuddles.

I love you to the moon and back my sweet boy, and I hope your 9th year is the best one yet!

Love,

Mom

xoxo

A Birthday Letter to My Oldest Son on his 12th Birthday

In keeping with family tradition, today I am sharing a birthday letter to my oldest son on his 12th birthday. Each year (on my boys' birthdays), I write them letters in an attempt to capture a little bit of their personalities on paper. It's a tradition that is very special to me, and I am happy to have the opportunity to share it with you. Here is this year's letter to my first born son.

My kind and driven son,

I can't believe that you are only one year away from being a teenager. I feel like girlfriends and a driver's licence are just around the corner... and I am not ready! It makes me a bit sad to see my little boy slipping away, but I couldn't be more proud to be the mother of the wonderful young man you are becoming.

Here are a few reasons that you are the most special 12 year old I have ever met:

• You continue to mature and take on more responsibilities. I never even need to ask if you have homework because I know you have it under control.
• You are getting older, but I can still sneak a cuddle on movie night when you are distracted by popcorn and treats.
• Hockey is your passion. Even though you are young and small, you always work hard, and you play with a lot of heart. Dad and I really admire your determination and work ethic.
• You love playing mini sticks and collecting Tim Hortons hockey cards. Your favourite show is Sports Centre, and you love the Toronto Maple Leafs.
• Your brothers continue to be your best buddies. You are always "taking shots" on each other, playing catch, and running around together.
• You are continuing to learn to play the guitar, and you love learning new songs.
• Your confidence is impressive, and I hope it continues to grow in the years to come. (This year, you read at your Great Grampie's funeral, and I was proud of your poise and heartfelt delivery.)
• Peanut butter sandwiches are still your favourite snack... especially when Nanny treats you to white rolls.
• Your favourite colour is blue, your hockey number is 11, and your sport's hero is Auston Matthews.

Happy birthday, my angelic boy. You may almost be a teenager, but you will always be my baby. I love you to the moon and back!

Love,

Mom

xoxo

5 Birthday Party Hacks Every Parent Should Know

When it comes to planning kids' birthday parties, the pressure can be overwhelming for parents. But you don't have to be Pinterest-perfect to make your child feel special. Today, I am sharing 5 birthday party hacks that will help you reduce party planning headaches, while still creating a special celebration for your child.

1) It's OK to let someone else do the work - There are tons of fantastic places that will host parties for you. Check out local movie theatres, indoor playgrounds, rinks, swimming pools, and bowling allies. The "per child" fee is usually pretty reasonable.

2) You can easily (and inexpensively) make your own cake/cupcakes - You don't have to make a fancy cake or pay a lot to have one made. Using the recipe you can find here, you can make delicious cupcakes (from a mix) that your party guests will love. 

You can also buy party themed toys, and pop them onto a simple slab cake. It's an easy way to make a basic cake look custom... and the birthday boy/girl will love the toy.

3) The dollar store is your friend - The dollar store has many of the things you need to host an inexpensive and fun party. My boys love the prize punches I make for their parties using dollar store foam core, plastic cups, and tissue paper. Find the full step by step tutorial here.

4) Keep the party small - No one says you have to invite the entire town to your little one's birthday party. If you want to keep things simple, have a "just family" celebration or limit the number of guests to the age of the birthday boy/girl.

5) Netflix - Netflix is granting parents the ultimate birthday gift with the launch of 14 Birthdays On-Demand featurettes starring the characters in your kids' favourite shows. Clever, right? Your little one will feel like the characters are singing just for them. (Simple search "Birthdays On Demand", and choose the characters you want to sing Happy Birthday to your child.)

What is your biggest birthday headache? I hope you find some of these birthday party hacks helpful.

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Disclosure: I receive special gifts and perks as part of my affiliation with Netflix.... however (as always) the opinions on this blog are 100% my own.

NERF Party Cake

I am not a professional cake decorator, but I love baking and decorating simple birthday cakes for my boys. They are always thrilled to have fun and unique cakes that match their party themes. Recently, I made a couple of NERF target cakes, and below, I am sharing all the simple DIY details and instructions.

I had a joint party for two of my boys, so I made one batch of vanilla cupcakes and one batch of chocolate cupcakes. Then, I arranged the cupcakes on dollar store pizza trays in the shape of targets (see picture below).

Then, I coloured icing yellow, orange, and blue... and I piped the icing onto the cupcakes.... and added some details with black icing.

I finished by adding a few (clean) NERF bullets.

My boys were sooooo pleased with their cakes, and it was easy for the party guests to grab cupcakes during breaks in their NERF battles.

Do you like to bake cakes for your children's parties? I am really pleased with how cute these cakes turned out to be... and how happy they made my sweet birthday boys!

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

For a closer look, check out the video I made here:

Birthday Letter to my Middle son on his 10th Birthday

I had three boys in three and a half years, so the baby books in our house did not get the attention they deserved. To make up for my incomplete baby books, I started writing my boys annual birthday letters. Each year, on their special days, I write my boys letters detailing all the little things about their personalities that I love and cherish. Today, I am sharing the birthday letter I wrote to my middle son on his 10th birthday.

To my sweet, spunky, and "up for anything" son,

I can't believe that you are now in double digits. I miss the toddler with the unruly curls, but I couldn't be more proud of the boy you have grown up to be. You are an adventurous boy with a kind heart, and I feel very grateful that I get to be your mom. Here are a few of the things that make you the special 10 year old boy that you are:

• You have tons of friends. People love to be around you, and you love to surround yourself with people.
• You have a sparkle in your eye and a devilish grin.
• You got an orthodontic appliance this year, and although it was uncomfortable and prevented you from eating some of your favourite treats, you never complained.
• You love to be outside with your brothers running around. You love "fat bat" baseball (a game you made up), hockey, tag, frisbee, softball, etc... If you are moving, you are happy!
• Hockey is your favourite sport, and you love road trips with your buddies.
• You are constantly making playlists on your iPad. You love music, and you love to sing (when you don't think anyone is listening).
• You are very clever, and you love to figure things out and build things. (You enjoy Sudoku and LEGO.)
• You are always slow and often make us late when we are going places. You always need "five more minutes" or to complete "one more thing".
• You love to cuddle. When I went on your class field trip this year, you sat on my lap and held my hand. You really don't care what other people think, and I admire your confidence!

You are strong willed, and sometimes drive me crazy, but you have a kind heart, and I wouldn't change a thing about you. I love you to the moon and back!

Love,

Mom xoxo

BIRTHDAY LETTER to my youngest son on his 8th birthday

Today, my "baby" turns eight. I seriously can't believe how fast time flies. It seems like yesterday I was getting up with him in the middle of the night to feed him and rock him back to sleep. In keeping with family tradition, last night I wrote him a birthday letter as a way of remembering all the little details that make him special. Here is my birthday letter to my youngest son on his 8th birthday.

To my darling, cuddly, sweet "baby" boy:

I am so proud to watch you find your way in the world as you work hard to build your confidence and conquer your anxiety in new social situations. You are a cautious boy, but this past year, you made new friends and tried new things.

On your 8th birthday, I want you to know that I love you more each day, and I feel totally blessed to be your mother. Here are some of things that make you the unique boy that you are:

• Crackers are your favourite food. In particular, you love multi-grain wheat thins. 
• You have a sweet smile, and you have adorable freckles on your nose and cheeks.
• Your nickname is "Bellzie" (like your brothers), and you answer to it proudly.
• You love to read with me, and I love to read with you too! (We recently read "Charlotte's Web" together, and we both had tears in our eyes when Charlotte died... even though you hid your face and denied it.) :-)
• You love to play anything with a ball or a puck, but hockey is still your favourite.
• Riding your bike is one of your favourite things to do. It's really cute to watch you hop on your bike and "call for" your neighbourhood friends.
• Playing with your brothers is still your favourite thing to do. You are always playing games or going on adventures together.
• Your favourite colour is green, you love your "big blanket", and your hockey number this year was #5.
• You are shy around new people, but with your friends and family you are a clown. You are always acting silly, and making us laugh with your funny dance moves.

I love you to the moon and back, and you will always be my "baby".

Lots of Love,

Mom
xoxo

DIY Bowling Party

In November, my oldest son turned 11. Up to this point, we have hosted large parties for the boys, but we have decided that after 10, we are going to focus on more simple celebrations. My 11 year old decided to invite 5 of his friends to go bowling, and I added in a few DIY details to make the bowling party theme fun.

We started with a simple DIY invite that I created on Picmonkey. If you design a 4X6 invite on Picmonkey, you can print the invites inexpensively. Mine were $0.19 each.

The main activity at the party was obviously bowling, but I wanted to add a few more activities to make the party fun and unique.

After the kids finished bowling, they were able to "guess the candies in the jar". The party guest that guessed closest to the actual number of Skittles won the jar. Fun, right?

We also had a prize punch (which has become a staple at my boys' parties). It's always a hit with party guests, and you can get the full tutorial here.

Of course, we had to have festive bowling party food. We had pizza and lots of treats at my son's personal "canteen".

And I made a simple "bowling cake". I carved a bowling pin from a rectangular cake and a bowling ball from a round cake. They were simple cakes, but they were cute and went well with our party theme.

And finally, our guests left with adorable bowling party favours (with sweet tags that I designed). You can download the tags for free here. 

I thought the bowling party theme was fun, and I enjoyed planning out all the DIY details. Have you ever hosted a bowling party? What did you do to make the party fun and unique?

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Don't miss out on any of the fun... follow me on social media here.

     

Birthday Letter to my Oldest Son on his 11th Birthday

In keeping with family tradition, today I am sharing a birthday letter to my oldest son on his 11th birthday. Each year (on my boys' birthdays), I write them letters in an attempt to capture a little bit of their personalities on paper. It's a tradition that is very special to me, and I am happy to have the opportunity to share it with you... my lovely readers. Here is this year's letter to my first born son.

My sweet and kind first born son,

As you are inching toward the teenage years, I am both sad that my little boy is slipping away, and happy to watch the wonderful young man that is emerging before my eyes. You are a kind, hard working, and loving boy, and I am proud to be your mother.

Here are a few reasons that you are the most special 11 year old I have ever met:

• You have always had a mature soul, but I have noticed that this past year you have really started to get more independent and you have started taking on more responsibilities. I am impressed with the ease with which you are moving into this new stage of your life.
• You are getting older, but I can still sneak a cuddle during movie night (when none of your friends are there to see).
• Hockey is your passion. Even though you are young and small, you always work hard, and you play with lots of heart. Dad and I really admire your determination and work ethic.
• You love playing mini sticks with your brothers, your favorite show is Sports Centre, and collecting and trading Tim Hortons hockey cards has become an obsession.
• Your brothers continue to be your best buddies. You are always inventing fun games to play together. (I think "fat bat" baseball is your front yard favorite!)
• You are continuing to practice the guitar, and you love playing. (I am super-impressed with your ability to watch a YouTube video and teach yourself a song.)
• Peanut butter sandwiches are still your favorite snack... and now you can make them yourself.
• Your favorite colour is blue, your hockey number is 18, and you dream of playing in the NHL.

Happy birthday, my angelic oldest boy. You may be getting older, but you will always be my baby boy. I love you to the moon and back!

Love,

Mom

xoxo

11 Birthday Traditions {you are going to want to try with your kids}

My oldest will be turning 11 this month, so in honour of his birthday, I thought I would share 11 birthday traditions that you are definitely going to want to check out. Some ideas are mine, and some are ones I have heard/read about... and they are all simple, fantastic and fun.  Take a read through these 11 Birthday traditions, and choose the ones you love best!

1) Serve candy for breakfast - Can you think of a better way to start the day? My sister-in-law serves her kids a tray of candy in bed on their special day every year, and they love it. I think candy for breakfast is a super-fun birthday tradition.

2) Make birthday pancakes - Pancakes are the birthday breakfast of choice for my boys. I make birthday pancakes in the shape of their age, and I serve them with milk in a wine glass. It's a simple idea, but it starts the day in a special way.

3) Write a birthday letter - Every year, I write my boys letters on their birthdays. The letters are a "snapshot" of my boys' likes/dislikes/personalities. Writing birthday letters to my boys is my favorite birthday tradition. You can find an example here.

4) Decorate while the kids are asleep - Waking up to fun decorations on your birthday is an exciting way to start the day. Decorate a special chair, hang streamers, or fill a room with balloons. 

5) Bake a special cake - I always like to bake my boys a special cake on their birthdays. I am not a pro, but I know they appreciate the effort. Check out this Jake and the Neverland Pirates cakes I made for my youngest son on his 5th birthday. Cute, right? You may also be able to find some inspiration on my DIY Cakes Pinterest board.

Another option is to let siblings make birthday cakes. They aren't fancy, but they are made with love.

Simple cupcake parfaits are another super-easy option.

6) Host a fun DIY birthday party - Kids love hosting their friends on their birthdays. Focussing on unique DIY details will make it extra special. You can check out some of my favorite DIY parties here. 

7) Let the birthday boy/girl choose the meals - Picking the meals on their birthday is fun for kids. Kids can choose to eat out at a restaurant or they might prefer to stay at home and enjoy their favorite homemade meal.

8) Have the birthday boy/girl wear a special birthday shirt - It's always fun to let the world know it's your birthday with a special birthday shirt. In the past, my boys have made their own shirts, and I have created shirts to go with the theme of their parties. 

9) Set up a birthday scavenger hunt - Instead of just giving the birthday boy/girl their birthday gift, send him/her on a scavenger hunt to find it. It's a simple idea, but it adds a little bit of anticipation and fun to the occasion.

10) Have a "yes" day - I've never been brave enough to do this, but I have read about parents that let their kids have a "yes day" on their birthdays. The idea is to say "yes" to everything the birthday boy/girl wants to do on his/her birthday. I think (with a few parameters in place), this could be a lot of fun!

11) Play Hooky - A good friend of mine has a tradition of "playing hooky" with her kids on their birthdays. I love the idea of a special day filled with one-on-one time, fun activities, and special treats. 

Does your family have special birthday traditions? Did your favourite make my list?

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

PS - Find more party planning ideas here.