Happy Birthday {Letter} to my 7 Year Old

I can't believe that I have been a mother for 7 years.  How is it possible that it seems like yesterday, and yet I can barely remember my life before?

Each year, I write my boys letters on their birthdays, and I hope to make them into books when they are older.  Here is my letter to my oldest son on his 7th birthday:

Dear Cameron,

Whenever I think of you, the word "angel" always comes to mind.  You are such a special boy, and you have such a kind heart.  Here are just a few of the things that make you such a fantastic 7 year old.

• You are a great big brother.  Little brothers can sometimes be a pain, but you are patient and kind with them, and they love you very much.
• You are losing lots of baby teeth now, and your toothless grin is very cute.
• You are developing a great sense of humour, and you are always laughing at the crazy antics of your little brothers.
• You always try your best, and you are determined to succeed when you are trying something new.  This summer, you learned to ride a two wheeler, and you were very proud.
• You love to draw, read and write stories.  You are very creative, and you want to be an Actor {in movies} when you grow up.
• You love pancakes, cookies, pizza, and peanut butter sandwiches.
• Your favorite sport is hockey, and you never complain about hockey practice... even when it is early in the morning.  {You even sleep with two hockey player "stuffies".}
• You still let me kiss and hug you when I drop you off at school, but you are starting to check to see if anyone is around before you kiss me back.  :-(
• You love Star Wars and never get tired of playing "Jedi" with your brothers.
• You have lots of great friends, and I am not surprised because you are an awesome kid!

Happy Birthday, my sweet angel!  You may be seven, but you will always be my first baby.

Lots of Love,

Mommy  xoxo

Pool Noodle Lightsabers

For my son's 7th birthday, I made all of the guests {20 of them} lightsabers out of pool noodles.  I have seen a ton of different versions floating around on the web, but today I am sharing my version.

Aren't they so cute?

Here is how I made them:

1)  My husband cut all the pool noodles in half using a utility knife.  Then, I used silver duct tape to create a handle.  I made a "criss cross" on the bottom.  Then, I wrapped four separate pieces around the noodle. 

2)  Then, I made a simple design using black electrical tape {see below}, and I added a little red sticker for a power button.

The pool noodles are great for little ones because they are so soft.

I think these the lightsabers were the highlight of our DIY Star Wars party.  I would highly recommend them for any Star Wars celebration.

♥ 

Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

ECM Kids' Craft Club - #9 {Snowman Gift Tag}

Welcome to the 9th edition of the {East Coast Mommy} Kids' Craft Club {an easy and inexpensive way for kids to have fun crafting and to experience the excitement of getting their very own mail}.  If you want to join the club, you can find more info here.  For everyone who is already a member... this month, we are making an adorable Snowman Gift Tag.

Are your supplies ready?

OK.  Let's get started....

1)  Attach the snowman's body, head and hat to the gift tag with tape or glue.  {Use the hat template to cut a hat out of black paper.}

2)  Draw a mouth on your snowman.  Then, decorate the scarf, and attach it with tape or glue.

3)  Glue on the googly eyes, a button on the hat, and a snowman nose {which you can cut from the orange foam included in your kit}.  Then, write "To:" and "From:" on the body of your snowman.

4) To finish, tie a piece of ribbon to the top of the gift tag.

I hope you enjoyed making this craft, and I hope you have a very MERRY CHRISTMAS.  {Don't forget to leave me a comment, or send me an email.  Your comments help me improve the club, and I love hearing from you.} 

♥ 

Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Don't forget... Assist young children when using scissors, and be careful of the small parts included with this kit, as they can be a choking hazard for children under three. 

Star Wars Pinata

Don't all kids love Pinatas?  What's not to love about something you break open to create a downpour of candy?  So... for my son's 7th birthday I made an easy and inexpensive DIY "Death Star" piñata.

Didn't it turn out great?  It wasn't hard to make, but I will warn you, it is time consuming.

Here's how I did it:

1)  I started with a large balloon.  {I chose a "punching balloon" from the dollar store.}

2)  Then, I created a mixture of 1/2 water and 1/2 white glue.  I painted it onto strips of newpaper and applied each strip to the balloon.  I covered the balloon in 3 or 4 layers of strips {letting it dry in between layers}.

3)  After the pinata was totally dry, I popped the balloon, cut a round hole, and inserted a wire hanger {which I reinforced with duct tape}.

4)  Next, I filled the pinata with candy, covered the hole with tape, and applied a layer of white paper using the method described above.  {The white paper made painting much easier.}

5)  To finish, I painted the pinata with grey acrylic paint, painted a black circle, and applied black electrical tape around the middle.

I am absolutely thrilled with how it turned out... I might not let the guests destroy it at the party.  lol

♥ 

Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Star Wars Invitation

Last Friday, my son passed out the invitations to his 7th birthday.  I thought they turned out really cute, so I decided to share them with you here.

First, I took a picture of the birthday boy dressed up as a Jedi.  Then, I cut a slit above and below his hand, and I inserted a glow stick with some black tape wrapped around the base. 

The inside of the invitation said:

CALLING ALL PADAWAN!

Cameron is turning seven, and we would like to have you join us for a celebration at the Jedi Training Academy.

Isn't it cute?  My son was sooooo proud handing it out to his friends.  :-)

♥ 

Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

* You can find me on facebook here.

Elf on the Shelf - Letter from Santa announcing his arrival

My boys are {already} getting excited about Christmas, so I thought it would be fun to build some anticipation around the return of our Elf on the Shelf -- "Elfie". What could be more fun than getting a letter in the mail from Santa announcing that our Elf on the Shelf will be arriving soon?!?

So.... I wrote this letter from Santa {to the boys}, and I mailed it today {with a North Pole return address}.

The stationary I used is no longer available, but you can download a .pdf version of Santa stationary that I designed here.

Or you can download this .jpg by clicking on the photo below, saving it to your computer, right-clicking, saving it to your computer, and printing it like a regular 8x10 photo. (Print the stationary, and then run the paper through a second time to print the letter.)

Here is what our letter said,

Dear Boys,

I just wanted to send you a short letter to let you know that Elfie is getting very excited to see you again.  All the scout elves are trying to get lots of rest because they will soon be making nightly flights back to the North Pole.

Are you starting to think about what you might like for Christmas?  My elves have built a lot of great toys this year.  I bet we have something you would really like.  Be good… and keep sharing with each other and listening to your Mommy and Daddy.

Elfie will be visiting you very soon!

Love,

Santa

PS (Elfie has a surprise for you this year.  Can you guess what it is?)

Fun, right?  I can't wait for our mail carrier to deliver it.  My boys are going to be super-excited to hear that our Elf on the Shelf will be coming soon!

Don't you just love Christmas? 

♥ 

Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

PS (Check out more awesome Elf on the Shelf ideas here.)

Check out a fun idea for an Elf on the Shelf arrival breakfast here.

Cooking with Kids {Chef Hats}

My boys love to bake with me, so recently we decided to make some simple chef hats for them to wear.  Cute, right? 

The best part is, they are super-easy!  All you need is: a piece of bristol board, a sheet of white tissue paper, and some tape.

To put it together, follow these three simple steps:
1)  Cut a strip of bristol board 4 inches wide.
2)  Fit the strip around the child's head and secure with tape.
3)  Tape the edges of the tissue paper to the inside of the bristol board headband, and "fluff up" the tissue paper.  {See below.}

I hope you make these chef hats with your little ones, and that they love them as much as my boys did.

♥ 

Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

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