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.

Halloween 2016

Just a quick post to share my boys' Halloween (and costumes) with you. I hope you are having a spook-tacular day with your little ones. There is definitely a lot of excitement (and chocolate) around here!

My oldest decided he wanted to be a robber, so we threw together a simple DIY robber costume. We started with a striped shirt and black pants, and we added a felt mask (that I sewed using this pattern) and a dollar store black hat. We finished the look by adding a dollar sign (with fabric paint) to a bag we purchased at the dollar store.

My middle son decided to be Captain America. We bought a second hand costume, and I made a DIY Captain America shield from a dollar store frisbee and some duct tape. Easy peasy!

Finally, my youngest wanted to be a Power Ranger, and he borrowed a costume from a friend. He loves it, it cost me nothing, and it doesn't get much easier! lol

My boys all got to be exactly what they wanted to be, and they love their costumes. Isn't it great being a kid?

Happy Halloween from my family to yours. I hope you have a super-fun night, and eat lots of chocolate and treats. The tiny bars don't have any calories on October 31. I'm pretty sure I read that somewhere! ;-)

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Hilarious (and simple) Screaming Pretzels

Do you know "The Scream" paintings by Edvard Munch? These paintings are the inspiration for these adorable screaming Halloween pretzels. Aren't they cute? They are also super-easy to make.

To make these simple treats:

1) Melt baker's chocolate according to the package directions. I melted mine in the microwave at 50% power for 1 minute, stirred the chocolate, and then melted it for another minute. I also added a little bit of vegetable (canola oil) to make the dipping a little bit easier.

2) Dip the pretzels in the melted chocolate, and lift the pretzel out of the chocolate with a fork. (This will allow the chocolate to empty out of the "mouth hole".

3) Place the chocolate dipped pretzels on a piece of wax paper, and add candy eyeballs.

4) Allow the chocolate to harden, and then remove the treats from the wax paper.

These screaming pretzels are simple to make, they are adorable, and they taste great. Do you think your kids would like these festive Halloween treats? My boys love them!

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Simple Halloween Treat... for moms

For kids, Halloween is all about candy, but moms deserve a special treat holiday treat too. And after a night of trick-or-treating, doesn't every "mummy" deserve a glass of wine? How cute is this Halloween themed wine bottle?

It's adorable, AND it was super-simple to make. All I did was rip up some strips of masking tape, wrap the tape around the top of the bottle, and attach a pair of googly eyes.

I think this mummy wine bottle is festive and fun for after the kids go to bed on October 31st. It would also be adorable at an adult Halloween party.

Do you know someone that would like this not-so-spooky Halloween treat? Feel free to share this post with them. Happy Halloween!

♥ 
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Disclosure: I receive compensation as part of my affiliation with Woodbridge Wines.... however (as always) the opinions on this blog are 100% my own. #WoodbridgeWines


PS - You can find more easy and inexpensive Halloween ideas here.

DIY Teacup Bird feeder... using a dollar store mug

Recently I was at a craft show where they were selling bird feeders made from tea cups, and I knew it would be simple and inexpensive to make my own. I used some dollar store supplies to create an adorable and charming teacup bird feeder, and today I am sharing all the DIY details.

All you need for this super-easy project is: a teacup, a spoon, a strong adhesive (like E-6000), twine, birdseed, and peanut butter or suet.

Then:

1) Use the adhesive to attach the spoon to the cup, and let dry according to package directions. My glue suggested a 48 hour drying time.

2) Tie a piece of twine around the handle.

3) Fill the mug with a mixture of birdseed and peanut butter or suet.

Isn't it a charming little bird feeder?

I've already had some black capped chickadees visiting my new teacup bird feeder. It's such a darling little feeder, and it was extremely simple to make. You could make a bunch for gifts, or you could craft them for your own use. Will you be making one for the birds in your backyard?

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

7 Netflix Inspired Halloween Costumes

Deciding on a Halloween costume is a big decision for a kid, but fulfilling a child's wishes doesn't have to be an expensive or difficult task for a parent. Today I am sharing some simple DIY Halloween costumes ideas inspired by Netflix. I'm also including delightfully frightful titles to add to your Halloween watch list. 

Check out these adorable DIY Halloween costume ideas, and click on the links for more info:

1) LEGO Ninjago inspired costumes - I based this no-sew ninja costume on "Zane" the white ninja from LEGO Ninjago. It cost less than $10 to make, and it was a huge hit with my 7 year old. You can find the full tutorial here.

And, if you prefer a black ninja, you can find a fantastic step-by-step tutorial here.

2) Walt Disney Short Films Collection inspired costume - Who doesn't love the characters from Frozen? A couple of years ago, I made this adorable "no sew" Olaf costume for my five year old, and I loved how it turned out. If you have a Frozen fan in your house, you can find the full tutorial and free templates here.

3) Pirates of the Caribbean inspired costumes - Dressing up as a pirate is simple and fun, and it's perfect for kids that ARRRRR on the hunt for adventure. Click on this link to see how my boys and I recycled old clothes and transformed them into simple pirate costumes. 

I have another pirate costume tutorial (including a template for a cardboard sword) here. 

4) How to Train Your Dragon inspired viking helmet - If your kids are a fan of the movie or the Netflix series, they will love this DIY viking helmet. It's made from paper, tinfoil, and tape, and you can find the full tutorial here.

5) Pee Wee's Big Adventure inspired costume - Seriously... you need to check out this adorable Pee Wee Herman costume here.

6) Care Bears inspired costume - I don't think I could get my boys to dress up as a Care Bear, but if they were younger, I will totally opt for this adorable costume. You can check out the Care Bear cuteness here.

7) King Julien inspired costume - I love how simple and original this costume is. You should totally check out the tutorial for this DIY King Julien costume here.

Once you have settled on a costume, kick back and watch a spooky flick on Netflix. Halloween may only be one day of the year, but with the ultimate guide to streams and screams, there’s enough spooky titles and inspiration to get you in the Halloween spirit all month long. Check out this fantastic stream and scream guide.

What are you planning for Halloween this year? I hope this guide to costumes and scary movies makes your Halloween a little more Spooktacular. Happy Halloween!

♥

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.

Halloween Scavenger Hunt (with free printable)

Halloween is about more than candy. It is about decorating, dressing up, and having some fun. Today, I am sharing a fantastic Halloween scavenger hunt that you can share with your kids. It is perfect for a Halloween party, but it would be great for a simple activity at home too. And... you can download it for FREE below!

To download the scavenger hunt: right-click on the picture above, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular 8X10 photo. I printed mine at my local office supply store for $0.39.

You can send the kids out in the neighbourhood looking for the items, or you can print the cards (below) for an easier search. To download the cards: right-click on the picture below, save it to your computer and print it like a regular 8X10 photo. I printed mine onto card stock (for heavier cards) at my local office supply store for $0.48.

If the weather is good, I love the idea of making this an outdoor event.

Isn't this Halloween scavenger hunt a fun idea? If you use my free downloads, let me know.

Happy Hunting!

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

PS - You can find more easy and inexpensive Halloween ideas here.