Epic DIY NERF Party

It's taken me a few months to get around to writing this post about my boys' joint NERF party, but today is the day I am finally sharing all the easy and inexpensive DIY party details. A NERF gun party is a perfect party for active kids, and my boys and their party guests had a great time. Keep reading for all the fun DIY signs, food, games, activities, loot bags, and details. You are going to love this epic DIY NERF party!

The party started with a simple DIY invitation. I made this one using a couple pictures of my boys and free online photo editing software (Picmonkey.com).

Then, I set the stage with simple DIY party signage and decor. I love the way the party signs add a professional touch to the party and tie everything together. You can download all my signs (for free) here. 

As the guests arrived, they were invited to "get their game face on". I set up a little station (by the door) with a sign, a dollar store mirror, and some face paint.

The kids were also given safety glasses, and they were required to wear them.

And, of course, it was important to keep all the party guests entertained and having fun, so we planned several NERF party games and activities. My boys really wanted an "epic NERF battle", so we made sure we had plenty of NERF guns and bullets.

We also used boxes, mats, and tents to set the stage for our battle.

We also set up a fun "target practice" area for the kids who wanted a break from the battle. I made all the elements from dollar store supplies, and you can find the instructions here.

And we also had a little table that held a simple "guess the number of candies" game.

Of course, we also set up a fantastic table of NERF-themed food because the kids needed "fuel for their battle". We had tons of blue and orange food and drinks! 

The backdrop for the food table included a sign I made using dollar store supplies, and you can read about how to make it here. 

The food table also held two NERF target cakes... one for each of the birthday boys!

Finally, all the parties left with fun NERF party favours. I had supplies for a water balloon battle and a blue and orange prize punch. You can read about our loot bags (and download the free printable tags) here.

Our NERF party was a huge success...

And all of our party guests had a great time!

I think all the DIY party details really made the NERF party special for my boys... and they are still talking about the "epic" NERF battle. If your kids enjoy running around and battling with their buddies, I highly suggest throwing a DIY NERF party for their next birthday celebration.

♥ 
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

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

5 Reasons My Family Loves Medieval Times

My family first visited Medieval Times Orlando* on a trip to Florida two years ago, and my boys loved it! So, when we were planning our trip this year, my boys insisted that we go again. This dinner show really is a lot of fun, and if you haven't had a chance to visit, you should give it a try. Not convinced? Keep reading... because today I am sharing 5 reasons why my family loves Medieval Times.

1) You get to visit a castle. Seriously... how cool is that? You can also visit the Medieval Village (with real 11th century artifacts) prior to the show.

2) It is quality, family-friendly entertainment. It's always fun to find an activity that can be enjoyed by all ages, and Medieval Times fits the bill. It really is entertaining for everyone.

3) You get to eat with your hands. This is a highlight for my boys... and I like that someone else prepares the meal and serves it. It's always a bonus when mom gets a break from making dinner... and no one complains about what is being served! 😀

4) There is a lot of action. The show is full of royalty, knights, fighting, jousting, and horses. It's action-packed and fun!

5) You can cheer on your knight. The crowd is included in the show and encouraged to cheer. Everyone is assigned a knight which makes it fun. (Our "red knight" didn't win, but we did get to meet him at the end of the show and get our picture taken with him.)

Have you been to Medieval Times? If you haven't visited, you should. Your kids will thank you!

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

*Disclosure: I was given complimentary and discounted tickets in exchange for my truthful review of Medieval Times. As always, the opinions on this blog are 100% my own.

10 AWESOME Reasons to Visit LEGOLAND

We recently returned from a family vacation to Orlando, Florida... and (for the third time) my boys insisted on visiting LEGOLAND*. If you have never taken your kids to LEGOLAND, you definitely should. It is always a highlight for my boys, and my husband and I enjoy it too. Still not convinced? Keep reading... because today I am sharing 10 reasons that you should go to LEGOLAND with your kids.

1) It's not as crowded as some of the other parks... and the lines are shorter. Of course, wait times depend on the day that you visit the park and the ride you are trying to get on; however, we have found that wait times at LEGOLAND are usually shorter than the other parks we have visited. To minimize wait times, I recommend getting to the park early and heading directly to the back of the park where the roller coasters are located. On this visit, we headed straight to the NEW virtual reality roller coaster, and there was very little wait time.

2) There is a LOT of cool stuff built out of LEGO. Throughout the park, there are tons of awesome things made from LEGO, and MINILAND USA is fantastic. There are amazing scenes made from over 32 million LEGO bricks, great photo ops, and interactive buttons to push.

3) You can make your kids wear fun t-shirts. I always love the opportunity to dress my kids in special shirts when we visit theme parks. It makes the pictures look fantastic, and it helps me to keep track of the kids as we move through the park. This year, my sister and I purchased bright orange shirts that said, "Everything is awesome... when you are with your COUSINS!" Aren't they great?

4) You can save money on tickets. In the past I have purchased discounted tickets at Costco, you can sometimes find coupons online, and you can always save money if you book in advance. 

5) You can build your own minifigures. Building minifigures is always a highlight for my boys when we visit LEGOLAND. You can mix and match LEGO minifigure body parts and accessories to create unique minifigures... and you can buy a three pack for a very reasonable price. It's a lot of fun!

6) You can trade minifigures. You can trade the LEGO minifigures you buy from the park, and/or you can bring minifigures from home. (Just make sure you have a full minifigure... including a hat or hair.) You can trade with workers that have minifigures on their name tags, or you can ask the workers in the stores if they have a tray of "trading" figures you can see.

7) LEGOLAND has cool shows. There is a 4D movie that is a lot of fun, and there is a cute live action show that includes water skiing LEGO people. Check the park schedule for times to make sure you don't miss them.

8) Your kids can drive a LEGO car. The LEGO driving school is always one of my boys' favourite rides. I wish I was small enough to drive a LEGO car!

9) The rides are awesome... especially the LEGOLAND virtual reality roller coaster. LEGOLAND has a number of fun rides and roller coasters. They even have a virtual reality roller coaster. You wear virtual reality goggles while you ride, and you feel like you are really moving through a land made of LEGO!

10) The water park is awesome! This was our third visit to LEGOLAND, but it was our first visit to the water park, and we LOVED it. There is a wonderful play structure, a wave pool, water slides, and a lazy river. If the weather is nice, plan to make the water park part of your day. (Keep in mind... the water park isn't open every day, and there is an extra fee... so plan accordingly.)

Have you been to LEGOLAND? If you have kids, and you are planning a trip to Orlando, you should check it out. It really is a fun place to spend some time with family.

♥ 
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

*Disclosure: I was given complimentary tickets in exchange for my truthful review of this park. As always, the opinions on this blog are 100% my own.

Simple Mother's Day Brunch

What does every mother want for Mother's Day? I'm willing to bet that most mother's want hugs, kisses... and a well deserved day off! So, why not treat mom to a simple Mother's Day brunch at home? Today I am sharing a simple idea for Mother's Day that is sure to bring a smile to the face of your special lady.

The key to this simple Mother's Day brunch is the presentation. All the elements come together to spell out the word "LOVE". Cute, right?

For this special meal, the "L" is made from bacon, the "O" can be made from a donut or a bagel, the "V" can be made with a pancake or a piece of french toast cut out with a heart-shaped cookie cutter, and the "E" is made from fruit. Older kids can help prepare the food, and younger kids can help with spelling out the word. (And don't forget to add tea/coffee and juice!)

And the best part of this meal is that it is prepared and served with love. How cute are my darling boys?

I hope all the hard-working mothers out there get pampered on Mother's Day... and that they are lucky enough to get a served a lovely brunch (like this one) by the darling kids they love!

♥ 
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Simple Homemade Mother's Day Gift Idea... with free printable tags

Mother's work hard, and they deserve a break on Mother's Day... and a treat! It doesn't take a lot of time or money to make moms feel special, and today I am sharing a simple homemade Mother's Day gift that moms are going to love. I'm even including free printable gift tags.

To make a treat box for the special mom in your life:

1) Purchase a plastic box (used to organize screws, nuts and bolts) from the dollar store.

2) Clean the box well in soap and water.

3) Fill the box with mom's favourite treats.

4) Add a colourful tag to the top of the box.

I designed a few different tags for you to use. 

To download the tags: click on one of the pictures below, right-click, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular 4x6 photo.

These are perfect gifts for Mother's Day, and they are cute for a "new mom" too.

What do you think of this simple homemade Mother's Day gift? I would definitely like to receive these treats from my boys!

♥ 
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

10 Tips for Doing MULTIPLE Disney Parks in ONE Day

Recently, my family (and extended family) planned a trip to Orlando, Florida. As a lover of Disney*, I knew we needed to visit a park, but we also wanted to spend a lot of our vacation relaxing pool side. So, we decided to pay the extra money for "park hopper" passes, and we made a plan to visit 3 Disney parks in one day. We moved 12 people (ranging in age from 5 to 70) through three parks in one day, so you can do it too! Check out my 10 tips for "Disney park hopping" below.

1) The first thing you need to do is decide which parks you are going to visit. Keep in mind that Disney parks are huge and there is a lot to see. If you want to fully experience all the parks (especially Magic Kingdom), you are going to want to buy multi-day passes. If you are going to park hop, you are only going to see the highlights of each park. 

For our trip, we decided to visit Animal Kingdom, Epcot, and Magic Kingdom.

2) Make a plan and book fast passes early. You aren't going to see everything in one day, so make a list of the "top things" on your "must do" list. Buy your tickets early, and use MyDisneyExperience to book your fast passes as soon as you are able to do so... 60 days before your visit if you are staying on site or 30 days if you aren't.

3) Get to the park early.  If you want to maximize your ride time and minimize your wait time, you are going to want to get to the park early. We started our day at Animal Kingdom with a goal to get on Avatar quickly (without a fast pass). 

On the day of our visit, the park opened at 9am. We arrived at the park at 7:20am, the ticket booth/guest relations opened at 7:30am (so we were able to exchange our paper tickets for cards early), the gates opened at 8:15am, and they started letting people head to rides at 8:45am. As a result, we had our first ride (which has one of the longest waits in the park) finished shortly after 9am. 

Extra tip: When you are waiting in line, stay to the left. The left side tends to move faster.

4) Use fast passes wisely. We booked our fast passes for 9:30-10:30, 10:30-11:30, and 11:30-12:30. We were able to go on a popular ride first thing (without a fast pass), and then we used all our three passes right away. (After all the fast passes are used, you can book more.) 

On our trip, we managed to complete all our "must do" Animal Kingdom rides quickly, so we had time to enjoy a show before heading to our second park.

5) Dress for success. If you are park hopping, it's going to be a long day, and you are going to want to be comfortable. Make sure you wear comfy clothes, sneakers, hats, and lots of sunblock. (You should also bring dollar store rain ponchos if the forecast calls for rain and light sweaters because it can cool down in the evenings.)

You may also want to buy special Disney themed clothing. My sister and I had these adorable shirts made for our six boys. They say "Cousin Crew 2018". They look cute in pictures, and matching shirts help you keep the group together (and easily identified) as you move through the parks.

6) Pack a lunch. If you are going to try to cover multiple parks in one day, you are not going to have time to stop for meals. So, bring some backpacks, and fill them with food and water. You will have lots of time to eat and snack while you are waiting in lines. You are also going to want to stay hydrated, so don't forget to fill your water bottles at the various fountains located throughout the park.

And, although sit-down meals may be too time consuming for a day of park hopping, you may want to take a short break for a Disney-themed treat. My boys and their cousins enjoyed some Mickey ice cream with their grandparents.

7) Get a family photo. Every time that we go to Disney, we take a family photo, enlarge, and add it to our "vacation wall". It's a fun tradition, and its a great way to document the special family memories we are making.

This year, we even got a lovely stranger to take a photo of our group of 12 (2 grandparents, 4 parents, and 6 little boys)!

8) Take the monorail. To save time, you can take a monorail (free of charge) between Epcot and Magic Kingdom. 

We started our day at Animal Kingdom, and then we drove our car to Epcot. Then, when we finished at Epcot, we took the monorail to Magic Kingdom. Our goal was to get to Magic Kingdom in time for the nighttime show, but with the time we saved taking the monorail, we were able to squeeze in a ride on Space Mountain.

9) Plan for a nighttime show. Disney is more than just awesome rides. The parades and shows are spectacular, and my all time favourite is the castle/fireworks show at the end of the night at Magic Kingdom. Get a spot (with a good view of the front of the castle) early, and enjoy. It really is a magical way to end the day! 

Extra tip: You can bring your own dollar store glow sticks/ light up toys. They are cheaper than what you can buy at the park, and the kids will love having them.

10) Have fun! It's important to get to see everything on your list, but the most important thing is to have fun, be in the moment, and make wonderful memories with your family.

Have you ever done multiple parks in one day? Do you have any "Disney Park Hopping Tips" to add to my list? Please leave them in the comments below. I'm excited to read them because I'm already planning my next trip! 😃

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

*Disclosure: I was given two complimentary tickets in exchange for my truthful review of these parks. As always, the opinions on this blog are 100% my own.