8 Activities for When You Can't Watch TV

Photo credit: Google images

So last week I heard a ridiculous commercial on the radio. It was this family talking about taking nature walks in a torrential downpour because hey – what else were they supposed to do since their satellite dish had lost a signal due to the storm.

It was laughable.  I know – they were just using a silly sales tactic, but it was absurd to think that there was nothing on earth that this family could do when it was raining and they didn’t have access to their regularly scheduled programming.

Here are 8 ideas of things to do rather than watch TV shows (regardless of the reason):

• Board Games:  If you don’t have any board games in your house – well, shame on you.  =)  Seriously though – it’s a great way to invest time together as a family and just have fun as a whole.  Make sure they are age appropriate of course, but there are tons of games for little ones on the shelves.  In fact, many of the ones for younger children are cheaper, so it shouldn’t be a big investment for a lot of fun. Even if they are too young to play, you can have your 3-year old count and move your Monopoly piece around the board for you or something similar to help involve them.
• Card Games:  If you can’t tell, I’m a game lover. Card games are great for all ages and more than just having fun, they can actually teach you things without it feeling like you are learning.  You can play Go Fish for number recognition. You can play Rummy or Gin Rummy for strategy.  You can teach various forms of solitaire for counting.  I’ll include in the card game category games like dominoes as well, where you can learn adding and counting in multiples of five.
• Build a fort:  Yep – out of couch cushions and sheets and tables and whatever you have handy.  Open up a world of imagination for your children – and join them inside if you dare. =)
• Read: You can take one of two approaches here.  Either read a book as a family.  If the little ones get bored, you can even have them act it out.  To encourage reading in your children who are literate, each family could also take time apart with their own favorite type of book.  Whether it is a classic novel, a newspaper, some silly teenage vampire romance (yes, I have read them too), a hobby magazine, or a comic book, reading is reading. And it’s all good for everyone.
• Crafts: You don’t have to be a domestic version of Hobby Lobby for this one. It’s amazing what types of crafts you can do with items you already have around your house. Just google “Crafts with Household Items” or something similar.  You’ll be amazed what you can create.  And don’t just leave it to the kids – join in for some real family time together.
• Movie: Just because you don’t have access to your TV programming doesn’t mean you can’t settle in for a family movie together.  Media is not all bad and it can truly create some great memories.  Pop some popcorn and watch something from your DVD collection. Maybe there are some oldies but goodies that you haven’t seen in a long time or that you’ve never shared with your children. Enjoy the time together!
• Video Games: Yes, mom. Those incessant video games. Sit down and play them with them. They will find your inability to conquer the Dragon King (totally just made that up – I think!) funny. You’ll get to see what it is they are doing all of that time. And you just might enjoy it! Even if they balk at the idea – they will remember that time that Mom couldn’t just over that giant chasm to save her life.
• Cleaning:  I know – this one sounds utterly mind numbing (unless you’re a clean freak like me).  Put a sock on the hands of the tots and send them around the baseboards.  Teach older little ones how to fold towels.  Let older ones vacuum the floors, clean the blinds, etc.  You never know – you just might get all of your spring cleaning tasks done without having to dread doing them.  Put it all to music so you can all dance around while doing it to make it a bit more enjoyable. Whatever works – just make the most of it!

 What are some other ideas of things you can do as a family if you suddenly find yourself not able to watch your favorite TV shows? 

Side note - it's really strange that my children have no idea what that image I used is all about! 

Donations to Charity by Our 2012 Presidential Candidates

Source: Maggies Notebook

Today is going to be a political post. Wait, wait, wait!  Before you click away...

I'm not going to be supporting or promoting any particular candidate. I have faith that you can make those types of decisions for yourselves. I mean, you are smart enough to be visiting my blog. =)

But here is the purpose of this post:  All of our 2012 Presidential candidates are offering to make our country better by helping people. Some back it with their faith, allowing the promises and tenets of their proclaimed belief system to carry some weight with voters. Others are approaching it from a humanitarian point of view - helping those who are down and out because it's just the right thing to do. I'm not here to argue with either of those points of view.

What I am here to do today is present to you how our Presidential hopefuls have spent their own personal money in the past. Have they been living the type of life that promises philanthropy, care, and concern for those less fortunate than they are...you know, before they were asking you to elect them?

Let's take a look:

Barack Obama:
Net Worth*:  $2.8 million - 11.8 million
2010 Income: $1,795,614
2010 Charitable Contributions: $245,075
Percentage of Giving**: 13.65%
Recipients of Donations: Fisher House Foundation which houses families of wounded military ($131,075 of his personal money), his Nobel Peace Prize award money was divided between 10 charities as listed: Fisher House Foundation ($250,000), Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund ($200,000), College Summit to increase college enrollment rates ($125,000), Posse Foundation for scholarships ($125,000), United Negro College Fund ($125,000), Hispanic Scholarship Fund ($125,000), American Indian College Fund ($125,000), Appalachian Leadership and Education Foundation ($125,000), AfriCare which promotes health, food security and access to water primarily in Africa ($100,000), Central Asia Institute, which education and literacy, especially for girls, in remote regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan ($100,000)
Of Note: The Obamas' giving has increased steadily over the last few years.  In the early 2000s, it grew from 0.4% to 4.6%.  With the Presidency, Obama's wallet has opened up to more and more giving opportunities. His Nobel Prize winnings of $1.4 million in 2010 were donated directly to 10 organizations and therefore never went though his income tax return as income or donations.

Mitt Romney
Net Worth*:  $190 million - $250 million
2010 Income: $21,661,344
2010 Charitable Contributions: $2,983,974
Percentage of Giving**: 13.78 (between 13% - 16% over last few years)
Recipients of Donations: The majority of this was contributed to the Mormon church, as it is a tenet of their faith to donate a full tithe (10%) in order to be in good standing with God and their church. Other recipients were BYU ($300,000 and $1 million at different times), a homeless shelter for veterans ($10,000), Hurricane Katrina victims ($10,000), victims of south Asia earthquake and tsunami ($25,000), Becket Fund for Religious Liberty ($25,000), as well as various donations to charities helping children, cancer patients, MS patients, and wounded veterans, research and service organizations for cystic fibrosis, cancer, epilepsy, Lou Gehrig's Disease and AIDS, The Boy Scouts of America, the Boston Scholars program for disadvantaged students and the Massachusetts Children's Trust Fund to prevent child abuse, The United Way, Massachusetts Family Institute ($10,000), Massachusetts Citizens for Life ($15,000), andRight to Play ($100,000 over several years). There were also donations that helped restore community baseball fields, teach sailing in Boston and support the U.S. Olympic handball team, U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation ($20,000), and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston ($30,000 over several years).
Of Note: The most generous of the candidates, Romney has spread his wealth out to assist with charities for health concerns, political interests, children's welfare, veterans support, sports interests, as well as victims of various disasters and hurts.

Newt Gingrich
Net Worth*:  $6.7+ million
2010 Income: $3,162,424
2010 Charitable Contributions: $81,133
Percentage of Giving**: 2.57%
Recipients of Donations: $9540 to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception was the largest donation of 2010. Previous years' giving includes Luther College in Decorah, Iowa ($30,000) in 2009 for a scholarship fund in his name, Atlanta Ballet ($2500), American Cancer Society ($500), American Museum of Natural History ($25,000), City of Fairfax Band Association ($5000), Oliver North’s Freedom Alliance ($2500), Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association ($12,500), the Pentagon Memorial fund ($1000), Pine Mountain Gold Museum in Villa Rica, Georgia ($100)
Of Note:Various organizations that Gingrich claims to have ties with are mysteries to his staff.  Do they not exist other than on paper or is he just quiet about his giving?

Ron Paul
Net Worth*:  $2.25 million - $5 million
2010 Income: Not yet reported
2010 Charitable Contributions:  Not yet reported
Percentage of Giving** Not yet reported

Rick Santorum
Net Worth*:  $880,000 - $1.9 million
2010 Income: $930,227
2010 Charitable Contributions: $16,289
Percentage of Giving**1.75%  (2.2% over last 4 years)
Recipients of Donations: No individual charities indicated on form submitted.
Of Note:"We should be proactive in finding ways to more fully engage the American public in charitable giving," Santorum said in a 2005 statement on the CARE Act, a bill he sponsored that sought to promote the interests of charities and provide incentives for Americans to donate. Also, a charity he started called Operation Good Neighbor has been under scrutiny for only using 45% of its revenue to help those it was established to help. The remainder of this money has been used for advertising and overhead.


Now, I am not going to try to tell you who to vote for. In fact, these numbers sicken me because there are some that don't "jive" with my feelings about who should be President.

And I'll readily admit that this only captures monetary donations and not donations of time and talents. But I really can't imagine that many of these gentlemen have a lot of extra time to donate to everyone, although I could be completely wrong about that. It also could be that there are donations that are not reported. I have no idea. I'm just presenting to you what is available.

All of this is presented before you to say this: if each of these candidates are going to tell you that they want to make things better and help people and support those who are less fortunate than themselves in order to provide for a better tomorrow in America, what does the way they live their personal lives reveal about their intentions and their rhetoric?

What do you make of this?  Does this support your feelings about your preferred candidate or make you squeamish?  Does it make any difference in all in your feelings about your vote?


*Just an FYI.
**Based on annual income not the net worth shown above.
Sources: Credit Sesame, Huffington Post, Washington Post, CNN Money 

How To Potty Train a Strong Willed Child

Our older child, Patrick, was so easy to potty train. A few years later our world turned upside down with the birth of our fun-loving feisty little firecracker who we named Abigail. This child has always had her own thoughts and opinions and steel will to go along with her opinions.

We’ve been struggling with her total lack of willingness (not ability) in the potty training arena. To see her whole saga, check out this post.

Image credit: sskie

But as of today – we’re 7 days diaper free with only 1 accident. This includes all bodily functions, as well as naptime and nighttime. It also includes trips out into the world while wearing underwear. Okay – so she still wears a diaper at night (because of our fear) but she wakes up dry each morning. But we no longer have to ask her about the potty. She just does it. She tells us when she needs to go, goes to the potty, pulls down her own pants and underwear and just goes. When she’s done, she gets up, dresses herself again, and is done. No, we're not totally there, as we still have to learn to use the big potty and how to use public restrooms (I shutter at the thought of this one), but I feel the biggest hurdles have been crossed.

Some people will tell you that children should lead the way. Maybe they should but we don’t really ascribe to that. Seriously…the diaper thing works for them. They do their business without stopping what they are enjoying and then you, as the parent, scoop them up, clean up their mess, pamper their bottoms with powder, and send them off on their merry way. What have they got to lose in this?

I know you cannot force a child who is not physically ready, but also don’t underestimate their ability to learn new things and mimic what they are shown.

So many people told us to wait until our strong willed child was ready, as in, when she decided to tell us, “I’m going to start using the potty now.” If you have a strong willed child, you know that this won’t happen as long as they feel in control of their current routine. You have to push them along too.

But they are different from more passive children. You have to work around their rebellion to get to the core of things and get them to do what you want (and sometimes NEED) them to do.

So what did we do to potty train our strong willed child?

• DO offer the potty when you think they are ready. Even if they aren’t willing, it will put the idea in their mind. And you never know until you ask.
• DON’T force a child to sit on the potty. This will not make the potty or potty training pleasant for either of you.
• DO offer incentives if needed. Some children like stickers, candy, a special book or toy.
• DON’T give in to the tantrums if they want the special treat without the cooperation. And if you have a strong willed one – there will be tantrums.
• DO keep offering incentives until you find the one that works. And remember – just because it works now doesn’t mean it will work next week.
• DON’T punish a child for an accident. It happens. They are still learning and this is a whole new concept for them. Sometimes they do not realize how quickly it will be happening. Sometimes they get distracted by what they are doing and forget to tell you. And if you take two steps back – think of how hard it will be to get the process going again.
• DO have the child help clean up the accident, put their underwear away in the laundry and put on another pair themselves. Doing it for them does not instill the consequences (not punishment) of the accident.
• DON’T think that there is one method that works. Each child is different. Take all of the advice you can get and find out which of it works for you. If none of it works, it’s okay. Make up your own. There is no single solution.
• DO sing your child’s praises. Tell them how proud you are. Call friends (who understand this truimph) and relatives and let them tell him/her how awesome they are. Let them her you bragging to your friends. And whatever incentive was offered – make sure you follow through. Don’t make yourself into a liar.
• DON’T give up.

I promise, they will get it. The younger they are, they might need incentives. The older they are, you can use logic (to a 4 year old - you can’t go to the pool this summer if you aren’t potty trained so let’s start working now so you can swim this summer). You just have to find out what works for your child.

For us, it was the promise to wear a dress that was already hanging in her closet. Seriously…that’s all it took. It just took us about 8 months to figure that out.

What about you?  Have any tips you can offer those who are struggling?  Do you have a strong willed child? 

Interesting Facts About Each of America's Presidents

Okay, so let's get away from finances for just a moment. There will be a heavy-hitter post on Thursday of this week, so we'll take it easy today.

I thought to celebrate President's Day today (since I don't get off of work), we would learn one interesting fact about each of our commanders in chief.


George Washington - He didn’t have enough money to get to his own inauguration so he had to borrow $600 from his neighbor.
John Adams - Taught himself to speak Dutch. Then hopped in a boat to the Netherlands, where he borrowed money to keep America from going broke.
Thomas Jefferson - Spoke 6 different languages. On his epitaph, which he composed, it mentions that he was the author of the Declaration of Independence and the Statuette of Virginia for Religious Freedom and that he was the father of the University of Virginia. He neglected to mention he had been the President of the United States.
James Madison - At 5'4" and under 100 pounds, James Madison was our shortest and smallest President to date.
James Monroe - once chased his Secretary of State from the White House with a pair of fire tongs.
John Quincy Adams - Swam nude (weather permitting) in the Potomac River every day.
Andrew Jackson - Jackson the only president of a debt free United States.
Martin Van Buren - When he wrote his autobiography after serving as president from 1837-1841, he didn’t mention his wife of 12 years. Not even once.
William Henry Harrison - holds the record for the longest inauguration speech in history at 8,578 words long and one hour and 40 minutes. Unfortunately, he gave the speech during bad weather and a month later, he was dead from pneumonia, making his the shortest presidency on record.
John Tyler - Five years after he left the White House, he was so poor that he couldn't even pay a bill of $1.25 until after a corn harvest.
James K. Polk - At age 17 he had a gallstone surgically removed without any anesthesia or antiseptics.
Zachary Taylor - Never voted for a President
Millard Fillmore - Vice President under Zachary Taylor, but Fillmore did not meet Taylor until after they were elected. Fillmore couldn't not read Latin and refused an honorary degree from Oxford University, saying a person shouldn't accept a degree he couldn't read.
Franklin Pierce - Memorized his entire inaugural speech - 3,319 words
James Buchanan - Quietly but consistently bought slaves in Washington, D.C., and then set them free in Pennsylvania.
Abraham Lincoln - Known for a number of things, but you probably don't know that he is the only U.S. president who was also a licensed bartender. He was co-owner of Berry and Lincoln, a saloon in Springfield, Illinois
Andrew Johnson - Has was buried beneath a willow tree he planted himself with a shoot taken from a tree at Napoleon's tomb.
Ulysses S. Grant - It was so cold at this presidential inauguration that the canaries that were supposed to sing at the inaugural ball froze to death
Rutherford B. Hayes - First President to use a phone - his phone number was 1
James Garfield - Could write with both hands at the same time - in different languages
Chester A. Arthur - Arthur told a temperance group that called on him at the White House, "I may be President of the United States, but my private life is my own damn business." Arthur destroyed all of his personal papers before his death.
Grover Cleveland - While sheriff of Erie County, New York, Cleveland was also the public executioner and personally hanged two murderers.
Benjamin Harrison - An excellent extemporaneous speaker, he once made 140 completely different speeches in 30 days.
Grover Cleveland - Yep. Here he is again. Although our current guy is the 44th President, there have really only been 43. Cleveland served two terms like many before him. However, unlike the others before (or after) his terms were not consecutive, so he gets counted twice.
William McKinley - the first to ride in a self-propelled vehicle—the electric ambulance that took him to the hospital after he had been shot.
Theodore Roosevelt - Every member of Teddy Roosevelt’s family owned a pair of stilts, including the First Lady
William Howard Taft - He inaugurated the custom of the president throwing out the first ball to start the baseball season. Mrs. Taft was responsible for the planting of the Japanese cherry trees in Washington.
Woodrow Wilson -would paint his golf balls black during the winter so he could continue playing in the snow.
Warren G. Harding - Gambled away a set of White House china
Calvin Coolidge - Liked to have his head rubbed with petroleum jelly while eating his breakfast in bed. Also he would press all the buttons on the President’s desk and hide and watch his staff run in. He would then pop out from behind the door and say that he was just seeing if everyone was working.
Herbert Hoover - Spoke Chinese to his wife to keep their stories private. Also gave his White House servants strict orders to hide from him whenever he passed by. Those who failed to do so were at risk of being fired
Franklin D. Roosevelt - He was related by blood or marriage to 11 former presidents.
Harry S Truman - Read every book in his hometown library. You probably already know that he middle initial is not an initial at all - it doesn't stand for anything and therefore doesn't have a period after it.
Dwight D. Eisenhower - A skilled chef, he was famous for his vegetable soup, steaks, and cornmeal pancakes. He was the first president licensed to fly an airplane.
John F. Kennedy - Father gave him $1,000,000 when he turned twenty-one. (Each of his nine brothers and sisters got a million dollars too!)
Lyndon B. Johnson - Johnson rejected his official portrait painting, saying it was the ugliest thing he ever saw.
Richard M. Nixon - Offered a position as a player's representative to the Major League Baseball Players Association in 1965. He declined, stating that he was needed in politics.
Gerald R. Ford - Ford was the only president whose two assassination attempts against him were made by women. Ford was a model for Cosmopolitan and Look magazines in the 1940's.
James Carter - Is the first known president to go on record as seeing a UFO. Jimmy Carter is the only president to have been commander of both a nuclear submarine and a peanut farm.
Ronald Reagan - Announced Chicago Cubs games for WHO radio in Des Moines. Also loved jelly beans and used to keep a bowl of them on his desk.
George H. W. Bush - Survived 4 planes crashes during World War II
William J. Clinton - When Bill Clinton was in high school he shook hands with President John F. Kennedy in the Rose Garden
George W. Bush - Has a collection of over 250 signed baseballs
Barack Obama - He does not like ice cream as a result of working at an ice cream shop as a teenager.  Collects Spiderman and Conan the Barbarian comic books.

Source: Random Facts,  Mr. G World, Pocantico Hills, Little Known Facts, White House, & PBSKids

Do You Have a Bucket List?

Photo credit: TordDesign

You know...since the release of the movie The Bucket List, everyone has seem to be on this trend of having one of their own.

And I see people documenting their bucket lists on Pinterest frequently. 

Is it pathetic that I don't have one?

Not that I haven't sat down and written one, but that I really don't have any real plans or "want tos"? 

Until just recently, I have been pretty short sighted.  I mean, when I was little I had dreams, but since I've become an adult, it's been more about getting through the week, the month, or even the year.  My imagination sometimes ventures into the "when the kids grow up" future, but it is usually more in reference to my concerns for them, our relationships, or what I hope our financial health will be. 

I need some dreams.

And so far I have only come up with one.

I want to see the Northern Lights.  Aurora Borealis. 

Not from North Dakota (although it might be lovely from there).  Somewhere more exotic.  And since Chip's family is from Norway, I'm thinking that might be a good place to start.

Otherwise, I have no idea of things I would like to do "one day." Things that I actually have plans of crossing off a list.

Maybe it's time to make one. Want to help me out?


Do you have a bucket list?  What is on it?  What would you recommend for me?

Drumroll please.... Our Tax Results

Photo credit: LeoSynapse

So a few nights ago Chip did our taxes.

The results?  A refund.

A huge refund. 

To the tune of $4880 (I think that’s the exact amount). 

I am thrilled. 

The crazy thing is, after last year’s big refund, I changed my with-holdings at work.  Not so much that I expected we would break even but that we would receive a much smaller refund.

And yet somehow – our refund is larger this year. I totally don’t understand tax law.

So what will we do with this lump sum?

We have two options.  I originally had one thing in mind because it would make the most sense mathematically and it would give me the best feeling emotionally.  Sounds like the way to go, right?   This option would be to send the entire (almost) $5K to my credit card – you know, the one that I despise so much and am ready to kill the account as soon as it is paid off.  That would give me the most emotional payback and it would decrease the debt on the larger interest loan.  This seemed like the way to go at first.

But the other option is almost as good and gives a sense of completion and gives us one less thing to worry about.  This would be to send almost $3900 to a “loan” that we had from the Army from when Chip was prepaid to finish OCS and came home early. So we owe the Army that money back.  They aren’t charging us interest, so it seems like it would be good to pay this one off more slowly than the one with interest. Two things about that though – if we did this, we could completely cross this debt off our list and shorten the list; and the Army is deducting repayments at their own rate out of his paychecks.  It’s been going fine so far to do that, but when he goes for his long-term training in a few months (or whenever he goes – they haven’t told us yet), I won’t know how much of his check we’ll be receiving until it arrives and that makes planning difficult. And for this control freak, that’s just one more uncertainty I would like to avoid.

All in all, it will pay off debt.  All of it.  But how?  That is yet to be determined.

What about you?  Are you getting or anticipating a refund?  If so, what do you plan to do with it?

Please stay tuned....

Sorry I've been a bit out of pocket lately.  The weekend was crazy as I made a whirlwind trip to Alabama and back for a funeral.

I promise things will look a bit more normal around here soon.  I'm just trying to play catch-up in life and at work, so the blog is suffering.

Be back soon!

8 Smart Ways to Spend Your Tax Refund

Photo credit: LeoSynapse

Yep - it's that time of year. Some people are itching to do their taxes, wanting the refund they deserve. Others are more cautious, either not knowing the outcome of their tax form calculations, or knowing they will be sending a check to the beloved IRS.

Some people will argue the ins and outs of whether you should try to get a refund each year or try to balance it as to not loan the government money interest free.

I get it. But we're not going to have that argument here and now. Right now we're just going to discuss what to do with the money that some of us will be getting back (I will!).

1. Start or Bolster an Emergency Fund:  If you don't have any type of emergency fund, this should be the first step you take with this money.  How much to put into your beginning emergency fund is up to you.  I am a follower of Dave Ramsey's teachings, so I'd say $1000 if you have debt (to cover  small emergencies) or 4-6 months of spending if you have no debt.  This would be a great place to use this windfall. 
2. Pay Down Debt:  If you are covered on the beginning emergency fund, throw that bad boy at your debt. It's a great way to make a big stride in paying down debt. There's nothing like seeing a much smaller balance after that check is sent. Successes like this one can motivate you on for months more.
3. Save for Retirement:  What a great way to go ahead and toss some money at your Roth IRA.  You might be able to cover all of your annual contribution allowance if your refund is enough. What a peace of mind this would give you to already have this covered!
4. Children's Education: Look into socking this away into an education fund for your children.  There are a number of different way to do this and since I'm not a financial advisor, I will not tell you the best way to do it.  There are plenty of people out there that can help you though, and this is a conversation worth having. 
5. Fund a Purchase: If you've been fighting the uphill battle of debt or if you've been looking for a way to live on cash alone, this money might be just what you need to afford something you've been hoping for. Whether it is a good used car that will allow you to get out from under a new car payment (and the accompanying new car insurance) or some furniture that your house actually needs, using cash will not only give you the freedom of paying without credit card interest, but you might likely be able to swing a better deal if you can pay cash upfront!
6. Donate it:  If you are blessed enough to not have anywhere in particular that you need to put this, why not bless someone else with it?  Give it to your favorite local charity or sponsor someone on a mission trip.  Not only will you have the joy of helping someone else with this money, but you'll be able to count it as a deduction next year!
7. Go on a Mission Trip Yourself: If you have the drive to help others but can't typically shell out the money needed for a trip, use your tax refund and sign up through your church for a trip to - well, wherever they are going. You will get some hands-on experience of serving others, but you might just change a life or two (including your own!). 
8. Splurge: This is the last way you could spend your money, but ONLY if you are in a good place in all of the above items. I don't mean that you feel okay about spending when you have debt.  I mean you have no debt, you have a full emergency fund, you live within your means, you have nothing that needs to be purchased with cash and you feel good about your giving.  Then - and only then - should you buy that next larger TV, or that new laptop, or that family vacation.  Yep - make sure you are financially secure before splurging.  But once you are, SPEND AWAY!  It's your money! =) 

What will you be doing with your tax refund?  Are you having to pay in instead? 

Our Harry Potter Party - Treats from Honeydukes

This is the last post in our Harry Potter birthday party series.  I hope you've enjoyed it almost as much as I have enjoyed sharing it with you.  Check out the previous post here. 

You know what I dislike about birthday parties?  Treat bags.  I know, they are a nice gesture, but too often they are just that - a gesture.  Filled with plastic crap that is themed with the party, most of it goes in the trash can as soon as we get home. I hate to be that honest, but it is true - at least at our house.

I was convinced that I did not want that for our kids' goody bags.  I try to buy things that will not be discarded immediately and continued that theme with this party as well.

I decided that only a few items would be in the goody bags to start out with, but the kids could "shop" at Honeydukes sweet shop at the end of the party and load their goody bags up with candy and treats to take home (you're welcome, parents). It was a fun way to wrap up the theme without buying licensed HP stuff that would be tossed soon.

Although my intentions were to make these goody bags (once again, thanks Pinterest), it didn't happen. I did think they were an awesome idea and not terribly hard to do, so I wanted to share them with you!

Instead, I just gave them the brown paper bags and let them shop.  The bags only had a couple of items already in them, but those items I do want to share with you.

I found inexpensive HP glasses here for far cheaper than anywhere else! They took a little while to ship, but well worth the cost of since most of the others I found were $5 a piece!

I also put in some other random (child-appropriate) pins that I got from skycouture (who also made the house pins the kids were wearing).  Unfortunately while writing this post I discovered that she is no longer a etsy shop owner. So if I were you, I would search on etsy because there are several others who make these types of pins and most etsians are great people and easy to work with.

I ordered some HP-ish soaps from an etsian who is no longer on etsy, but look around, as there are many great soap makers on there. I chose a mix of owls, brooms, wizard hats, and frogs. What fun - and they're practical too.

And for those who wanted them - dark mark tattoos.  I couldn't resist.

Other than these items, the bags were to be filled by the kids by visiting Honeydukes (sign available for your use here).  Their choices of treats were

• Giant Lollipops (from Dollar Tree)
• Chocolate Frogs (mold here)
• Licorice Wands (dip the ends of Twizzlers in white chocolate to make a "handle")
• Lemon Drops (Dumbledore's favorite Muggle candy)
• Fudge Flies (mix rice krispies and melted chocolate. Spread on wax paper to dry in tiny/bite-sized pieces)
• Drooble's Best Blowing Gum (gumballs)
• Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans (I just used jelly beans, but you can order the real thing from JellyBelly here)
• Acid Pops (roll sour blow pops in pop rocks - do it just before serving or the rocks will lose their "pop")
• Peppermint Toads (same mold as chocolate frogs but use white chocolate or vanilla and peppermint extract)
• Jelly Slugs (gummy worms)
• Cockroach clusters (melt chocolate, chow mein noodles and peanuts and drop onto wax paper)
• Broomstick Candy
• Considered Pretzel Wands (same as licorice wands but with pretzel sticks) but didn't do it. 

I made tent cards (download here) with each candy's name on it to let people know what they were shopping for. Using a variety of glass jars (some borrowed and some purchased), Honeydukes was established.

They were then allowed to shop to their own desires. The kids thought the names were disgusting and that was a lot of fun for them (especially the boys!). 

And that was that.  End of party. All exhausted. So much fun.

I hope I can live up to this one next year!

If you want some more ideas, I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to Harry Potter party ideas. Some I used and some I didn't but you might find something PERFECT for yours!

Our Harry Potter Party - Games

We're almost done with our Harry Potter party series (see previous post here), but we do need to discuss the games that were played. It was a lot of fun.

I intended on having a game of Stomp the Dementors (scroll down to games - you'll probably see lots of other great ideas here), which would have been a way for the kids to run about and let off some of that sugared-up energy, but leading up to the party I ran out of time and didn't have time to create the dementors.

So we just let them run about like crazy little creatures and play with their wands for a little while.  This was a lot of fun for them and a great way to just let them be as creative as they want.

Beware a tiny one with a wand!

After that, we had a Horcrux Hunt.  This was my second most proud moment of creativity for this party (following the Potions class).  A basic scavenger hunt, I wanted to create a Horcrux hunt that would look for the items as the story unfolded.  We were looking for the diary, a ring, a locket, a cup, a diadem (or crown), a lightning bolt, and a snake.

Of course I found a few suggestions for wording for the scavenger hunt, but I'm terribly picky and wanted the hunt to not only make sense in our yard and where I could hide the items, but I wanted it to tell the story of the Horcruxes without giving away any/many spoilers.  So I set my pen to paper and wrote some poetic clues.  In the end, I was quite proud of them.

Here is the wording I came up with.



Voldemort first tempted a girl named Ginny
With his own diary, its mysteries were many.
To find out its secrets, its key to unlock,
You can look in a place where you would sit and rock.

The next one was found by old Dumbledore.
It poisoned his hand when this ring he wore.
But how to destroy it? One of the unknowns.
Now go find Gaunt’s Ring among the stones.

Another – a locket – guarded by a house elf,
Who was true to his master in spite of himself.
It got passed around by two or three.
Slytherin’s locket is hiding up in a tree.

Three friends found the next one inside a bank vault.
They made a huge mess, but it wasn’t their fault.
Getting help from a dragon, they fell on their tushes.
Helga Hufflepuff’s cup shines inside our front bushes.

The lost diadem is quite a lovely crown.
Trying to find and destroy it almost burned the school down.
In a giant pile of stuff it nearly was buried,
But you’ll find it in a place where our mail is carried.

The next horcrux made was the Dark Lord’s mistake.
Harry faced trading his life for its sake.
He meets up with Voldemort, the tension grows.
Go find a lightning bolt stored with our hose.

To end this great hunt a snake had to die.
A new hero rose, courage shone in his eye.
Could this be real? Would peace be restored?
Go find Nagini taped to the front door.

The hunt is now over. The seeking is done.
All horcruxes are found, I hope you had fun.
One more activity and the party is complete.
Go inside the house and “shop” for some sweets.

You can print this out for yourself here, but unless you have the same places to hide them that I did, I don't know if it will help you much.

As each Horcrux was found, I would read the next clue while everyone looked for it at the same time.  It wasn't a competition and anyone could find them.  It was just fun for them to look.

Found the diadem in the mailbox!

While the Horcrux Hunt was going on, I had my house elves spouse and friends inside setting up Honeydukes for a shopping extravaganza. Come back tomorrow to check that out!

If you want some more ideas, I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to Harry Potter party ideas. Some I used and some I didn't but you might find something PERFECT for yours!

Our Harry Potter Party - Food

This is a continuation of the Harry Potter birthday series.  See the previous post here. 

So after sorting, wands, owls, and potions, it was time to eat.

For the cake, I considered a number of things, which you can find on my Pinterest board.

In the end, we went with the cake that would duplicate the first one Hagrid gave Harry when he turned 11 and learned he was a wizard.  It was a chocolate cake with chocolate icing and "Happee Birthdae Patrick" written on it (to duplicate Hagrid's spelling). The great thing is, the cake was terribly ugly in the movie so your piping (or icing) skills don't have to be great! Score!

I'm rather sad that I didn't get a good picture of the cake, but here is an idea.

In addition to cake, we had some standard goodies - cake truffles (which I love), chips, fruit, and the like.

I did provide Butterbeer sorbet that was interesting and surprisingly tasty for those daring enough to try it (yes, it is kid friendly).

A bit hit with the kids was the drinks.  I provided water, Sprite, Capri Sun (which are mostly clear or light colored), and White Grape juice.  Using the fun I found on Pinterest (where else?), we had amazing color-changing drinks. Of course not an option if you have someone who can't have food coloring, but otherwise, it will blow the kids' minds!

Then it was time to run off some of that sugar! Outside we went!

If you want some more ideas, I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to Harry Potter party ideas. Some I used and some I didn't but you might find something PERFECT for yours!  Get the details about the games we played here!.

Our Harry Potter Party - Potions Class

As a continuation of our Harry Potter party series (see previous post here), I wanted to talk to you about my favorite part of the whole affair - The Potions Class.

Let me start by saying that I have the most awesome husband on earth. Seriously.

Not only does he like Harry Potter (almost as much as Patrick and I do), but he has a bit of a man-crush on Alan Rickman's character of Severus Snape (sorry sweetie - but you really can't deny it).

So for this party and the soon-to-follow Halloween, I purchased him a Snape costume on ebay. We also bought a witch wig at Walmart and trimmed it to be about the right length. The wig was cheap (and it looked like it), but it worked well for what we needed.

My Snape and my Harry.

So this was the most fun for most of the kids and adults.

The Potions class was set up in the garage. I gathered a number of glass bottles and containers and stored various liquids and greenery found in our neighborhood in them and labeled them with Potterish names including those to be used in the potions class and demonstrations. We also purchased some dry ice, which we found at Kroger for $5 for a 5 pound bag (this was approaching Halloween, I have no idea if they normally have it).

And this sign was my favorite of all of the ones I made (and here it is for you to have). 

I spent lots and lots and lots of time scouring the internet for potions class ideas and do-at-home science experiments that could be done with ease but would seriously impress the kids.   I was able to use potions from The Leaky Cauldron,  It's the Life, Dirt and Sunshine, and Lemonade.  You can find even more (that I didn't use but really considered) at My Harry Potter Party, Harry Potter Birthday Party, and lots more at The Leaky Cauldron. Once I found them, I modified the ones that needed to be Potter-fied (you like that, don't you?) and created a Potions Handbook for the kids and a Potions Master Handbook for my Snape using fonts found on Mugglenet and the same parchment used for signs and invitations. They neatly folded into a booklet that the kids were allowed to take home.

The Potions Student Handbook had all of the experiments potions that the kids would participate in.  I also included an ingredients list so the kids could take them home and do them with their parents help if they wanted to (yes, a little science lesson to go home with you).  It included the following potions

• Exploding Filibusters - A huge hit, as everyone likes an "explosion."
• Dancing Unicorn Milk - Another regular chemistry project that was "Potter-fied" by changing the ingredients' names.
• Exploding Elixir - Lots of bubbly fun.
• Fleeing Spiders - I was quite proud of the explanation I came up with what this experiment is about. It's really all about surface tension, but adding the element of spiders and basilisk venom makes it very Chamber of Secrets-ish.
• Mandrake Restorative Draught - An actual potion from the books. This one is impressive because of the color change that the kids don't see coming. Requires a tiny bit of prep work, but well worth it for the looks on their faces!

The Potions Master Handbook had those items that the kids would only watch.  One was a density column and some dealt with dry ice (little hands OFF). It included the following Potions:

• Magic Mud - this is fantastic stuff to play with!
• Wormwood Comes to Life - I actually researched HP potions ingredients to come up with a way to work in dry ice
• Screaming Spoons - I extended the explanation I gave for the dry ice potion ingredient to this potion as well.
• Liquid Enemies - This is just a chemistry lesson on density. However, it looks really cool, so I wanted to make it into a Potions lesson. So I renamed the ingredients, came up with a Latin spell to speak over it, and voila! Such fun!

 And yes...I'm sharing both the Potions Student Handbook and the Potions Master Handbook with you now. Hooray!

Here are some pictures of the kids and the fun from the Potions class.

If you want some more ideas, I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to Harry Potter party ideas. Some I used and some I didn't but you might find something PERFECT for yours! Tomorrow we'll cover the food and drinks!

Our Harry Potter Party - Sorting, Wands, and the Owlry

As a continuation in our Harry Potter party series (see part 1 here), today we will look at the sorting "ceremony," the wands and the owlry.

SORTING:
So I couldn't have a Harry Potter party without sorting the kids into houses. This would really have no bearing on them during the party.  We didn't play any games where we separated them into houses or anything, but just did it for fun.

When each guest walked in the door (parents too if they wanted), they were met with our sorting table.  This was a tiny cauldron that I found at a thrift store (luckily this was around Halloween, so these items are easy to find).  Inside the cauldron were pins with each of the house crests on them.  I found them on etsy.  There were a few etsians who offered similar pins, but the one I chose no longer is on etsy. =(  So just search around etsy. There are many of other great creators on there still!

So anyway...they reached into the cauldron and pulled out a pin and attached it to their shirts. 

In addition to a pin, they also picked up a sorting card that told them something about their houses.  These were created by me and I LOVED the result (if you let me brag on them for a moment).  They include the house crest, name, the sorting hat rhyme about the house from Harry's first year, basic info about each house, and a list of famous wizards/witches from that house. I thought these would be cool to tell the kids (or parents) about the house they were chosen for. And I am gladly sharing those cards with you now.  There is no reason that someone else would have to do the work to create these again, so here they are for download and use!

WANDS:
After the guests were sorted, they proceeded to Ollivanders to receive their wand. Against Ollivander's words though, we let the witches and wizards choose their own wands. They were created using this awesome tutorial that I found via (guess where) Pinterest.  They are made from paper and glue. That's it! Everyone loved them!

If you need a sign for your Ollivanders, you can print this one out.  I created this and printed it on the same parchment that I used for the invitations.

OWLRY:
We ordered these awesome unglazed ceramic owls and had them out for the kids to decorate.  I provided markers because I didn't want to get into the mess of paint since these were younger kids. Paint would look nicer and be more permanent though. It was a hit and they each loved decorating their own owl to take home. Some even named them!

You can of course, name your owl station Eyelops Owl Emporium (like the books), but we kept it simply with Owlry.  There are two sign options you can have if you'd like. Here and here.

I also want to note that a few of our guests showed up in costume.



Of course our little Harry

Actually quite unintentional, but we thought Patrick and his buddy made a great Harry and Ron.

Our party's Luna

If you want some more ideas, I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to Harry Potter party ideas. Some I used and some I didn't but you might find something PERFECT for yours!  Tomorrow we'll cover the incredible potions class!