Tiny Little Pads

The day started bright and early for me. It was actually still dark outside as I was setting up the tables, benches and chairs outside. I love planning and decorating events for children. Actually so much that I decided to offer this service to other busy parents who do not have the extra time on their hand to put an event like this together. The holiday season is just about to start, so if you’d like us to help plan a little Holiday Party for your family, we are here to help.

No matter what kind of party you are hosting, a cute invite is a must. I always head over to etsy.com to get mine done. There are tons of shops that do custom stationary there, and so many talented graphic artists. The biggest challenge for me once I get there, is to pick ONE. After spending a good 30 minutes looking around, I reached out to Kiwi N Berries. She has the cutest little shop with lots of great designs and she designed the perfect invite for our Breakfast Party. I didn’t give her much time poor thing, but she did not disappoint. I love when I find new shops that I have not worked with before.

Once the sun came up, I started to set the table….spider web, spiders, pumpkins, spooky plates, milk bottles, straws, napkins and party favor crackers…all in black, white and orange. All of this fun décor really popped on the white tabletop (...desk...) that I purchased at our local IKEA store. My plan was to put the tabletop on some tree trunks and make a custom table out of it, however the tree trunks that I had eyed over at a neighbor’s curb free to pick up, where all gone, by the time I made it over there. Of course. I love using tree trunks when designing children’s parties. They are so versatile. You can find lots of ideas on how to incorporate them into your next party on Pinterest.

With no tree trunks at hand, the legs from my home office desk came to the rescue and made quite a fit actually. So a little advise...if you are missing a piece of furniture or some accessories for your party, take a tour of your home BEFORE you hit the stores for another purchase. Those last minute runs, add up quite fast once you are in desperate need. Been there, done that.

IKEA was also the place where I found the amazing black benches ….or should I say TV benches?! At an unbeatable price of $14.99 they were the perfect match for our party. A great IKEA “hack” if I might say so myself, as benches are so pricy for some reasons. Have you notices? I love how it turned out.

Once the tables where set, it was time for my two little ones to get dressed. Nahla has been into the Norwegian animated movie Bold Eagles for the last few months. She’s been running around shouting “I can fly mommy…I can fly!!” Needless to say, her custom for the party was an eagle….and that was perfect as Miliah did fit into Nahla’s first Halloween costume, a baby owl. Match made in Halloween siblings heaven. Nahla kept referring to her as her "baby eagle" and told her over and over that she was gonna teach her how to fly. Just like the movie.

At 9am sharp, The Bold Eagle and the Baby Owl were ready to welcome their friends. First to arrive was the little kangaroo. OMG cuteness overload. In sunglasses! If I only captured that sight on camera. Oh well. Then came the little lamb with those adorable eyes, before the insanely hilarious orangutan, followed by this years big star Mr. Pokemon.

And in a matter of minutes we had the most adorable little animal parade all lined up in our front yard…and while you might think this was all planned…..it was NOT. So just like that we killed the assumption that Halloween costumes needs to be scary. If you are reading this and live in one of the countries that have adopted this tradition, I know you have some thoughts on whether or not this is an appropriate holiday to celebrate in your home country….I’m not gonna go there, but let me say this...here in the US this is a winner. For most families this is a holiday to have fun, make memories, learn some manners, get respect for the dark and how you move around on the streets at night. But most importantly, being together with your children and grandchildren. It does not need to be scary, nor costly. And while candy is a big part of it, in my eyes it does not need to be. It all depends on how you go about with it and set your standards for your kids.

Well, the party was well under way at this point as there were no issues getting the little ones to sit down. We had Norwegian Spider Waffles and BIG size halloween pumpkin donuts from Donut Bar in Downtown Las Vegas on the table. The kids dove right into the feast. I have never seen anyone more excited about a donut than our little kangaroo and baby owl. This was Miliah’s first donut and to say she liked it is no understatement. Good thing we had lots of milk and almond milk to flush it down with.

While the donut was a hit with the youngest ones, Pokemon’s favorite was the Norwegian spider waffles. Who knew that he would be loving those?! Wonder if he’s ever been to Norway? Well either way, if you would like to try these out, they are really easy to make, the only thing is that you need a Norwegian waffle iron. Kids love these waffles and they are a lot different than the French and American thick crispy ones. Try out the traditional recipe. Skip the baking powder tho! In Norway where I grew up, they are always served with the famous brown cheese, jam and sour cream, but you can put what ever your heart desire on them and they will be just as delicious! These heart shaped waffles are quite something if you have never had them before. Be aware. You might get hooked!

The rest of the morning went by like this….

WISHING YOU ALL I HAPPY HALLOWEEN! May this year's celebration be the most memorable one yet.