How to throw a Pirate Party!!

My boys are 8! Can you believe it? I sure can't 

They had been asking for a couple years to have a friend birthday party. This year I finally consented. With twins I wasn't sure how it was going to work. Would they agree on the party theme? Would they agree on guests? 

They didn't. Yip wanted pirates and Yap wanted soldiers. They agreed, without much argument, that this year Yip could choose and next year we'd do Yap's soldier party. I did lay down the law on the party guests though. I wasn't inviting every boy they knew. They each invited two guests; we'll start with six little boys. Heaven knows these two boys keep my house busy enough. 

The boys and I worked all summer getting things ready for the party. We spread all the work out through the summer.

Arrrggghhh!!!

The cupcakes!! 

Yum! Shark Bait!! I got to tell ya, that watermelon shark was so much fun to do! 

We had pin the peg leg/hook/eye patch/parrot on the pirate game drawn up. 

We had all the fixin's to make their own pirate hook. Then we made an aluminum foil ring and the boys played catch the ring on the hook. 

Thanks Mom and Sue for all the wine corks, they made the perfect rafts :) 

We had pirate beards all ready to go along with black sashes, cardboard swords and skull bandannas. 

Don't they look awesome?!

We raided DR's closet for the pirate shirts.

DR even joined in the fun! But....he looks a bit more like a biker than a pirate! 

Hmmm, a Purdue Pete Pirate!! LOL 

 I had hinted for the last couple months that we would have a surprise guest. Meet Dillen! Dillen is a high school senior and has done some babysitting for us. The kids absolutely LOVE him because he wrestles with them and of course lets them go to bed late! 

We were ready! Once all the guests arrived and were suited up in their pirate attire we headed off to the high seas....

...in the driveway! 

Our grocery store down the street saved us a couple of boxes the watermelon came in. So we painted them up like the Black Pearl and the Flying Dutchmen, put the blue pool full of water in between and a plank over the top. Each ship was filled with cannonballs (wads of packing paper wrapped in masking tape).

Boy did they enjoy their "sea battle"! 

After the swords were completely soaking wet and the cardboard swords were flopping and falling apart we headed inside for cupcakes. 

Eight candles are a tight squeeze on a little cupcake. 

Eight!! Dang! 

Then off to play pin the pirate. We made sure everyone was thoroughly spun and dizzy :) 

Perfect peg leg positioning there Yip! 

He cheated by the way and was peaking under his blindfold! 

Then a pinata! I think the pinata was the most expensive thing I bought for the whole party. That thing just would. not. BUST!! We wacked it for heaven knows how long. Finally I took a utility knife and sliced it quite a few places and that helped. 

Yahoo wasn't left out! She was right in the middle of all the action.

Dillen is an awesome guy! He bought Yip a KNex set and Yap a Lego Pirate ship. Not only did he buy them each a very cool present he stuck around until bedtime and helped them each put together their model! Thanks a bunch Dillen, my boys really look up to you. 

All in all we had a great 8th birthday celebration! 

Happy Birthday! 

My super awesome birthday "fruit" cake!

Yesterday was my birthday!! 

That's right the big (or not so big) 3-6!

Whoop whoop!!! 

And check out my awesome birthday cake!! 

It was too dang hot to heat up my kitchen with a cake. Besides...it was my birthday and frankly I didn't want to go to the hassle of baking (cuz it's the moms who always make the cakes anyway). 

So I peeled up a watermelon, sliced a bunch of fruit and handed it to my kids along with a pile of toothpicks. What a piece of art! 

I couldn't have asked for a better birthday cake....because I ate about half of it and don't fell at all guilty!! LOL 

Birthday Parties for Twins; A Guest Blog from Lisa Moore

I recently received an email from a woman named Lisa Moore asking if I would be interested in a guest post. She is part of The Party Works, a party supply company, and has written other guest posts about children's birthday parties; Five Way to Encourage Good Manners at Birthday Parties and Tips for Children’s Birthday Parties That Encourage Proper Development.

My twins' birthday isn't until the end of August but we have already been talking about having their first party with friends and not just family. I have been putting off a friend birthday party for the last couple of years because there were a lot of issues, like gifts and themes, that we haven't been able to hammer out until recently. I was curious to get any suggestions I could so I asked Lisa if she could write a post focusing on birthday parties for twins, which of course could apply to triplets or other multiple siblings as well. 




Birthday Party Planning Tips for Twins by Lisa Moore 


Planning birthday parties for kids can be a headache, and planning birthday parties for twins can be even more stressful. You have to make sure each of your twins is happy and feels special at the party, and you have to make sure all the party guests are safe and happy too. Plus, you have to get the right party supplies, cake, and snacks. And you have to plan the activities for the party or reserve a spot at a kids’ party venue. Preparing for a birthday party for twins is definitely not a walk in the park. Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to make the overall party planning and party throwing easier. Here are some of them:


1. Go with a theme the twins can agree on. 


Get together and discuss possible party themes as a family. Chances are, the twins will want different party themes, especially if you have boy and girl twins. You can either spend time discussing possible themes until the twins can agree on one, or you can do something like allow one child to pick the theme this year with the promise that the other child will be able to pick the theme next year. If you’re going to throw the party away from your home at a party venue, you’ll have to go through a similar process. Let the twins discuss which party venues they like until they agree on one, or go with one child’s preference for a party venue this year and the other child’s preference next year. 


2.  Buy some extra gifts. 


Most of the party guests will know to bring two gifts, but some of them won’t. You could explicitly state that you’d like them to bring two gifts on the party invitations, but doing so might make you feel uncomfortable. Inevitably, some of the guests will only bring one gift. So, you should buy a few extra presents to have ready at the party in case this happens. That way your twins will get the same amount of gifts, and there won’t be any tears or fighting about which child got more or having to share. 


3. Do everything you can to make sure both children feel special. 


Plan out activities based on both of your children’s interests, and make sure to pay attention to both of them equally at the party. Sharing your birthday with your twin usually means you have to share the spotlight. So, make sure neither child feels any less loved than the other. Make them breakfast to eat in bed on the day of their birthday, and cook each of their favorite foods. For instance, you might serve one child pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon and serve the other waffles, sausage, and fruit. Spend some extra time shopping for their presents and get them things you’ll know they’ll love. There’s no better time to let your twins know how much you love them than on their birthday!


Author’s Bio: Lisa is a mom and guest post writer on the topics of motherhood, toddler care, and how to plan kids’ parties like a Mario birthday party or a party for multiples. 

Don't forget to ask about the cake!
Are you twins/triplets willing to share a cake or do they really want to have their own?

I love the idea of rotating choices of themes from one year to the next which is what my boys have agreed to do; this year pirates and next year soldiers. I don't think that would have been an option in years past but with my boys maturing they are learning to compromise. 


I don't necessarily agree with Lisa on her second point of buying extra gifts. Any mother of multiples knows that raising twins isn't cheap because there are no hand me downs and considering these economic times buying extra gifts just may not be possible. Also what if those extra gifts I buy aren't even close in value/coolness/wow factor of guests gifts? Not cool Mom! I would suggest being very specific on invitations and either 1) ask that no gifts be brought (have mom/dad/grandparents take care of that) or 2) request half the guests to bring a gift for Twin A and the other half of the guests to bring gifts for Twin B. Although twins have lived their lives sharing, sometimes it's best to avoid throwing them in an unequal situation. 


Lisa's last point is right on!! Especially as twins grow older their personalities and interests can be as different as night and day despite their living side by side. My boys don't like the same foods and though most days I tell them, "I am not a restaurant and you will eat what I put in front of you!" But birthdays are different and even if it takes a bit longer, I'm willing to show them they're special with separate meals.


Also as twins get older it is VERY important to put extra thought into their birthday/Christmas gifts. My boys could really care less what their little sister receives for gifts but they are very aware what their twin gets and how it rates compared to their own gift. I admit I have failed in gift giving in the past for my twins and there have been birthdays where one gift was obviously not as cool as the other (in my boys eyes at least.) But I'm getting better. 


The best advice I can give on birthday's for twins is sit down and talk to them and really listen to what they both want and what they feel is important. Don't overload, keep it simple and have fun! 


Thanks Lisa for some great tips. Any twin/triplet moms or dads out there with other birthday tips? I'd love to hear from you! 

The Big 3!!! Happy Birthday Yahoo!

Happy Birthday Yahoo!!! 

Wow! I just can't believe that she's three years old already! 

And just when did that happen? 

I swear, wasn't it just yesterday that she looked like this? 

Yahoo is on the left in case you were confused! 

This particular pic holds a special place in my heart because this is my grandfather and Yahoo is named after his mother. Right before this picture was taken Grandpa was diagnosed with Parkinsons and is now confined to a nursing home. (Okay, enough tears!) 

Yahoo has been talking about her birthday for weeks! It finally came! She decided on cupcakes,PINK and purple of course, with strawberries on top. After we read a Fancy Nancy book where Nancy baked cupcakes a big birthday cake wasn't going to work for Yahoo....cupcakes it HAD to be. Man, is she getting independent minded in her old age. 

Yip just couldn't help being goofy; what a ding dong! 

Now on to the presents! 

Fingernail polish from her brothers! 

Wow, I didn't think they could be that thoughtful of their little sister. 

Now, as long as she doesn't try painting her fingernails by herself life will be good! 

A new Barbie from Mommy! I admit I bought this particular Barbie with selfish intentions; 1. This Barbie has brown hair, I've cringe at all the blonde Barbies (no offense blonde ladies out there) and 2. This Barbie's clothes are painted on....one less naked doll in the house!! 

And the big gift of the evening......drumroll.....

...a big girl bike!!! Yay! 

Now for just a bit more practice, and some warmer weather, we'll be zooming all over town!Ah, Yap, are you helping your sister ride her bike? 

NO, he's not...he just found this a perfect opportunity to get his photo taken. He is my ham after all. 

The gifts didn't stop there. Yahoo received a big package from Indiana in the mail. Hoosier packages always make us smile! 

A princess bowling set from Grandma and Grandpa!! Thanks!!! 

Hmm, we need to work a bit more on her form don't we? Ha ha! 

She's already learned that if she can't knock over the pins with her ball then she'll get them with her feet! 

Happy 3rd Birthday Yahoo! My birthday wish for you is that this next year passes just a little bit slower! 

Happy Birthday Yip and Yap!!!

My twins turned 7 this week!! Wow, how time has flown! No Preschool Lament here...I love how big my boys are! We aren't huge party people we just had a little celebration at home.

Now I know most of you aren't probably in birthday details, that's fine. This post is mostly for grandmas and grandpas out there. We sure miss sharing our birthday with you! You being any family member reading this post. (I really miss sharing birthdays with you because that leaves me with an entire sheet cake to eat myself!)

Onto the pics!

There they are! My 7 year olds! Keep growing boys because in just couple years you'll be big enough I can borrow your clothes. Yip has a really cool Spider Man shirt I'm dying to wear!! lol 

During school Yahoo and I made a sheet cake and after school they all helped to decorate with Runts candy complete with a big 7 for each of the boys.

Then I shooed them all to the basement to watch the movie Tangled (That horse cracks me up!) while I made their birthday dinner.  

At their request we ate pancakes and bacon for dinner.

Then on to the cake!!

Yip and Yap decided they wanted one big chocolate cake to share this year.

I offered to make them each a separate cake but they were more than happy to share.

Yip was up first to blow out the candles. I think he was afraid he'd blow out the candles too soon!

Then Yap! Use all that hot air!

Since Yip blew out the candles first Yap got to open his present first.

I tell you with twins it's a whole balancing act of fairness.

Using your teeth? I know I didn't tape it that well.

Ahh, sister to the rescue.

Yap exclaimed, "A marble maze!! JUST what I WANTED!"

Whew, music to Mama's ears.

He looks so innocent doesn't he?

In real life he's a raging ball of energy!

"Spider Man skateboard!! AWESOME!!"

Gifts worked out well this year. I've learned gift giving to twins can be kind of touchy. When they are young you have to give them the exact gift so there won't be any arguments. Sharing doesn't work either. That doesn't impress ANY twin.

But then they get to the age of 4 or 5 and their unique personalities are starting to grow. The same gifts just won't work any more. But then you have to find the balance where both gifts are equal, not necessarily in monetary value but in 'coolness' to the kid. In past years I've bombed where for example; Yap's gift was what both boys wanted and Yip's gift wasn't at all interesting. Jealousy ensues.

This year they were both very happy with their own gifts, thank goodness.

Their final celebration of the day is (fairness in everything) Yip moved to the bottom bunk and Yap moved to the top. Next year they'll switch again. I wonder how hold they'll be when they work out their own twin issues and I won't have to be the fairness referee anymore. I'm looking forward to THAT birthday!

HAPPY 7TH YIP AND YAP!!