Party theme = along the boulevard. Albert's favorite fast food. Fast food five. Five fast foods. I admit. I went overboard. Here is the invitation. It was the concept that I came up with in February when we started freaking out that there was no party theme.
The Invitation
Stuff to fit the restaurant theme
Dry-Erase markers $24
Menu Covers $26
Guest Checks $6
Goody Bags for School and YMCA and party guests
Doughnut sticker sheets $8
Doughnut sticker rolls $8
Sweet stampers $10
Party favor bags $8
Stuffed doughnuts $26
Target $89.67 for batteries, goody bag treats, coffee, creamer, kitty litter
Smart & Final $113.92 for goody bag treats, coffee cups, plates, tablecloth
Decorations
Balloons $16
Filling balloons $8
Michael's $25.25 for poster boards
Play food
Burgers (2) $24
Ice cream $13
Coffee station $27
Doughnut station $30
Real food
Pizza $23.97
Burgers $84.84
Doughnuts $46
Ice cream $59.98
Dry ice $50
Ice $13
Lowe's $61 for an extra table
It was all for $802. We had corporate logos featured, but I think Albert actually really liked it. He would say, "Wow, that's like what we have at home." When he saw the logos of real restaurants, he would say, "That's just like what you made, Mommy." I'm not big on "corporate," but I do know that kids like food that is easily recognizable. I brought the poster boards to CSUN and used the projector to trace an outline of the logo. Then I brought them home and painted in the colored parts of the logos. I got balloons that fit the theme to make it like the signs along the boulevard, especially like Ventura Blvd where there is a giant hand for a car wash or a giant donut for a sweet shoppe.
Real Coffee Bar
Pretend Coffee Bar
The kids started playing with the play food immediately. It was like they knew what to do inherently. There were 5 stations and about that many kids. The kids liked making coffee for the adults, and I think it was a novelty that the real food matched the play food. When your kid would take your order, you didn't know if they would bring you real food or pretend. The play money and cash register were also pretty fun. The kids played with everything and took turns like champs. I think there was enough overlap and familiarity among the kids that they were not weirded out by each other. Nobody was excessively shy. They rode their wheels up and down the alley, especially after eating ice cream and donuts.
Real Ice Cream Bar
Pretend Ice Cream Bar
We decided that the mini cones were such a hit that we could have had twice as many for the same price. It was the only thing that ran out. The mini cones from Baskin Robbins were nearly $2 each, while the cones from Trader Joe's were about $0.50 each. We could have created a stand to hold them upright ourselves out of cardboard, but that's how you learn. The dry ice was too much. We got 20 lbs. It took forever to melt even in direct sunlight.
Real Donut Bar
Pretend Donut Bar
Albert was having fun being a DJ and showing off his new CD player and dance moves. I did a good job of not cleaning too much and just letting the house be as it is to normalize the reality of parenthood. I noticed many of the kids we invited are only children. And I was surprised to learn that I'm older than the other moms by about 5 years. Mike is older by more than 10 years. So we are more settled and chill. I also let them know that Kathleen is my sponsor, so we're in the program. My sobriety journey has been as crucial as my PhD or my marathon training to shape my character. So it's okay to let people know about it. There was a moment when the kids wanted to play inside with Albert's trucks. And jump on the couch. I hope the other parents thought it was a worthwhile day and playdate.
Pizza Play Kitchen
Pretend Burger Bar
The three medium pizzas were good. People did eat almost all the cheese pizza. We had only 3 pieces left. The cheeseburgers were good, but expensive. We had only 4 leftover out of the 24 that we ordered. The kids ended up asking for milk, which we had. I set out 5 and there were only 2 left at the end of the party. We set out about 36 water bottles and there were about 18 leftover.
I think people appreciated the goody bags. I tried to have a mix of sweet and salty. Nothing chocolate. No nuts. And something non-food that isn't just garbage. It's challenging. Albert was really specific about what he wanted in there for his friends. He wanted pretzels or cheese balls. We got cheese bunnies instead. He wanted gummy bears, we got sour patch kids. He wanted ring pops. He wanted good candy, like starbursts. He is so generous. His after school teacher made him pass out the goody bags himself. I don't know about his classroom teacher, but he didn't have too much trouble giving all that stuff away. I know he really likes getting goody bags on other kids' birthdays.
After his birthday parties 2, 3, and 4 were like destination parties, I said last year that the next birthday party we would have would be at our house, which we did. I was tired of parties at public parks where it seemed like random kids would join, eat the food, and try to steal the presents. I had planned to give away the food menus with worksheets inside, but I forgot. It would have made more sense to go with the dry-erase markers in the goody bags. But it's okay.
Guest List
Kathleen
Christoph
Harvey
Carissa
Husband
Declan
Lee-Ann
Boyfriend
Heinrich
Frederick
Larry
Victoria
Sarah
Stephen
Samantha
Anthony
Mika
Lucas
Emma
Eli
Kayla
Mike
Albert
I tried limiting the guest list to just 5 kids, following the rule of thumb that you invite the number of kids that your child is in age. The reason is that more kids is more overwhelming and although I wanted to invite everyone in Fit4Mom and everyone in Albert's class, for a house party in our somewhat small house, that just wouldn't fit.
Albert's "A Pirate's Life 4 Me" birthday party has come and gone. Also known as the Pasadena Pirate Party in the Park, we had 13 adults + 10 kids attend.
Guest List
Anthony, Mika, Lucas, Emma, Eli (neighbors) Larry, Victoria, Samantha, Steven, Sarah (neighbors) Vishwa, Danushka, Summer, Mia, Oliver (friends from grad school) Christiana, Jeremy, Annika (friends from grad school) Gil, April, Connie (friends from high school) Sally, Robert (Albert's grandparents)
Games we did play
Treasure/scavenger hunt Ring toss on sword Pirate puzzle Frisbee to treasure chest Beanbag to sea turtle Name that pirate
Games we didn't play
Sharks and minnows Treasure transfer by toes Popsicle stick + pool noodle boats Cannonball bowling Walk the plank Eye spy Dress-up / photo booth
Prizes / giveaways
Chocolate coins Ring pops Pirate Booty
Leprechaun gold
Packing List
beach wagon
large plates
cake toppers from Jake and the Never Land Pirates
#4 candle + lighter for candles
table cloth + decorations to hang
paper towels + paper towel holder
small dessert napkins
small dessert cake plates
cutlery / party straws
music / speaker
solo cups
small paper "snack" cups
serving utensils incl knife, tongs, spoons
drinks (Capri Sun, water, mini soda cans)
Stuff we brought but didn't use
guest book / baby book
party favors (goodie bags)
pirate dress-up costumes
pirate coloring pages
Budget
$15.41 for ice $43.48 for 1/4 sheet cake $121.09 for drinks and candy and chips / pirate booty $15.32 for Albert's pirate t-shirt $18.60 for parrot and hat $25 for women's and girl's costume and hat $28 for men's costume $280 for rice, noodles and egg rolls $8.54 for gold coins $12.40 for table cloth, decorations, plates, cups $3.60 for pirate loot (coins, jewels, and treasure chest)
$571.44 total
There will be other expenses, such as printing the photo for his baby book. And I want to send a couple of boxes of party supplies to his younger cousins so that they can recreate the party if the want to. Albert had been bothering us for a "Spiderman cake" for weeks so we gave in and got it for him. It cost $45.99 for ice cream cake (day prior to his birthday, and four days prior to his party). I could have sworn that I'd made an itemized spending report for his prior birthday parties, but I can't find it now.
The good news is that we have a family set of pirate costumes that we can use for Halloween either this year or in the future. Albert was stoked to be surrounded by "friends" and "best friends" and he loved opening presents and packages. He's still breastfeeding and wanted to nurse in the 15 minutes just before his guests arrived, but I didn't wear a nursing bra so I said no. He didn't throw a fit or anything.
Albert had THE MOST FUN playing in the sandbox with other kids and running around the playground looking out of the cannons. The older kids got a kick out of the skills games using the beanbags (which I bought for his party last year but didn't really use back then). They did great with the ring toss and frisbee too. All the kids had fun with the scavenger hunt, and it was great to give them that project right at the start of the party so they had an idea of the layout of the park and where everything was and how to find their way back to our picnic table.
I brought three pairs of pants and he blew out the knees of two of them, he played so hard. We brought his scooter and helmet which he mainly used to get to and from the car. Unfortunately there was a swim meet that day at the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center so it was tricky to find parking. I thought for sure some of our friends wouldn't make it because they were sick or had a time conflict, but everyone we invited actually showed up. We sent them home with chocolate and Pirate Booty and leftovers from the rice and noodles. We ate all the egg rolls and all the cake.
It's hard to put into words the magical mama's visit I had with my sister and aunt recently. It was just so wonderful that it's hard to describe. It was the first significant get-together that we've had since the pandemic, and it was like an ointment or salve to heal my loneliness and isolation that had overshadowed most of my son's life.
We didn't have an agenda for the parks, but we did way more than either of us thought we might. Baby Evelyn's favorite ride was definitely the Little Mermaid, and we rode it twice without having to get off. It was amazing how the little ones were able to sneak in their naps between strolling and babywearing. We explored some things that were familiar to me and did some new things that I'd never done before, and everything was frosted with nostalgia.
We got Genie+ for our second park day and used it for Haunted Mansion and Small World, and it might seem insignificant, but it helped us skip many lines, especially in the afternoon. The parade was so great we both wept for its beauty. I don't want to minimize the whole experience by listing how much everything costs, but I am curious because I want to budget for the rest of the month and next month, and the month after that, haha. Summer is here, and I am trying to plan what we will do to stay busy, keep learning, and incorporate arts and crafts into our daily routines.
5/12 - airport pick-up, lunch, last lab ($5 for parking, $103 groceries)
I really do think we balanced low or no-cost stuff with pricey experiences. We also balanced gogo days with nogo days. For example, we kept everything simple the first two days (Friday and Saturday) and stayed home. It was our Mother's Day to spend with our kiddos at home. Then the next three days (Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday), we got caught up in go-go-go and nearly outdid ourselves. After returning home, we had a couple of chill days (Wednesday and Thursday), where we stayed home and did some cooking, cleaning, and domestic stuff.
The tie-dye was fun, relaxing, and also exhausting but memorable. We were chatting and tying in my garden, which I loved because I love spending time out there. I put in some flowers just to make the space colorful and inviting. It was like a Mother's Day gift to myself to make that space exactly what I wanted it to be for us to enjoy it. Everyone agreed the beach day was a fantastic idea (Friday). Good thing my ladies are all big fans of sunscreen, and I don't think anyone got burned the whole trip! We had a brunch on Saturday to send our aunt off with a full belly.
We really enjoyed all the flowers, trees, bushes, grass, and everything around us as inspiration for the painting with a twist at home. Over the weekend, my husband was helpful in watching the kiddo so that we could do a girls' trip to IKEA and a thrift store (Saturday and Sunday) and finish up our wishing well princess paintings. It was very fun to do yoga in the park, although my sister did the entire flow with a baby napping strapped to her body. We didn't make it out to any Fit4Mom workouts, but that's how it goes sometimes. I'll get back to it tomorrow...FriYay!
Finally, we packed on Monday and did another Disney trip to pick up some souvenirs. It was fun to try to fit in everything we didn't get to do, like corndogs, churros, Mickey cupcakes, popcorn, dole whips, and beignets. We didn't get to everything, but what we tasted was 100% worth the extra trip. We enjoyed different areas of downtown Disney, the Disneyland Hotel, the Grand Californian, and the Pixar Pier Hotel. Again, we did some things I had only heard about but didn't know how to do, so it's always good to do reconnaissance.
I'm already looking forward to our Nebraska trip to visit with Albert's cousins and grandparents, which will be coming up here in about a month.
Our baby's 3rd birthday has come and gone. I tried not to hype it up too much. Now it's Spring Break for me and kiddo is in daycare so I can "get some work done" and all I'm doing is sitting here looking at pictures of him from this past weekend.
Sunday, March 19th
Party City (plates, cups) 33.62, Party City (balloons) 36.99, Amazon (beanbags, speaker, road tape) 50.62, Miguel's 114.70, Von's 41.96, City of Newport Beach (parking) 9.30, Parking Anaheim Gardenwalk 3.00 = $290.19 for the Birthday Party
Monday, March 20th
Pretzels Downtown Disney 12.66, Mickey Pretzel Cart 15.00, Sip & savor pass 54.00, "Juice" vitaminwater® açai blueberry pomegranate 4.74, Steak Fries at Flo's V8 Cafe 4.35, Stroller Cover and Ponchos 33.84 = $124.59 for the Disney Days
Tuesday, March 21st
Element Anaheim Resort Conference Center (2 nights) = $571.96 We ended up staying in the hotel a lot more than I thought we would because of the weather, it was cold windy and rainy. We got to watch the fireworks on Sunday night from our room since we had paid extra for "park view."
So I guess I just have to convince myself that this was all good and fun and everything was done in love and inclusivity of family and Albert will remember with the photos that we took that he was cherished and celebrated on the anniversary of his birth. Isn't that what matters?
So we ended up on a whirlwind week-long trip kind of by accident. My mother-in-law first came up with the idea to take us to Legoland. Then I wanted to go to Disneyland during the holiday season. We made those theme park reservations October 20th. We made all our hotel reservations on Oct 21st. Then my brother-in-law decided to join us the following weekend so we extended our vacation. So it was like 3 x 2 night trips but all in a row.
I'm writing this as we wait to check in to our 3rd hotel. What I am grateful for is that we had 1 day without driving between each driving day. And if we do this again, we agree that it would be more relaxing to stay 5 nights at the same hotel. Also it was a smart idea to have a day in between the theme parks to relax, rather than having 3 days in the park continuously.
When we left home around 9am on Monday morning, I believed we had everything except a soft structured baby carrier. It was on my packing list but I forgot to put it in the car. We drove to South Coast Plaza shopping mall, which was a great place to eat and use the facilities. Parking was free and the mall was decorated so wonderfully for the Christmas holidays. Albert rode the carousel 🎠with his grandparents, who joined us at the mall. Then we drove caravan style down to Legoland. We arrived just in time to check in at 4pm.
Legoland has a lot of streamlined procedures for check in and check out. They text you a hyperlink, you fill out a form, then when you arrive you scan a code from your phone and an attendant gives you your room keys. Of course they also take your card for incidentals, parking, resort fee, etc. We had a dinner reservation for 4:30pm so we just took our purses and a diaper change kit and a toddler busy bag. We scoped out the layout of the hotel, took a quick peek in our rooms and then reconvened for dinner. The menu wasn't extensive. The prices were steep. But there were TVs and a pit of legos and a play area and the waitstaff was friendly and they brought the kid's food right away, which was great.
After dinner we went out to our vehicles to get the bags. Unfortunately the valets wouldn't let us use the carts so we had to load everything on the stroller and/or carry it. We got it in one trip.
The layout of the rooms was amazing. There was a kids room with bunk beds and a trundle. The kids room had a TV and a wall-mounted LEGO building scaffold. Then there was a huge bathroom. It was big enough for a wheelchair I would think. There was a stepstool for the potty/sink. The toilet had a kids potty seat incorporated. The shower had a tub and rainfall shower head that could be raised or lowered and the wand was detachable. The bathroom was great. The master bedroom had a wizard theme. I loved all the options for nightlights. I didn't love how there was no couch and we had to eat on the bed to watch TV but I guess they expected us to dine at the restaurant.
The outdoor area had a movie screen, a playground and a pool. We did end up using all those things by the end of our visit. However if it had rained the whole time, we would not have had that benefit. The character meet and greet was right outside on the patio of the restaurant. We got a kick out of that.
We went to bed early and it was hard to sleep that first night. There was no good spot in the room to use as a diaper changing station. Eventually I found it was easier to sleep on the pull-out trundle bed. The kids room had a starry night ceiling that you could turn on. Adorable. We got two little prizes. If you do a scavenger hunt in the hotel, you get a code to unlock the safe and there are some lego packs in there.
Breakfast is included. It was amazing. Oatmeal, biscuits, gravy, fruit, pancakes, waffles, bagels, lots of stuff. Omlette, white rice, fried rice, orange chicken, cereal and milk... I can't even remember everything. There were chocolate chips and sprinkles, sliced cheese, sausage and veggie patties, bacon, juice bar. It was completely awesome. We got early-entry into the park. With breakfast at 7AM we had a lot of time to burn before we could get in but the opening ceremony was very cute.
The Legoland park itself is huge. We did 9 rides in 4 hours with Albert taking a 1 hour nap around 11am. We only got about halfway through the park. There were so many things we skipped. I don't know if we would go back but they did offer us passes to return. The food was good. We got meat at the Knight's Smokehouse BBQ. I think Albert's favorite rides were Cargo Ace and Lost Kingdom Adventure because we rode those twice. There were pretty much NO LINES which was incredible! He also really liked the Bionicle blaster and the Police and Fire Academy which weren't rides per se but more interactive. I think he would do the Academy again in a heartbeat. I also liked that area. Speaking as someone who had a LOT of Lego sets growing up, it was really fun to be immersed in the themes. We avoided the BIG gift shop instead opting for a pick-a-brick near the Deep Sea Adventure.
I couldn't figure out how to manage the photos on the app so we didn't get any formal photos taken but I think we took a good amount ourselves. We left the park at 1:30pm and bid adieu to Albert's grandparents at 2pm. We got a hand stamp to get back into the park just in case, but we didn't end up going back. We also got return tickets (4) for a future visit. Maybe we will use them? At least now we have a good idea of what the park offers.
What we did then was genius. We visited the resort pool. There were floating LEGO bricks for Albert to play with. He had to wear a life jacket. The water was super warm, like a bath. The pool had a zero entry and depth of 1.5 feet so Albert could walk in and out and all around. We stayed there for nearly 2 hours. There were 8 lifeguards for the 3 of us. I imagine in warmer months the poolside restaurant is open but it was closed for our visit. We could almost see the outdoor movie from the pool. If we had stayed 30 minutes longer, we could've watched the sunset. Overall super happy we used the pool. There were restrooms and free towels and you could reserve a cabana for $175.
We ordered takeout from the restaurant and picked it up. Eating in our room while watching Beat Bobby Flay was good. Much more relaxing than trying to entertain and contain our 2 year old. We had a view of Legoland Drive from our room and kiddo enjoyed lining his cars up on the windowsill. The in-room climate control worked great. The mini fridge was a bit loud but I was glad we had it because we ordered too much food, as usual, so it was perfect to store leftovers. The only thing lacking was wireless internet. It was good in some areas of the hotel but not in our room, which meant the Roku player didn't work. Hence Bobby Flay. But there were tons of channels for kids, news channels, and sports channels.
We have been going to bed so early this trip, it's been wonderful. We got a good night's sleep and went to breakfast at 7am again. They emphasize that you need a reservation for all meals, which we had, but I certainly saw lots of people walk up without a reservation and they got seated and served. After breakfast, Mike and Albert went to the playground while I went to pack up the room. That was a great division of labor because it gave me the quiet time I needed to pack up and organize. It gave Albert the time he needed to run, jump and climb. Checkout was easy and automatic. We dropped our keys off in the lobby. All our luggage was rolled out to the car in our stroller, so that worked out. Kiddo fell asleep pretty much right away. I think we were on the road at 9:30am. We drove to our old standby, the Anaheim Gardenwalk. Parked for 3+ hours for $6. We love parking there because there is a restroom near the security station.
We walked Downtown Disney. We got corn dogs for lunch. We walked back to the car and drove to our hotel, arrived at checkin. Got our room. Made a takeout order for CPK and got our food. Booking dog-friendly hotels in the past was a priority. Now it is a risk. We have found that using a lavender spray helps prevent the fleas from bothering us. Oilogic Slumber & Sleep Essential Oil Linen Spray gave us free samples which are great for travel-sized bottles. I would totally buy a larger one to refill the small bottles.
Our LQ room was good except the tub was crushed and when you stood too close to the drain, it felt like the floor was crumbling beneath you. It was terrifying. But other than that, the room was a good fit for our needs. We plugged in our Roku and enjoyed a bit of TV and showers before bed. Next morning was our park day so we woke up at 6am, packed up the stroller and rolled out. We were lined up in plenty of time for rope drop. We got our Golden Hour and then our grey stuff and coffee at the Red Rose Tavern. We did a ride and then had an early lunch overlooking the rivers of America. It turned out to be a great spot because we could watch the boats and trains go by. Since we ate early, we pretty much had the patio to ourselves. Also Albert had a wide choice of dips, French fries, chicken nuggets, and mac n cheese, and 2% milk. Pretty much all his favorite things. So we put him in the stroller and walked through Galaxy's Edge, and he fell asleep immediately. We didn't see Grogu but we definitely looked for him.
We parked in my favorite nap spot by Big Thunder Mtn RR. Albert slept for a full 2 hours. After the nap we used our Genie+ LL to skip the line and enjoy the holiday overlay of It's A Small World. Mike got us pretzels and we found a spot to watch the Christmas Fantasy parade. After that we got dinner at Bengal BBQ and the three of us were so exhausted that we ate in silence. So we realized it was time to head out. Luckily on our way to the exit, we caught the Main Street USA tree lighting ceremony. It was so cute.
At our hotel, we did showers and finished our dinner and watched a bit of TV. We were in bed shortly after 7pm. I was awakened by the fireworks at 9:30pm but it was okay. I enjoyed watching them from our room.
Next day, we tried having all of us down at continental breakfast. It was messy, loud, but at least we got a free meal. We had the room nearly all packed up before breakfast. After eating, we got the luggage cart and loaded it up. We left a tip in the room for the housekeeping staff. I was astounded at the amount of garbage we amassed during our 2-night stay. We left our car at the hotel and went for another walk through downtown Disney. It's safe and there are restrooms.
When we got back to our car, Albert was ready for his nap. We had a nice drive to the next hotel and he slept for 2 hours again. We arrived at 1pm but checkin wasn't until 4pm so we chilled in the parking lot. That's when I started writing this. Luckily they let us use the restroom in the lobby. And they let us know we could go into our room at 2pm.
Our 3rd room was very homey. It was a Residence Inn. There was a kitchenette, fireplace, bed, couch, desk, dining table. The cupboards and drawers were stocked with dishsoap, dishtowels, silverware, potato peeler, can opener, bowls, coffee mugs, etc. It was nice after a couple days of not having real mugs for our morning coffee. It was nice to have a full-size fridge. The bathroom had a large countertop and vanity area that was split from the toilet and shower.
We went to the grocery store and bought $70 worth of food and had a quite nice dinner and early bedtime. Continental breakfast was included and there were eggs, sausage and cereal, toast, coffee, juice. It was nice but nothing fancy. I had the idea to burn a log in our fireplace, which I felt was a great way to enjoy the room. Late morning Mike got the idea to do some Christmas shopping. It was ironic to be buying gifts for other people on his birthday.
This year our Christmas theme turned out to be the year of socks. I bought Woven Pear socks for my family and Mike went to the $1 spot at Target and did the same. Turns out all of us kept it simple this year with cash and gift cards, which was nice. The gifts were small and portable.
Mike’s birthday was great. There were streamers and balloons saying 50th. The plates were metallic and we almost burned the house down by microwaving one. We got dinner catering from El Pollo Loco. It was all so wonderful.
We bundled up and walked down to the boat parade. Since I didn't have a backpack style baby carrier, we took Albert down to the dock in the BOB stroller. As soon as he was floating, he fell asleep. The boats were festive and it was nice to catch up with our nephews. The moment I had to relax on the dock after Albert fell asleep and the parade started was just about as peaceful as I could ever dream up. It was like a Monet or Renoir painting.
The following morning was very relaxing. We packed up from 6-8am. We grabbed continental breakfast and checked out. We rendezvous-ed with Albert's California grandparents for a nice walk through the back bay. Then we met up with Uncle Dave for lunch at Fashion Island. We had an uneventful drive home and made it with 10 minutes to spare for the Zoom call with Albert's Nebraska grandparents. I'm finishing up this blog post at work. I would have loved to embed photos throughout but short video clips will have to do.
