Ringing in the New Year

Are you ringing in the New Year with your kiddos this year? We have made it a New Year's Eve tradition to ring in the New Year with our kids and some family friends and their kids. I wanted to share what I did last year to make New Year's Eve fun and exciting for the kids. They enjoyed it so much and can't wait to see what is in store for them this year.

On New Year's Eve, we let the kids stay up until midnight or until they pass out from exhaustion (whichever comes first). We also like to spend time with our adult friends so I decided to keep the kids entertained each hour leading up to midnight by creating countdown bags full of fun activities to keep them occupied during the party. 

The kids were super excited to open a new bag each hour. 

Our schedule for the evening went something like this:
The guests arrived around 6:00 and we started the evening with kid and adult friendly foods and drinks. The kids became acquainted with one another and played together, but by 7:00 they were ready to do something. It was the perfect time to start the first bag of the evening.

7:00 PM The 7:00 bag contained all the items needed for a movie night- a new DVD, microwave popcorn, and popcorn boxes. The kids sat in the media room and watched the movie while enjoying popcorn. The adults got some adult time and everyone was H-A-P-P-Y!

8:00 PM Time for an intermission. The kids took a break from the movie to open the 8:00 bag which contained all the fixings for ice cream sundaes! We served the ice cream in fun old-fashioned ice cream glasses and the kids got to choose their own toppings. After ice cream they continued the movie which ended just in time to open the 9:00 bag.

9:00 PM Game time! This bag included games both the kids and adults could enjoy together, including one new game- Spot It! The kids and the adults played games together for the hour and had a blast!

10:00 PM Dance Party! The 10:00 bag included an iPod touch and speakers that was set and ready to blast kid friendly tunes. I also included festive necklaces and glow sticks to add to the fun. The kids and adults were ready to let loose at this point and danced the hour away.

11:00 PM At this point the kids were getting tired, so I was glad I planned a low-key activity. I printed some New Years Eve coloring sheets I found online and a New Year's Resolution sheet. The younger kids enjoyed coloring while the older ones concentrated on writing resolutions for the New Year. I also included some Christmas Crackers for the kids to pull.

11:45 PM Just before midnight we opened the final bag of the evening which included noise makers and 2013 glasses to wear to ring in the New Year.

The kids had such a blast. I can't wait to plan this year's party!

Here is a snapshot of the night in photos.

Movie Time!

Ice Cream Sundaes

Game Time!

Dance Party!

Coloring, Making Resolutions, and Christmas Crackers

Ringing in the New Year!

Thanks for following along. I hope you got some ideas to make New Year's Eve a blast for your kiddos. Wishing you all the best in 2014! Happy New Year!

Cheers!

Easy Christmas Breakfast

We have a little tradition in our family that my kids look forward to each holiday. It has become known by my girls as a "special breakfast". With Christmas around the corner I wanted to share the breakfast they woke up to last Christmas morning. For this breakfast, I chose a turquoise and red color scheme and used paper plates for easy clean-up (and because I don't own red plates). I had some paper doilies on hand and used those as placemats. The breakfast itself is super easy to put together and super cute. All you need is a box of Entenmann's Pop'ems powdered donuts (any brand will do, but that is what I used). Using three powdered donuts, stack them on top of one another on a plate to make a snowman. Chocolate chips were used to make the eyes, a slice of the end of a baby carrot became the nose, and a small tube of black frosting was used to draw a smile. For snow, I used shredded coconut. I sprinkled the plate with some blue sugar crystals to add a little sparkle. I always like to serve fruit with breakfast, so I made a candy cane out of sliced strawberries and bananas. Recycled Starbucks Frappuccino bottles make great milk bottles. I topped mine with another donut which I bedazzled with blue sugar crystals and stuck a striped paper straw through the hole. The kids absolutely loved this breakfast! They've already asked if I can make it again this year. We shall see...whatever I come up with this year, I can't wait to see them smile on Christmas morning. Happy Holidays all!