Homemade Halloween Party Ideas

October is my birthday month.....and when I found out that I was due in November with my son.....I KNEW THAT HALLOWEEN BIRTHDAY PARTIES WOULD BE A PART OF MY WORLD!!!!! This was possibly the most exciting news ever!!!!!

I have been lucky enough that my kids LOVE halloween as much as I do...and totally support my craziness to make sure that it is a blast!

Collin has had two Halloween birthday parties, and we just may plan one again this year.  I know that it is a little early...but anyone planning a Halloween party this year is probably on the hunt for ideas already....and I love sharing party ideas.

I am sure there are a billion amazing ideas on pinterest now...but these parties were planned prior to pinterest.....and 100% homemade party fun!  While I LOVE pinterest....I do miss having parties where the ideas were all mine, and nobody had ever seen them before.

Collin's 5th Birthday Bash

We (meaning I made them and my kids just told me what they wanted and drew pictures of how it should look) made all of the costumes this year and I think they turned out super cute.  Kacey was Ariel, Collin was Batman, My dad was Robin, I was Captain Hook, Chad was Mr. Smee, and My mom was a witch!  I LOVE THAT EVERYONE GETS INVOLVED!!!!!!!

Collin was beyond happy that my dad and him had matching costumes again! 

I may or may not have pretended the party was my birthday party as well! 

Party Games: 

Crafts: Flower pens for the girls, and vampire teeth for the boys

Dance Party/Freeze Dance:  There are halloween radio stations on pandora that crank out festive tunes ALL NIGHT LONG!  

Spoon Race: I painted golf balls to look like eyeballs, and we broke the kids up into two teams.  They had a great time running back and fourth and cheering on their buds.

Story In GraveYard:  This was my favorite part of the night!  My mom was a teacher and seriously kills it on her witch voice!  You could hear a pin drop because they were all a little spooked out! ha!

We had crafts for the kids.  The girl's made flower pens (just wrapping a pen with washi tape to attach a fake flower) and the boys colored vampire candy teeth.  I try to always have a craft because it MAKES the kids sit down and get their shyness out so that they can get silly for the rest of the evening. Seems to work! 

Collin's all time favorite game....FREEZE DANCE!  We had halloween dance party music and there was a LOT of jumping and screaming.  Soooo stinking cute! 

Collin wanted to have spoon races with golf balls that I painted to look like eyeballs.  

Once it got dark, my mom sat in a rocking chair in our "graveyard" and read "There Was An Old Woman Who Swallowed A Bat" in her spooky voice.  THE KIDS SAT SOOOO QUIETLY AND LOVED IT!!!!!!! 

We passed out these bags of snacks for the kids to eat while they listened to the story.

Our graveyard. ha!  We used a tomato plant stand, a ball for the head, and just loaded it up with lights. 

Awful picture, but we saved milk containers forever and added lights and painted whatever collin wanted on them in black paint.  

Collin's 4th Birthday Bash

Collin wanted to be a bat...not batman...but a REAL bat! This was my favorite costume I have ever made!  These two crack me up! 

Kacey was Fashion Barbie and we sewed this entire costume together.  She LOVED the whole process, and so did I!

Before you could buy this costume, Chad and I made our own Where's Waldo gear!  Let's just say that finding a red turtle neck in Florida is NOT easy! 

This kid cracks me up!

I remember thinking how big he looked in this picture!  Now I am planning his 8th Birthday party WISHING I could go back and snuggle this little 4 year old! 

Party Games: 

Mummy Wrap: everyone grabbed a partner and tried to wrap them so that you couldn't see their costume at all. THIS IS NOT EASY! TOILET PAPER RIPS! 

Freeze Dance: Always a must for any of Collin's parties! 

Pumpkin Patch: I don't know why I can't find pictures of it....but we had a pump patch in the corner of our yard.  I purchased little pumpkins and let the kids each pick one and they decorated them with stickers, glitter glue, and ribbons.   I wanted to do paint, but it was a few days before Halloween and I didn't want everyone to ruin their costumes before the big night!

Dance Party: If there is Halloween music on....kids will dance!  We just let them break it down!

 Dance Party

Picking his pumpkins to decorate

My kids were so excited about Halloween that they were cutting and coloring pumpkins all month. We decided to tape them on the wall and and the kids LOVED it!

Bats....who doesn't want bats up their walls?! (it annoyed me then, but you can see that Kacey put her bat stickers on the wall as well....now it makes me miss my babies!)

 Halloween is the PERFECT time to let your kids have a party!  They are super cheap, the costumes are the best part of the night!  The music makes EVERYONE feel like dancing!  Parents have just as much fun drinking wine/beer and feeling like a kid again! Just do it......your kids will remember it forever!

Fall Style Is Here

Happy Fall!!!!! I am SO excited about some new styles that we have in the shop right now!  I love transitioning from Summer to Fall by adding light layers.  It is still beyond hot here in Florida, so I will be wearing these layers with shorts for at least another month, and I am totally okay with that.  Each one of our new designs are long, thin, and totally flattering.

Thank Full: This off the shoulder 3/4 sleeve raglan is a MUST!  I am in LOVE with the gold foil lettering with the plum colored shirt!  It SCREAMS fall to me, and I love spreading the message that I am sooo full of thanks!  

Bra Off * Hair Up * Sweats On: This shirt basically sums up my Friday night! (If I am totally honest....it sums up EVERY night!)  This off the shoulder off white shirt with royal blue and yellow stripes is PERFECT for a night at home! 

Fiesta Like There's No Mañana: I have received SO many emails begging to bring back our Fiesta Like There's No Mañana gear!  We collaborated with Jessica Garvin again and could not be more excited!  This is a thin pullover and I honestly can't get enough of it!  It is a flattering fit with slits on the side that fit PERFECTLY over jeans!  This design is available in youth and ONSIES as well!!!!!! Start planning your fiestas now! 

If you are looking for super fun leggings to wear under your fiesta shirt, halloween gear, or just because you like polka dots.....THESE ARE A MUST and are totally on sale PLUS 25% off! 

Calling All Soccer and Baseball Mamas

I am a proud soccer AND baseball mom!  I pick my kids up from school, rush home to do homework, put a healthy meal on the table, fill water bottles....and head up to the fields 7 nights a week to cheer on my kids in their sports!  I love it!  I wouldn't change it for the world!

I have been seeing a ton of pictures on the weekends of my friend's taking their kids to soccer and baseball games...and I wanted to put a sale up on our best selling shirts.

Don't miss out on getting these babies in our shop for $18 (regularly $25) while supplies last!!!!!  You can check out our SOCCER MOM and BASEBALL MOM style for inspiration!!!!

Go Pink Or Go Home

I have to admit that I did not plan on making a Breast Cancer Awareness shirt, the thought didn't even cross my mind!  I feel awful about that!!!!

I received an email from Kelly and she simply asked if I was going to design a shirt because she had JUST been diagnosed with Breast Cancer.  I jumped right on it and knew without a doubt that I needed this reminder to make a shirt, sell hundreds of them, and then donate the proceeds! It was a no brainer!

We initially wanted to make a shirt that said "F*&% Cancer" but decided that it wouldn't be really cute for our daughters to wear that.  We threw a few other ideas around, but felt like we needed to make one shirt, with one vision, and one that everyone could wear!  I believe we accomplished that goal!

I paired the Neon Pink American Apparel raglan shirt, breast cancer ribbon, and our signature striped bow.....and gave it all a vintage vibe.  I added the vintage touch show that we are in support, we have been in support, and we will always be in support!

Kelly is just beginning her battle with breast cancer, and I plan to follow her every step of the way and will cheer her on as she kicks it to the curb!  You can follow her journey on her new blog HERE. She has the best sense of humor, spirit, and I couldn't be more excited and honored that she decided to ask ME to make a shirt.  

I am donating all proceeds to the charity of her choice The Cancer Support Center, and I can't even wait to write that check in her name!  

To order this shirt, check out our shop and preorder for you, for your friends, for your family, for a survivor, for a fighter, or for anyone that needs a little pink in their life.   We have this shirt available in adult unisex sizing and matching children's shirts!  Shipping will run from the last week in September-first week in October.  Let's be honest....this is not only an issue for the month of October...so you will be able to wear this baby all year long and shout your support! 

Breast Cancer Awareness Shirt

Let's all secretly rock this shirt and know that what it really means is "F%$# Cancer"!

Anniversary Month

September marks my anniversary month!  I am TOTALLY in shock that we have almost been married for 11 years! Still blows my mind every single time I think about it!

Chad and I brought our 3 month old baby, Kacey, to our first anniversary (we call her our honeymoon souvenir) and I was 7 months pregnant with Collin on our 3rd anniversary.  Needless to say, we really didn't do anything big to celebrate each year.   We did not have any family near us, and Chad and I both worked long hours and really just spent every possible free hour with our kids.

Fast forward to the last few years....and we are enjoying really planning and celebrating our marriage, friendship, and each other.   It's fun!  It's worth it! And it is the PERFECT excuse to plan a kid free night/weekend/event!

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On our 9th Anniversary, my husband told me that he would run a half marathon with me!!!!! That might sound like a crazy gift to some people.....but it was honestly the most romantic and amazing thing I could ever ask for!  I had been wanting to run one, and didn't want to train and do it alone!  Chad is not a runner and he was going to put forth the effort to train and run 13.1 miles by my side....just because it would make me the happiest girl alive!  We spent the next couple of months having "running dates" followed by take out, shared our song playlists, and encouraged each other to keep up with our goals.

It is kind of funny because running a marathon of any type (full or half) is pretty much like a marriage!  It is scary to sign up for it, some miles are easy, some miles suck so bad you want to just walk off, and yet you just keep going....and going....and regardless of how many miles you have run.....you have this awesome partner beside you that is going through every good or crappy mile by your side!  (DEEP HUH?!)

ANYWAYS, that was a gift that I will always cherish, and it makes me feel so beyond special every single time I think that Chad did that just for ME!

Our kids were there to cheer us on at the end, and that was such a burst of emotions for me!  For the many HOURS that we cheer them on and encourage them in sports, school, and life...having them cheer for us and see us work so hard was AMAZING!

Like I said....some miles were HARD....SOME WERE AWESOME....AND ALL OF THEM WERE W MY MAN!

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Last year was A BIG ONE! 10 years!!!!! I totally planned, kept a secret for months, and surprised Chad with a weekend trip to Las Vegas to renew our vows!  I am AWFUL at keeping secrets, especially when it is from Chad, so this was soooo beyond hard!  I had planned every detail, and had the kids work with me to send him on a scavenger hunt to have him guess our big adventure.  

I LOVED having the kids be such a fun part of our journey!!!!!

This was our first weekend away in 10 years!!!!!  

I am not even kidding that we couldn't stop laughing and felt like little kids when we got out of our cab at The Little White Chapel!  SOO MUCH FUN!!!!

Dress

I originally felt like I would be so serious and probably cry.....but I honestly laughed like a little girl for the most part!  We enjoyed every single minute of this, and felt like we were on set of a movie! 

You bet your ass I paid extra for the photographer!!!!! Who doesn't want their picture taken with baby naked angels! ESPECIALLY when this was the same place they filmed the Hangover wedding scene!

This picture cracks me up!  Gotta love a good posed wedding pic! 

We had the BEST time ever in Vegas and I honestly wish we could go back every single year!  It is the one place that we could go and not say "I wish the kids were with us!"  

Anniversaries are milestones and SHOULD be celebrated!  I can't wait until we get to celebrate our 11th in a few weeks!!!! 

Fiesta In The Fall

I love a good party.....AND I love the fall.....so it only makes sense that we teamed up with Jessica again to offer her chalk print on our favorite gray pullover!!!!!  This shirt is the perfect choice for any friday night fiesta, Taco Tuesday, school party, bachelorette party, or just when you are having a crap day and you want to spice it up a bit!  We decided on gray for two reasons.....1-gray is both of our "go to" color when it comes to sweatshirts (or really any shirt) and 2-because fall means layers and gray is the best color to layer with flannel shirt, jewelry or scarf!

I will never be the person that shows up for a party or event overdressed!  I WILL, however, show up as the most festive!  Here is what I am planning on wearing this fall....winter...and spring.  

Pullover, Flannel, Black Jeans

We also added onesies and youth pullovers this time!  I can't even wait to see pictures of this onesie on every fiesta baby!  I miss dressing my babies and would totally pair it with some fun leggings/leg warmers! All Shirts are on preorder price right now and will go up $5 each on Friday.  Don't miss out!

onesie / youth pullover 

I have received so many emails of people who have planned birthday parties and bachelorette parties around our shirts, and it totally makes my day!  Don't forget to check out Jessica's chalkboard prints here to decorate your fiesta with!

Cheers......Enjoy your Taco Tuesday! 

Checklist For Your Evening

I am making a habit out of having my shirts include a checklist of what I need to do!  First it was our Coffee, Carpool, Cocktails shirt.......but then I just felt so lost once I arrived home!  I needed a cozy sweatshirt hanging by the front door to change into and remind me my next three steps of the day!

So....here is our new checklist.

Best Bra Ever / Fave Hair Cream / New Go To Sweats / Sweatshirt To Live By

It speaks to you right?! Once I am in my sweats.....there is no coming back! There will be no more changes for the day, no quick trips to the grocery store, no desire to run, and I will not be leaving my house.  Sweats are kind of a lights out signal to the world that I am done for the day!  

With that being said....it is sort of a given that once I am in my sweats, I have already removed my bra AND put my hair up on the top of my head.   Regardless of how comfortable my all time favorite bra is, or how long it took me to straighten/curl my hair....THEY NEED TO COME OFF! 

We have these sweatshirts in our shop now available for preorder and thru Friday we are offering FREE SHIPPING on all orders over $25 with the code "freeship".  Don't miss out!