Campfire and Cupcakes Birthday Party!

My daughter Noelle just turned 6 and I wanted to do something different for her birthday this year.  We have done the princess, the pool, rainbows, and lots of other girly themes (always a theme!) but this year I thought just to take two things she loves and make them into a party!

We are lucky enough to have a campfire pit in our backyard, we live in the boonies so this is the norm around here!   I took a risk and made her party later in the evening so that having a campfire wasn't too out there.

The kids came over all excited and ready to party!  It's been hot so we had the pool out for the kids to splash around in until it was campfire time.

First we roasted wieners.  We like to make spider dogs by cutting the ends of the wieners.  The pieces will start to curl as they cook, it's a good way to know their done and they look fun!

The kids had fun doing this, and so did the adults!  A few of the kids had never had the opportunity to roast wieners, or even marshmallows, so this was extra fun for them.

After we had our spider dogs we got down to roasting marshmallows and making s'mores!

This was so much fun with the kids.  They all had fun roasting their marshmallows and putting the s'mores together!  It was quite the messy treat, but so fun and so yummy!!!

Since this was a birthday party, we couldn't finish the evening off without having cake!  Even though bellies were full of hot dogs and marshmallows, everyone made room for cake!

I was so lucky to have found Vanilla Beans and Butter Cream to make my daughters cake!  It was a last minute decision and I told her my them of cupcakes and campfires.  I never could have imagined that she would come up with such a perfect, awesome cake!!!  I was beyond impressed!!!

Happy Birthday Noelle!

Enter to Win 1 My Little Pony Equestria Girls Doll!

Introducing My Little Pony Equestria Girls!  A magic mirror connects the world of My Little Pony to Canterlot High, where some things change, but true friendships remain magical! The mirror is a portal to a magical new land with high schools instead of castles, and where six pony friends become real girls with a love for fun and fashion. Rainbow Dash is sporty chic, Rarity shines with girly glamour, and Fluttershy dazzles in her own graceful style. Playful Pinkie Pie wears outfits fit for a party, while Twilight Sparkle shows off her smart style, and Applejack loves to look country chic.

 

Straight from the halls of Canterlot High, the My Little Pony Equestria Girls dolls are best friends with a flair for fashion and fun!  Each doll in the collection comes stylishly dressed in an ultra-chic look and features her signature ‘cutie splash,’ a unique design similar to the cutie marks on their pony alter egos.  Each doll sold separately.

Coming soon to DVD:  My Little Pony Equestria Girls movie on DVD August 6th at major retailers across Canada.

Keep checking the My Little Pony Equestria Girls website for upcoming information and fun activities.

 

HOW TO ENTER - Leave a comment about why you'd love to win and your email address.  One entry per email address. 

 

By entering this Contest, you acknowledge that you have read, understood and accept the terms and conditions below.

 

No purchase necessary. Contest closes August 6th, 2013 at 11:59pm EST. Open to residents of Canada (excluding Quebec), who are of legal age. Limit one submitted entry per person/email address. Odds of winning depend on the total number of eligible entries received online by the contest closing date.  One winner will be chosen randomly and contacted by August 10th, 2013.  Winner will not be able to select specific doll characters.

 

 © 2013 Hasbro. MY LITTLE PONY Equestria Girls is a registered trade-marks of Hasbro, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

 

 

Fishing with kids

Every summer we spend as much time at the cottage as possible.

This is how I spent my summers growing up, and this is what I am so greatful my kids get to do.  Our cottage is 3 hours north of the city, on a gorgeous quiet lake.  It's the perfect place for the kids to grow up.

One of the things I enjoyed doing as a kid was going fishing with my parents.  After dinner we would get ourselves ready to go out on the boat and catch some fish.

I now get to do this with my kids and my parents.  Seeing my kids fish with their papa is heartwarming.  I watched my oldest go through this stage and now seeing the little ones go through it is just as fun.

This past weekend we got our first taste of summer at the cottage.  A fabulous day of swimming, a bbq dinner and of course our evening fishing time.

The kid got all dressed, protected with bug spray, put on their life jackets and were presented brand new fishing rods from their papa.

I watched my son help his papa get the boat ready to go and eagerly climb in ready to catch some fish.

Fishing with kids takes patience. And a sense of humour. In past years they were more of a spectator, they showed some interest, wanted to hold the fishing rod for 2 minutes  and then all interest was lost.

This year they became full on fishermen, or fisherwomen.  They were ready to catch some big fish.

As our fishing adventure took place I made a mental note of the events of the evening, I thought I would share my thoughts.

Things to remember when fishing with kids:

1. Save your breath telling them to be quiet that they will scare the fish away, it's not going to happen.  The louder they are the more fish you will catch

2. Pack lots of snacks.  Apparently fishing is hard work and requires constant snacking.

3. When your 5 year old learns how to cast, ensure they have a 3 foot clearance at all times, unless of course you are looking for a new nose piercing

4. When other people decide to fish near you, they will leave after the 3rd round of "eye spy" when they realize the kids only get louder.  Either that or when the fish net becomes a microphone and the kids put on a concert in the middle of the lake

5. They will want to touch every single fish that is caught, get over the gross factor

6. Peeing off the back of the boat is an adventure for a 3 year old boy.

7. The kids will drive you nuts.  But you will do it again the following night.

8. Finally, have your camera ready.  You will want to capture every single moment of the chaos that is fishing with children.

New adventures with the kids are memories made to last forever.  Happy Summer!

Strawberry picking fun with the momstown tots!

Every summer we look forward to hitting the fields of Barrie Hill Farms for some strawberry picking.

This year the humidity almost had us beat but we decided to brave the summer heat and enjoy a morning of strawberry picking fun!

 

The kids were excited as we armed ourselves with baskets and waited in the sun and heat for the wagon to pick us up and take us to the picking fields!

The kids were so excited, and I was too.  I love fresh strawberries and had vowed to make some jam.

We got out to the fields and the kids got down to picking..... and eating!

They had a blast searching for the biggest and reddest berries.  The moms had fun too.  Even though it was hot, and humid, we all had a great time!

With full baskets, full tummies, red faces and hands, we headed back to the wagon to go back to the market to take our berries home.

The fresh berries were amazingly delicious and were well worth braving the heat!!!

A Tropical Picasso in the Park is coming with Tropicana Canada!

We all love our Picasso in the Park events, but in July we will have a special Tropical version
thanks with to our Partner Tropicana Canada!

Tropics (From Tropicana) wants to take momstown.ca on an exotic journey this summer with a refreshing taste of paradise!

On Tuesday JULY 30th at Centennial Park in Innisfil (10 Side Rd and 7th line) we will be getting our Picasso on and enjoying a delicious Tropical treat!

Along with a great morning of Picasso Fun, all of our guests will enjoy our Tropical Fruit Juice Stand!

This will be a fun, free event for all!

Family Fun Day! Fun in the heat with the momstown families!

It's been incredibly hot and humid but that didn't keep our families from having some fun at Rounds Ranch or our annual family picnic.

The morning started off overcast and heavy with humidity, but soon enough the sun was out and that humidity was keeping us all in need of cool breezes!

We took a wagon ride around the ranch (much of us hoping for some breeze, but no luck) and the kids had fun seeing the ranch and the animals.

There is a fantastic playground that we hit before lunch.  There is a great slide, and a zip line that the kids just loved.  Even the moms and dads got in on the fun!!

One of my kids favorite things to do at the ranch is the pedal cars.  While the kids were having fun on the playground, some of the dads beat the kids to it though and took over the track!  It was so great to see the dads having fun and making friends too!

After a nice lunch and some chit chat with friends our kids had the chance to take a ride on the crazy box cars!  The kids love these fun little barrels turned into box cars. A small tractor pulls them around and they bump and sway and you can hear the kids giggling.

To top the day off, even though we were all melting from the humidity, the kids had some fun on the bouncy pillow. The giant air filled pillow had the kids laughing and the kids jumping so high!

I think that even though we were hot and sweaty it was a great day!  Next year we might plan to be closer to a pool or lake, just in case....

Thanks momstown mamas for making a great family day!

Picasso in the Park! Summer is here!

It was an absolutely gorgeous day in Barrie today and the perfect day for Picasso in the Park!

I love the creative and free nature of this event and the fact that all the kids can take part no matter how old they are!

We met at one of our favorite parks, Tyndale Park, and found  a great spot under the shade of the trees.
I decided with the painting we didn't need tables as the kids were better off on the grass painting away!

They had a blast creating their masterpieces! 

And one little munchkin had a blast painting herself!!

Summer is going to be a blast with our momstown mamas!