DIY Cupcake Cup (or 'Have Cupcake, Will Travel')

I love cupcakes. I do. They are perfectly portioned little bits of goodness that just make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. They are a great option for kid's parties - they come in their own packaging, are the right size for little hands, and kids love them, well for the most part; Little P still isn't keen on them.

But there's always been one thing that's bugged me about cupcakes - how do you travel with an individual cupcake? 

Think about it. You’ve been to a party, the host offers you a ‘to-go cupcake’ and then you have to work out how to get said cupcake home in one piece.

You can't really drive with one as you kind of need both hands for that (safety first people). You could put it in your lap, but you will more than likely wind up with frosting on your pants (not a good look). Put it on the seat beside you, and well disaster is bound to strike. You could put it in the cup holder, but then there’s the whole ‘how do you get it out without creating a mess’ situation.

What a pickle.

Never fear though, I have the answer (compliments of some very smart fellow bloggers).

It’s really simple actually – use a 9 ounce plastic cup. Yup, that’s it (as demonstrated by Russell and Billie)

Russell has the new and improved 'cupcake in a cup'
while Billie goes 'old school'

Russell stays clean using the 'cupcake cup' and a fork;
as for Billie, well, you can see what's going on there

Now, you could of course, just have cups on hand at the party and just let people know that if they want to take one home, by all means use the cup for ‘safe traveling’, but you know me, I can’t leave well enough alone. I had to go and Washi it up.

All you need for this simple little project is Washi tape, plastic cups (which you can pick up at any grocery store, craft store or party supply place – I get mine from Target when they are on sale), a little creative inspiration and of course the cupcakes.

Just take a cup; slap some Washi tape on it, and TA-DAH!!! One very quick and easy way to enable people to travel with cupcakes (and cheaper than those individual cupcake boxes you can get).

Take one cupcake, take a cup and add some Washi tape to it,
and there you have it - Cupcake Cup to go!

If you want to step it up a notch, decorate a disposable fork with some paint, or a little Washi and add it to the cup. 

For a little extra 'wow' decorate a fork as well

You could also have them prepped and ready to go, with a little plastic wrap over the top (to prevent spillage – nothing worse than a dropped cupcake), or you could use a paper doily, some tulle (getting visions of a ballerina themed party), or just a funky napkin to cover it with. Tie it  off with some baker’s twine, or throw a colored rubber band around it and you are good to go.

Options are really only limited by what you have on hand and your imagination.

Cute huh?

So till next time, keep calm and eat cupcakes!!

K

(no cupcakes where harmed in the making of this post - plenty were eaten, but none were harmed)

Monday Mommy-ism

Mommy-ism #121: sleep (part 1). Little kids can sleep anywhere. This is usually because they have fought going to sleep so hard that when it finally hits them, it hits them hard. And in a variety of different ways:

• There's the 'fell asleep while eating' position, usually occurring at the dinner table and involving either a hand still grasping a spoon or fork, or a handful of food that never quite made it to their mouth
• Or the 'half on, half off' position, normally occurring on a couch, favorite chair, or even from time to time on their actual bed
• Or the 'fell asleep while doing something' position, similar to the first one, but this usually involves them holding onto a favorite toy or toys, surrounded by books (because they couldn't decide which book they wanted to read), or on the rare occasion, shoes
• Or the very popular (if somewhat uncomfortable) 'fell asleep in the car seat' position

Little P - getting her beauty sleep in our bed
(in the MIDDLE of our bed)

My personal favorite is the 'fell asleep in Mommy and Daddy's bed and now they don't want to move me in case they wake me' position - yup, that ones a killer.

K

Summer Camp (that's not really a summer camp)

The type of classes I imagine they have a summer camp

When I hear the words 'summer camp' I automatically start seeing snippets from movies like ‘Friday the 13^th’, ‘Addams Family Values’ and ‘The Parent Trap’ (the original one, with Hayley Mills, not the Lindsey Lohan one).

Which is bad as it shows that my ideas of summer camp come purely from movies and not from experience.

And this year my Little P is going to 'summer camp'. Well, at least that's what her school is calling it. They've given the kids special t-shirts to wear for the entire summer, there's a list of activities a mile long of what they will be doing over the next few months and even guest speakers (!) that will be coming in to talk about.... well, I don't know, kid's stuff I guess.

Look, as long as there are no camp fires, or weird camp counselors and she doesn't come home covered in glue and glitter (any more than usual), I'm all for it.

What I do know about the summer camp her school is doing is that Little P is super excited about it. She's never not liked going to school, once we get there she's all 'Bye Mommy. Have good day.' And with that, I'm temporarily forgotten - till I come and get her.

But this week, the moment she puts on that special t-shirt, she's ready to rock and roll and can't wait to get to school.

I'm hoping that as she gets older, she will still enjoy going to camp, as I have no doubt this will be something that she will be doing every year - unless of course I can get her internships at work each summer....

What did you do over the summers as a kid? Were you a ‘camp kid’ or did you do something different for those long days of summer vacation?

Till next time,

K

Monday Mommy-ism

Mommy-ism #166: you're doing it wrong. It's amazing how quickly little one's develop their own idea of how to do something right or wrong. And how incredibly quickly than translates into YOU being the one who is always wrong. 

French Pressing it

Little P informed me today that I was making MY coffee wrong. Really? After all these years a two year old, who doesn't drink coffee, is going to tell me I'm making it wrong. Oh, hell to the no. Little one, I love you, but if you mess with my coffee, you and me are going to have a problem.

K

Birthdays, Burgers and Bloggers at Johnny Rockets LV

One of the very cool things that come with being a blogger is getting invited to some pretty awesome events that I might not have otherwise had the chance to go to. And being part of a wonderful group of local bloggers means that I not only get to go to these kinds of events but I also actually get to meet and hang out with the people that I talk to almost daily online, but very rarely get the chance to meet in person.

When the invite came asking us to come out and celebrate Johnny Rockets 27th birthday (and honestly, they had me at the mention of free food) I was kind of giddy. When the first one opened on the Sunshine Coast back in the 90's, it was kind of a go-to for me and my group of friends (partly for the food, but mostly for the entertainment). I was so totally down for this event.

The first thing I noticed when I got there (it was at the location in the Flamingo Hotel and Casino) was that there was a person ‘painting’ with ketchup. That’s right people; she is a ‘ketchup artist’. And the girl had serious skills.

 

Who says ketchup is just a condiment?

That and the large walking shake that was handing out samples of, well, shakes.

 

We got to try a few of their burgers (see free food!), sample the shakes, watch and partake in the group dancing – and yes, I did dance as well, got the Johnny Rockets button to prove it – and get a grill lesson (although I was so pre-occupied in talking with some of my fellow bloggers that I totally missed out on that one). Once we had a chance to eat, drink and get merry, the President and CEO of Johnny Rockets, John Fuller along with the President of the International Division, Steve Devine took time out of their busy schedules to talk with us about the company, some of the history and what we can look forward to in the coming months and years at all their locations.

See, learning new stuff can be fun (and filling!).

And I even scored one of the ‘ultimate tweeter’ prizes – me, an ‘ultimate tweeter’!! I’ve had a Twitter account for well over three years and only really started using it in the last six months, so to get that title was kind of cool (yes, I know, I’m geeky) – and the swag didn’t hurt either. And I’m guessing that now that I have an apron I might have to actually cook stuff (*sigh*, price of fame I guess).

They even had cake
(granted it was shaped like a burger and fries, but still, CAKE!)

All in all it was a fun night. And I’m totally looking forward to the next one.

Happy Birthday Johnny Rockets (and thanks for the free food, the fun and of course the swag).

Till next time,

K

(I was in no way compensated for this post - unless you count the food - I just had a great time and wanted to share it with you).

Love for Daddy - 5 Favorite Father's Day Crafts

Father's Day is fast approaching (seriously, could this year go by any quicker?), and I've been scouring Pinterest for ideas  for Little P's Grandpa's (M has already put in his request for what he wants to do that day, so he's all sorted) and I've found so many great crafts to do, that there just simply isn't enough hours in the day or boxes big enough to ship them to both upstate New York and Australia.

But I've gathered my five favorite ones here, just to share with you, and maybe provide you with a little inspiration for the Daddy's (or Grandpa's) in your life.

1. Lego Key Holder from MinieCo (admittedly I love this for the pure geek-i-ness of it, but tell me, who wouldn't want a Storm Trooper keeping their keys safe?)
2. Printable 'Love Daddy to Pieces' from Colette over at My Computer is My Canvas (I'd do this for M simply because he's just nuts about Reese's Pieces - and it's such a quick and easy gift for the kids to help with)
3. Printable Soda Bottle Covers from The Idea Room (again, another quick and easy update to something most Dad's love - their soda POP. See what I did there? POP, as in Dad? No? *sigh* I thought it was funny)
4. Father's Day Tie Box from the ladies over at Eighteen25 (love this idea for a Father's Day BBQ, or even to give to Daddy-O to put his snacks in at the office. Super cute and too easy)
5. Scrabble Tile Picture Frame from Just Another Day in Paradise (I love this and you can easily personalize it - you are purely limited by your imagination and the number of scrabble tiles you have lying around. Or you can cheat and just get them through a hobby store or a site like Etsy)

Every single one of these is really quick and requires very little in the way of items to purchase. Heck, if you are like me, you probably already have these things lying around anyway, which is really why I love them (I'm all about instant gratification).

And remember, Dad's, just like Mom's, are really just happy to get a card, a cuddle and to hear 'I love you Daddy' - although, I'm sure that being able to sleep in, maybe get in a round of golf or being able to watch the game (whatever game that may be) would also rank pretty high on their wish lists of things to do that day.

To all the Dad's, Daddy's, Pa's, Papa's, Grandpa's, Gramp's and Da's (I didn't forget you Dad), the fixer's of broken toys, the mender's of flat tires and busted gear, the protectors of fluffy toy animals and the kisser of boo-boo's; thank you. 

For all that you do, all that you are, and all that you mean to us.

Have a wonderful Father's Day.

K

Having a baby - as easy as 1,2,3

Having a baby for some people is sometimes as simple as thinking 'I want a baby', and then before you know it, they are knocked up and ready to go. Their pregnancy is a breeze, their labor a piece of cake and the next thing you know, they are on their way to baby number 2, 3 or 9.

For others, like myself, it takes years. Years of planning, of multiple appointments with a variety of doctors, all trying to work out why you can't get pregnant (or just as bad, why you can't stay pregnant). And for those of us who have to rely on science to help Mother Nature along, it becomes an emotional roller coaster that at times, feels like it will never end. 

And for others, it never begins, because for whatever reason, being pregnant is just not in the cards for them.

I have never NOT talked about Little P being an IVF baby, but it's not something that I will just volunteer to talk about either. Even now, two plus years down the track, bringing it up in a conversation still chokes me up. But after recently talking with a friend of mine who is going through IVF, I decided it was finally time for me to get it out there. To let others know that yes, it sucks. It sucks big time, having to bring science into something that should really be a natural occurrence. And I could totally tell you what a wonderful experience it was, how it was all glitter and unicorns. But I'd be lying. Because it was hard, and it was long, and it was painful. 

Our little miracle - Little P

So here are the things I'm not going to tell you:

I won't tell you it was an easy decision, because it wasn't. Admitting that you, as a wife and as a woman, can not do that one thing that every woman should be able to do, is heart breaking and makes you feel like a failure. No matter what any one else tells you, you still feel like you let everyone down.

I won't tell you how incredibly hard, both physically and emotionally it is.

I won't tell you that every time you hear it didn't work your heart while break a little more, or that you feel like giving up, because to keep going hurts so much.

I won't tell you that when you hear that you are pregnant you will feel both elated and terrified at the same time.

I won't tell you how incredibly devastating it is to find out that you miscarried for whatever reason. Or how a little piece of you dies every time you hear those words 'I'm sorry, you lost the baby' (four times for us).

I won't tell you how going through the process leaves you bruised in places you didn't think you could get bruises. That the medication makes you feel ill, or that the fact that you have to inject yourself daily (sometimes multiple times) makes you feel more like a pincushion than a person. 

I won't tell you how bitter and angry you get at the universe, or how every time you see or hear someone else is pregnant that you think to yourself 'I hate that bitch', and immediately feel horrible for thinking that. 

I won't tell you how many times you will curl up in a public restroom and cry, because you just saw someone with a pregnant belly, or holding a new born, or you just happened to walk through the children's department in a store and you lost it.

I won't tell you that no matter how much someone loves you, you feel that the pain is yours alone to bear, even though you know it's not.

I won't tell you how you will hold your breath and your heart will skip a beat when you hear that heart beat for the first time. Or how hard you will cry when you see that first image on the screen of your little one (or ones).

Does this shirt make me look fat?

I won't tell you that even though your morning sickness lasts three long months, you are just so thankful to be pregnant, that you don't complain about it.

I won't tell you that even though it's safe to tell people you are pregnant, you keep it to yourself just a little while longer, hoping that you start to show first.

I won't tell you how you will just stare at your belly, imagining the little person that's growing inside of you, and how you will be blown away by how much you can love someone that you haven't even met yet.

I won't tell you that for the last eight weeks you may need to be monitored almost daily, strapped to a heart rate monitor, just to make sure both you and the baby are doing okay.

But I will tell you that the moment they place that tiny person in your arms for the first time, that you will not only cry with joy and relief, but also with grief for the little ones who were called back to Heaven too soon.

And I will tell you, that after all you just went through, you won't think twice about doing it again.

Because in the end, it's so worth it.

K