About Kylie Jenkins & her Blog
Kylie is a winner of Top 25 Party Planning Moms - 2012
Of all the parties you've thrown, which was your favorite?
Right now my favorite party is the cupcake themed party I just threw for my daughter's 1st birthday. I started planning almost as soon as she was born and was so pleased with the way everything came together. All of our family and friends know her as Miss Cupcake so every little detail, down to the candles in the bathroom, were cupcakes. It was so much fun planning this for our little Sugarella.
http://www.madebyaprincessblog.com/2012/06/sugarellas-sweet-shoppe-cupcake-1st.html
What's a great tip for keeping a party affordable?
I have a collection of white serving pieces that are part of my standard party decorations because they go with everything and can be used over and over. I will then incorporate colored or thematic serving pieces depending on the type of party I am throwing. I search for those extra pieces at places like HomeGoods or even our local hospice resale shop and never shop without first checking for coupons online. Michael's always has coupons which is great since I am there so frequently. When shopping online I always check for coupons before I check out. I think one of my best tips would be to plan ahead and get started early whenever possible. I am a huge list maker and I find that if I have a checklist to refer to I don't get too carried away and forget what I have purchased.
What are some unique ideas for party favors?
It completely depends on what type of event but for kids I have found that one favor that ties in with the theme is better than a bag full of cheap junk that will never get used or that breaks easily. For my son's Lego party we gave each kid a mini figure. Each one was $2.50 but when you factor in the price you pay for bags, tags, and fillers you have probably spent more than that per child.
When a group of my high school friends came into town to visit me and meet my little one I gave each of them a small mirror with a panda (our school mascot) and their initial on it. It was small and meaningful, not very expensive, but something they would remind them of our time together.
When my son turned 3 years old we had a Thomas the Train themed party. The party favors that year were coloring books I put together with images I found online, crayons from the $.99 Store, and a CD of my son's favorite songs to listen to in the car. I burned 20 CDs and used the option on my printer for printing CD stickers and then created jewel case inserts. We still have this CD around the house and while he isn't into those songs anymore it is a nice memory of his party.
Lastly, something edible will always work. Cookies, cupcakes, gummy treats, candy bars with a personalized candy bar wrapper, or M&Ms in a bag with a custom treat topper is a great idea. For an Angry Birds party I prepared for a client we did "Anger Management Pills" which were green M&Ms as well as "Angry Bird Poop" with a custom poem topped a bag filled with green, yellow, and red Skittles. Black or brown M&Ms would have worked too. Keep it simple, inexpensive, and thematic.
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Kylie's Answers
What's on your bucket list of things to do with your kids this summer?
Looking forward to dates with my son. It's hard to do them during the school year because of homework and early bed time but come summertime we love our weekly dates. Sometimes it's going to a movie, other times we do a science project, and once in awhile we'll just get frozen yogurt. Best parts of summer are these moments.
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What's a great theme you've done for your child's birthday? Please share a link with a photo.
I loved the Incredibles themed party we did for my son's 4th birthday. One of the best activities of the day was the one where the kids wrapped up the bad guys (two dads) and the team that secured their bad guy the fastest won. We then had the bad guys try and get out of their crepe paper chains as fast as they could...the kids loved that the best. The kids still remember that and tell me how much fun they had.
One of my favorite cakes, however, was the pirate chest... https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=438312109534213&set=a.135516626480431.17003.134902846541809&type=1&theater
This one took some baking engineering but it was so worth it. The top was made out of rice krispy treats. I wanted to get that domed chest look and didn't want to rely on my cake carving skills. Rice krispies worked out perfectly. Inside the "chest" was a bunch of different candy jewelry that was quickly pillaged!
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What's a family-friendly recipe that would be perfect for a summer or Fourth of July gathering -- whether it's a grilled dish, a simple side or festive treat? (Please share a link to a photo)
I have a super easy healthy recipe perfect for 4th of July...fresh herb cream cheese spread on slices of cucumber. One of the best things about this is that you can add whatever herbs you like or what's growing in your garden, chop them up, and mix with cream cheese. I chose to spread them on cucumber slices but you can put it on crackers, crostini, peppers, carrots, whatever you like! Really easy and really good.
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What trend (toy, game, clothing style, etc.) are kids your child's age hooked on right now? (Please include your child's age and a link if you can.)
My 10 year old son (this Wednesday actually) is obsessed with Lego. This is not a passing fancy, however, he wants to be a Lego engineer someday. The little 300 piece sets are no challenge for him...he wants the giant 2000 piece sets that are meant for 14+ year olds. Last night he received the Town Hall for his birthday and spent the next 4.5 hours building. I had to force him to bed at midnight. Fortunately for him we live 10 minutes from Legoland and have a yearly pass...I know...lucky boy! This is what he is working on now...by himself...http://shop.lego.com/en-US/Town-Hall-10224.
He does also like Hexbugs but they are a far second to http://www.hexbug.com.
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Can you recommend a children's book or series that's great for summer reading? Please include the ages it's appropriate for.
My son loves the Warrior series. He started reading them last year (in 3rd grade) and I think they are targeted, based on reading level, for 9-12yr olds. There are six books in each series and they are all about cats. There is another series called Seekers about bears. Great books, not too long, and not too short either...http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/warriors-erin-hunter/1100015311?ean=9780062102393
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When is it too old for nap time?
I'm definitely not an expert but I think this is dependent on the child and their needs. My now 10 yr old weaned himself off of naps at about 3 years old while he was at home but still took naps here and there at preschool til about 4 yrs old. Two naps were non-existent by the time he was one year. My daughter on the other hand, now 15 months, still takes two naps (thank goodness!) but the morning nap is getting shorter. If naptime is becoming a fight and both mom and child end up in tears it's time to reassess those naps and come up with a different plan. Maybe quiet time would be a better solution.
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