Growing Up Creative

Birthdays and cakes

3 girls - 3 summer birthdays, that's almost a full time job.
We have started the summer season with Ori’s b day and 45 pirate cupcakes for her preschool friends (luckily not at home)
 
followed by a pirate ship that started to sink half way through the making, with the help of some chocolate filled wafer rolls we manage to stable it and get it to the birthday table intact.

Some birth day parties are fun and some are no so much. But this one was a winner. With as little as water splashing, a fierce water fight, a sinking pirate ship and the company of family and close friends Ori (and me) had the best birthday.
Happy birth day Ori - my light

A birthday gift for everyone

Yesterday we celebrated my sister in law’s birthday. It was another excuse to eat well, drink wine and spend time together with the family. It was a perfect afternoon, not too cold, not too hot. The skies were shades of gray with a wintery sun picking from the clouds.
With every birthday celebration the same question always comes up – what should I give as a birthday present?
I usually invest in the kids gifts while the adults get a cake a hug and a little extra attention. For my sister in law’s birthday, my brother came up with this great gift idea:

THE BIRTHDAY COUPON BOX

The gift includes a box filled with personalized coupons written by family members and/or friends. Each person writes or draws something that the birthday boy/ girl can cash. Usually it is something to do together, or something that he or she likes you make. It can be an experience, spending time together doing different things, a lesson, favorite food etc. this gift can include everyone no matter how young. A sense of humor is essential for the success of this box.
 
In order to make one you will need:
A small box
Colorful cardstock/ construction paper cut to size (should fit in the box)
Pens
Friends/ family

How to:
Make, buy, or find a small box. (My nephew made his mom’s box from fimmo)
cut colorful paper into size (make sure it fits in your box)
write/ draw 1 coupon on each card.
<sup>writing coupons on the trampoline, a source of all great inspiration

the fimmo box Yotam made

1 kiss</sup>

Some ideas for coupons may be:
1 hug
20 kisses
Make a drawing together
Watch the sunset together
1 game of cards
1 broccoli pie
Play hooky with mom
Spend a day together instead of going to school
an excursion to the flea market
baby sitting
etc.

The birthday boy/ girl have one year to cash the coupons.
So Lila…don’t wait for the last minute to cash your coupons…looking forward to it.

tali

A Birthday party activity that is also the “goody bag” (for any age)

A couple of weeks ago my little nephew celebrated his 2nd birth day. 
My sis, who is brilliant in birthday activities, had the challenge of entertaining 12 kids ages 2-10, some hungry adults and a couple of babies.

Quiet a challenge, don’t you think?!

Her Idea was to have them draw on plain white t-shirts and let them make their own designs, using Sharpies. The kids were very much engaged in the activity, all of them with no exception - the 2 year old as well as the 10 year old.  The adults were happily munching and talking, and the babies were just there latching on to their mommies. 

How to draw on t-shirts using sharpies

you will need:
White t-shirts (one per child)
Sharpie permanent markers (enough to go around)
A paper insert for the shirt (cardboard or printing paper)

How to:
Insert the paper inside the shirt (so the ink won’t leak to the back side)
Spread some sharpies around
You may pick up a theme to jump-start the kids. If you have a birthday theme you may use that.
Sit back and enjoy watching them all do their thing.

You may also do this as a summer afternoon activity with your kids using an old t-shirt.

Happy birthday Dvir
Thanks Gali for such a great idea.

tali

The birthday cake

The end of summer is the beginning of birthday season in my family; we are all a by-product of winter love. Our birthday rituals are still evolving, but the one thing that has been consistent since before children (BC) is that on your birthday you may ask for any cake you like. I know it sounds a little silly, but some rituals are.
The cake can be a simple cheese cake, a layered meringue and chocolate cake with cherries on top, or a rocket ship lemon pie; what ever it may be, I am up for the challenge.
The process of baking and decorating the cake is very soothing and creative. for me it is another opportunity to engage with my girls through the process of making. We usually work on it together the girls and I, they mostly dip their fingers and decorate, and I do the cleaning...Sometimes I buy special sprinkles that would spark our imagination, other times I buy marzipan and we mold our own little figures to decorate the cake, and sometimes the requests are very specific.
Last week it was Zoe’s 6th birth day, few days prior to her birthday celebration she gave me a sketch for the design of her cake. I felt like I was back in the days when I was working million hours a week in an architecture firm, with a crazy boss handing me assignments on post-it notes, only this time it was my daughter. We went over her sketch, and decided on some unresolved details: chocolate on the bottom, vanilla on top with some red roses outlining the heart. She and I were thrilled when the cake came out just the way she wanted (except the frosting which could use some improvement).

Next was Oren's turn. he was lucky to get 2 cakes:
a lemon pie, one of his favorites, and a send and sea shells cake

Please take a moment to share your family birthday rituals. I am looking forward to reading them all.

Happy Birthdays.