Picky Eaters & Family Fun Pizza Night

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Hi friends!

Do any of you do family pizza night? We do, every week! It is a great way to spend time as a family and reconnect after a long week. Even now that most of us have moved out of the house, we still do our best to get together at my mom's house every week. Sometimes we order delivery, and sometimes we pop something in the oven. Pizza is a great way to feed a large group, but it can get expensive! I'm so glad that there are yummy choices like #DiGiorno in the freezer section!

Who here has a "cheese only" kid? Everyone, right? Aren't we always hearing that getting kids involved in making their food will help with picky eating? Well, DiGiorno nailed it! These #designapizza kits will get your kids excited to put all sorts of things on their pizza. Pepperoni? Yep. Chicken? Yep. Veggies? Bring 'em on!

So, we headed off to Walmart and grabbed a couple pizzas from the freezer section.

I think she's a little excited, what do you think? Excited about peppers? That's a start! 

Here's what we ended up with. Two pizza kits, and a plain cheese (just in case!)

All of the toppings come in these little trays. No dishes! Woot!

Then you get to decorate. Is there anything a newly 5 year old girl likes to do better than decorate things? She started out wanting to make flowers...

Then Noni jumped in to help make a smiley face, complete with hair and cheeks!

Now, pop that artwork into the oven. While you wait, cut up some fruit and veggies. Pizza night should be easy! We love having fresh choices to pair with our pizza.

Ding! Pizza's done!

Now, the moment of truth...

She looks happy with her pizza, but this wouldn't be the first time that she changes her mind at the last minute...
Side note: Do you see Owen eyeballing that pizza? This kid.

:deep breath:

Success!! She ate the entire piece, complete with pepperoni, sausage and peppers! I call it a win!

Thanks, DiGiorno and #collectivebias!

How do you encourage your kids to try new foods?

Be blessed,

Heather

Pink Lemonade Baby Shower

Hi friends!

I had the opportunity this past weekend to work with some wonderful ladies to bless a friend of ours. Julie was pregnant with her third baby, a girl. Now, I realize that most people don't have baby showers after their first baby. However, Julie had commented on the fact that she needed things like burp cloths, and a nice baby carrier. It had been 5 years since her last baby, and 8 years since her last girl, so she needed a little refreshing. So, we decided to throw her a "sprinkle"! Get it? Not a full shower, just a sprinkle? Ha!

We knew we wanted to do something simple, but cute. After throwing out a few ideas, we settled on Pink Lemonade! Pink, yellow, mason jars, lemons, cupcakes! Perfect for a new little girl.

We started out by starting a group board on Pinterest to collect ideas (private, of course, so mama couldn't see what we were doing!) This was so helpful! Now we all had the same vision, and could keep an eye out for things as we were out and about shopping. It's a lot easier to find deals when everyone knows what to be watching for!

This banner from TaterTots & Jello was perfect! Most of our decorations were light pink and yellow, but I loved the fun pop that these brighter colors gave everything. 

To play off of those bright colors, I made some tissue paper poms in the same bright colors. These are such an easy and affordable way to make in impact with party decor. Tissue paper can be found in just about every color you could need for just a few dollars. You can make large poms, or if you really need to stretch your budget you can make lots of little ones. House On The Way has a great post about how many layers to use to get the most out of every size! Mine were all between 8 and 10 inches across.

Table decorations were also super simple. Easy flower arrangements, colored peanut chocolate candies, and of course, lemons! We found this Pinkalicious book that was just too perfect, so it became part of the table decor as well!

Another flower arrangement and some more poms on a side table tied everything together. 

We kept food simple. Fruit and veggie trays, and taco dip. One friend brought some adorable finger sandwiches.

Another friend made a fruit baby! So cute!

We made a simple pink lemonade punch. Pink lemonade concentrate, lemon seltzer water and raspberry sherbet. Easy and not too sweet. Perfect! We also had a drink dispenser of lemon water. Of course, all of it was enjoyed in mason jars! What else? Cute paper straws add a great touch, and are pretty easy to find!

Every baby shower needs fun games. As people came into the party they had the chance to do two things. First we had some wall art with baby's initials on it. It was made to match her nursery. My friend Christine makes those photo blocks. How cute is it? 

Baby's name was a secret, so everyone took a chance to add their guess to the list.

Then, we had these absolutely adorable Wishes for Baby cards from Parraclan Designs. Everyone got the chance to leave their wishes for Baby B. While they were all heartfelt, nothing was sweeter than the wishes from Big Sister! The cards also match the nursery, and we gave them to Mom with a white shadow box so that they could be used as decorations. This nursery is AMAZING! It was done by Kelly Kate Interiors, and you can check it out here.

Instead of cards, we requested that guests bring a book with (or as) their gift. This way Baby B had the beginnings of a great library, and each book had a sweet note from someone who loves her.

I think Mom was happy, how about you? Isn't she adorable? 

We must have thrown a great party, because Baby B decided that she just couldn't stay inside any more! She was born 2 days later (9 days early) and is absolutely beautiful!

What are your tips for throwing a party on a budget?

Did you have a baby shower for more than one baby? 

Be blessed!

Heather