Happy 1st Birthday Jordi!

May 10, 2013

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I can’t believe Baby Jordi is one today! He has turned our world upside down (totally in a good way, of course)! It’s busier, crazier and much louder around here! We wouldn’t have it any other way. Jordi is a happy boy, ready to defend himself from his big brothers and very loving. Diego and Santi think his wet kisses are gross but I think they are the sweetest.

We will be cutting a very small cake for Jordi today and he will be taking “smash cake” pictures this weekend! I didn’t do this for the older boys so we are all very excited to make this happen. Here are a few finds around the internet that I think are adorable.

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Baptism and Brunch

April 26, 2013

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Jordi’s baptism mass was so beautiful. I’m a big baby when it comes to any type of ceremony! I cried when the other children were being baptized! After the ceremony our small party rushed home to dig into a platter of prosciutto, chorizo and a variety of cheeses and toasted our little blessing with sparkling prosecco. We then sat down for a proper brunch of lentil/veggie soup, kale waldorf salad, beef meatballs, pasta with homemade tomato sauce, warm ciabatta bread and lots of wine! Here are the pictures of the table arrangements. Enjoy!

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Planning a Party: Baptism

April 12, 2013

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Happy Friday! What are you up to this weekend? I have Jordi’s baptism on my mind and I have to start getting ready! Next weekend we are having a very intimate dinner party for 8 adults and 5 kiddies. I want my youngest baby to have a really beautiful baptism-my wheels are turning!

This is how I prepare right before hosting: I gather all of my ideas from around the web, I make a mental note of the items I already have and I start to visualize what I would like my arrangements to look like. I end up buying minimal things for decoration purposes and I always make sure it’s an item I can re-use for future gatherings. Food and dessert always come from the same places and gifts for our guests must be useful to them too.

Take a look at what I have found for inspiration:

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Ninja Party Theme!

March 1, 2013

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These pictures are shared by a good friend I met in Japan six years ago! My dear and very funny Kazumi now lives in Hong Kong with her husband and 6 year-old son. We met in Tokyo through mutual friends when our sons were so tiny! Sigh. I miss the friends I met in Japan so much for so many reasons but mainly because there is nothing like your first “mom group”. Kazumi is off making new friends with talented and creative women like Suzi who happens to be Brazilian and living in Hong Kong as well. Suzi knows how to throw a kickin’ Ninja party! LOOK at these cakes she made!!!

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A few weeks prior to her own son’s birthday party, Suzi made this cake for Kazumi’s son’s birthday! How sweet!

Kazumi and Suzi, thank you so much for sharing!

MFBS readers: Cool, huh? What would you add to this party theme?

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Pirate Theme Party!

February 20, 2013

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Diego turned 6 last week! Hurray! To help him celebrate, we threw him a HUGE birthday bash at Pump It Up! When I heard they did pirate theme parties, I asked the birthday boy what he thought about the idea and he was on board! This was the first time we ever had a birthday party outside our home. The only thing I had to do was put together the favor/goody bags!! Easy!

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All from Oriental Trading. Love the pink bandannas and eye patches with bling!

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I ordered the gift tags from Tiny Prints. They always have the cutest thing. The design ended up being the center of our pirate theme.

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The kids had so much fun!

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We went with Splurge Bakery again! Every cake I have ordered has been absolutely delicious!

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AND I baked special apple cinnamon muffins for my special pirate. Cute!! Got the Pirate Baking Set from Amazon.

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The boys all wore pirate theme shirts from Gap! You can’t see Jordi’s but it said, “Aye Aye Mom”! jajaja! That’s right!

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Time to send out the thank you cards!

If you have a party you would like to share (why not? all that work?? you know you want to show us!!!) please send me an email or comment below and I will contact you. People are always looking for party ideas!!

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Musical Notes Theme Party

December 10, 2012

Musical Notes Theme party was all inspired by Music Together! Santi loves to sing and dance and I wanted his 2nd birthday party to be all about music, black notes and the color of sunshine! His teacher came over to do a class for his friends in this play date style/lunch party. We had so much fun! Details below:
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Kids and Election Time! Part 3

October 23, 2012

Did you watch the debates last night? It was a tough one for us as the Bears were on Monday Night Football! ARGH!!! We made it work though (thank goodness for that iPad). The third and final presidential debate offered us another opportunity to continue to teach Diego about the election process and most importantly, helping him become aware as he witnesses history.

I came across this very cool site that I knew Diego would love. I couldn’t wait to show it to him when he got home from school. ANY opportunity for him to get a chance on the computer, right? We LOVE The Democracy Project by PBS Kids! It is intended for children in grades 3 through 6 but I found a way to make it work for my kindergartener. I sat through 20 minutes of it with him, guiding him and helping him with the reading and comprehension. The easiest section was “meet the candidates” an adorable summary of quick little facts meant to persuade your little one to vote for one of the candidates. If your kid loves basketball he might love President Obama! That is until he or she finds out that Mitt Romney’s favorite food is a hot dog…then it gets tough!

In all seriousness, the site focuses more on how government actually works and how decisions are made by the people’s vote then trying to persuade your 8 year-old to vote one way or another. There is also a section (inside a voting booth!) that depicts the struggles many faced to be part of the election process. Kids can even create their own campaign posters and stickers. Diego’s favorite? Pretending to be POTUS for the day! He scheduled everything from his morning exercise to his lunch to a meeting with the Queen of England. The summary of his first day in office was published in the “morning paper” and now he can’t wait to do it again!

It’s almost decision time! Are you ready for election season to be over or are you just warming up? Let me know if you visit The Democracy Project with your kids! I really think they are going to like it!

Your friend,

Betty

P.s. Have you had a chance to “Like” My Friend Betty Says Page on Facebook? ;-)

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Dinosaur Theme Birthday Party

October 15, 2012

Happy Monday!

How was your weekend? For us, this weekend was full of more birthday celebrations, lots of soccer, and a yearly block party. Our weekends are always social and because our family is far away, we embrace opportunities to see old friends and to make new ones!

The weekend activities also inspire me and I say perfect timing because next month is Santi’s 2nd birthday! Keep an eye out for that post because I’ll be using a lot of Pinterest ideas for a musical theme! I’m so excited! For now, here are some pictures from Diego’s 4th birthday back in our place in NYC. Enjoy! [Read more...]

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Olivia Theme Birthday Party

August 9, 2012

This is Olivia! She is my precious goddaughter and she turned 2 in March! Tiz (one of my BFFs) sent me these pictures to share with you. How I wish I was closer to celebrate with Tiz, Olivia and their family and friends. Tiz, as my guest blogger, included her party tips inpired by the book character Oliva. Enjoy! (By the way, Olivia is fashionably wearing a top from TJ Maxx, a skirt from Old Navy and Converse shoes from Nordstrom). [Read more...]

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Star-Spangled Birthday Party!

July 19, 2012

Angelique turns 9 to a Star-Spangled Birthday Celebration!

This post was written and contributed by my good friend Carolina Monroy. She throws the best parties and when I offered My Friend Betty Says to guests, she volunteered to share with you her creative party ideas and photographs! Thank you Caro!

Angelique was born on the 3rd of July 9 years ago. She is a lucky girl who always gets fireworks on her birthday. For this year’s party we decided on a good ol’ American celebration. A Star-Spangled Birthday Party!

I was drinking a nice cold Coke in a glass bottle one day and I thought… “What’s more American than a glass bottle of Coca Cola?” so I decided to use some empty Coke bottles as center piece holders. It was too hot for flowers so I bought some patriotic sequin star spray from Pier 1 and voila… a center piece! I then found blue cloth table covers with red and white stars. They were a good alternative to the regular plastic table covers that rip easily and are hard to keep in place. [Read more...]

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