Harry Potter Party!

 I have been working on this party for quite some time, from searching pinterest for great ideas to making favors to hunting thrift stores and making decorations and taking trips to the 99 cent store oh and all the crafts.

So this weekend it finally happened. And it didn't rain until after the party, woo hoo!

I still have some crafts to post, so I'm going to show you some of the things I've already posted or things where I don't have tutorials, or just fun things.

 I brought my fancy wooden table out to the deck and laid a baroque looking runner across it so I could set up my potions table scape. I set out the gold cups and napkins and I had a few candle stands and candy bowls that I set with crystal platters. I liked the height they gave and thought they would work really well when I brought out the candy for Honeydukes Sweetshop and the Cauldron Cakes.  But somehow, the sweets never made it onto the pretty table.

 I took some of my son's toy snakes and wrapped them in and out of the bottle, for just a little bit of added spookiness.

And how about that fantastic green glass bowl I found at the thrift store? I filled it with the Expecto Patronum and Dementor Stones activity.

 Here we have a photobooth set up that I made. I took out the navy sheet and pillowcase and bought some glow in the dark stars from the dollar store, but for a while, I thought I'd run out of time and not be able to put it up... but at the last minute, I tacked the sheet up to an unused corner of the deck and covered the ottoman with the pillow case, brought out the little railroad village rug and stuck those stars on the sheet.

For the amount of effort it took, this photobooth was really worth it.  If I'd had a little more time, I would have made a witch broom to go with it.

When the kids first got here, I had them choose their favorite owlet from amongst Pigwidgeon's Pals.

That is Ivy's christmas gift, Mrs Hoot Hoot inside the old birdcage, on top of the old suitcase, ready to travel to Hogwarts.

Then they got to pick their wand from the box sent from Ollivander's Workshop.

I made gift bags and wrote their names on the gift bags so that they would be able to keep track of their owls and wands and other assorted stuff. That was a good plan, because with all the running around that happened later, they really needed one place to put their favors. Here is a tutorial for the gift bags .

 While waiting for all the kids to arrive, they got right to work at Transfiguration Class, where they needed to turn a rock into a creature.

All I did for this activity was to go to the 99 Cent store and buy some decorative rocks (in gray and green glass) some paint, glue, feathers, markers, gems, pipe cleaners and of course, googly eyes.

Then I just put those all in a box and put it on a kids table covered with a silver table cloth.  They really loved it. Who knew?

 I also made some Hogwarts House Banners. I really like how they came out, so I'll try to do a tutorial later on, but I really just painted them free hand.

I kept staring at them during the party and going, "wow, I like those." Right now, they are living very happily up above G's bed.

Once a bunch of kids were all there, I brought out some balloons and told them that they had to keep them in the air with their wands and the spell, "Wingardium Leviosa" I didn't get any pictures of that because I was going another craft at that point.

ACID POPS! You can see how I made these and displayed them here. They were a big hit with the kids and with the adults. But the kids were still sweaty after the acid pops so I remembered that I had some Gillywater in the fridge.

What is Gillywater? Oh, no one knows, but it was in the books, and I found this site where they wanted an alternate Harry Potter drink and found an Invisible Koolaid that tastes like Koolaid but looks like water. I put it in a clear glass jar and filled their glasses with the magical stuff.

The kids really liked the Gillywater and it was so easy, I almost forgot about it until I realized how thirsty the kids were after running around.

I forgot about quite a few things during this party. I forgot to put out the chocolate covered flies/raisins. I forgot to make that broom so the kids could fly. I forgot to do the crystal ball reading with the meditation jars I made. I also forgot to hang up the floating candles, and I'm kind of bummed about that one, because I really wanted to see how they turned out.

Then they went back out to play again, off in the yard. It was a Wizard War, with their wands and another craft I made out of recycled coffee can lids that I painted with silver stars, lightning bolts and swirls of various types. They would fling them like frisbees at each other and then run around picking them up again, with cries of, "I'm loaded! Better watch out!"

These are the spell discs I made. No tutorial. It's just painted directly on the plastic with silver craft paint. Frisbees would work very well for this and could also serve as favors for the kids to take home, but I had a dozen coffee can lids that I'd been holding onto (I use them for paint palettes sometimes) and when the brainstorm came that is what happened. I'd been thinking they would be used in a Wizard Duel where two kids stood apart and tried to throw it at/to the other kid, but the kids turned them into a wizard war and then ran their little butts off and got all sweaty.

I really tried to alternate slow paced, sit down activities with running around, because it would keep the kids from getting bored or worn out. So after Wizard War, I got out the Butter Beer. No photos of that, because I was too busy serving and by the time I was finished, everyone was pretty much done.

The next activity was the Expecto Patronum spell with the Dementor Stones.  That was a lot of fun and very cool when they were opening them... I mean, working on their spell. You can see how that worked here.

Once we finished the Expecto Patronum, I asked the kids what they wanted to do next and if they were ready for the candy.

Silly me.

They practically herded me into the kitchen to get the candy. I wisely didn't have it sitting out for most of the party, not only because some things would melt in the heat, but also because they would have been snitching candy the entire time.

As it was, they all wanted to be "helpful" when it came to the candy, and offered to carry the candy back out to the deck. Aww so sweet. I gave them the sugar mice and the chocolate frogs to take out.

But by the time I brought the main tray out, they'd set everything up on the little coffee table I'd put out there, kid height, instead of the pretty potions display table where I had all the nice cake stands and such.

Oh well. There was no orderly civilized Honeydukes Sweetshop line. No, it was mass, sweet, chaos. A free for all.

THEY LOVED IT.

Then I brought out the cauldron cakes but that was kind of anticlimactic after the candy. I thought they were great, but the kids were mostly sugared out.

And then they spent about an hour pulling each other around in a wagon. That wasn't part of my party planning. Perhaps in their imaginations, it was the flying Ford Anglia that Ron wrecked.

Anyway it was a lot of fun and some things were definitely more worth the fuss than others.

The wands were worth it.

The owlets, sadly, not quite as fun. Unless they took them home and loved them quietly. So not quite worth it.

The Acid Pops were great... for adults and kids. Worth it.

The chocolate frogs? They were cool, but the kids didn't love them that much and the adults didn't bother much with the candy. I would have made fewer chocolate frogs. Not so worth it. Better for an adult party.

Sugar Mice? Also cool, but I will probably eat more out of my fridge than all of the kids combined. So I'm glad there are left overs, because those are mine. But perhaps not worth it for the level of time consumed in making them. Also better for an adult party.

Honeydukes Sweetshop/table of candy. TOTALLY worth it. Maybe better to just get candy from the store instead of making some of it, though. Most of the home made candy was more trouble than it was worth.

The Gillywater/Invisible Koolaid? Cheap, easy and fast. Beloved by kids. Worth it.

The Butterbeer? Tasty, but very sweet, done soon, with no refills. I bought too much ice cream and cream soda. Maybe not worth the stress. Adult party. Spiked with real booze.

The Expecto Patronum/Dementor Stones activity. Really cool and worth it, though it took a while to craft.

Cupcakes? Worth it, because you need cake and these were tasty and not that hard, although a little stressful. But it could have been any cake really... so not necessary. Also, i had trouble with the heat and the melting of chocolate. Again possibly more for an adult, indoor party.

Those flying disc spells? I painted them months ago and just stuck them in a cupboard and the kids played a lot with them, so Worth It. Same for the balloons which are always fun.

Gift bags, easy and worth it. Really I had been planning some sort of difficult craft for making cauldrons and the bags worked fine.

The Pet Rocks/Transfiguration. awesome and low maintenance and just the cost of the dollar store items. Worth It.

And as for the banners and the potion bottles? I really liked the way they looked and I think they added to the Harry Potter feel, so worth it. And G gets to keep the banners.

Also, the photo booth was pretty easy, so that was worth it too. I've got pictures from it.

It seems that I got wrapped up in "cool projects" that would have been better for older party goers but were kind of lost on little kids who like koolaid, running around and candy. Hmm. Well, live and learn there, Ro.

Boy, I also have a lot to post on this party. If you click the links, you will find my tutorials and recipes to many of the crafts and foods, and you can decide for yourself which ones might be worth your time and effort.

10 Steps to Being a Glamor Mom

I am probably still driving back down the Eastern Seaboard towards home and/or exhausted from the trip this weekend. I don't know if I'll have the opportunity to post on this day, so I am going to re-post some old things from my domesticglamor.com stint. You see, they are closing down, and I don't want to lose my favorite posts over there, so here and there, I think I'll find a place to put them. I am okay with them closing down, as I find I have been putting much more energy into this blog, but I am thankful that I had the opportunity. I find that writing for domesticglamor got me remembering that I have a sense of humor, and I started incorporating it more into warriorgirl, which has a tendency to be a little serious.

So, back by popular demand (my popular demand, no one else asked me for it, I just like it) I bring you my Glamor Mom post. Huzzah! Huzzah! Let the glamor commence.

GlamorMom with bad hair (edited to add: yes, I used my bad hair photo as my profile picture. My attempt to take a flattering picture of the bad bangs worked, and I liked the photo, which I probably wouldn't have taken if it weren't for what I did to my head. That's called creativity, my friends.)

1. Do NOT pick up a pair of scissors during naptime and think, ‘hmmm… I could use some bangs right now.’

2. Find a passion, any passion, and dive head long into it (somehow finding a way around the kids, the shopping, the housekeeping, the cooking, the errands, and may be or maybe not the DH.) What did you used to do before kids that you gave up? Find a way to bring it back. Art? Pick up a paintbrush. Reading? Start or find a mom’s book group. Margaritas? I sense a Friday Afternoon “Happy Mom” play date in your future.

3. Indulge in the occasional Girly mom escapade. But don’t confuse happiness and true self esteem with shopping and feel good for now things, like chocolate or a manicure, those are temporary fixes and don’t last, although they are fun while they last.

4. Get out and get your body moving. This is one I skip far too often, but it makes a body feel good to be active. Find some sort of physical activity that fits your personality and lifestyle. Some women love the gym… me, not so much. But yoga kicks my butt and makes me feel centered. Maybe dancing is your thing, turn on the Ipod and shake your butt. Sometimes, all you need to do is take the kids for a walk, get out in the fresh air, see the sights and burn some calories that way. However you do it, be active, it helps in all sorts of ways.

5. Have fun with the every day things that we all have to do. Shake a little monotony off. Sing a song and dance with the broomstick while you are sweeping up the cheerios…AGAIN. Experiment with the spices and ingredients when you are making that same old same old chicken. Make the walk home from school into an impromptu scavenger hunt (can you find a Seedpod? An orange car? An empty can?) Whatever you have to do that day, try to toss in a little enjoyment, a little adventure.

6. Get sexy. Got a partner? Send a suggestive text message. Got no one? Indulge in some lacy underwear. Read a sexy book. Take a bubble bath with candles and scented oil. It doesn’t have to be about straight up sex… explore your sensuality. That means pay attention to your own senses and physical pleasure, in all its forms. You are attractive because you love your self. And you can keep this idea of sexy/sensual to whatever level of comfort feels right to you.

7. Remember your dreams. I don’t mean your night time dreams, I mean the things you want. A glamormom has her eyes on the prize, whether that means the prize of winning the Oscar for best actress or the prize of having the most fun a girl ever had growing zucchinis.

8. Spend quality time with those you love. Your kids, your husband, your best friends, your family. Don’t hold back here. This is it. This is your life. These are your people. Feel the love. Show it.

9. Love your life. This is the biggest key to being a glamormom. It’s about choosing the life you have because this is the only life you have. It doesn’t mean everything has to stay exactly the same as it is right now, but it does mean accepting yourself for who you are, and accepting your family for who they are, flaws and all. It’s about saying you are worth it, and so are they. Loving your life is about paying attention to all the loveliness, despite– and because– not everything is always lovely.

10. And did I mention the thing about scissors and my hair and the bathroom and not ever doing that to yourself? Please? As a favor from one Glamormom to another?

Mama's Little Art Industry

I am not a perfect mom. I am not a Type A personality, who creates a curriculum and fills my children’s days with enrichment activities…although I could, one of my specialties when teaching was creating curriculum that integrated the arts into academics. Of course, that I COULD do it, but don’t makes me even less marvelous in my mommyhood. It makes me feel bad sometimes that I don't do all I could do.

But I would like to put forth a cheer for all the slacker moms out there. Just because we aren’t getting down there in our knee pads flipping flash cards of Impressionist Painters does not mean we are doing a bad job. No one really knows what makes one kid turn out to be a wonderful person whose life enriches the world. So I’m going to pat myself on the back a little and hi-light one of my slacker mom accomplishments.

Sometimes I check my googlereader while the kids are watching Little Bear. Yes it’s true. TV is my babysitter. Sometimes, the baby will sit on my lap and play with her toy computer while I do this. Sometimes, we will take out the Crayola Color Wonder finger paints and she will smoosh around on the tv table while I type comments on my favorite blogs with one hand.

She did so yesterday. And then toddled off to find some trouble to get into. But when the Little Bear dvd ended, G wandered back to my impromptu desk to check out the what’s what, and he came upon this:

This was the baby’s painting. The red circle was mine, but everything else was hers. Gosh, G started smiling when he saw it. “Mmm,” he said, “Good. G likes!” and he would not rest until I displayed it on the refrigerator. I see what he means about this scribble drawing. It almost looks like a bird flying above the trees to the setting sun.

My boy Gman has very developed artistic tastes. I don’t know if I made it happen. I didn’t have those flash cards of Monet and Cezanne… although I must admit I sat with him and looked through some of my old art books. I didn’t force it on him, I just noticed his interests. He liked paintings. So we’d read the art books he picked out, along with “Where the Wild Things Are” and “Moo Baa La La La.”

He still likes paintings, although I can see he gets frustrated with not being able to draw what he wants to. Lately, he has been focusing on drawing bad guys. But even when he can’t draw Spider Man and the Green Goblin, he can appreciate artistic beauty when he sees it.

The Collector and his Gallery

(reprinted from domesticglamor.com)

Surprisingly, I Can't Stop Thinking About What it Means to Be Glamorous

I wrote this post about How To Be A Glamor Mom over on Domestic Glamor, and I meant it to be a light hearted piece about being sexy and chic, but instead of being a SAHM Sex and The City, I think it went deeper. Far from feeling like the expert on being a "Glamor Mom" I feel like I really need to take my own advice on most of these "hints." (Particularly 1 and 10, sigh.)

I think glamour is a surface thing, really, it's the appearance of something sexy and alluring... but the post I came up with, seems to be about being happy inside of whatever surface you have. The happiness radiates out into the glow that I choose to call glamor.

Glamor is magic, you see, but it doesn't have to be a phony magic trick. The magic of my glamor is about love. Love your self, love the life, and everyone will love with you.

Hmm. I still want to think about this more.