Overdue Pirate Party

The Pirate Party

We had a Pirate Party for the celebration of Memphis' 4th Birthday. I meant to blog earlier about it, but for whatever reasons didn't get around to it till now.

I really don't know what I would have done without Pinterest. I seriously get lost on it, constantly. I go onto it with the intention of ''just having a quick look'' then an hour and a half later I'm yawning my head off & wondering where the time went.
It was the best place to go for my inspiration for the party. It beat google, and I google EVERYTHING!

Ok so being the start of January it was going to be a hot day. We were loaded up with icy poles, fruit kebabs (which were an absolute treat, & I'm sad I didn't get a picture of these as they looked great) We had hoses and water guns at the ready and by the end of the day all the kids including me looked like drowned rats. But golly it was fun.

I supplied eye patches, and made bandana's for each of Memphis' friends to wear during the party & to take home.

 Setting the scene as guests arrived was our Pirate Flag. As you can see it's pretty big- and a bargain I found off ebay. It's attached to a cardboard roll that hubby got from the carpet shop (for free) and its sitting over a metal star post so as not to fall over and kill someone.

 I also purchased these plastic pirate mugs for the kids to take home, but forget to tell everyone! Doh, well the kids got to use them at least!.

 These 2 Cardboard Pirate ships hubby and I made from bull bar boxes he scored from work for free. Nothing a good ol jigsaw couldn't cut! A bit of paint and Duct tape and we were so stoked with how they turned out!

Memphis all dressed up

The kids playing Cannonball

Now I'd love to take the credit for the creativity of these Pirate swords, but Pinterest was my savior throughout this entire Party. We made these out of the spare cardboard from the bull bar boxes. Hubby cut them out with a jigsaw, I painted the tops on both sides blue, and taped the bottoms with more duct tape (which made them look more real and softer for the kids to hold) then printed out skull pictures and stuck on top. Now in hindsight these probably weren't the safest thing to give to a bunch of 4 year olds. Some kids got a little carried away & lets just say these are quite dangerous! The cardboard was really hard!

Cardboard Swords

 I was really happy with how the goodie bags turned out. I was so torn with how I wanted to do them. I originally bought a template pack and had printed out those cardboard treasure shape boxes. But they were too small, had no handle and were too darn time consuming to cut and tape and glue. So instead I found a free printable , stuck some goodies in a ziplock bag and stapled the printable on top.
They each contained a telescope, chocolate gold coins, a pirate blower, a whistle, a necklace, a pirate wrist slap band (which I have since worn again since the party) pirate tattoos, pirate stickers & a lollypop.

Goodie Bags

Hubby managed to score this old boat for $40. He's pretty set on fixing it up so it can be a ""real boat'' but, I'm fairly confident this is where it will stay :) I bought the steering wheel off an outdoor playground shop on ebay for $39.00.

Pirate Memphis testing out his Boat






I couldn't justify spending $25.00 plus for some cardboard that was going to get smashed by kids with a bat. So I made my own. A simple box (that I cut all the edges apart then taped back together in a few places so that the box wasnt indestructible)I then paper macheed the box. I had 2 packs of tissue paper in my stash which I cut up and stuck on. Then printed out the pirate skull picture for front and back. There was a hole in the middle of the box on both sides (behind the pirate picture) but also a hole in the bottom.

Pirate Pinata

Action  Shot

Here is my attempt at a Pirate ship Cake. I'm not a baker, nor a decorator (that's clear to see:) but Memphis loved it! I made it the night before and was still putting the icing and licorice bits on it as guests were arriving. Again, I can be so organized with some things and others- I leave to the absolute last minute.

I didn't get much time at all for chatting with the other mums and dads, and luckily hubby helped out with bringing out the food. Oh the food, we had so much food and these Jelly Boats I made but forgot to bring out. We spent the next few days eating these :)

Now I believe there has to be some junk at parties. I'm not at all politically correct or new age health freak. No party is complete without some lollies (natural confectionery jellies) potato chips, as mentioned earlier fruit kebabs, icy poles, we also had savory kebabs- these had on them salami, kabana, cheese, and cherry tomatoes. For lunch hubby made pita bread pizza's. We have an electric stone base pizza cooker that we set up on a table outside- ready in just a few shorts minutes. No one really needed pizza, everyone was so full from the rest of the food.

Birthday Banner I made from a Free printable

Honestly, I dont know who had more fun- the kids or me!!! The kids were all so well behaved, they had a blast. It's now already end of April and Im finally blogging about this but guess what? Were already in the midst of planning the next party. It will be a joint party for Fox's 2nd Birthday and Memphis' 5th Birthday. We've got the theme chosen, and decorations planned to beat this party.. Not that there's any competition, and no one we know goes to this extreme for a kids party- but we do it cause it's so much fun. We get to build stuff, we get to be creative, and then on the day we get to be big kids and have fun and enjoy it.

My friends all said to me after this party that I should do kids parties and planning them as a profession. Id love to give it a go, but there's so many other things on my list I cant possibly do it all. 

Why I'm glad My credit cards got maxed.

Having a creditcard was like having a Big safety net. But one that wasn't really ours. We had been depending on it for quite some time now and it wasn't working for us. It seems my budget had been too tight and didn't allow us for enough breathing room. We'd then splurge on the creditcard. I guess in a sense we begun living beyond our means and then having to pay for it for what seemed like an eternity.

The day the cards were finally maxed, and we couldn't use them anymore I had a strange feeling. I didn't recognize it at the time nor understand, but upon later reflection knew it to be relief. We couldn't use the card anymore, it couldn't tie us down, and trap us anymore. It was then I turned a corner and got serious about our finances.
Id hate for you all to think I'm drowning in debt. Were talking single figures credit card and The normal sort of mortgage. But I hate owing people anything, hate owing money, and not being in charge of myself and my destiny.

I needed to take back control and start feeling good about what was happening. It was then I booked in an appointment with my accountant. He's an Awesome Man, I really respect him, and he has helped me a lot with both my personal & Business Finances. The thought oh but I cant afford him came into my mind. But then if I continue doing what I'm doing I cant afford not to see him. Long story short, there wasn't any huge area's I had missed in my budget, but quite a few small changes that would make a huge difference. I felt relieved and couldn't wait to get home and make the start. We had the option of cutting up our cards there and then but we chose to literally freeze them instead- waiting for the day till they were paid off in full. I cant wait for that day.

So I'd like to share with you all my journey. The majority of us all have debts of some kind, and as i find helpful hints and tips along the way id feel selfish not to share them. Perhaps some of you could share your idea's too? My money saving, debt cutting is already impacting all area's of my life- and in a good way. Im meal planning which means I'm cooking better meals, of better variety, and dare I say it from scratch! not a packet mix!  I'm buying less junk food, I'm being creative with activities we do with the kids, and I'm really giving alot of thought before making a purchase of any kind. There's no more impulse buying in this house! 

Anyway that's enough for now. I don't want to harp on, but you may be able to tell I'm excited. I have of late been a bit down and out about money (or lack of it) but now I'm back in charge it aint so bad :)

I'm becoming a scrooge & I love it.

Over 12 months ago I purchased a book for myself and my bestie. She like me, doesn't like to spend a lot of money, on anything. I had forgotten about the book until recently when she said she had made muesli bars from her book. And she had a tonne of them, and her girls love them!

This year I am on a mission to rid us of credit card debt. I'd like to be one of those people who has a rainy day Savings account. I'd like to not have to live like most people nowadays pay week to pay week. End goal would be to pay our house off earlier. So in the mean time, I'm now working nights, and have tightened the budget. I'm meal planning for up to a month at a time  (I cant always stick to it, but it is the biggest help for those nights when my brain wont come up with a healthy yummy meal)

I'm cooking meals that I can make for cheap, and that will go further than one night.
So back to the book. It's called The $21 Challenge. It shows you how to feed your family for a week on just $21. It has delicious recipes and Great idea's on saving money with cooking.
Now you'll spend a whole lot of time on this website too! I'm on their mailing list and get lots of emails with free tips, or you can subscribe and get entry to their vault which may hold all the secrets to the universe (I don't have a membership as yet- as I said Im becoming a scrooge:) and I cant vouch for the secrets thing , but it's an Awesome site.
http://www.simplesavings.com.au/21dollarchallenge/

Today Memphis had asked me for a treat, and I figured I hadn't actually ''made'' anything in a while so looked for an easy slice.

What do you know there's actually a recipe called "Easy Slice''
all it calls for is a pack of any plain biscuits (I had homebrand arrowroot )
200gr butter
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. cocoa
1 egg (I actually ended up using 2 as I used our fresh eggs from our silky bantam chooks and these are much smaller)
and 200gr cooking chocolate for melting (I only had approx. 100grs, so used some of the kids easter choccies to melt in)
Crush the biscuits ( I used my blender as it was much faster, but if you don't own one a plastic bag and rolling pin will also do the job)
Melt the butter, add sugar and cocoa and mix well. Add egg stir again.
Then its as simple as pouring into a greased tray and press firmly. Refrigerate for 30 mins
Meanwhile melt chocolate and then pour on top.Leave it long enough in the fridge till the chocolate is set.
Then enjoy!

I then realized dinner time was soon approaching and I still had no idea what to cook for dinner. I'm due to do groceries which means the cupboards are a little light and I'm at the end of my meal plan. I grab the book and looking through the recipes to find one that I actually have the ingredients for. I come up with '"impossible Pie'' Really it's just like a quiche. But you throw in extra vegies to bulk it out. I  think at most it may have cost me $5.00 to make, and it fed me and hubby plus our 2 boys, and we only had half of it. It was so delicious and filling!
I'm so excited about trying new recipes AND saving money.. It's actually starting to become a challenge!
And I think I may have just found some inspiration for future blogs!

Parenting & Preschool

So today was my first time as parent helper at Preschool this morning.. I wasn't feeling really positive about it on the way there, had my grump on for the strangest of reasons. I guess I felt forced into having to help, as opposed to having the option to help. But once I walked in the door and was given permission to play with the kids I had a ball.

It was so interesting seeing all the different kids, interacting with each other, the ones that liked to stick together, the kids that liked to play alone. The loud kids, the shy and reserved kids. It is so hard not to judge- the child, the parents, and how they're raised. But I put my brain to off and let it be that it is not my place to judge or question.I am here to help supervise and make the kids day as safe and fun as possible. 

I'm not one to boast but I am good with kids. I play with them and really get in and down and dirty. However I know my limit. I can have high energy for a short span of a few hours (which is great especially as most kids activities dont tend to last any longer than that) but then I fall in a heap. My patience goes to zilch in 2 seconds flat, and the tv becomes my savior with my 2 boys.

I must admit that up until now, when I did the preschool drop off and pick up I'm quite reserved with engaging with the other parents. Ive never found it easy speaking to strangers & making new friends. I'm actually quite shy (which is why retail & hospitality is so great for me as it forces me to come out of my shell) But after today and how good I felt helping out, I'm quite happy about going back next month & also getting to know the mums & dads. 

It was actually quite an honor to get to know the little people and what makes them tick. As different as they all may be at the end of the day they just want to be loved and nurtured and have alot of fun!

So, clearly working at nights at the pub is taking me away from Baby for life. In the past 2 weeks whilst I've not been present on facebook, and doing things on the site sales have been dismal. Perhaps it also ties in with the fact that Victoria just finished school Holidays and elsewhere have started.. I hope its a factor and not just me. 

I'm working anywhere from 8-20hrs at nights per week. I love it. I am out of the house, interacting with adults- grown ups and the conversation has nothing to do with kids. Don't get me wrong, you know I love mine, and kids in general but gosh its so nice to expand my mind and thoughts to something else!
I am busy, moving, learning new skills and feeling good about myself again. Its very hard when ones own boss to pat yourself on the back for a job job done when Ive set the bar so high for myself I'd never reach it and therefore never please myself. My supervisors are pretty happy with me and the increase in my hours shows it.

I am still finding this work life balance, and I think I always will, absolutely impossible. I mean if I give lots of time online my house is a pigsty & the kids go crazy, if I work lots, I miss out on seeing the kids AND the house is a pigsty. I get all domesticated and do batch cooking , freeze stuff, and we eat like kings for a week, then I get tired from doing too much we eat toasted sandwiches, and all the frozen stuff (that was meant to last for a month ) in a week. And so the cycle begins again,.

It surprises me for someone who likes to control things so much and thrives off organizing that I'm not better at it, but well I haven't got there yet. I think I can only give my all 100% into only one thing at once.

So this weekend my first plan in place is to get these blogs happening more often, and perhaps set up a schedule for it all to attempt some organization.
But then I'm also hoping for some family time this weekend too.Hmmnn, surely I can fit it all in,.