LilSugar

Lil Links: Assuming Your Kids Can Attend Parties

LilSugar — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 11:30:00 -0800

Party foul: assuming your kids are invited - YumSugar
Courteney Cox says she and Coco are two of a kind - Celebrity Baby Blog
Should I have another child? - Momversation
How to get your kids to eat healthier - Alpha Mom
Jett Travolta meant a lot to his family - Celebrity Baby Scoop
Gene linked to dad's ability to father sons, daughters - Parent Dish
Get your body back after baby! - Health
Pregnancy can bring on swollen ankles - CafeMom
And the winner of the Santa tantrum award is. . . - The Poop

Couples Cocktail Party: Food and Beverages

LilSugar — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 11:00:22 -0700

Like any other fete, there should be ample food at a couples cocktail party and of course, a signature drink to wash the nibbles down.

Ask the bartender to concoct a beverage that reflects both the baby and the parents-to-be. If the nursery is in shades of pink and the father-to-be is a fan of Stoli, perhaps a renamed vodka cran fits the bill. Or if the soon-to-be mama used to sip on champagne and orange juice, go for a "mom"osa. And, of course make sure there's a delicious mocktail version for the expectant guest of honor.

For more edible ideas, read more.

Set up a table of prepared eats so guests can serve themselves and you can enjoy the soirée, too. Italian food is always a nice option since Caprese salad on skewers, spicy meatballs, focaccia squares, stuffed mushrooms, and cozzi are all crowd pleasers.

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Couples Cocktail Party: Decor

babysugar — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 07:00:00 -0700

I love couples showers because they give men, especially the papa–to–be, a chance to bask in the pregnancy spotlight.

And generally, the showers are like any other festive affair - just with an additional purpose - celebrating an impending arrival.

To see how to make a couples shower cute to boot, read more.

If you're hosting a couples shower at your residence, it is easy to dress up your home for the occasion.

Enlist parents of the mom and pop–to–be and ask them to send you baby pictures of the expectant pair. Make copies of the adorable photos and place them around the entertaining rooms for friends to enjoy during cocktails.

And speaking of drinks, instead of using bowls, fill up some baby bottles with candy or peanuts and place them next to the festive napkins at the bar.

As with most parties, you'll probably have food to balance out the alcohol. Instead of bringing in flowers for a centerpiece, buy a pregnant wire form and tie a pretty ribbon around her empire waist.

An odd way to celebrate new life, the tradition is to smoke a cigar upon the birth of a baby. Keep things clean and healthy by offering up pink and blue bubble gum cigars to your guests. I'd be willing to bet they'd be more popular than the authentic ones anyway.

Baby Bubble Gum Cigars ($11)

Pregnant Dress Form ($17)

Pink Zebra Placesettings and Cocktail Napkins

When the Kids Are Away, How Does Mom Play?

babysugar — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:30:30 -0700

Mommy's doing the cabbage patch and singing out loud, "They're gone... they're gone... they're gone." The opportunity for some mom-me time may not come around that often so when mama finds herself free of kids, hubby and other responsibilities, she can do whatever her heart desires. Perhaps she has planned a Mexican getaway to celebrate a 30th birthday or maybe she's just eager for a night out on the town. But one thing seems to be common among many mothers... their party bark is bigger than their bite.

Many ladies talk up a big game of sipping cocktails and staying up until the wee hours of the morn but in reality, many spend their time catching up with friends on the couch or playing Guitar Hero and sneaking into bed earlier than expected. The fear of hangovers may be to blame or perhaps it is their internal clocks ticking to a settled routine that keeps mommies from playing too hard.

How do you play when the kids are away?

Delilicious: Make a Kid Friendly St. Patrick's Day Spread

LilSugar — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 09:00:00 -0700

Convincing tots to eat their greens is typically a pretty laborious process, but St. Patrick's Day may be an exception. Charged up on green celebrations and tales of St. Patrick your children just might get their dose of vegetable vitamins today. Here are some simple ideas for infusing your family meal with a little festive flare.

Dinner Menu: PartySugar suggests a delicious dinner of Green Goddess Dressing, Warm Spinach and Artichoke Dip, Pesto Pizza and Creamy Broccoli Soup. If that's far too much green for your family, make your tots the pizza with the pesto on the side. They can add the color it to their liking or choose to keep their slice plain.
Treats: Make a simple and low sugar Irish Soda Bread and decorate it with green royal icing for kid appeal. If you don't have a ton of time pick up some shamrock Sugar cookies from your local bakery or grab unfrosted cookies and frost them with your children.
Green Non-Alcoholic Beer: While the adults chug delicious beer cocktails make sure to have some equally attractive non-alcoholic beverages (we call those EANABs) on hand for your little leprechauns. Add natural green dye to Sprite, mineral water or apple juice for a virgin cocktail.
Wear Green: Don't forget to have your whole family wear a spot of green so no one gets pinched at school.

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Sibling Shower: Food and Beverage

LilSugar — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 14:00:00 -0700

It's time to eat at our sibling shower (small soiree that gets the future big sis or bro used to the idea of having another wee one in the family)! Set out a spread fit for the family's queen bee or lil king. Tempt tots' appetites by playing to a few of the sibling-to-be's favorite foods with a twist. Our menu is made up of swaddled babies also known as babes in blankets, classic macaroni and cheese bowls, and baby carrots with ranch dip. Let lil ones wash it down with some fresh squeezed lemonade and indulge in a pint-size party treat - cookie ice cream sandwiches! Adults will likely nosh and get nostalgic about these childhood staples.

View 5 Photos ›

For the recipes, read more.

Babes in blankets: Buy your favorite brand of cocktail weenies and roll them in a store-bought pastry dough cut into triangles Place them on a cooking sheet and pop them in the oven to bake. Allow the concoctions to cool and then create wee faces with an edible ink pen. Condiments like ketchup, mustard and relish can be used to decorate the blankets with pinstripes, floral patterns, and polkadots. Pair it with your child's choice of mac and cheese and baby carrots with ranch dip.

Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches: Purchase a pack of Immaculate Baking Company's Triple Chocolate Chunk Cookies or another flavor of your choosing. After baking the cookies and allowing them to cool, scoop a ball of ice cream (I used Alden's Organic Mint Chocolate Chip) in the center of one cookie, top with another, and then press the two together until it forms a sandwich. Pour sprinkles or colored sugar on a plate and roll the edges of the sandwich around to collect the decoration. Place the finished goodies back in the freezer to firm up and then serve.

Don't forget to enter our fabulous April Showers Giveaway for a chance to win a $2,500 gift card to put toward your babe's nursery and or necessities for your child at Pottery Barn Kids!

You Know You're A Mother When: The Halloween Dash

LilSugar — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 07:00:24 -0700

Holidays often mark evident transitions from being childless to having children. But Halloween is perhaps the sharpest contrast when it comes to "pre" versus "post" baby days. My husband and I used to get decked out in costumes and party on vampire time attending house or block parties. Tipping back cocktails and dancing was the adult form of trick-or-treating. Then, with parenthood arrived our obligation to do the mad dash with our darlings.

It's the carefully choreographed dance from work to scarf down dinner, outfit our tots, map a route to all our relatives houses and hit the streets to trick-or-treat. It's a shuffle that has hiccups no matter how much you plan. And, one that is worth wearing plain clothes and watching my children run up and down flights of stairs soliciting candy in their costumes and collecting memories.

What are your family's plans tonight?

Family Ties: Cousins

babysugar — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 09:00:59 -0700

Growing up, I don't think I realized the important roles that my cousins played in my life. We saw each other at our grandmother's house and played doctor and school while our parents drank cocktails downstairs, but I had no idea they would become some of my best friends. Now as a parent and aunt, I am starting to enjoy the perks of my extended family and hoping to pass the same familial connections onto my lil one.

While visiting home this week, my daughter played with her cousins and second cousins nearly every day. She knew their names and faces from pictures on our refrigerator door, but this trip provided her the rare opportunity to have a tea party with my sister's daughters and chow down with her second cousins over meals. This morning, they sat next to each other in their high chairs and gave each other high fives while noshing on donuts. Having playmates back in San Francisco is a treasure. Having cousins close in age is a blessing.

Chasing the Dream of Having Children

LilSugar — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 08:00:13 -0700

Sometimes the shrieking, colic, and sleepless nights cause us to forget how lucky we are to be parents. How bad can a temper tantrum really be when you have a child to hold? Like many moms, I took my pregnancies for granted, accumulating a stack of ultrasound shots and occasionally complaining about heartburn and swollen ankles. But some women clinging to the idea of motherhood would welcome those ailments.

A recent New York Times story focuses on the 10 percent of couples that have trouble conceiving. The aspiring parents that exhaust their emotions, finances, even their marriages hoping to hold a baby of their own. The bleak truth is that those who aren't successful and open to adoption have to face life without offspring. It said:

It is unclear how many women are involuntarily childless. The stigma attached to infertility and living without children pressures many women to remain silent about their struggles, Mrs. Tsigdinos said, adding, “It’s not something you want to drop into conversation at a cocktail party.”

For a women who grew up pushing doll strollers, babysitting, and picking out names for their future children, relinquishing the dream may seem impossible despite scientific reality. It said:

Infertility treatment can be so all-consuming that many women keep trying long after the odds become prohibitive. Those who can accept the possibility that no treatment in the world will allow them to become pregnant may face the best chance of learning to accept a childless life.

So the next time your lil one tries your patience, think about the women who wish they could be in your position.
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Delilicious: Mocktails for the Kiddos

babysugar — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 07:00:07 -0700

Growing up, I always LOVED it when my mama let me order a Shirley Temple or a virgin daiquiri.

On special occasions, she made my favorite -a kid–friendly grasshopper (vanilla ice cream with a touch of creme de menthe). Thanks to PartySugar, I might have a new one to add to the list.

To find out how to make the delilicious concoction, read more.

The gurus at Williams Sonoma have dished on the perfect Fresh Fruit Kiddie Cocktail.

Fresh Fruit Kiddie Cocktail
Williams–Sonoma

Ingredients

1 cup water, sparkling water or club soda (to make it fizzy)
2 or more fl. oz. fresh-squeezed seasonal fruit juice
1 fl. oz. fresh-squeezed lemon or lime juice
1 fl. oz. simple syrup
Fresh fruit slices for garnish

Directions
An electric juicer works great for preparing the fresh-squeezed juice called for in this recipe. Or you can simply mash the fruit in a bowl with a wooden spoon, then pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer to capture the excess pulp, skin and seeds. Simple syrup is made with equal parts sugar and water. You can prepare a big batch by simmering sugar in water in a pan on the stovetop, and stirring until the sugar dissolves.

In a cocktail shaker filled halfway with ice, combine the water, fruit juice, lemon juice and simple syrup. Shake vigorously, then strain into a durable tumbler filled with ice. Garnish with slices of whatever seasonal fruit you used for the juice. Serves 1.

Fun Tip! Kids are great at shaking cocktails. Have them count about 10 shakes to do the trick. Just make sure they hold the lid on tight!

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