LilSugar

8 Ways to Celebrate Valentine's Day as a Family

LilSugar — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 04:27:16 PST

If you can't find a babysitter for Valentine's Day, not to worry - we've come up with plenty of fun ways to celebrate with the whole family! Skip the expensive dinner for two and pick something you can enjoy with the kids. From quality time in the kitchen to holiday-appropriate craft classes, these eight sweet activities are sure to spread the love.

Potty Party: A Stylish Celebration of a Lil One's Big Milestone

Kate Stahl — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 07:03:08 PST

Potty parties might not be standard for most mamas, but after seeing the adorable pastel and chevron celebration created by Creative Juice's Mindy Starr, you might just be inspired to change that.

Starr celebrated her daughter's potty training by throwing a stylish fete, inviting other recent potty users and their "trainers" (aka moms) and creating diaper-themed games, a sweet dessert table, and some clever printables, which are now available for purchase through Etsy. While this party is undoubtedly over the top, Starr credits it as one of the reasons her potty training was a success - and with cupcakes, cookie pops, a cake, and candy potty favors as an incentive, we're not surprised!

Source: Creative Juice

The Best Valentine's Day Cake Pops For Your Lil Sweetheart

LilSugar — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 07:04:45 PST

Get your Valentine's Day sugar fix with any one of these picture-perfect cake pops. Whether you're hosting a crowd or just want to surprise the kiddos with a special valentine, we've gathered the ultimate indulgent inspiration for Feb. 14.

Start Your Engines! A Cars-Themed Birthday Party

Nicole Abbott — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:17:59 PST

Start your engines! Boys, both big and small, love cars - and it's almost certain that your little man also loves the movie Cars. Throw him a "wheelie" cool party for his next birthday, inspired by the movie - with a few inspirational ideas from this Cars-themed birthday party that will have your head spinning!

Source: Branco Prata

Shadow or Not, These Sweet Treats Will Help Tots Celebrate Groundhog Day

LilSugar — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 04:07:46 PST

While it may not be the most widely-celebrated holiday of the calendar year, Groundhog Day (Feb. 2) is a tradition that dates back to 1887, and acknowledges that it is a fun way to add some excitement to your lil one's week. Check out these five sweet treats to celebrate the coming Spring (or extension of Winter).

Fun fact . . . Did you know that Punxsutawney Phil has moved into the 21st century? If you text "Groundhog" to 247365 tomorrow, he'll text you back with his weather prediction!

Stella McDermott's Hello Kitty Birthday Party

Tori Spelling — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 07:07:04 PST

We're excited to bring you a new post from mother and actress Tori Spelling! Every other week, we're bringing you the best parenting and lifestyle advice from ediTORIal by Tori Spelling, which is Tori's daily blog about everything from food and fashion to parenting and relationships. This week, Tori shares her daughter Stella's third birthday party.

Yesterday we got a glimpse at Stella’s Hello Kitty dessert table in my Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood episode eight recap post, but I also wanted to share some extra images of the sweet setup done by my friend Jenny Cookies.

I love the way this turned out - feminine and chic, but still youthful enough for a 3-year-old’s celebration.

Every detail here was adorable, from the Hello Kitty cake pops to the petite macaroons and cake-topper bow. The birthday girl was also excited about her spread for those few moments that she took her eyes off her boyfriend, Malloy.

Next up: Stella and Malloy’s wedding cake?!

What do you think of Stella’s dessert table? Let me know in the comments below.

P.S. To see more images check out my album here!

More great reads from Tori Spelling:

To juice or not to juice

Bring it back: handwritten letters

Home Sweet Hollywood episode eight recap

Caption this: Miss Hattie Cat

Touchdown! 5 Football Party Themes For Kids

Nicole Abbott — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:03:10 PST

With all of the hype leading up to the Super Bowl, we know lots of dads - and mamas too! - and their kids are bonding and making memories as they enjoy some Sunday night football.

Is your lil one a lil football fanatic? You'll be sure to score a touchdown at your lil one's next birthday with a sports-themed party, so check out these five football party themes for kids!

All Hail This Precious Princess-Themed Birthday Party

Nicole Abbott — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 07:04:22 PST

Hear ye, hear ye! A princess-themed birthday party can be a simple and beautiful affair without having to be over-the-top fabulous! Check out this simply stunning princess-themed birthday for a sweet little girl and get inspired to plan your next royal celebration.

Source: Branco Prata

Do Your Kids Have Birthdays in the Same Month?

BabyCenter — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 08:37:54 PST

We're excited to share this post from our partners at BabyCenter! Every week, we will be bringing you the best parenting and lifestyle stories from the experts at BabyCenter, including this post from Denise Cortes about siblings sharing a birth month.

Growing up, I always had to share my birthday month with my little brother. His birthday came first on Feb. 4, and then three long weeks would pass until it was my birthday, Feb. 24. The funny thing is we are the same age for about three weeks out of the year. We’re what you call "Mexican twins," born 11 months apart. Every year, his birthday card from me reads something like this, "So, you’ve caught up with me once again . . ."

Sharing a birth month meant lots of joint birthday parties growing up. It also means we would celebrate our birthdays near his actual birth date, then when mine rolled around, it was all "we already celebrated your birthday already, remember?" OK, so I’m still a tad bitter about this whole birth month sharing.

Ahem.

My first son was born on Sept. 9. Then three years later, I had my third son (yes, I had another son in between - three children under the age of 3 aren't something I recommend if you enjoy quiet evenings and sanity), and he was born on Sept. 19. About three years later, I was pregnant once again and looking at another September due date. Sadly, I miscarried that time, so to this day, I only have two children that share a birth month. But it opened my eyes to this simple fact:

Turkey must be one helluva aphrodisiac.

No, really. How else do you explain all of these Thanksgiving conception dates? Turkey has been very, very good to me. I actually don’t mind that I have two children with the same birthday month. I make sure we celebrate them separately, and that they are recognized on their special day. I try my hardest not to lump them together.

Head over to our BabyCenter Community because they are talking about same-month babies.

Do you have children born in the same month? How do you handle birthday celebrations?

More great stories from BabyCenter.com:
Ten maternity basics you should buy - and why!
No sex, no marriage, just kids
Would you rent maternity clothes?
I can't keep my kids' names straight!
Ten ways to beat the Winter blues

Source: Flickr User Eduardo Pavon

One Year in a Flash: A First Birthday Party

Nicole Abbott — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:14:43 PST

Baby's first year of life flies by in a flash - and what better way to celebrate a first birthday than to take a look back at the past 12 months? One Year in a Flash was this creative mama's theme for her daughter's first birthday party. From custom invitations to one-of-a-kind portrait party favors, every detail of this "flashback" party was super sweet!

Click through to see how she put it together and get inspired to celebrate your little one's first year of life.

Source: Hostess with the Mostess