ML Interest Tag: food-store

How to Plan a Kid’s Birthday Party on a Budget

By April Sutphen

Planning your child’s birthday party can be stressful – the theme, the decorations, the cake, the guest list.

You try to keep the budget in check but sometimes, expenses get away from you. If your husband is anything like mine, you’ll have him chirping in your ear each time you bring home another party supply bag or return a phone call from a vendor (i.e. clown, magician, caterer).

But with years of party-planning experience, I’m here to help with some fun and easy ways to help cut the budget on your child’s next birthday bash.

Ask Family for Help

Who better to ask for help planning your little one’s special day than family? When it comes to eliciting help from your mother, cousins, brothers and the like, you always have the guilt factor on your side! And after all, the party is for your child – can they really say no?

One of the biggest expenses when hosting a party is the food. A great way to get the family involved in the party planning process is to create a potluck-style menu.

Have everyone make their favorite dish or something they’re known for. Maybe your aunt Edna makes a killer mac and cheese or grandma’s meatballs are the hit of every holiday dinner. Ask which family members are willing to cook something. You can always suggest what you’d like them to make, but try not to be overly picky.

You can say something like, “Everyone adores your baked ziti!”. A little flattery goes very far.

When it comes to planning the snack food for your child’s birthday, try shopping at a wholesale food store. There you can buy snacks in bulk – pretzels, chips, and popcorn. Another tip is to purchase the types of snacks you and your children enjoy at home. Of course, you want to make your guests happy, but you can use the leftover goodies in your child’s lunchbox!

Remember that most children’s birthday parties are short and sweet. If you provide snacks in the beginning and cake at the end, you don’t need a whole lot of food in between. Calculate the number of guests you’re expecting and provide enough food for everyone to make one, generous plate. Parents rarely go back for seconds and the kids are often too busy playing to take too many bites.

You can even go as far as to ask a baker in the family to make your child’s birthday cake. With so many adorable ideas online and molds available for purchase, your child will never know their cake was homemade and not store bought.

Make the Invitations and Decorations

Who doesn’t love a good DIY project?

You can save a lot of money when you make your own invitations. This is a great way to get your child involved too. Let them color or write their friend’s names on the invites. It gives them a personal touch and saves you on printing costs.

Online and Facebook invites work too, but are a little more informal. It all depends on who you’re inviting and how you want to present the party.

Some decorations and party supplies you’ll need to buy – balloons, tablecloths, and party hats. But there are some awesome decorations you can make or embellish basic ones to make them really stand out!

Have your child help you color, draw and cut the letters that spell out “HAPPY BIRTHDAY”. You can use construction paper, glitter, markers, and stickers. Make each letter unique. Once they’re complete, string them together and you have a fun and original banner for the wall.

If you want to hang something from the ceiling, you can cut strips of construction paper in funky designs and colors. Ribbons can be curled and placed to hang freely from doorways.

Candy is a fan favorite at any child’s party (for the kids least!) You can make a candy tree or use candy necklaces as garlin – by simply cutting the elastic and then tying the pieces together, you have instant (and edible) accents. You can even make your own pinata and fill it with candy.

Get creative with your party decorations. Guests will love and appreciate the originality.

Plan Entertainment

This might be the most fun part of party planning.

If your child’s party is going to be at your home or a hall, you’ll need to provide some form of entertainment – kids running around in circles hyped up on birthday cake and candy (from your pinata or candy tree) is a recipe for disaster.

There are countless party games you can plan that will keep the kids entertained for hours.

Do you have a spoon at home? And some balls? How about a few pillowcases? Lots of household items can be used for relay races!

Kids can balance small balls on spoons, hop in pillow cases or potato sacks and even race with bouncy balls between their knees. These games are sure to provide entertainment, laughs and friendly competition.

Kids love temporary tattoos and most are relatively inexpensive. Stock up on some, call a young adult you know and create a “Tattoo Parlor” at your child’s party. With a little water and a sponge, the kids can pick their favorite designs and wear them for the celebration.

Bring a wireless speaker and your iPod for some musical entertainment! Not only can the kids dance to their favorite songs, but you can play games like freeze dance and musical chairs. Music is a great addition to any party!

Keep it Simple

My last piece of advice for planning your child’s birthday party is to keep it simple. There’s no need to spend hundreds of dollars to host a party at an elaborate location. If you have the time and space, DIY birthday parties are the best.

All you need is a little creativity and help to plan an inexpensive but memorable birthday bash!

I am a 32 year old mother of a son and wife to an officer. I am honest about both the love and struggle of parenting. I enjoy being active and writing is my passion, second only to my family.

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Helping Your Child Adjust to a Gluten Free Diet

By Brian Wu

If your child has been recently diagnosed with celiac disease or if he is simply allergic or sensitive to gluten, you might be feeling a little overwhelmed at the thought of having to follow a specialized diet. While any kind of food restriction can make raising a child more challenging, however, you will be pleased to know that, while difficult, it is not impossible.  Below are some top tips for helping your child to adjust to this new way of life.

Know the Restrictions

The first and important rule is to understand just what kind of dietary restrictions are in place for a gluten free diet.  As the name implies, your child will be eating foods that free of the gluten, a protein found in grains like rye, barley and wheat. That means that any products made from these grains – such as bread, pasta and baked goods like cakes and cookies are out.  What your child can have includes meats, dairy, eggs, fruits and vegetables and products made from gluten free grains like rice or corn.

Work with Your Child’s School

One of the most important things to remember if your child is going gluten free is to work closely with the school – especially your child’s teacher – to make sure that the diet is consistent.  If possible, pack your child’s lunch with the special foods that he needs so that he will always have the stuff on hand that he can eat.  Educate your child’s teacher – if they do not already know –about what schools snacks and treats your child can have.  And try to make things easier on the teacher when you can: if you know there is going to be a birthday party at school for one of your child’s classmates, for example, make sure to send a gluten free dessert for your child so they don’t feel left out.

Start Exploring Your Local Grocery Stores

The good news is that now is the best time ever to be on a gluten free diet. Why? As more people are diagnosed with celiac disease or even gluten sensitivity, more and more products appear on the market that are gluten free but still taste grade and allow your child to enjoy a pretty normal diet.  Some of the more popular gluten free item with parents and kids alike are gluten free pizza crusts, gluten free cakes (including birthday cakes), gluten free bread and gluten free pasta.  If you are lucky enough to have a larger health or specialty food store in your area, you can also find products like gluten free English muffins, tortillas or premade waffles or pancakes.  This can make your child’s diet virtually indistinguishable from the diets of the other kids – and this can be important to help your child try to fit in.

Consider Making More Homemade Foods

One thing you might notice when you are buying gluten free foods, however, is that they can be a little on the pricey side. If you are interested in your child staying gluten free but are also concerned about your family budget (and who isn’t nowadays?) then consider making more things from scratch.   If you start with a gluten free flour (like flour made from corn or rice), you can make your own cakes, pizza crusts, breads and other yummy treats that will help keep your child on track when it comes to  his diet. If you are a little uncertain as to how to begin, check out a gluten free recipe site like Food Network to get the ideas you need for the foods your child will love.

Make Sure Others in Your Child’s Life are Educated

It’s not just teachers and the school staff that you have to worry about educating. Other members of your family –including those in your extended family – need to know what foods are okay  (and not okay) to give your child.  Otherwise, family reunions and other get-togethers can become stressful in a hurry. Also, if you and your family belong to a church or other community of faith, members of that community should also be informed so that they understand the game plan.  That way, your child will not accidentally get exposed to gluten at, for instance, a church social or Sunday school.   If your child is a member of a Boy Scout or Girl Scout troop, the troop leaders will also have to be notified.

In short, following the gluten free diet can be difficult, mostly because of all the hidden gluten in grain-based and similar products.  Gluten can feel like it is literally everywhere.  But if you follow the tips suggested above, you will find that it will help you and your child both make the transition into following a gluten free diet.

 

 

 

Brian Wu, PhD is a current medical student at the Keck School of Medicine and a proud parent. He founded Health Stories For Kids to educate and entertain kids and their families about different health topics. Check out more at www.healthstoriesforkids.com

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Never Too Late To Go Organic: Nicole Bernard Dawes

by writerredtri

We’re teaming up with Blue Shield of California to celebrate local Bay Area moms who have inspired us to seek healthy, balanced lives.  This week, meet  Nicole Bernard Dawes, CEO and Co-Founder of Late July Organics.

They say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, and Nicole is no exception.  Co-Founder of Late July Organics, (and daughter to the late Cape Cod chips founder, Steve Bernard), Nicole’s passion for natural and organic food was instilled at a young age.  She’s on a mission to ensure families have access to healthy choices – and Nicole’s unstoppable!

Red Tricycle:  You’re part of a group of moms that are on a serious mission.  What’s yours?
Nicole Dawes:   My mission is to create a brand that ensures future generations of families will always have access to delicious, wholesome food free from GMOs, toxic persistent pesticides and antibiotics.

RT:  You’re definitely on your way, but looking back, what was your inspiration?
ND: My passion for the natural and organic food industry began on the counter of my mother’s natural food store in the 1970s. However, it was while pregnant with my first son in 2002 that this passion turned into a business!  Unable to find the organic crackers I was craving, I discovered that while organic produce and dairy were widely available, there were almost no delicious organic snacks!

RT:  So your kids have been involved in healthy, organic eating since the womb?
ND:  Actually, my kids are the inspiration behind all of Late July’s products and I would never create a product that my own kids don’t love!  We use our kitchen to whip up homemade tortilla chips and experiment with new recipe ideas. In fact we’re testing some tonight! I want them to be proud of the company they are helping to build!

RT:  I’m sure they’ve said some pretty hilarious things while you’re whipping up new snacks in the kitchen together, right?
ND:  My ten year old has become quite the little salesman. One time he encountered a pretty tough customer and after some banter, the man finally asked, “Do you make anything else?”  My son quickly replied, “Yes! We make tickets” and ran to get my business card.  The man let down his guard, they exchanged cards and he actually became a customer!  My son has had his own cards ever since.

RT:  You’ve created a tremendously successful organic snacks business.  Any advice that may inspire others to get involved with organics?
ND:  Believing and being passionate about a cause or mission is where you begin your journey but having someone you trust to help and guide you through the rough patches, and there will be rough patches, is invaluable.

Be Like Nicole!  Blue Shield of California’s Wellness Challenge:
“Get your kids cooking in the kitchen,” says Nicole, “my kids love to help me cook, so kid-sized and kid-safe cooking tools are essential.  I bought these adorable fish shaped measuring spoons at The Tyler Florence Shop in Mill Valley that always get my son excited to help. That store has a fun selection of kid’s cooking tools.”

Blue Shield of California is an independent member of the Blue Shield Association.

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