LEGO Birthday Treat Bags

How to make these awesome LEGO Treat Bags:

I purchased the brightly colored bags at Target. Then added my LEGO printout – made from bright paper also found at Target -  and a name tag I printed at home.

I purchased the LEGO Birthday Fun Favor Packs from Toys R Us and gave each boy a LEGO set. I also bought the crazy straws at Toys R Us for $2. I found LEGO City stickers on Clearance at Walmart for $.75 each. I also added a LEGO man coloring book – simply print out and sew together with yarn. ( I didn’t snap a photo of these, but they were super cute!)

And I attached one of homemade LEGO key chains – instructions are in an earlier post.

 

Blue LEGO Cupcakes

 

Super Fun Blue Lego Cupcakes

When the 6 year old suggested BLUE cupcakes for his birthday, I found the perfect recipe here. It makes the coolest color blue cupcakes ever.

They came out great – even though I have never made a cake from scratch before! I did also have to purchase this frosting decorating set at Walmart to make them even prettier.

I just added the brick candy – which I found at the Mall of America candy store for $11.69/lb! – to complete the LEGO theme.

The 6 year old LOVED the cupcakes (as did all my coworkers who got the leftovers).

LEGO Keychains

I’m going to be posting a lot of fun LEGO things these next few days. I’m throwing a LEGO themed birthday party for my little man, who’s turning 6 next week! Very exciting for him and me.

So here’s how to make some awesome LEGO key chains:

1. Raid the LEGOs. Find the blocks you want to use for the key chains.

2. Purchase Key Rings & Chain at local craft store. (About $3 for both items)

3. Get out your power screwdriver/drill and find your smallest drill bit.

4. Screw a tiny hole into one side of each LEGO close to the edge.

5. Attach chain & key ring.

This is a great gift or activity for any kind of party or gathering. And the fun part is that kids can keep them on their backpacks and attach their own LEGO creations to them.

More Cake Pops Please

I recently discovered Cake Pops! They are so super yummy and easy to make. Just follow the step-by-step instructions here. Bring to any family event or school function and you will be the envy of all the other Moms!

This pic is my first attempt and they came out great! So good, in fact, I had to make another batch right away.

Try them. You won’t regret it.

Free Board Game Deal!

This week’s Kmart flyer has Candy Land and Chutes & Ladders on sale for $2 each. And with your Sunday paper coupons or coupon from Playsaver.com you get $2 off. An amazing deal!

The Perfect Snack – and it’s FUN!

Trader Joe’s has the perfect kids snack: Applesauce Crushers. They are awesome! My son won’t eat applesauce any other way.

The best part about them is they can go anywhere with you. Throw them in your purse or diaper bag or a kids lunch box. They do not have to be refrigerated before you open them (only after). And they have a cool twist-off/on cap that kids love.  And the kids don’t have to finish it all, you can put the cap back on, put it in the fridge, and eat it again later.

I just bought some over the weekend. The box of 4 pouches was $3.99. A little expensive for applesauce, but the packaging is what makes my son eat them, so I figure it’s worth it. And the packaging also makes them super-convenient. I can pay a little more for that too.

I’ll have to experiment with them to see how well they freeze. It may work to freeze overnight then put in a lunchbox in the morning so it will be cold for lunchtime.

(I was not compensated in anyway for this post. In the future, I would be open to sponsored posts. The opinions posted here are mine.)

At Last! Kids Eat Free at a Great Restaurant!

We stopped into LeeAnn Chin today for lunch since it was requested by the 4 yr old. (When asked where he wanted to go for lunch, his first response was, ” Not McDonald’s – Yuck!”) And we notice they have a sign out front stating “Kids Eat Free”.

Kids eat free every Monday & Tuesday nights with the purchase of an adult entree. Now this is something I can get excited about! We love LeeAnn Chin and it’s healthy food options. The employee informed me that this great deal is only available at the Eagan locations. And that your child must be present to get the free meal.

I checked their website and couldn’t find anything stating this new Kids Eat Free deal. But will add more when we go back for Kids Eat Free night!

Kool-Aid is Fun Again!

I saw a commercial for the new Kool-Aid Fun Fizz on tv yesterday, so when I saw it at Walmart today, I decided to try it out.

For $1.97 you get a packet of 8 dissolving tablets. The 4 yr old wanted to try it out as soon as we got home from the store – he couldn’t wait!

Each fizzing tablet is in it’s own pouch. You “Drop It, Watch It, Drink It”! He loved watching it fizz and bubble. It took a little more than a minute to dissolve completely and we had yummy Kool-Aid when it was finished.  (I know my pic isn’t very good – I had to use my cell phone camera as the Hubby seems to have taken the digital camera to work today.)

The Kool-Aid Fun Fizz tastes great too. Not too sugary for the little kiddos.

What a great summer-time product! And it gives me a reason to buy Kool-Aid again.

(I was not compensated in anyway for this post. In the future, I would be open to sponsored posts. The opinions posted here are mine.)

More Mongolian – Genghis Grill

As you know, we love Mongolian places. So, when I got an email for a  free meal for my birthday at Genghis Grill, we couldn’t wait to go. We go to the location in Eagan, MN, which is not far from our home. We hadn’t been there in a while, so we were looking forward to it. But by then end of our meal, we decided not to return.

My hubby and I were seated right away, and I decided to use the bathroom. The women’s restroom was very untidy and very dumpy looking, considering the restaurant is only a few years old. It was one of those bathrooms where you don’t want to touch the door handle when you leave (which I didn’t). And the hallway the bathrooms are in is also a storage area for messy cleaning supplies (not very attractive).

We got our bowls and headed to the food to fill them up. The food bar was seriously messy. The food looked good, but not super fresh. Good enough to eat, but not good enough to get excited about. We were a little disappointed.

Our meals did taste good, but it was really the overall appearance of the restaurant and the employees that made the experience bad. There were 2 gals running the whole place, neither dressed nor looking very professional.  They both looked like they had been working all day – exhausted – and were ready to leave. Though they were still pleasant.

Like I said before, this restaurant is only a few  years old (4 yrs maybe – I remember when it opened), and it looked quite dirty/dingy. And I don’t know whether they’re trying to be a restaurant or a sports bar. There are beer signs hanging in places that don’t belong. They don’t have enough space to store things out-of-sight, so you can see their storage areas (a bit weird).

It is not a family-friendly restaurant. The only food they offer for kids is cheesy or butter noodles made on the grill, which aren’t that great and still cost $5. We didn’t bring the 4 yr old this time (since he doesn’t like eating here anyway). They don’t have any kid-size drinks either. Plan on bringing your own cup if your little one needs a lid.

This is the last time we will try Genghis Grill. It has seriously disappointed us. The other Mongolian restaurants offer better food options and atmosphere.

(I was not compensated in any way for this post, these are my opinions.)

Beautiful Designs, Beautiful Gift Idea

My husband’s sister is the definition of “mom-preneur” – she runs the office for a local construction company in Ohio, recently completed her MBA, is back in school advancing her accounting degree and is raising her 2-year-old son Zachary by herself while her husband is serving overseas in the Army. On top of that, Dia Ray is crafting her own business – Designs by Dia Ray – that will bring charm and elegance to your next wine tasting event.

For our birthdays, Dia sent us this pair of beautiful hand-painted wine glasses. Additionally, she sent along some shamrock pint glasses.

The glasses are tremendously high quality – she only uses World Market glassware – and, Dia tells me, can be custom designed for any occasion. While these glasses were a gift, you can work with Dia to create your own special stemware.

Prices range depending on the piece you select, and she will occasionally run specials on her website. She has lots of photos of her work at her website. You can also find Designs by Dia Ray on Facebook and Twitter.

(I was given these glasses as a gift and was not compensated in any other way for this post.)