The Extremely Awesome DIY Cars Birthday Party!

This year was Nico's last birthday he will have while living here in Puerto Rico, so we decided to do it BIG! 

He turned 2 years old and I'll admit, my mom and I got a little carried away! 

 

 I made the invitations using Microsoft Publisher and pictures and fonts downloaded from the internet for FREE! It cost me about $10 to have them printed on glossy paper at Office Depot.

  

There was one side with the information in Spanish and one with information in English for our bilingual birthday bash. 

 

The theme was cars (not the movie) since Nico has an obsession with toys cars, and to save money we DIY'ed everything we could, even his candle!   

Regular Candle + Sharpie       

Most of the decorations were done by hand also.We used a lot of paint and a very old hot glue gun.

 

To make other party favors and decorations we used sheets of foam, construction paper, glue, and printed pictures of the birthday boy. 

 

The goody bags were just plain black bags from Party city with construction paper to create the lights and a little flag was later added to keep the bag from folding open. 

For his cake table, we used table cloths and banners that were ordered from Ebay. 

 

I would like to personally thank my aunt who made and decorated Nico's delicious birthday cake! 

  

Based on some adorable ideas from Pinterest, we made cute little labels for each dish that we decided to serve. I created each label on Publisher and downloaded the fonts and images from the internet. 

We served hot dogs, french fries, chocolate doughnuts, pigs in a blanket, chicken nuggets, sandwiches de mezcla (traditional Puerto Rican party food), and chips and dip! 

The food was such a hit that our guests gobbled it up before I got to snap a picture of the lay out, but I have included a few labels to give the idea. 

The Iced Tea reads Motor Oil, the Lemonade reads Anti Freeze

 

 

My extremely talented mother and I my this piñata togeteher using an old box, super glue, tissues paper, construction paper, and tape! We were very proud that it at least resembled a car!

Though all the really mattered was that the kids had a blast destroying it!

 

 Nico was the only one who wasn't very enthusiastic about scrambling for the candy. 

I guess he is wise beyond his years, knowing that there was plenty to go around!

 

However, after some encouragement on my end, he eventually reached in and picked up just one toy. 

 

I think what he enjoyed most were the games, crafted by my mother and me!  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Each little player tried their hardest and each little winner got a mini prize!  

 

What I enjoyed most was the beautiful photo booth once again made by my mother using a sharpie, a large box, and construction paper.

Nico and his lovely Grandmother AKA The Artist

And even though I was against it in the beginning; when in doubt, get a bouncy house. 

As much as I hate to admit it, it was a huge success! All the little ones who were too shy to participate in the games enjoyed bouncing to their heart's content. 

*Tip!!*

Make the older kids and the younger kids take turns.

(Learned this the hard way after my poor little guy got trampled, basically my worst nightmare)

Baby Bounce!

 

 We enjoyed spending an amazing day with family and friends...

My cousin's gorgeous daughter

 

and we were blessed enough to be able to take such a memorable picture! 

Primos = Cousins!!

Nico is holding the "O"

 

I honestly could not imagine a more perfect 2nd Birthday Extravaganza!  

**All of the inspiration for this party came from Pinterest pins all saved to my board Nico's 2nd Birthday Party **

The Most Important Job In the World

There is a lot of controversy concerning the most esteemed job position in the country. 

Most people would tell you that the President of the United States holds that title, because he is in charge of managing all of the big things that effect the seemingly mundane day-to-day life of the general public. Others would argue that the real power lies with those who have the most money; the CEOs of the corporations, who seem to have a foot in every door. Others still, would say that entertainers and athletes are vital to keeping us distracted from the stress of daily situations and lifting our spirits throughout the hardships we'll inevitably face.

Though those jobs are important, and the people who do them appreciated and recognized accordingly, there is one position that towers high above the rest. It is a job that, if we were fully informed of the requirements, hardly anyone would apply, let alone qualify, for.

If you guessed, parent, you are correct.

It is the most difficult thing a human being can do; the most incredibly ridiculous task that God bestows upon the ones He feels He can trust with the most prized possession in the Universe: a child.

Here is what the job description would look like:

Now hiring: well rounded individual available to work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Must be on call during all hours of the day. Must be punctual, responsive, honest, responsible, and work well under stress, pressure, and little to no sleep. Candidate must be 100 percent selfless, putting the needs of the designated new human before their own regardless of the circumstances. Problem solving skills and extreme patience are required, the candidate should also know basic first aid and must be able to effectively and efficiently manage emergency situations. Position listed requires superior organizational skills and the ability to multitask; experience in management is a plus. Love of music, exercise, and reading, basic psychological training, and basic cooking skills are preferred but not required. Above all, candidate must be loving, gentle and stern when needed, loyal, protective, dedicated, hard working, be able to persevere through nearly impossible odds, and expect the unexpected in any given place, at any given time. Must be willing to work for love that may or may not be unconditional depending on your new human. 

No further compensation will be offered.

Does that sound like something you would be up for?

If we are speaking honestly, most of us would say no pretty quick.

 

Being a parent is not for the faint of heart, and parents do not get nearly enough recognition or the respect they deserve. The job description basically describes a perfect person, and we are all very far from perfect. It seems like we are the group that is most criticized and scrutinized. Society is constantly watching and evaluating how we chose to raise the beautiful little creations we were blessed with, as if we were all given manuals the day they were born!

But the real question is, why are people paying so much attention?

Answer: parents are responsible for laying the foundation of the future.

We raise doctors, teachers, engineers, environmental activists, missionaries, pastors, judges, members of congress, CEOs, entertainers, athletes, and for a select few, future presidents of the country.

Every decision that we make regarding what we teach those little guys directly effects what our home will look like in the next 30 years. I still remember a campaign from elementary school where we learned the importance of taking care of the planet; to this day everyone I know turns off the water while brushing their teeth, which was one of the main things they taught us.

Unfortunately, most people think that because we have a well established public school system, the job of education is the responsibility of the government, but that is far from the truth. For starters, children learn everywhere, the first place being at home. You truly will be your kid's first teacher, whether you intend to teach them or not. What you do, they do, and how they act is based on a behavior they observed from the adults in their life. And secondly, once your child is of age for school, they will begin to learn what the government wants them to know, some of which are things that you do not agree with. The problem with that, is that the government is interested is raising citizens to fit in to society, which is not wrong. I am a product and a fan of the public school systems, but I can rest easy knowing that my son will learn the most important life lessons after school with me.

Ask yourself this: would you rather a child built by society or a society built by your child?

Your first thought when you picture a society constructed by your 3 year old, is probably a world where veggies have been outlawed, and streets are paved with edible candy tar so we can eat on the go. The thing to keep in mind is that they won't be 3 forever. Someday, their ideas will make sense, and people will actually take them seriously.

Parents have the power to create a culture in which everyone respects the rights of others, the hungry are fed instead of left to resort to negative means of providing a meal for themselves, and the weak and soft spoken are taken care of instead of taken advantage of.

The job of a PARENT is the most important IN THE WORLD because we set the stage for how life will play out for generations to come. 

It is not to be taken lightly. 

And those of us who are not parents (yet) still have the responsibility of being understanding of those who are doing an impossible job, and of being a good example to those little eyes that seem to notice everything!

Our future is in his tiny hand!