A Matter of Choice

Earlier this year Leo turned 11.  It seems crazy to type that, not because it's unexpected, of course they grow older and we all know how fast it seems to happen, but because I'm still here blogging about it.  When I wrote about his first birthday as much as I couldn't envisage his 11th,  I really didn't think I'd also have a blog that was 11 years old!   This year was indeed epic, not because of the party itself,  or the presents but because of the people. The same people that have been to every one of Leo's birthday parties and the people we have always appreciated but never more than this year.  As we approached the day it was unknown whether a party would be possible due to COVID restrictions on the number of people allowed to gather and the lock down measures that had been in place.  I was starting to think how we could celebrate online and have some sort of zoom party but luckily the first relaxations came into place a few days before and we were...

I love a party when I get a theme I can work with and Leo has given me some great ones over the years,  Harry Potter, Star Wars and my favourite.. Doctor Who.  This year Pokemon was his choice. I'm not a Pokemon expert but we had been playing Pokemon Go for almost a year by the time of the party, on the way to and from school and on adventures out and about.  It's a great way to get two tech obsessed boys (and their Mum!) out and walking about. Because of that, and of course aided by Pinterest I was able to come up with lots of bits to suit the theme and have a very happy birthday boy. The Decorations I didn't go overboard and apart from buying new bits to make the Pokeballs I recycled what I already had, hence the fact we had a blue tablecloth. Ideally I'd have got one red and one white to make a Pokeball table but I do try to draw the line somewhere.   I like to think I'm enthusiastic rather than obsessed! When it comes to crafty homemade deco...

Just before we celebrate Loukas 7th birthday I thought I'd better share some photos from last years.  The themes have never come as easily as they do for Leo's birthdays, I think because Louka generally is not one for being really into something.  Leo's a bit like me in the way that if we like it we LOVE it and everything to do with it,  we will read the book, watch the film and know all there is to know about it.  So when it comes to parties we love the little details.  As Louka approached his 6th birthday however it became clear that a Minecraft party would go down very well.   Louka only had one special request for the party which was a pinata,  whatever else happened was not a concern of his!. As usual I jumped onto Pinterest for inspiration, and roped in Aaron for some crafty bits and Leo who is also our resident Minecraft expert. The Food I love food labels! As well as egg sandwiches - a staple of all our birthday ...

You know you're a bit behind on blogging when you post about your October birthday before finishing one about Louka's in August,  but as always it's better late than never! And you know that blogging is much harder these days when you just fill a post with photos! (I uploaded the photos many weeks ago and never got round to actually writing it,  seemed a shame to just delete the draft!) 

My 40th birthday fell on a Wednesday so it made sense to delay my party until the weekend,   which of course was good as I got to have an extended celebration! It was a brilliant evening with a great crowd of people,  and a good number considering so many unable to make it due to work commitments (the problem with any event in the summer season).  The party was at St Thekla,  a restaurant right on the beach and a really good venue for a party - plenty of space,  2 bars and a DJ box - everything you need.  Despite battling with a really painful knee I was on the dancefloor for most of the night, helped no doubt by a few drinks taking my mind of the pain! As you probably know I have a big love of photos so I don't need to explain how awesome I thought this slideshow was that Aaron created, and played on the big screen.  I'll let the photos do tell the rest of the story,  I was amazed and...

As the clock struck midnight on 1st January 2017 I was standing on my balcony with Aaron, Mum & Dad and the boys. As we raised our glasses and wished each other a happy new year,  Aaron turned to me and said.... 'You do realise that you'll be 40 this year' This set the tone for the following 10 months, and it spread - everyone, even the boys joined in (except my 39 year old friends that is,  I think they were sympathising with me, and realising it would be them very soon!) I found it funny and not funny in equal measure, I opted for not caring realising it is stupid to be bothered by it after all, it would happen anyway and sulking about it would change anything.  (Actually I was kinda enjoying the fuss but ssshh don't tell anyone)  I decided that the more he went on about it, the more I would celebrate when the time came. I was like a big kid leading up to my birthweek,   yes I had a birthday week, a whole week of celebrations and it was..... EP...

Being an avid fan of pinterest and a lover of organising parties I was in my element when Leo decided he'd like to have a Lego themed birthday party!  Plans were put into action months ago and I'd spent the last few weeks in preparation for the big day. In previous years we've had Mickey Mouse , Thomas the Tank Engine ,   Spiderman and The Very Hungry Caterpillar but Lego was the most fun to date! We started with some brilliant invites made by Aaron using the Lego font on the invites to say 'Leo' -something he was really impressed with when he realised that Lego was almost the same as his name.  It was such a simple but effective theme to work with, no need to buy branded tableware and party bags, and so easy to make decorations and themed food. I used the colours red, green, blue and yellow for balloons and decorations and Aaron drew Lego faces onto yellow cups and plates. I used Lego bricks and duplo to make centrepieces and rectangles of ...