I'm Pretty Darn Proud of This Harry Potter Birthday Party

Last year--for the first time ever--my daughter decided she didn't want to have her party at home. Instead, she wanted to have it at an indoor trampoline park--the kind of place where you just show up with a cake and the venue handles the rest. Initially, I was kind of sad not to be able to decorate, but it ended up being fun and so much easier, since I usually go ALL OUT for their parties. It was so enjoyable, in fact, that I tried to talk her into having another easy-peasy party this year. But she wasn't having that. 

She wanted a Harry Potter party. And she had IDEAS. 

She wanted to "turn our house into Hogwarts." She wanted us to hold actual "Hogwarts classes" during the party. She wanted "lots of decorations." So I got to work--and I'm pretty darn pleased with what we came up with. Scroll down to check out what I'm humbly dubbing "the most magical Harry Potter party ever."

The party started with an Herbology Class. As the guests arrived, they each chose a mini owl planter and filled it with potting soil. (I was inspired by the project here.) Then, they each planted a "mandrake" (I had put a spell on them so they wouldn't screech, of course---wink, wink--and oh yeah, also they were actually succulents). 

It was a quick, fun, easy activity, and would also serve as part of their favor to take home.

And can we talk about the decorations? Our home is over 100 years old, so we started out with a decent Hogwarts vibe, thanks to that. I then hung battery-operated faux candles from the ceiling with fishing wire so they appeared to float. I also went nuts with printables from Etsy. I printed out large pieces of Harry Potter quotes and Hermione girl-power art (best part: It can be repurposed as art for her room later), a funny sign for the powder room door, a personalized happy birthday banner, and the piece de resistance: Diagon Alley signs that we hung down our main hallway, to suggest an alley.) Also, how cool is that Harry Potter stained glass piece that my dad made?)

I also printed out Harry Potter-themed water-bottle wraps that said things like Giggle Water or Butter Beer. (BTW, water bottle wraps are one of my favorite party tips. Cheap, easy, and looks so cute!)

We lined up her Harry Potter paperbacks on the living room mantle, and scattered flickering, flameless pillar candles everywhere.

Next came a Hogwarts "assembly"--also known as a Harry Potter-themed magic show. We used New York City's Arnie Magic, and he was fantastic. He dressed up like Dumbledore and Snape, performed lots of cool tricks like floating tables and books catching on fire, and even made my daughter levitate. He also has a VERY elaborate set, which really made the decor look ten times better!

 

After a quick pizza lunch, it was time for Potions class! My daughter decided she wanted us to make Felix Felicis, a "liquid luck" potion from the books. And though I'm sure the "real" concoction calls for some pretty exotic ingredients, this is my Felix Felicis recipe: ginger ale (a.k.a Belladonna), lemon juice (Dragon Oil), powdered sugar (Powdered Bicorn Horn), and gold edible glitter (Dragonfly Wings). 

Each guest got a mini glass bottle with stopper (I had printed out these labels and glued them on the night before), a plastic pipette dropper, plastic funnel, and tiny mini scoop (all to make the whole thing seem more science-y). The kids got SUCH a kick out of it and couldn't stop talking about when they were going to drink their good luck potions. (Tip: Learn from me and either drink your Felix Felicis right away or keep it in the fridge. We didn't and it got moldy after a few days, so I had to quietly pour that luck down the drain..)

Finally, it was time for cupcakes and candles. And those cupcakes...! They were so awesome, so impressive, and so freaking easy. (Because I didn't make them--ha!) I ordered yellow and red frosted cupcakes (Griffindor colors) from the grocery store (!), and jazzed them up big time with the most amazing fondant Harry Potter cupcake toppers that I found on Etsy. They were beyond cool: #9s, glasses, a 3-D quidditch broom, a sorting hat, a Golden Snitch, lightning bolts, and so on. They weren't cheap, but they were reasonably priced considering how much work must have gone into them. 

And then at my daughter's request, I performed a "sorting hat" ceremony for the cupcakes, giving them out individually to each guest based on some made-up reason ("You are the star Quiddich player here at Hogwarts, so you earn the Golden Snitch..." and so on.) Also at my daughter's request, I then put out bowls of candy and they decorated their cupcakes (and plates and mouths) with extra chocolate. (I apologize to all the parents for the inevitable sugar rushes that surely ensued.)

And once the school day--er, party--had ended, the girls got their favors: a cute Harry Potter favor bag holding homemade frosted sugar cookies (thanks grandma!), a broomstick pen, a Harry Potter emoji pictionary game (printed from Etsy), their potted mandrake, and a Harry Potter bookmark (also printed from Etsy).

It was a ton of work, I was super stressed, but she loved it--and secretly, I did, too.

But soon after the party ended, my son announced he wanted his party--which would be taking place only a month later--to be at a movie theater. Not going to lie: I was thrilled.

Because Mama needs a nap now. And maybe even a sleeping potion. ;)

VENDORS

Photographer: Teresa Mansbach Photography
Harry Potter cupcake toppers (these will MAKE your party!!): SugarSweetTops (Etsy)
Harry Potter cupcake wrapper printable: Pearl Co Printables (Etsy)
Owl planters: Amazon
Diagon Alley signs: Paper BonBon (Etsy)
Harry Potter bathroom sign printable: Printyca (Etsy)
"Have You Seen This Wizard" poster printable: Photos By AKP (Etsy)
Mandrake signs and labels: Printyca (Etsy)
Flameless floating candles: Amazon
Flameless pillar candles: Amazon
Mini glass bottles for potions: Amazon
Harry potter favor bags: Amazon
Harry Potter cookie cutters: Amazon
Harry Potter birthday banner printable: Sweet Props Store (Etsy)
Harry Potter water bottle wrapper printable: Sherbet Lime (Etsy)
Harry Potter bookmark printable: Chicks and Charmers (Etsy)
Bookmark tassels: Amazon
Broomstick pens: Amazon
Harry Potter favor tag printables: The Paper Giraffe Shop (Etsy)
Harry Potter Emoji Pictionary printable: Paper Passion Designs (Etsy)
Harry Potter paper plates: Amazon
Harry Potter potion label printables: Random Fandom Emporium (Etsy)
Wilton cupcake tower (best purchase EVER!): Amazon
Harry Potter children's t shirt (on my son!): Amazon

Should I Let My 8-Year-Old Dye Her Hair?

This is not my kid (yet!), but this is the look she wants. Photo via @kidswithcoolhair

My eight-year-old daughter wants to dye her hair. Like really wants to. And not a soft, natural shade either. She wants "unicorn tips," which is essentially a blend of pink, purple, and blue from the mid-shaft of her hair on down. It's bold--statement hair, if you will.

She has wanted this for several months now, and asks for it every day. And I'm not exaggerating. Every. Single. Day.

And here's the issue: I'm totally against it! Part of the reason I'm opposed is because it's just not healthy. She doesn't just want a translucent tinted glaze (we tried that already--it didn't show up). Instead, she wants vibrant, bold color, which on her brunette hair means we'd need to bleach it first. And I'm someone who has highlighted their hair pretty continuously since the age of 14, so I know that bleaching is incredibly damaging. I don't want her supersoft, shiny hair to turn into straw quite yet!



But if I'm being honest, there's another, bigger reason I'm anti-unicorn-hair: It just seems too soon. She's eight years old! So still a kid! (I was about to write "She's not even a tween yet!" but then I googled to see how old tweens are and apparently they're 8 through 12, so...welp.)

Eight years old is very much a transition age. She goes back and forth between telling me she loves me--and telling me I'm the worst mom in the world. She has started watching old episodes of The Suite Life of Zack & Cody on her iPad, but she also still wants things like American Girl dolls and squishy toys (it's a thing--don't ask). She has definite opinions on her clothes (no dresses! anything with emojis is good!), but she also still wants me to select her outfits each morning. She is clearly starting to grow up. But do I really want to speed up the process by giving her grown-up hair, too?

This isn't the first time I've freaked out about her wanting to make a change to her hair. Last year, I worried that a major haircut would make her look older. It didn't--and I loved the cut--but a bob is different than purple streaks. I fear that colored hair will visually fast-forward her a few years, and that's not okay with me. I want my little girl to stay little for as long as possible--even if that makes me the worst mom in the world.

So what do you guys think? Would you let your kid dye her hair? Have you let your kid dye your hair? Am I just being crazy? Or would it be crazy for me to let her do this?

Happy Fourth of July!

Happy Fourth of July! What are you guys up to today? We celebrated early at our lakehouse this past weekend with friends, fireworks over the water, and sparklers. Today is round two, where I'm forcing my kids to wear red, white, and blue (obvs), and then we're taking them to their first Yankees game! It will be my first in years (I went through a phase about ten years ago when I was a huge fan though), so I'm excited, too. Will be sharing the day on my Stories of course, so please feel free to follow along! (And please also send good, thunderstorm-free weather thoughts!)

I'll also probably be doing a little shopping. (I can't resist the sales!) If you're up for that, too, here's a few discount codes for the sales I'm most excited about.

J.Crew: 30% off all full-price styles (plus 50% off select styles) with code ALLSTAR 

Ann Taylor: 40% off full-priced styles and an extra 60% off sale with code CELEBRATE

Madewell: 20% off with code SPARKLER

Old Navy: 20% off (no code needed)

Serena & Lily: 20% off with code 4TH

And before I go, here's a picture I just found of my kids from 4th of July...three years ago! Ahh! They were babies!!

Here's wishing you a day of bomb pops, hot dogs, fireworks, and fun!

13 Cool Things You Need to Click On Today

If you follow my Instagram Stories, you know that I spent yesterday at a big toy show called TTPM with my daughter. It's kind of heaven for little kids, because you get a peek at the brand-new (and soon-to-launch) toys and you leave with a killer gift bag. (FYI, I always let my kids choose one or two toys to keep, and then we put the rest in storage until December when we donate it to a holiday toy drive.) 

There was a ton of great stuff at the show, including the feminist backpack shown above from 7AM Enfant. I need one for my daughter--and maybe one for myself, too!  (Side note: Would you be interested in seeing some of our favorite toys from the show? Maybe in a gift-idea post?) 

This weekend we've got some fun family things planned, plus I'll be working on some DIY projects for my son's upcoming birthday party. Whatever you're up to this weekend, I hope you make it a great one. Here's a few fun links to check out in the meantime.

• Speaking of Insta Stories, you may have seen me rave on there about my new Rothy's camo loafers. I'm obsessed! They are so comfy, so cute, and they are made from (get this) recycled water bottles! (You would never know though. Somehow they feel like cloth.) Anyway, if you're interested, you can get $20 off your first purchase if you use this link.

• Um, how cute is this breezy, $105 romper?

• This maxi dress is so pretty. Feel like it would be so easy to dress it up or down.

• Always looking for good sleeveless tops that I can wear with jeans, and this one is such a cute twist on a basic shape. (Love that it's under $100, too!)

• Need these slip-on sneakers. Love the thick gold stripe and the fact that they're just around $50 bucks!

• I made this cauliflower rice earlier this week and it was the best I've ever had. SO. GOOD.

• What do you do when you find out your dad isn't really your dad? My friend Kelsey wrote a beautiful piece for Refinery 29 about how those ancestry DNA tests completely changed her life.

• This post from Landyn makes me want to go on a Disney Cruise!

• The actress who plays Anna in the Broadway production of Frozen had a panic attack and couldn't go on stage. Absolutely loved her honesty and openness about it.

• I couldn't stop watching this video of New York in 1911. You so rarely seen moving images from this time period--and perhaps never as high-quality as this--so it's really, really cool to watch. People from the Victorian era...they're just like us! 

• This story about a troop of homeless (!) Girl Scouts really moved me, so I forced myself (heh, heh) to support them by buying cookies from them online. Note to self: Buy more Samoas next time.

• Pretty much every one of my Facebook friends were posting this funny New Yorker piece about having it all, so you may have seen it, but if not, it's definitely worth checking out!

• For me--and pretty much anyone currently working in magazines--ed2010 was a godsend that helped launch my career. So it was with a heavy heart that I read this poignant piece about why they are discontinuing their formation of college chapters. It's very sad, but also a realistic sign of the times. It's hard to accept, but magazines are dead, guys. And on that note...

Have a great weekend! ;)

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My Baby Turned 8 Today

My baby--my first baby--turned eight today, and I can't believe it. Eight sounds old, right? Eight is reading chapter books and refusing to wear dresses (even though it wasn't long ago that she would only wear dresses). Eight is braving the scariest rollercoasters, but still crawling into our bed when she's frightened in the middle of the night. Eight is telling me I'm the worst mom in the world in one breath, and hugging me tightly and saying she loves me in the next. Eight is making slime. (So. Much. Slime.) 

Eight is wonderful. Eight is beautiful. Eight is here in the blink of an eye. And eight will become nine before I know it, so I'm going to hold tight and enjoy it while I can.

Happy birthday, eight-year-old Sadie. I love you.

Why "Mini" Photo Sessions Are Awesome

Photos by Morgan Bayard Photography

Wanted to share a little photo shoot we did with one of my go-to photographers, Morgan Bayard, a few months back on an unseasonably warm day in November. It was a "mini session," which if you have kids, is really one of the best things ever.

Here's why: While I am perfectly content posing for anyone who wants to take my picture for hours on end (#blogger), both my kids (and, honestly, my husband, too) are not. With them, photo shoots have to be quick and to the point. None of them can possibly muster smiles, cooperation, and patience for anything close to the two whole hours that most photographers have as their minimum for portrait sessions. 

That's why "mini sessions" are so genius for us. If you're not familar with the concept: Photographers block off an entire afternoon in one location (for ours, it was Pier A park on the waterfront in Hoboken), and book individual sessions in 20-minute blocks. You show up ready to go, stand around awkwardly for a few minutes while the previous family finishes their session, and then jump right in when it's your turn.

You bribe your kids to smile, they begrudingly comply for 15 minutes while the photographer snaps away, and then by the time they start to really lose it, it's over anyway. (And honestly, mine barely managed to do that! One would smile, but the other wouldn't. Then the first kid would start to frown, while the other one finally decided to smile. I kept asking Morgan,"Do you think you've gotten anything good?!?") Still, if you have a good photographer, somehow you get lucky, and you end up with that one holiday card shot you needed, plus lots of adorable shots of the kids. In comparision to a full, private shoot, mini session pricing is usually very, very reasonable, too.

You just know the first photographer who came up with the mini-session concept had to be a mom, right? ;)

For more cute shots of my kids, check out the mini session we did with Morgan two years ago in the same location here. (omg, my kids look so young in it. Especially my daughter!). She also shot our family here, here, and here.