Category Archives: About the Cool Family
The Ultimate Blog Party 2014
Hi, I’m Jenn! This is my 4th year participating in The Ultimate Blog Party and after four years I’m not sure how many different ways I can introduce myself without sounding repetitive, so this year I put together a little video that describes my blog.
(Watch video here)
Coolest Family on the Block is about birthdays, holidays, traditions, and family fun. I also love vlogging and blogging about myself and whatever pointless, sarcastic thing pops into my head, but I do all of that over at my other blog: I Make Myself the Queen.
You can read more about me on my about me page (duh) and over at my personal blog I Make Myself the Queen.
Please leave me a comment and tell me about your blog! Give me a shout out on social media so that I can follow you back!
ULTIMATE BLOG PARTY
Ultimate Blog Party 2013
Ultimate Blog Party 2012
Ultimate Blog Party 2011
No Bippity-Boo!
When I saw the Mama Kat vlog prompt “Things kids do that I don’t understand…” a million things ran through my head, because, seriously, kids do the weirdest things. But this one moment with my daughter when she was just shy of 21 months old stuck out in my mind so much, I had to share it with you…
Adaline wants me to sing Bippity-Boo…or does she? (Video here)
This post is linked to…
Making a Preschool Classroom Valentine
For Adaline’s Montessori Preschool class each child has to make one big Valentine to bring to school that their classmates will sign rather than bring in individual Valentine’s for each student. Honestly, I think that’s a GREAT idea and I’m so glad that she won’t be coming home with 25 different lollipops with eyes glued to them! 😉
I filmed the creative process of making “The Adaline Flower” with a 4.5 year old. Watch and be amazed!
(Video here)
(I post a lot of funny vlogs on my YouTube channel. Subscribe to follow along!)
To make the classroom Valentine for preschool we
-Cut a heart out of red poster board
-Colored craft sticks and glued them around a photo to make petals and a stem for a flower
-Made leaves out of fuzzy sticks
-Made a sun out of construction paper
-Made a pom pom lady bug
-Used glitter glue around the edges to make it shimmery
It was tough to reign in Adaline’s creativity. She LOVES art and wanted to draw all over the Valentine but she needed to keep it blank so that her classmates could sign it. I have a feeling her friends are going to end up with quite a few drawings of hers on their Valentines.
The pom pom ladybug was Adaline’s favorite part.
We used a black Sharpie marker to make dots on a pink pom pom, used a smaller black pom pom for the head, added googly eyes and adhered it all using craft glue. Adaline drew wings and legs around it onto the poster board.
Does your child’s school allow individual
Valentine’s or one classroom Valentine?
Let me know in the comments!
Jonathan’s Tie-riffic Little Man Mustache Bash 1st Birthday Party
Yesterday was Adaline’s half birthday!
She’s 4.5 years old and in just a few days Jonathan will turn 2!
(You can see how we celebrate half-birthdays here.)
Last year my little man’s 1st birthday came and went and I didn’t even mention it on the blog. I’m a bad mom. Or a bad blogger. Maybe both. Anyway, now it’s days before his 2nd birthday and I’m finally going to show you the pictures from his first birthday party.
(Please scroll to the bottom of the post to find a complete vendor list of party items.)
Jonathan’s Tie-riffic Little Man Mustache Bash 1st Birthday Party
The printable necktie banner is actually a free Father’s Day printable. The only letters missing for “Happy Birthday” were “b” and “i” so I put the file in Paint, painted over it and added new letters. I cut out some free printable mustaches and attached them to each letter of the banner.
The cupcake toppers were from the same Father’s Day set. Some had said #1 so I just removed the “#” symbol in Paint by “painting” over it. The wooden crates that the cupcakes are in are actually from sets of Melissa and Doug play food.
The Little Man cake topper was made using little dowel rod craft stick thingies (the technical term) and twine. The top hat, mustache, and necktie cutouts are from Etsy and were attached using craft glue.
Another look at the cupcake toppers
I think the Little Man drink station was my favorite detail of the party.
…and my favorite part of my favorite part is the punny names of the drinks: LeMANade and Mister Tea! I do love a good play on words! 😉
I used printable tent cards for the signs and added the text myself.
This was my first attempt at a chalkboard sign and I think the “Wet Your Whiskers” sign turned out really nice.
The drink glasses are mason jars with vinyl mustaches on them, cupcake paper toppers, and paper straws with mustaches or other details on them.
I make number ice cubes for the kids’ birthdays each year. This time I made mustache ice cubes in addition to the #1 ice cubes.
I wasn’t as thrilled with this #1 chalkboard sign as much as the “Wet your whiskers” one. I tried it a bunch of times but it never came out right.
Cute “Stache Bash” paper plates and adhesive mustaches for all to enjoy! I was going to fold the napkins into neckties and ran out of time, so it’s just a basket of napkins. Oh well.
These are my cousins. Weirdness runs in the family.
13 photos of Jonathan from birth to 12 months line the mantel. I attached adhesive mustaches to the picture frames. The picture frames were purchased in 3-packs at Target in 2010 for Adaline’s 1st Birthday.
Jonny checking out his cake.
It’s time to sing Happy Birthday!
For the cake we laid a plastic table cloth on the floor and let him go to town. He never really did go to town. He just kinda walked around the block a little.
I adore the smash cake set we found on Etsy:
birthday hat, necktie, and diaper cover
Jon barely had any cake on him but we still went ahead with his post smash cake bath. He was more interested in eating the bubbles than he was in the cake!
Here our little man was taking some of his first steps.
Adaline started walking on her first birthday as well.
Family photo!
By the way, it’s not easy to smile wearing one of those adhesive mustaches.
Here’s our family mustache free (for the most part).
I always try to get a photo of the birthday kid next to their number sign.
Jonny and Mommy!
What was your little one’s first birthday theme? How did they react to the smash cake? Let me know in the comments!
VENDOR LIST
This post does not contain affiliate links.
*Father’s Day Freebie Printables from Amanda’s Parties to Go
*Little Man Tie Onesie from Tabitha942 on Etsy
*Birthday Boy Diaper Cover, Necktie, and Cone Hat Set from JHP Couture on Etsy (Pattern #141) A note about the hat: It actually came with a small white fuzzy pom pom on it but we made a bigger one from yarn to replace it.
*Mustache Party Vinyl Stickers from QuiltedPolkaDot on Etsy
*Mucho Mustaches Burlap Border Banner from QuiltedPolkaDot on Etsy
*Mustache Stripey Straws from QuiltedPolkaDot on Etsy
*Little Man Straw Toppers (Top hat, Mustache, Necktie) from Confetti Grove on Etsy
(She made a separate price/listing for me to purchase the straw toppers alone.)
*”Stache Bash” Mustache Party Dinner Plates from Oriental Trading Company
*Polka Dot Paper Straws from Amazon
*Self Adhesive Mustaches Set – Fake Costume Accessory from Amazon
*Accoutrements Cool Mustache Ice Cube Tray Novelty from Amazon
*Solid Color Elastic Infant’s Suspenders by Suspender Factory from Amazon
*Blue Polka Dot #1 Birthday Candle: Purchased from a local party store, but you can find it on Amazon here and a similar one here
Ladybug Picnic: 2nd Birthday / Pink and Green Polka Dots and Cupcakes Party: 1st Birthday / Ham and Man Party: 30th Birthday / Celebrating 30 years in 30 days! All of my birthdays from 1980-2009 / Birthday Girl…2 years old
Birthday Traditions: Personalized Birthday CD / Birthday Traditions: Knife and Cake Server / Birthday Traditions: Professional Photos / Birthday Traditions: Photo Puzzle / Happy 2nd Birthday, Adaline!
DIY No Sew Party Hat Tutorial / Tissue Number Birthday Sign (Mini-Tutorial)
Ultimate Blog Party 2013
I’m using this post for the Ultimate Blog Party and North East Bloggers Network: Getting to Know You link up.
Hi, I’m Jenn! Welcome to my blog!
This is my 3rd year participating in the Ultimate Blog Party and I am so excited to meet some new bloggers and get re-acquainted with my favorites. I know how these blog parties can be. You’re trying to visit and comment on as many blogs as possible so there isn’t a lot of time to read a non-sensical diatribe by a long-winded stranger. For those of you in a rush here are the bullet points:
*Christian
*Wife
*Stay-at-Home-Mom
*1 preschool girl, 1 toddler boy, 1 small dog
*Domestically Challenged Lazy = Dirty house
*Fashion = Pajamas
*Family = important, traditions = fun
*Funny, haha!
Me blog. You read.
Blog friends? Yay!
Follow? Thank you!
Comments = 🙂
Thanks for visiting!
For those of you with more time and a longer attention span, read on. Coolness, awesomeness, and hilarity will ensue. You don’t want to miss it. There will be much laughter…it will all be my laughter, but still…
ABOUT ME
I live near Pittsburgh, PA. I’m a wife to Cool Daddy and stay-at-home mom to 3.5 year old daughter, Adaline, and 14 month old son, Jonathan (my clomid vbac baby). We’re the coolest family on the block and we put the “fun” in dysFUNctional! 😉
*I hate cooking. (I consider making a sandwich “cooking”.)
*Dirty dishes make me want to hurl on my shoes (and fyi, I’d rather clean those vomit shoes than the dishes…proof of how much dirty dishes gross me out).
*I love planning parties.
*I have a serious addiction to ice cream.
*I’m a birth and breastfeeding nerd. I think placentas are rad. I’ve never eaten one but it’s on my bucket list (just kidding…sorta).
*I totally crack myself up (I apologize in advance)!
ABOUT MY BLOG
I try to keep my blog focus on creating traditions and family fun and reasons to ditch the housework and spend time with your kids. Sometimes I post about myself and the kids and which pajamas I’m wearing underneath the boogers today (I’ll tell you now…I’m probably wearing the same pajamas that I wore yesterday. And the day before that.). The truth is that the actual “spend time with your kids” part kinda keeps me from blogging as often as I’d like…and that’s okay. Occasionally the blog will go silent while I tend to things in the real world.
Glued to Mommy
Each year in April I co-host the annual No Housework Party linky with Non-Domestic Mama. Be sure to stop by and link up any (new or old) housework or anti-housework related posts here. (Don’t forget to add a link back or a No Housework Party Button within your post.) If you don’t link up, that’s okay, I’ll just weep buckets of tears and eat snack cakes while I rock in the corner to take the pain away.
WHERE YOU’LL FIND ME
I’m prepared for the massive amounts of subscribers that I’m going to acquire any minute now begging me, “Please share your social media links with us, Cool Mama, so that I can follow you every minute in stalker-ish fashion and never miss a moment of your riveting and entertaining bloggy ways!” Well, for you, pretend random stalker-follower from the future, I will do anything. If you’ve fallen in love with me already (it happens, people…don’t fight it) and decided that you just can’t live without me another moment then I’ve made it very easy for you to stalk my every bloggy move.
You can find me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, You Tube and more. You can find follow and friend buttons, RSS, and email subscription in the header, on the top of the right sidebar, at the very bottom of the blog, and at the bottom of every post. You’ll probably want to subscribe or follow one of those ways. Or all of them…there’s no shame in being a little excessive. We applaud it around here.
I’m not desperate, I’m just thorough. Very, very thorough. Ahem.
If you do follow me please leave me your links in a comment or message where you’re following at so that I can follow back (as in an “@” on Twitter, post on my FB wall, etc.). Thanks!
Coolest Family on the Block is committed to helping you find creative ways to have fun and make memories with your family all year-long. Don’t miss an idea, tip, or trick…subscribe and have updates sent directly to your email!
Merry Christmas 2012
Merry Christmas!
Love,
The Cool Family
Adaline (3y) and Jonathan (10m)
Rocking our Ugly Christmas Sweaters!
I’ve been taking a long blogging break. Things have been really busy here in the real world and the family is my priority. I’ll be back eventually, but I’m not sure when. Until then check out my archives for great family fun ideas.
This post is linked to…
Related Posts:
*Merry Christmas 2011
*Merry Christmas 2010
Coolest Family on the Block is committed to helping you find creative ways to have fun and make memories with your family all year-long. Don’t miss an idea, tip, or trick…subscribe and have updates sent directly to your email!
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