Tag: cupcakes

Family

Happy Eight Years Girls + Sharing with Roald Dahl

Post author By Suzanne Robinson
Post date September 13, 2016
No Comments on Happy Eight Years Girls + Sharing with Roald Dahl

Today my lovely twins, Julia and Lillian are eight! Yes they are eight years old already! How it has flown by so quickly. I remember when they were little babies and we had just got back from hospital. Although I think back to how small and little the girls were the same is happening with our little baby boy, Alexander. He is now eight months old and in the blink of an eye he will be one! Yes one….. well maybe not the blink of an eye but very soon. It is already September and will very soon be Christmas and then January will be here and also Alexander’s first birthday.

The girls are eight years old today! Yes they were super excited to be turning eight and also up extremely early to open their presents. Mummy was also up very late baking and decorating cupcakes for the kids to celebrate at school on their actual day.

One thing that the girls are happy about is the fact that they share a birthday with the wonderful and talented author Roald Dahl. He would have been celebrating his 100th birthday today. My girls love Dahl’s stories and I loved them as a kid and still do. He has brought joy and laughter to so many. I think my girls feel rather special to have been born on the same day.

So if you are wanting to celebrate Roald Dahl’s birthday here are some events from around the world that you might be able to get to. I must admit that this is not a full list. It might be well worth checking out the local bookshop or library in case they are having an event this weekend or today.

Events to celebrate Roald Dahl’s 100th Birthday:

NSW

Celebrating Roald Dahl’s 100th Birthday: The Big Friendly Giant Read – Double Bay, 24th Sept at 11am

VIC

Happy 100th Birthday, Roald Dahl! – Bendigo, Goldfields Libraries. Tuesday 20th Sept at 11am

Roald Dahl Day – Watch Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory at the Mary Davies Library and Community Centre. Places are limited so you need to call or email. Sept 13, 4pm to 5.30pm

NEW ZEALAND

Roald Dahl 100th Birthday Celebrations – Tuesday 13th of Sept, 3.30pm – 4.30pm. Shirley Public Library, 36 Marshland Rd, Shirley, Christchurch

UK/USA

A list of events in the USA and UK to celebrate Roald Dahl’s birthday.
You can even download a party pack to celebrate at school or home.

Happy Birthday to everyone that has a birthday today. The kids had a great time opening their presents and were super excited about the fact that they got a new scooter and cannot wait for it to be put together, oh and some of the other pressies were hits also.

More baking for me this week as the girls have a party in the park with their mates from school this Saturday. Let’s just hope that I will be able to get the cake done without staying up till midnight.

Oh and Happy Birthday to my wonderful and amazing little girls! They are such lovely little people and having a twins has been such a joy. I cannot believe you are both eight years old today and cannot wait for more adventures to come. Love and hugs mummy!

Why not try your hand at this celebration snack or treat?

Wonka’s Whipple-Scrumptious Fudgemallow Delight!
Shared from Roald Dahl.com

Tags Baking, birthday, birthday cake, birthday girls, celebrations, cupcakes, eight years old today, events to celebrate Roald Dahl's 100th Birthday, family, fun, kids, parenting, parents, Roald Dahl, Roald Dahl's 100th Birthday, twins

Family

7th Birthday Celebrations

As you already know I was madly preparing for the kids birthday party. I had also baked cupcakes for school and then did it all again the next day to prepare for the party. Last Thursday and Friday were super busy and I of course did not make it out of the kitchen other than to pick kids up from school and off course drop them off. If you did see me throughout the day I might have had to make a run to the supermarket to pick up some forgotten supplies.

I kept the party simple. Just some snacks, cupcakes and of course the cupcake cake for the birthday. See pictures below of my Lumpy Space Princess Cake, or many cupcakes that create the cake. It is a creative attempt. Kids were happy and the cupcakes turned out very well. They were vanilla lemon cupcakes with butter vanilla icing.

My attempt at making Lumpy Space Princess (LSP). I was not 100% happy with it but the kids loved it. One kid after I showed her what I had done said, that I just needed to do a picture of LSP on a cake like the rainbow one I made last year. Gosh if only I knew that would be okay and I would have done that.

Candles all ready to light for birthday celebrations for the twins.

Hubby pretended to be Princess Bubblegum to run the game. Which of course created much laughter, a couple of kids yelled, “Your Princess Bubblegum” and then laughed hysterically. The game was basically Simon Says but using the character of Princess Bubblegum. It was a lot of fun.

The weather was good for us and it was very warm, sunny and not a cloud in the sky. Kids ran wild with their mates in the park and were so tired when we arrived home. Due to having a small house and not much room having the party at the park is ideal for us. Less mess, more space and kids can play in nature.

The crazy chocolate that I made was magically eaten very quickly so I can only think that it was a massive hit.

All packed in a container and ready for the party. — Crazy chocolate for the kids 7th birthday party

As the twins had their party the day before their actual birthday, we wanted to take them somewhere special to celebrate their actual day. I booked tickets to the Stardust Circus for yesterday and it was the girls first time at the circus. They had a great time. You should have seen their surprised faces when the lions, acrobats, juggler and more did their thing. They were amazed and just so happy that we went. It was pity that I could not take pictures while inside the circus tent as that was prohibited. If I did I would be asked to delete the images, so thought best not to do it at all.

Officially 7 today. On way to see the circus for the first time.

It was a very hot day yesterday at the circus and although still spring it was about 30ºC. We were very smart to have dressed in summer clothes, kids and hubby in shorts and t-shirts and me in a dress. If it is like this now, summer is going to be a hot one.

Other than the circus the big hit of the birthday presents were Beenie Boo’s. One of their mates from school gave them one each and hubby and I got them four to add to their collection. They have liked the other presents but the Beenie Boo’s seem to be this years HUGE hit. Who knew that the little tedddies would over shadow other fab pressies. Have you had this happen to you?

We were all very tired from the whole weekend. Party on Saturday (The party was a hit and all kids and adults and a great time, so that was a good outcome) and then Circus on Sunday. Pity it is not school holidays yet, however after this week the kids will be on holidays and then we can rest.

If you made an odd shaped cake, post the picture on our Facebook Page Did the kids love it?

Did it turn out as you expected. My effort for Lumpy Space Princess was not ideal but it did the job. The one thing that has made the weekend very good here is the weather, it has been warm and just lovely, cannot wait for more of it.

Tags Adventure Time, Baking, birthday ideas, birthday party, circus, creative cakes, cupcakes, kids, LSP, Lumpy Space Princess, making odd shaped cakes, parenting, parents, party ideas, twins

Party ideas

Adventure Time Party Prep

Post author By Suzanne Robinson
Post date September 10, 2015
No Comments on Adventure Time Party Prep

The kids have asked to have an Adventure Time themed birthday party this year. So of course I said yes. However then they both asked for a Lumpy Space Princess Cake. Have you seen Lumpy Space Princess? If you have you will know that she is an odd shape and not very easy to do in a cake. See image of LSP (Otherwise known as Lumpy Space Princess) below:

Lumpy Space Princess. Now you see what I mean about the odd shape. Of course the twins want a cake like this! I hope I can pull it off.

I have thought long and hard about the cake issue and the shape that LSP needs to be and wondered how to achieve it. I have concluded that the only way I can do it is with a whole bunch of cupcakes strategically positioned to look like LSP. I of course will have them with purple icing and one will have the yellow star and others with have the eyes and mouth. You get the idea. I have not practiced and plan to do it the day before the party. So that does not give me a lot of time. I’m being positive and I am seeing that all be fine… at least that is what I am telling myself.

Have you made a cake this shape before? Did you decide to do cupcakes and put it all together like I’m planning? Let me know.

So other than the cupcake birthday cake that I am going to create, what else am I going to serve for this party.

Food Ideas

Chips
Fairy bread
Dip with carrots, cucumber and crackers
Vegan chocolate cupcakes (these taste like mud cake and are so yummy)
Chocolate that has all sorts of sweets and eyes on it (it looks like it comes from the land of Adventure Time)
Fruit – Watermelon and Strawberries
I also have some sweets on offer that are standard at birthday parties and for the thank you bags

I also have 100% juice poppers and water for the kids as well.

Saw this online and had to give it a go. Step 1: Melt chocolate. Step 2: Pour chocolate onto baking paper. Step 3: Add decorations. Step 4: Wait for chocolate to dry and harden, then crack into little bits to serve for your party or as an addition to a cake. ‪#‎kids‬ ‪#‎partyfood‬ ‪#‎foundonline‬ ‪#‎birthdaypartyideas‬ ‪#‎kidsbirthday‬ ‪#‎twins‬ ‪#‎cooking‬ ‪#‎birthdayparty‬

Party Game Ideas

Princess Bubblegum says. I saw this on another website and it is just another variation on “Simon Says”. Instead of Simon you have Princess Bubblegum and she/he runs the game.
Scavenger Hunt or Quest. Place prizes around the park or yard and have clues to get to the next one. The last one is the biggest prize or just have a lot of little prizes to give everyone a little something.

I created 48 cupcakes today so that the kids could have a birthday celebration at school. Due to them being in different classes this meant double the cupcakes, however it will be nice that the kids have a moment to enjoy their birthday on their own in class.

Tomorrow I have a whole day of baking, tidying, and sorting things out to be ready for the party on Saturday. I will post a picture of the finished cake. All I can say is that I am sure it will be purple and of course lumpy. If it is exactly or more like the picture that will be a good effort, however we will see.

Have you been asked to make a weird shaped cake? Was it LSP? (Lumpy Space Princess) If so what did you end up creating? I would love to see photos.

If you would like to share your cake creations, please post the photos on Mummy to Twins Plus One Facebook Page.

Tags Adventure Time, Baking, birthday party ideas for kids, cooking, cupcakes, party, party food, party ideas

Recipes

Red Velvet Cupcakes

For Christmas my mother in law gave me a box set of cupcake recipes. I have been wanting to try them out and especially the Red Velvet Cupcake recipe. I have never had red velvet cake or cupcakes so was very keen to give it a go.

As I have never cooked this before and had no idea what the outcome would be. I collected all ingredients to create my cupcake masterpiece and enlisted my two cute little helpers to help make a big mess in the kitchen. You can image the kids would be messy but it was me that was the problem. I managed to put a mixture of beetroot, water, lemon juice and vanilla extract onto the walls of my kitchen. Not only did I give my walls a nice purple addition, the kids got some of it as well. I was very happy that it all came off and no one is the wiser. Well they are now, since I have told you about it. (So be careful if you give it a go)

The girls were very taken with the fact that we were adding beetroot. I was wondering if you would taste it? In the recipe you do add cocoa and other things that will help take the edge off the beetroot taste. I was also keen to see if they looked a deep red like the recipe told me they would. Only time would tell… I had to continue making them to see if the instructions were right.

The kids helping me cook the red velvet cupcakes

After all the mixing and adding the wet ingredients into the dry, the moment of truth was upon us. Will the mixture taste any good? As you can imagine the kids had to dip their fingers in for a taste. Lillian decided to go and have a spoonful and took a couple of goes and like it until it got a bit much for her. I tasted it and it was a bit sweet, but I thought due to cooking it might not be as sweet. Julia did not like the mixture and let me continue my test batch of red velvet cupcakes.

In the recipe it did mention that you can add more cocoa, and I did think of this but wanted to see how the recipe came out when you followed all instructions.

So what was the outcome?

I was not taken with them, but think I might need to try different ways of making red velvet cupcakes. Maybe more chocolate would take away the tartness or sweetness from the beetroot. Maybe less beetroot?

Do you love red velvet cupcakes? Do you add more cocoa to take the edge off the beetroot? What is your favourite recipe? How do I get them to be bright red? Send in your tips and tricks.

Continue the discussion on our Twitter and Facebook Pages.

Tags Baking, beetroot, cooking, cupcakes, kids helping me bake, red velvet cupcakes, what is the best red velvet cupcake recipe?

5 years and beyond

My little Groovers

Last night the twins had their first disco at school. Yes not even in the second term and the Kindy kids are dancing the night away. We had an hour to dance and just go crazy. Believe me it was chaos and crazy rained in that one hour!

Maybe it was the cupcakes fault?

Just picture it, hyped up kids with cakes and cupcakes on offer. It was noisy and just like any disco it was loud and dark. I did attempt to keep an eye on both kids but I lost one or both from time to time. When found they were with mates or outside getting yet another cupcake.

Check out our bling!

The girls got glow in the dark hello kitty necklaces, and funny glow in the dark rings. I loved the rings, they looked amazing and when driving home made me look like my car was the police. Word of warning: If you have these rings on your fingers when driving, you might freak yourself out that there are flashing lights following you. It is not following you but rather it is you and in your car! Take them off in future. You have been warned.

Now you thought the place was going off, and you are right. But it went even crazier with the introduction of this song:

“I came to dance-dance-dance-dance
I hit the floor cause that’s my plans plans plans plans
I’m wearing all my favorite brands brands brands brands
Give me some space for both my hands hands hands hands.
Yeah, yeah.
Cause it goes on and on and on.
And it goes on and on and on.
Yeah.”

Dynamite by Taio Cruz came on which is a song featured in the film Hop. The place erupted with kids going wild! My kids were dancing with their hands in the air and jumping everywhere!

The disco was a hit. Kids were tired and very ready for bed when I got home. The cupcakes I made for the bake sale were eaten and must have been successful as I have had no complaints.

Now kids are asking when the next disco is on. Oh gosh! I have party animals already and they are only five! Do your kids love going to discos? When was their first? The twins love creating discos at home. They turn the lights off, music loud, and their lady bug night light that puts stars and moons on the wall and ceiling.

Tell us what you do to create your own disco?

Tags bake sale, cupcakes, dancing, disco, disco bling, Dynamite by Taio Cruz, Hop, kids, music, school disco

Pre-School

Father’s Day at Pre-School

Post author By Suzanne Robinson
Post date August 28, 2012
No Comments on Father’s Day at Pre-School

Daddy came to pre-school today to celebrate Father’s Day. The girls and the other kids sang songs, and did dances. There was a sandpit, making things with clay, hammering things and other activities to join in with. The girls told daddy that they wanted to create things with clay and so all three of them created some great works of art. Both girls were tickled pink that he came to see the surprises and to be with them at school this afternoon.

Check out some of the pictures that daddy took.

Father's Day Creations — Father’s Day Creations

Are your kids thrilled when daddy or mummy comes for special days at school? What type of reactions have you had? I am a bit annoyed as the surprises I have organised for daddy will come late as they are being sent from overseas (I could not get the books here), so he will have be happy with special cupcakes (with cupcake toppers from paper and glitter) and a walk somewhere. Are you planning something terrific for your daddy? Send in your stories.

PS. While on Pinterest I found some wonderful cupcake toppers for Father’s Day and they are free, all courtesy of paperglitter.com. I am sure they would not mind me sharing as they were easily available on the Internet.

Tags cupcake toppers, cupcakes, daddy, daddy came to school, father, fathers day, paper glitter, paperglitter.com, pre-school, school, what are you doing for father's day?, what are you doing for father's day? cupcake toppers

Pre-School Uncategorised

Father's Day at Pre-School

Post author By Suzanne Robinson
Post date August 28, 2012
No Comments on Father's Day at Pre-School

Check out some of the pictures that daddy took.

Tags cupcake toppers, cupcakes, daddy, daddy came to school, father, fathers day, paper glitter, paperglitter.com, pre-school, school, what are you doing for father's day?, what are you doing for father's day? cupcake toppers

3 years and beyond Potty Training Pre-School

Social butterflies

Saturday the 25th was a big day; the girls had two parties to attend:

1. A birthday party for a boy at pre-school.

2. A goodbye party for their mate Mia, who is living to live in Germany.

The girls were very excited and I realised that the centre of the universe is going to be Blackheath or at least close to it for a while. Both parties were in Blackheath and as the girls had now started school in Blackheath this is probably going to be more frequent. That is fine with us, however it was just strange that the two events were on the same day. We are never that busy really and both parties were for the girls not us, us parents were just the transport.

It was sad that their good friend Mia was leaving and it was nice that she came along to the birthday party as well. All the kids go to the same pre-school. The girls had an excellent time at the birthday party, they loved decorating their cupcakes and playing games with the other children. We filled out Mia’s friendship book and hope that we get a letter from her soon.

After the birthday party we all went to get some lunch, ended up getting fish and chips and going to our land to have a picnic. So that was impressive. After we went home had a quick rest, and then off to the next party. The girls made a necklace and bracelet for Mia. It had her name and theirs on the necklace with hearts and the bracelet had just Mia’s name. Very cute and they were very proud to show Mia their handy work.

We stayed for a while at the goodbye party; however the girls were so tired, ended up falling over to often and getting upset. Happens a lot when they are tired, both the girls did not want to go, but we had to they were exhausted. So we said our goodbyes and made our way home. Gave them some dinner, and milk, and off to bed. We did not hear any noise out of their room after we put them to bed, very tired indeed.

The girls were very good and managed to have the whole day out without nappies and had no accidents, aside from rest time.

Today we went to kids kingdom and the girls for the first time went there without nappies. Lillian told me she needed to go to the toilet and I took her. She was great and very grown up. I asked Julia if she needed to go, she said no. After the kids played, we went off to Woolies at Leura to get some shopping. We were at the checkout waiting to pay and Julia said, “I need to go to the toilet mummy”, I rushed to the end of the shops, and the toilet had a queue. I then went to the other toilet and there was a queue there as well. I asked Julia if she could hang on. She said, “Yes mummy”. I was hoping that she could and we would not have an accident. The lady in front of me offered for us to go first, I thanked her as it was very nice of her to offer. Julia was good, and hung on until we got to the toilet. Clever girl, and then we washed hands and headed off to find daddy and get the shopping to the car.

I am very impressed with the girls and not wearing nappies anymore. I think they understand that they need to hold on and have the ability to do so more now. I am just an impressed mummy at such a wonderful thing, maybe the end of nappies soon?

Daddy, the girls and I danced to music, they played with their doctors kit (ended up taking the doctors kit to bed, plus a teapot, in case they need to make some tea), and then they were off to bed.

Lunches are made for school tomorrow and have a house to get cleaner or at least tidier tomorrow as well. What have your social butterflies been up to? Is school filling your social calendar with parties? I think that we will have more functions to go to, which is good. Hopefully we will expand our network and meet more people.

Tags birthday, cupcakes, friends, fun, games, goodbye, happy, parties, potty, pre-school, sad, tired, undies no nappies