The Laundry Can Wait...

Yesterday was a late-Winter Indiana day that felt more like early Spring. Even though bits of snow still dotted the landscape, the sun was brightly shining in the blue sky and the temperature was very mild.

After I picked up my 7 year old son from school, I still had a lot of things on my "to-do list". I had last minute things to tie up for an evening meeting, cookies to bake, supper to be prepared, two more loads of laundry, etc. SO, when my little boy asked me to take him to the park for a bike ride my first impulse was to say, "Not tonight, but maybe we'll go tomorrow." But before the sentence could leave my mouth, I realized this was a perfect opportunity to shut down, get some much-needed fresh air & focus on him. SO, responsibilities laid aside, we hopped on our dusty bicycles and went for a ride!

A simple bike ride taught me a few things about myself and my little one. For example, our park is beautiful and while I wanted to leisurely ride through it and enjoy the scenery, he was pedaling madly as though he was in the last 10 yards of an Olympic event! (THE ENTIRE RIDE) The melting snow has left a lot of slush and mud. As I was carefully avoiding anything that appeared even remotely wet, he was nailing every mud puddle as if they were worth bonus points! But most of all, his clear and sweet laughter was filling my ears. His sweet giggling as he raced against imaginary monsters was a happy reminder that the laundry can wait, but he will not.

Today is a typical late-Winter Indiana day. It's bitter cold, windy and the rain is pouring down. The sun is completely hidden and it's a perfect day for doing laundry.

Curing Mama's Winter Blues!

Last weekend we threw a little party for the kiddos to give them a chance to cut loose. This weekend it was Mama's turn! Once again, I received an epic party pack from Crowdtap. This particular pack was sponsored by Durex! Typically when I think of Durex I just think of condoms, but believe me when I say they are about so much more! There were a TON of condoms, "Love Box" protective condom carriers, lubricants, naughty dice, sex coupons, dirty games, a LOT of devices (most of my guests received a new device!) and several other fun items! Crowdtap even provided gift bags for all of our amazing goodies! This is what my trashcan looked like after putting together the gift bags. How hilarious would it be if one of the neighborhood dogs tore open my garbage bag this week!

THIS is the sign of  a good party!

People are always asking how I get all this awesome stuff, so I went ahead and printed out a link to join Crowdtap and taped it to the outside of each bag.

My friends and I have somewhat regular "girls nights" where we sit around, eat, have a few drinks and play games. This month, my friend Missy was hosting girls night and once she realized what I had in my Crowdtap/Durex package we knew we had to incorporate it into girls night. To make sure that even our most conservative friends showed up, we didn't tell anyone. We didn't even hint around about the games we would be playing or the prizes that would be won.

So, we had a few naughty games planned. Two of which I borrowed from my friend, Laura, who also hosted a Durex Party from Crowdtap. She created a "Condom Trivia" that she let me use. Our top contestant was able to answer 6 out of 10 questions! We also borrowed her idea of seeing just how big we could blow up a condom. (Ours reached 4', although Laura said hers went up to 7')

This is how Missy & I blow up a condom!

As for the prizes, well Crowdtap and Durex were kind enough to provide those! One of the things included in my package were drink coasters that had a trivia question on them. The question was, "What percentage of adults have "done the deed" in an adventurous location?" The answer was 75%. THAT was our first question to get the party started! My friend Beth had the closest answer. Now, Beth's husband has been out of state for work and she is hands-down the most conservative person I know. Therefore, we found it very important to rig the prize distribution to make sure she received the "best prize". THIS was Beth's priceless reaction.

 From the young newlywed girls, to the seasoned grandmothers EVERYONE left with a prize bag! There were even a few bags left over which we sent home with the newlyweds! The best quote of the night was the grandmother on oxygen who received a small device and loudly proclaimed, "I know what I'm doing tonight!" I thought her great niece (one of the newlyweds) was going to die right there on the spot! It was an awesome and hilarious evening thanks to Crowdtap and Durex. :)

If you want to check out Crowdtap for yourself, you can sign up with this link: JOIN CROWDTAP

Cutting Loose With the Kids at Hotel Transylvania

We all get a case of the Winter Blues at one point or another, so why should our kids be any different? Think of these little balls of energy being cooped up in a house all winter long! The lack of interaction from friends alone, is enough to drive a little one (or his Mother) crazy!!

I received an opportunity from Crowdtap & Hotel Transylvania that I couldn't refuse...a chance to host a Hotel Transylvania Monster Bowl Party for the kids! They sent me a digital kit full of fantastic printables, decoration and meal ideas. So, we invited several friends over and planned a day to just cut loose and have fun! Due to the weather, 4 of his friends were unable to make it, but several friends did show. Crowdtap provided us with a digital copy of Hotel Transylvania, but the quality wasn't great and it would have to be viewed on the computer. SO, before party day, I picked up a just-released copy of "Hotel Transylvania". My little man had been having a rough week, so I surprised him with it as well as a bag of his favorite candy and a card...never underestimate the power your words can have over your children.

Gearing up for party, day we busted out the Halloween decorations and had a blast transforming our family room and dining room into a creepy setting! We strung skull lights across the dining room entry way, set the table in red and black, had creepy candles, a hanging ghoul, ghost garland and filled black plastic cauldrons with snacks and treats!

Our party was set for noon, so I made a ghoulishly- fun lunch for the kids! We had pizza, chips, Werewolf Cupcakes, "Scream Cheese" cheese ball and "Shrunken Head Punch"! The kids LOVED the Scream Cheese and the floating "Shrunken Heads" in the punch! The punch was a great alternative. I had soda at the house, and it was never touched. The kids only wanted the punch, which I made with 100% Juice, Sierra Mist and carved apples.

Chocolate Werewolf Cupcakes

Scream Cheese!!

"Shrunken Head Punch" - Carved Apples, Raspberry Juicy Juice and Sierra Mist

After our little ghouls finished lunch, I took each child's photo and then had everyone sit down at the coffee table and decorate foam picture frames. While they watched the movie, I "Monsterized" their photos using the "Hotel Transylvania Monsterize Me" app, printed and framed their photos as a souvenir.

 

While our little ghouls watched Hotel Transylvania, I gave them each a "Swag Bag" of hauntingly good treats and a witch's cauldron of popcorn! We used the Hotel Transylvania Valentines Cards provided in the Crowdtap Digital Kit to personalize the outside of our Swag Bags!

 It was crazy during the movie, they were all sprawled out across my living room, but would jump up and start singing and dancing during the musical parts. They were laughing so hard, I'm sure the neighbors could hear us! I think the best compliment of all though, was when my son said, "I can't believe a party with girls could be THIS much fun!!" After the party there was a bit of Nerf sword fighting and random running through the house. I threw most of the house rules out the window for this special day, because even the little ones need to cut loose from the stress of school & being cooped up from a long, cold & rainy winter.

Do you want to join me on Crowdtap for your own chances at hosting parties & earning cool swag? Here's a link!

Join Crowdtap!