Hailey's Disney World Themed First Birthday Party

Last month, we celebrated sweet Hailey’s first birthday! It seems like just yesterday she was born and my greatest adventure began. But now she’s already a person with a tiny personality and my very best friend. I wanted her first birthday party to be something simple but memorable, and hopefully something where she would have fun! As I had shared last month, we did a Disney World themed party, mostly because I LOVE Disney! This theme was a little bit challenging but I relied on the color scheme to keep it all cohesive- as usual! 

Here are some more details about the party plus some planning tips if you’re interested in throwing a Disney World party of your own! I’ll provide sources for everything I had as well, so you can copy and paste this party for yourself!

*This post contains affiliate links

This party was different than most others because I had help! My SIL and sister stayed over the night before to help me set up. We mostly cleaned, prepared a few decorations and chatted over a glass of wine. However, that was a nice change over the usual pre-party prep where I’m running around the house setting up, baking, or trying to finish a project. Sometimes simultaneously! It was also super helpful to discuss the plan the night before so that the next day, I didn’t have to explain things as I was hurriedly trying to set up. I’ve realized my brain gets overloaded during times of pressure, and trying to explain what I need help with takes twice as long as doing it myself. Mostly because I can’t find the words! I’m not perfect, even though I may appear to be sometimes. Anyone who’s come to a party I’ve thrown can attest to that, hah! 

For more info about planning a party, I’ve got a whole series! You can learn more about how to plan a party in 10 steps, my favorite places for supplies, and 5 easy steps for party setup.

We bought a tent! Since this was the third large party we threw in our yard, I figured we should probably have the supplies we need. In the past, John’s amazing cousin has lent us tents, tables and chairs. He’d pack up his pickup truck and come early to help us set up, driving hours each way and staying until the end of the event to clean up too. We’ve appreciated it SO much but it seemed like a good time to get some supplies of our own. So, we got this great pop-up event tent on amazon plus 2 sets of these white folding chairs. We already had several of these folding tables that we got from family, bar height tables and a folding indoor/outdoor serving cart so now we are ready for any party that comes our way! 

For the food, we kept it simple with pizza. I orginally planned to print out a Pizza Planet logo for it, but that went out the window. I totally forgot, and pre-kids Cathy would probably have done it during the party, scrambling to find the right size logo and print out 3 copies until it was just right. After-kids Cathy said oh well. The little things in life add up and I’m trying to be less of a perfectionist these days!

The hit of the party was the inflatable pool filled with balls! I knew I wanted to do a ball pit, but I kinda went back and forth on whether it was worth the money or not. We already had the pool and used it all summer long, but I knew I’d need a lot of balls to fill it. In the end, I’m SO glad I got it! The kids loved them and it was so cute to see everyone playing together. Hailey especially loved it! I originally wanted to get pink balls but picked this set for future kids that may end up being boys! It just seemed better for long term, plus I thought these colors were still pretty cute- a slight change from the regular rainbow! For reference, I purchased 1200 balls for a 3-person pool. 

I loved the dress we got for Hailey for her party! I orginally wanted a Disney themed dress (for both of us) but they were too big. So, I went back to the drawing board and ordered a few options including a Cinderella dress, a Minnie dress, and this sweet pink tulle dress. I loved the layers, so I picked this one! It also came with the cutest hat that we used for her cake smash session and for wearing during the party!

Speaking of cake smash, we ended up doing an impromptu cake smash during the party! I went to BJs to get some cakes for the party and saw a small one. I figured I’d get it because Hailey went wild during her cake smash photoshoot and I was a little nervous she’d do it again during the party. I don’t mind eating her smashed up cake, but others might! She turned out to be very well behaved with her cake but her cake smash session was so cute that I ended up letting her have another. After all, you only turn one once! She went wild and everyone loved it. We got some great photos and videos, including her feeding John some cake. When I asked for some, she gave me side eye. 

We did the cake smash in front of this awesome It’s A Small World backdrop that I rush ordered from Etsy. I was originally planning to get it printed myself but then decided against it. The seller was SO nice and responsive, and I ended up getting the background just in time for the party! I plan to put it up in either Hailey’s room or a future playroom someday. It’s also got a great memory attached to it now!

On the invitation (which I made myself on Canva), I told people to feel free to Disneybound. Since I love dressing for a theme, I went with a Minnie Mouse vibe unintentionally! I usually wear Minnie ears at Disney World, so that was a given. I had bought a T-shirt for the party but I ended up disliking the way it looked with my tutu skirt. I headed back up to my closet for an alternative and decided on a sparkly tank. As I was turning to leave the closet, I saw my pink bow boots and knew I HAD to wear them! And thus, a golden princess Minnie Disneybound was born. PS- This is my husband “being happy”

Other people were just as creative in the outfit dept. We had a lot of Snow Whites, Minnie Mouses, and even 2 dwarves! A friend of mine dressed up as the white rabbit from Alice In Wonderland which was pretty awesome! She had ears, a vest and everything. I love when people dress up with me. I’m always looking for an excuse!

Overall, the party was super fun and casual which is exactly what I wanted. Gone are the days where I can’t enjoy the party because I am so concerned with everything being perfect, and fretting over the things that didn’t get done. Nowadays, I’m happy if the decor is cute and the bathroom is clean! 

Sources:

Setup: event tent. white folding chairs. these folding tables. bar height tables. folding indoor/outdoor serving cart. Ball Pit Balls.

Decor: It’s a Small World Backdrop. Carousel. Pastel Fans and Paper Poms. Striped Fans. Once Upon A Time Banner. Tablecloth. Princess Kit. Gold Minnie Ears. Black Ears.

Tableware: Napkins. Napkins. Castle Cupcake Stand. Pink and Gold Cups.

Hailey’s outfit: pink tulle dress.

My outfit: tutu skirt. Gold Minnie Ears. Pink Boots (similar). Sparkly Tank Top.

I hope you enjoyed seeing the pictures from Hailey’s birthday party! What do you think of a Disney World theme for a party? I can definitely see SO many more ways to make it big if you wanted to! Let me know in the comments below.

Gentle Mommy Blogging: Avoiding Accidental Child Exploitation

I was on buzzfeed the other night (spending my time taking useless quizzes) when I stumbled down a rabbit hole and ended up reading several articles about mommy bloggers exploiting their children. This new internet thing we have going on has made all the lines blurry and I’m left wondering if I’m doing the right thing. Being a mom seems to be second-guessing everything you thought you knew, and I’m not about to break tradition. 

Let’s backtrack a little bit. Hailey is the light of my life and I absolutely love her. This makes me share about her, a lot. I do monthly updates on the blog and take monthly photos of her (in addition to daily cell phone pics... there are thousands of those already!). I do all this because I love her and I want to have these memories someday. So I can look back at great photos and comment on how tiny she is. I already do this with her newborn photos and 1 month photos, so I can’t imagine how I’ll feel when she’s a teenager. 

I recently did a blog post for a brand where I created some really stinking cute magnets. I dressed Hailey up in pink and red outfits and snapped some adorable pics, which I then printed on magnets. These became the basis of my blog post. After I took the final photos, I giggled and proclaimed to friends via text that Hailey was a model. But... do I want my daughter to be a model? I don’t know. I can’t say I do in the traditional sense, but is it different when I’m the one behind the camera, making the decisions? Is she safer that way? There’s no real answer to that question. 

I find myself now exploring the line between “loving mother” and “exploitative mommy blogger”. At what point does my desire to share her pictures and stories cross the line into embarrassing TMI? How do I avoid inadvertently exploiting my child, when all I want to do is share her with the world? The answer could be simple- don’t share her in any commercial capacity. Or don’t share her at all. But how can I hide such an important part of my life? Is it ok to have her join me in campaigns for a “mommy and me”, business edition? Is it ok only when my husband agrees? Is it acceptable only if I pay her for her work? I don’t really know. 

My job as her mom, first and foremost, is to protect her. In this crazy, fucked up world, do we as parents need to be more careful with our children on social media? We aren’t talking about sharing a story with a friendly old lady at the park, or your mom telling her neighbor the funny thing your kid did. We’re talking full-on photos and video (with commentary) being shared to that guy you went to college with and never speak to anymore. And that former coworker from 2 jobs ago that you barely know. And the chick you befriended at a bar 4 years back that posts funny memes. Are these strangers (let’s call them what they are!) people we really want to know all about our children? Or, more importantly, does it matter that they see it, or is it fine since they just scroll on past your pics because they probably don’t care anyway? 

When I think about what I want for my child, some days I feel like it’s the opposite of what I’m doing. That whole “practice what you preach” thing is going out the window. I don’t want her to be obsessed with her looks and yet I dress us both up for photos. I don’t want her to be obsessed with screen time and yet all I do is watch tv. I want her to have face-to-face interaction in a world full of likes and LOLs, and yet I spend most of my time on my phone. I try to create a balance, but it’s hard to know where the line is between laying a good foundation and crazy, neurotic new-age mom.

Those articles didn’t open my eyes to these things, because I was already thinking it. They just forced me to confront my thoughts finally. In reading these scary articles, it caused me to see a tiny sliver of myself in these people. I couldn’t judge them too harshly because I understood what they were saying. What they were actually saying... not what the articles were trying to vilify them for. 

Using your child for your social media business is a double edged sword. On the one hand, you’re using your child to gain an income. But on the other hand, in doing so, you’re able to provide them with things they might not be able to have otherwise. I’m not talking about free swag, money for vacations, or even a nice home. I’m talking about quality time with them instead of hiring a nanny or putting them in daycare, showing them how you work hard to run your business, and being available at a moment’s notice for them because your flexible schedule allows it. These are things that most traditional jobs do not provide us. 

If it wasn’t for my efforts on my blog, being at home with Hailey would be absolutely out of the question. We cannot afford it, period. She most likely would be in daycare (at least part time) since both my mom and mother-in-law work. She wouldn’t be waking up to my face every after nap, breastfeeding for every meal, and hearing me sing terribly to her just for a smile. Someday I’ll tell her about how I spent all day playing with her with tears in my eyes full of joy, and then after she went to bed spent an hour feeling happy that I had a break, then would immediately miss her and look at her photos. I’ll tell her all about how I had tears in my eyes at night once again, as I worked from 10pm to 2 or 3 am. All the while looking at her photo and telling her I’m doing this for her. Telling her I KNOW I can do this. 

So you tell me- where does the line get drawn? How do I know I’m doing right by my child? The area is gray and I don’t want to open myself up to hatred and extreme criticism, but I genuinely want to know what people think about this. How do you share your children on social media? Perhaps through kind discussions, we can find the safe middle ground for all our children that doesn’t scar them for life. 

Mix and Match Fall Baby Capsule Wardrobe

Now that I’ve got a super cute little baby, I’m so excited for all the adorable outfits I can put her in! She’s still a little too small to really dress up, but I couldn’t resist looking! I’ve rounded up some of the cutest fall looks for your sweet little babe, which I think adds up to the perfect fall capsule wardrobe. Plus it’s a perfect mommy and me matching moment, right?! And the best part is that all these items can be found on Amazon, PLUS most of them are Prime! So what are you waiting for? Let’s go shopping!

*This post contains affiliate links.

1. Aqua frilly suit- Girly and sweet, this little onesie is perfect for any fall outing or event where baby needs to be a little more glam!

2. Star bow flats- These would add such a fun little touch to any outfit, and would also be perfect for Christmas time too!

3. Polka dot onesie- Your baby will look adorable in this glam gold dot onesie! It has such cute trim, and would look perfect on its own, or with a pair of tights underneath. Plus it comes with a matching headband!

4. Bear knit hat- Keep your little one warm and stylish with this super cute teddy bear hat! The pom pom ears are so fun, and the color is perfect for all of winter!

5. Gold and pink moccasins- A slightly dressier version of the typical baby moccasin, these are extra gals with gold fringe and a tiny bow!

6. Pink bodysuit- This sweet outfit will allow your babe to be cute and stylish without being too warm. Plus it’s perfect for layering!

7. Floral and yellow overalls- These have such a cozy fall feel without being too cheesy in colors. It’s perfect for people who like their clothes a bit brighter! 

8. Tan maryjanes- These look great with any outfits while adding a traditional feel! 

9. Teal fringe bodysuit- This little bodysuit is perfectly seasonal! It would look cute on its own, or layered with a little cardigan and some pants!

10. White ruffle onesie- Basic but still fun, this onesie is perfect for layering under a pair of overalls to keep baby warm but stylish!

11. Maryjane socks- If your little one is too small for real shoes, give her a pair of these socks! It comes in a set of 3 colors, so it’ll match with all your Thanksgiving outfits.

12. Yellow cardigan- Perfect for staying cozy and cute, this little cardigan is perfect for chilly fall weather!

13. Yellow off-the-shoulder onesie- Perfect for keeping it simple, this basic onesie can be paired with any color or accessories for the look you want!

14. Floral headband- If you want to add some seasonal fun to your outfit, grab a cute floral headband to dress up your little one! 

15. Tan bodysuit- Slightly traditional in color, but also has a fun shade of rusty brown, plus trendy fluttery shoulders and slightly poofy sleeves!

16. Aqua moccasins- These are perfect for the season, but super trendy by being in a fun aqua color for year-round fun!

17. White lace bodysuit- This cute lace onesie is perfect for layering! It’s simple without being boring, and can be dressed up with some cute shoes or a headband!

18. Yellow bodysuit- The little crochet emblem on the chest is perfect for adding a warm and cozy feel. Plus those sleeves are super fun!

19. Pink knit overalls- These are so cute to pair over one of these onesies featured here! They look super cozy without making baby too warm, since they’re shorts!

20. Rose gold flats- Let your little one put her best foot forward in these cute casual-but-dressy rose gold flats. If only they came in our size!

I mean... how cute are these little outfits? Don’t you just want them all?! Which is your favorite? Let me know in the comments below!