@scarlett.jackson: Hey GINYOU Party Peeps! It’s Scarlett from Nashville, homeschool mom to four amazing, energetic kids: Theo (5), Theo (8), Ethan (11), and Asher (12). Easter is just around the corner, and I’m already feeling the sugar rush dread. Last year, I swear we had enough jelly beans to open our own candy shop! Seriously,…
Last March, I found myself elbow-deep in fake snow and blue glitter for my niece Maya’s 11th birthday here in Austin. The heat was already hitting a disgusting 85 degrees. That is a total vibe-killer for an Arendelle theme. If you are scratching your head about what games to play at a frozen party for…
Last Tuesday, I found myself standing in the middle of my second-grade classroom in Houston, surrounded by twenty-two children who had collectively decided they were actually spider monkeys. The humidity outside was pushing 95 percent, the air conditioner was rattling like a tin can full of marbles, and I was trying to figure out why…
Houston humidity usually ruins my hair by 8:15 AM, but on April 5th last year, I had bigger problems than frizz. Twenty-two seven-year-olds were vibrating with “end of the week” energy in my classroom, and I had promised them a full-blown jungle celebration. I stood there, clutching a cardboard box filled with a safari party…
Twenty-four toddlers in a humid Houston living room sounds like the start of a horror movie to some, but for me, it is just another Tuesday in October. My nephew, Leo, turned three on October 12, 2024, and my sister begged me to help her manage the chaos because I have survived a decade of…
My living room in Austin looked like NASA exploded on a Tuesday morning, and quite frankly, I was here for the chaos. Leo turned six on June 12, 2025, and I had exactly three hours before eighteen energetic kindergartners descended upon my house for what I hoped would be a “One Small Step” masterpiece. The…
Austin in June is essentially the surface of the sun, but that didn’t stop me from trying to hang a three-foot-tall glittery castle from a live oak tree in my backyard. My dog, Luna, was already vibrating with excitement, mostly because she thought the giant cardboard structure was a new, very expensive chew toy. I…
Rain was absolutely hammering our Portland windows on April 12th, turning our front yard into a muddy swamp, when my phone rang. My sister was stuck in Denver. Flight canceled. And her son Toby’s second birthday party was scheduled for exactly 48 hours later at my house. Fifteen toddlers were already RSVP’d. I had zero…
Leo stared at me with those big four-year-old eyes on June 12, 2024, and I knew I was in deep. He didn’t just want a birthday party; he wanted to live inside the Mushroom Kingdom. Being a single dad in Atlanta means I’ve learned that “winging it” usually leads to a house covered in glitter…
My son Leo turned three on a humid Saturday, April 12, 2025. Being a single dad in Atlanta means I usually prioritize two things: keeping my sanity and keeping my bank account from hitting zero. I failed at both during his second birthday, which involved a bouncy house that flew away in a Grant Park…
