Standing in the middle of Sloan’s Lake Park here in Denver on May 12, 2025, I stared at a literal mountain of lime green streamers and wondered if I had finally lost my mind. My son, Leo, was turning seven, and his one non-negotiable demand was a party themed after a show usually reserved for…
My son Leo turned eleven on April 12, 2026, and against all logic for a middle-schooler, he demanded a Bluey-themed backyard bash because his three-year-old sister, Sophie, is currently obsessed with the show and he wanted her to feel included. Being a dad in Denver means I usually spend my weekends checking car seat recalls…
The wind off Lake Michigan was practically trying to steal my sanity on July 14, 2025, as I stood in my tiny Albany Park backyard with a roll of red crepe paper and a dream. My twins, Leo and Maya, were turning two. I had exactly $35 in my pocket for eleven kids, and my…
The smell of stale popcorn and the sound of twenty-two six-year-olds screaming is my version of a Friday night in Atlanta. I stood in the middle of my living room on June 12, 2024, holding a limp piece of pepperoni pizza and wondering where my life went sideways. My son, Leo, had just turned six,…
My living room looked like a scene from a low-budget action movie last March, specifically around 2:00 PM on the 12th. I had seventeen five-year-olds vibrating with sugar-induced energy, all of them convinced they were masters of spinjitzu. My nephew Leo, the birthday boy, was currently attempting a “stealth move” that involved knocking over a…
Twenty-four second graders once turned my classroom into a sticky, glitter-covered version of Hogsmeade, and I realized then that paper plates with cartoon wizards just do not cut it for the parents helping out. When I planned my sister’s 30th birthday party last November, I spent hours hunting for harry potter tableware for adults because…
My backyard in Logan Square is mostly a rectangle of stubborn weeds and a leaning fence. Last Wednesday, April 8th, that patch of Chicago dirt had to become a magical woodland. My twins, Leo and Maya, were turning seven, and they had one demand: flowers and bugs. I had a budget that would make a…
Austin in April is a gamble. You might get a gorgeous, breezy afternoon perfect for a backyard shindig, or you might get a humidity level that turns your hair into a structural hazard. On April 12, 2024, I was staring down the barrel of Liam’s 11th birthday. He’s at that age where everything is “cringe”…
Easter Decor on a Shoestring? Share Your Genius Hacks! @genesis_partymom: Hey party planning fam! Okay, so I’m Genesis, military spouse, and we just moved to Chicago. Again. It feels like every year we’re packing up, and honestly, buying seasonal decor that just gets tossed or shoved in a box for 11 months is driving my…
The humidity in Chicago during mid-August feels like walking through a warm, wet blanket, but that didn’t stop my twins, Leo and Maya, from demanding a “one-in-a-melon” celebration for their third birthday on August 14, 2024. My kitchen smelled like rinds and sugar for three days straight. Most parents spend hundreds on bouncy houses, yet…
