Nineteen four-year-olds screaming “It’s-a me, Mario!” at the top of their lungs while covered in sticky frosting is exactly how I spent my last Saturday in the Houston heat. My nephew Leo turned four on April 12, 2025, and because I’m the “cool teacher aunt” who throws six classroom parties a year for my second…
My son Leo turned five on March 12, 2024, and the only thing he wanted was a plastic-brick-themed bash that didn’t break the bank. Living in Denver, costs for everything from venue rentals to custom cakes have skyrocketed, so I put on my consumer advocate hat to see if I could pull off a budget…
Twenty-two second graders in a windowless Houston classroom is a recipe for a headache, but add cardboard swords and you’ve got a full-blown mutiny. I’ve been teaching at Oak Heights for fifteen years. I’ve seen it all. Last March, specifically on the 4th, I decided we’d celebrate Talk Like a Pirate Day a few months…
My kitchen floor was a sea of brown butcher paper and discarded twine on the morning of April 12th. I had exactly six hours before eleven rowdy nine-year-olds descended upon our Chicago bungalow for Leo and Maya’s birthday bash. My budget sat at a firm $50, but as any twin mom knows, plans change when…
My living room smelled like damp dog and coconut sunscreen on May 12th, 2022. It was Leo’s third birthday, and Portland decided to dump three inches of rain on my “Beach Bash” parade. I was staring at a lopsided Costco sheet cake, desperately hoping a beach party cake topper set could save my dignity. You…
February 12th, 2026. My kitchen looked like a recycling bin exploded. Cardboard tubes everywhere. Scraps of tin foil. Crying twins. Leo and Maya were turning seven, and they both desperately wanted a cyborg-themed birthday party. We live in a cramped Chicago apartment, and it was negative four degrees outside. We were trapped indoors. Finding a…
My kitchen counter looked like a crime scene involving orange glitter and hot glue on that rainy Tuesday afternoon, October 14, 2025. Leo and Maya, my twins, were turning seven, and they had collectively decided that a “woodland fox” theme was the only acceptable way to celebrate. I had exactly sixty-four dollars left in my…
My twins, Maya and Leo, turned nine on March 12th. Chicago decided to celebrate by dumping three inches of gray, heavy slush on our neighborhood. Eighteen rowdy fourth-graders. One 800-square-foot apartment. Forty-eight hours until showtime. My party budget? Exactly $35. That was all that remained in my grocery cash envelope for the month. Most parents…
My floor is currently a sticky wasteland of purple glitter and half-eaten arepas, and I have exactly zero regrets about it. Maya turned eight on April 12th, and because I apparently love punishment, I decided to DIY the entire Casita experience in our rainy Portland living room. If you have ever tried to find encanto…
Standing in the middle of a Target aisle at 9:00 PM on a Tuesday, I realized I was way out of my depth. My son, Leo, was turning 11 on March 12, 2024, and for some reason known only to the chaotic mind of a pre-teen, he decided he wanted a nostalgic “Creature Report” bash….
