I’ve shared many delicious food recipes with you, but I’ve just realized I’ve yet to offer you something to drink! Let’s rectify that, shall we?

Here’s a good, old-fashioned, standard punch recipe—no frills, no frou-frou ingredients, just a straight-up delicious party beverage. It will do your punch bowl proud.

Party Punch

1 (12 oz) can frozen Orange Juice concentrate, thawed
1 (12 oz) can frozen Fruit Punch concentrate, thawed
1 (12 oz) can frozen Lemonade concentrate, thawed
1 (12 oz) can frozen Raspberry Juice concentrate, thawed
1 (2-liter) bottle ginger ale (or club soda)

In a large container (or two pitchers, divided) combine the juices with 8 cans of water. This mixture can be refrigerated until you’re ready to serve your punch. To serve, fill your punch bowl half-way full with the juice mixture, and fill the remaining half with ginger ale. Stir to combine, and add ice or an ice ring if you’d like.

Enjoy!

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger

We braced ourselves for some major “new baby’ fallout when our second child was born. For three years we’d been a threesome—just myself, my husband, and our daughter. She was, most certainly, the center of our worlds, and we were convinced we’d have a long hard adjustment period ahead of us as soon as she realized that our new cute little baby boy was actually going to live with us. Forever.

But then we brought him home, and things were…pleasant! Sure she had some moments of regression, and there were definitely days when she needed a little extra reassurance that we still loved her just as much as we always had. But for the most part, our girl seemed to accept her new brother—in fact, oftentimes she even seemed happy he was around.

And then he learned to walk. A lot. Very quickly.

Suddenly, our daughter’s world was turned upside down (often literally!) as her brother discovered entire new spaces he’d never been aware of before. I spent so much of my day chasing him around—many times having to leave my daughter mid-story, mid-game, or even mid-sentence to save my son from certain death (or at least from certain injury.)

One day, about a month ago, she hit her limit. Our daughter had taken all she was going to take, and she let us know it by screaming, at the top of her lungs, for a very long time. This was extremely out of character for her, and we were caught completely off-guard. For weeks, we dealt with long, drawn-out, dramatic tantrums—sometimes many times per day—while I frantically scoured parenting websites and brought home armloads of books from the library: searching, searching for the answer. Trying desperately to help her feel better.

We explored dietary causes and environmental triggers. I read about developmental changes in almost-four-year-olds. We wracked our brains for anything that had changed in her life that could have possibly brought on such dramatic tantrums practically overnight.

And then finally, FINALLY I realized that her tantrums coincided perfectly with her brother’s learning to walk. As he grew more mobile, she grew more anxious. As he watched his world grow, she was watching her own spin out of control. He was into everything—messing with her stuff, knocking things over—and, worst of all, taking up so much more of our time. No wonder she was screaming. I would have been too. Here, finally, was the fallout we’d been bracing for way-back-when…the adjustment period we’d long-since written off as Not Happening. It had arrived—ten months later, but it had arrived.

And so, we’ve launched into a campaign to help our daughter reclaim her security in our family. We’ve spent lots of extra time with her—our big girl—and focused on the  very special place she’ll always hold in our hearts and our lives. And slowly, slowly we’re seeing her security return. Little by little, we’ve begun to have more calm days than stormy ones.

Just the other night, she leaned over and told me her brother is her best friend…I think we’re going to be ok.

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger

OK, let’s say your best friend just told you they’re having a baby. Woo-hoo! And there’s going to be a baby shower. Double woo-hoo! And guess what! You’re going to plan it! Triple woo–wait, what?

It happens. Sometimes we’re thrown into situations that take us beyond our comfort zones. As much as you may love your best friend, and as excited as you are for her new baby, party planning and you go together like Cap’n Crunch and tequila. It’s just not a good idea.

So, basically, you need to magically produce a fun, lighthearted day—one the mama-to-be will always remember—but you’ve got no idea how to even begin. Oh! Did we mention, there’s going to be over twenty guests? There’s going to be over twenty guests.

The next four words should help you to breath easier: Baby Shower Party Packs.

SimplyBabyStuff.com has assembled a huge series of Baby Shower Party Packs for people just like you. Available in a dizzying array of color schemes and themes, each one includes everything you need for the baby shower, from invitations to thank you cards, from dinner plates to desert plates, from streamers to a personalized banner.

Each Baby Shower Party Pack is available in either 16- or 32-guest count varieties, and as with everything from SimplyBabyStuff.com, you’ll find Baby Shower Party Packs tailored for girl babies, boy babies, and the ever-popular “could be either” babies.

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger

Even the simplest of baby showers can rack up a pile of details. What starts out as a relaxed get-together with a few friends can quickly turn into an event that rivals a U.S. presidential campaign in complexity. But if there’s one detail you shouldn’t overlook, it’s baby shower favors.

Unless they’re rude and ungracious on a cosmic level, your guests shouldn’t expect anything other than a good time from your baby shower. So, offering baby shower favors isn’t about what’s expected of you. It’s about your appreciation for them. It’s about making sure your guests know how grateful you feel. After all, there’s a reason these people are on your guest list—as opposed to, say, the mother-to-be’s old college roommate who kept borrowing all her underwear. Or the father-to-be’s ex-girlfriend. These are the people with whom you’ve chosen to share a very special celebration—these are the true friends and family you hope will be a part of Baby’s new life. And great baby shower favors (more so than terrific food or fun games) can drive this home.

SimplyBabyStuff.com offers an HUGE variety of baby shower favors, from traditional items like personalized candy bars or candles to unique gifts like sweet little purses and baby footprint cookie cutters. You’ll be hard-pressed not to find a favor that makes your guests feel like the special people they are.

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger

My daughter turned four a few weeks ago, and she requested a garden party to celebrate the event. My menu-planning mind immediately switched into tea party mode and I started dreaming of delicate finger sandwiches and petit fours…and then I remembered half of our guest list were men who probably would be less-than-thrilled to see platters of teeny-tiny fancy food, delicious or not.

I had to find a happy medium. My goal was to offer some substantial snacks, while staying true to my bite-sized, simple finger food, original vision. I finally settled on a few different varieties of tortilla wrap sandwiches, sliced into (not too) thin rounds. These ham, spinach, and herbed cheese wraps were a big hit! They’re stuffed with plenty of ham and cheese so they’re satisfying, and I tucked some delicate green spinach leaves inside and cut the slices on the diagonal so I still ended up with a beautiful platter to fulfill my “fancy” vision.

Ham and Spinach Rolls

Of course, these rolls are highly adaptable—swap any of the components for your favorite ingredients. Have fun being creative…you guests will love you for it! The cheese I use here is found near the deli in most major grocery stores, but you can certainly make your own version using any soft cheese and your favorite herbs and seasonings.

 1 package 8-inch tortillas (I like whole wheat because they add a bit of sweetness)
1 lb deli ham, sliced thin (I used applewood smoked—yummy!)
1 package Original (Garlic and Herb) Boursin Cheese
2-3 cups washed baby spinach leaves, stems removed

Spread a thin layer of cheese on a tortilla. Layer on 2-3 slices of ham, overlapping to add some bulk to the wrap, leaving a small (1/2-inch) sliver of cheese exposed along one edge to help seal the wrap when you roll it up. Add a layer of spinach leaves, completely covering the ham. Roll the tortilla up, beginning on the side opposite from the exposed cheese. Roll the tortilla fairly tightly and set it aside, seam side down, to rest while you prepare the remaining tortillas.

Continue assembling the tortillas until you’ve used all your ham and cheese (you should have enough for 6-8 tortillas.) At this point, you can store the tortillas in the refrigerator until you are ready to place them on your platter—they’ll keep overnight, but I wouldn’t store them much longer than that or you risk the tortillas becoming soggy.

When you’re ready to serve the wraps, cut each slice at a 45º angle, “discarding” the ends (By discarding, I mean “eat them for lunch.”). I cut them about ¾-inch thick—you should cut them to your desired size. Then: devour!

Enjoy!

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger

It’s pretty safe to assume that at some point “potty talk” will worm its way into all kids’ vocabularies. And we parents act stern, while maybe holding back giggles ourselves, because “we don’t use words like that.” And “potty talk does not belong at the table.” Because, regardless of what we did as kids, it’s a parent’s job to reign in the potty talk. It’s just what we do.

So the other night, my husband and I enjoyed a nice dinner out with friends. As usual, the men and women both congregated into our respective groups, and launched deep into conversation. As the men joked around and debated which Star Wars film is the very best, we women talked and talked and talked…mainly about our kids.

It wasn’t until we’d already spent a good twenty minutes comparing potty training notes and tips and horror stories that we realized we’d been speaking very loudly. About poop. And various other potty-related topics…all while surrounded by many other people trying to enjoy their dinners. Oops.

“No potty talk at the table” we tell our kids? Apparently, “Do as I say not as I do” is more appropriate!

Sorry, fellow diners!

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger

Well, if you’re gonna have a party, you should probably have some good food on hand. And if you’re going to have good food on hand, you better have some fun-looking plates to eat it of off. And you’ve got some fun plates, you really ought to have some fun cups. And fun forks, spoons, and knives. And napkins.

And if you’re going to have all that, you should probably have a fun table cover. And a table skirt. And streamers. And balloons!

To sum up, if you’re going to have a party, you need party supplies. If that party happens to be a baby shower, SimplyBabyStuff.com has got you covered. They’ve got complete lines of party supplies to coordinate with an array of matching baby shower party themes. From placemats to name tags, everything you need is just a few clicks away. These high-quality party supplies will all but guarantee a memorable event.

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger

I think it’s fairly widely accepted that bacon is pretty great. Really, what can’t be made better by adding bacon? And yet, believe it or not, there exists a recipe that makes bacon even better! This is definitely a “special occasion” recipe—you don’t want to be eating this every week or anything (Or maybe you do. Your call.), but for an event like a baby shower, these caramelized bacon twists are just the little something your menu might need!

Caramelized Bacon Twists

I have served these twists both on buttered croissants with turkey and a lettuce leaf and at brunch alongside quiche and potatoes—either of which are perfect pairings, in my opinion. There are never any leftover bacon twists!

1 pound sliced bacon

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 350º F, and line a 15×10x1-inch baking dish with foil (Very important! Trust me!) Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a gallon-size ziplock bag and set aside. Cut each bacon strip in half widthwise. Place the bacon strips in the bag with the sugar mixture and shake until all the strips are evenly covered with sugar. (You can do this ahead of time and let the bacon sit in the sugar mixture in the fridge. It will get a bit runny/wet, but will also be nicely marinated.) Twist each strip as you remove it from bag, and place them on the prepared pan. Bake at 350º F for 15-20 minutes or until crisp (watch closely, they can burn quickly.) Serve immediately; or cool and then freeze them in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

 Enjoy!

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger

When I was small, I always felt very badly for the kids in school who had summer birthdays. They never got to bring in treats to share with the class. They never got to sit there(slightly mortified) while their peers sang a birthday song just for them. Birthday party invitations couldn’t just be brought to school and handed out. “I will never,” I proclaimed, “Have a kid with a summer birthday. Those kids have got it rough.”

Fast forward (quite) a few years, and…I’ve got TWO kids with summer birthdays. Less than a month apart. How did I let this happen??

I carried those pitying feelings for poor summer-born kids right up until it came time to plan my daughter’s first birthday party. And that’s when I realized the power of the summer birthday: you can hold it outdoors! Picnics! Swimming pools! Bonfires! …I wouldn’t have to clean my house!

To say my husband and I have embraced the summer birthday would be an understatement. We’ve taken the old bit of truth about first and second (and third?) birthday parties being more for the parents than the kids, and run with it.

That first party was a doozy. “We never did have a housewarming party,” we reasoned. “This can take its place!” “It’s outside, we don’t have to worry about how many people we invite,” we said. “She’s only going to turn one once,” we rationalized. And then we proceeded to hold a (wonderfully) massive backyard barbecue birthday party for our sweet girl ourselves. It was crazy and festive and a whole bunch of fun.

And we really, really want to do it again this summer when our son turns one. Three weeks after his sister’s birthday.

Which is why we’d decided that this year, her fourth, would be the year we begin hosting a small, simple “kid” party for our daughter. We figured we’d let her invite a couple friends, play some games, eat some cake—you know, keep things simple.

And then, last week over lunch, our girl announced that she wanted to have a garden party for her birthday. “We’ll need ribbons and bows and flowers EVERYWHERE!” she said. “And I’ll invite everyone I like and they’ll all dress up!” She went on to outline her ideal menu (dessert-heavy) and flesh out her guest list (well over 30 when all was said and done) while I dutifully took notes (humoring her.)

 Now obviously, we’re not going to indulge EVERY party whim our daughter has, and we’ll be cutting her guest list down to a third or so, but she was so sweet as she relayed all her very special plans that we’ve agreed to a slightly larger party than we originally had in mind.

Which is making it a little tough to rationalize the raging blow-out we want to throw for ourselves our son just three short weeks later. Hmmm…we never did have that housewarming party…

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger

While decorations shouldn’t be the focus of the baby shower you’re throwing (there’s usually a soon-to-be mama involved), great visuals do make things a lot more fun. Decorations set the mood and help to make sure everyone’s ready for a good time. And it’s always so fun to see each guest’s reaction as they walk into the room you’ve gussied up for the special day.

Banners are always a great way to make a statement (literally!), but never underestimate the power of a great centerpiece. And if you happen to have balloons that match your banners and centerpieces (and your tableware, name tags, and party favors), well, then you’ve gone to decoration heaven.

SimplyBabyStuff.com has spent a lot of time thinking about decorations, and they’ve worked hard to develop great options for just about every decorative element you could think of. If you wanted, just about every inch of your party room could covered in super cute decorations. We’re not saying you should actually wallpaper the room with well wishes for the mother-to-be…but isn’t it nice to know you could?

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger