A baptism is a tricky celebration to plan. The ceremony itself is traditionally a pretty low-key affair—solemn even. But “solemn” isn’t a word most people want associated with the party following the church service. You don’t want the party to be some sort of over-the-top family blowout, but you don’t necessarily want church hymns. You want something tasteful and, of course, celebratory.

Decorations can help you strike the right balance. SimplyBabyStuff.com offers many beautiful baptism decorations to help you achieve a festive, yet tasteful look for your reception. There’s no need to go over-the-top with your décor, but a few well-placed items will help your reception feel suitably festive—and help ensure a joyous celebration for your little one’s milestone.

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger

Our family spent this past weekend at my parents’ house, and when we arrived, their grammy had a very special surprise for our kids…a monarch caterpillar in an aquarium! Eva (my daughter) spent the weekend carefully feeding the caterpillar fresh milkweed leaves, and checking regularly to see whether it was eating or not. She gave it a name (Crocodile Flower), and we got to take the baby caterpillar home with us to observe.

Right now, Crocodile Flower is only a teeny tiny caterpillar, but as long as we take good care of her, and offer plenty of fresh milkweed, we’ll be able to watch as she grows and grows and then creates her chrysalis. In about three weeks or so, Eva and I will be able release our beautiful monarch butterfly into the wild.

The other day, she and I were discussing a veterinarian office we’d seen, and she asked me whether the animal doctor took care of caterpillars too. I told her I didn’t know, but that I thought most vets cared for pets like dogs and cats and bunnies and things. Eva thought for a minute, and then she announced “I am going to be a caterpillar doctor when I grow up.”

A noble profession, indeed.

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger

A baptism is an important moment in many new children’s lives. In most cases, families and friends will gather after the service for a reception—often this is the very first of many celebrations to come in the child’s life, and many parents don’t know where to begin.

Luckily, there’s a very simple answer to that question…begin with the invitations! The right baptism invitation can help honor this very special occasion in your child’s life, so be sure to take the time to choose just the right baptism invitation to suit your tastes and set the mood for celebrating such an important milestone.

SimplyBabyStuff.com offers a large selection of baptism invitations to choose from. They offer many styles from quirky and cute to classically understated, and each one can be personalized with your child’s name and ceremony information, which makes them keepsake-quality invitations. Your friends and family members will be honored to be a part of this important moment in your child’s life—be sure they’re aware of all the details of the day by sending the perfect baptism invitations!

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger

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