S’more of What?
Something I love about my kiddo is that he loves what he loves and doesn’t even realize how cool he is. The nostalgia of my youth gets to come out in the toddlerhood of my son, and it is incredibly satisfying and special when things that shaped my childhood become a shared experience with my next generation – The Sandlot is one of those shared experiences.
Before Kam could talk, the easiest way to connect with him and work on his speech was through watching movies together- My dad sat down and watched the Sandlot with him one day and the rest was history. It started with imitating actions like sliding into the bases then shifted to making sounds like the fireworks exploding on fourth of July and eventually led to word approximations and repetitions and even maybe led to his first cuss word (my speech mamas know that even a naughty word gets added to their word list LOL).
It was only fitting that Kam would want a Sandlot themed birthday party because he was turning FOUR-EVER, FOUR-EVER, FOUR-EVER…. If you don’t get it, watch this clip.
This was such a fun one to plan – I made a simple video invite that I texted to friends instead of printing and mailing, went with a fourth of July baseball décor them and a concessions food theme based on the events in the movie and had cakes and treats made to match. Décor was a DIY situation through and through – I scoured TikTok and IG and Pinterest for ideas and then took to my local dollar trees looking for red white and blue items that I would repurpose for the party – I visited thrift stores for vintage items and took to Canva to create signage that could be printed for a fraction of the cost it would take to purchase them from someone on Etsy or Amazon.
My biggest tip to anyone trying to figure out food for a themed party is to watch your film or show and see if they eat anything or mention a specific food and then take it from there!
We went with the classics, think L7 weenies (hot dogs), nachos, popcorn, Smore’s (you’re killin me smalls) and chips but my faves were undoubtedly the desserts. One of my dear friends is a mastermind when it comes to baking and she made the insanely incredible smore’s cupcakes that were gone in the actual blink of an eye – seriously, if you have friends that are bakers, keep em close but also, you can’t have mine, she’s not for sale. I had some fun sugar cookies made along with some cutie baseball macarons that even had teeny tiny babe ruth autographs on them but the thing that I still look back on and smile at is this recreation of the founder’s day three tiered cake from the film when Benny the Jet is being chased by Hercules. I mean, come on – so classic and nostalgic. My baked goods always come from people either in my inner circle or in my community functioning though cottage law licenses – I have found that by supporting small businesses and at home bakers in my community I not only feel good about putting money in their pockets, but I swear I can feel the love they put into each of my items and that is priceless. Seriously, head over to your community Facebook pages, I guarantee you have some really talented people in your neighborhoods that are trying to use their talents to provide something extra for their family.
I find joy in creating visual themes and beautiful experiences, but I also am realistic that it isn’t for everyone and that’s ok. I own the fact that I am a part time Pinterest mom that likes to be boujie on a budget but I think it’s important to remember that I am like that because I truly enjoy it and not because I feel the pressure to check certain boxes as a mom. I have so many memories as a kid from birthday parties that had a cute theme and fun details but I also have some special memories of parties where we just gathered around an ice cream cake and jumped on a trampoline.
Do what feels right for you and your family to make your kid feel special and the end result will be a happy kiddo - that’s all that matters!