Caterpillar Countdown: Monday

 

Dear Diary,

 

I’m planning a Very Hungry Caterpillar Very First Birthday party for Baby C, despite being told to order cake and ice cream and call it a day.  The moms advising against spending money on a party “your child will sleep through or not remember,” all hosted major events when their little ones turned one. My sister transformed her backyard into a carnival and rented cotton candy, popcorn and snow cone machines. A friend rented a bouncy castle, ordered personalized banners and flipped more than enough burgers to feed a small country at a cookout for her child’s celebration.  Although they spent more than they planned, they made priceless memories that will last a lifetime.  So, I decided to do the same.

 

The first thing on my to-do list was to select a venue.  I rented a private space at The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, which offers a hungry caterpillar theme and activities.  The kids will read the story and then create crafts, such as a sock puppet caterpillar and a coffee filter butterfly.  The museum discounted the rate in exchange for advertising on my blog next month!  (Tip:  Be resourceful and ask for discounts!  Often party venues reduce rates for military families, senior citizens and moms receiving assistance.  Here in Pittsburgh, if you receive food stamps, your card will admit you and up to three other people into several museums including a Science Center, for only a buck! The Children’s Museum also charges the dollar fee.)

 

Pit-Childrens_Museum

 

On Monday, I ordered birthday banners online.

 

I am an Undomestic Diva and would rather pay someone to make something than krazy glue my fingers together and get paper cuts creating crafts.  Therefore, knowing my strengths and weaknesses, I searched for an artist online and came across Pickles & Pinwheels, a shop on Etsy owned by a school teacher turned stay-at-home mom–just like me! I sent Erica an email, and she created a birthday banner that I fell in love with.

 

banner1

 

She also made a Grow With Me Caterpillar —each circle of the caterpillar’s body has a picture of my daughter for each month she has been on the earth. That brought back memories!  My baby is growing up (sniff). In one of the photos, Caitlynn wore a polka-dot dress–which matches the theme now that I think about it!  This was her first time going to church.

 

bannera

 

Very Extravagant:

Order Birthday Banners Online.  I paid an extra $10 for Erica to print out the pictures, since the Grow With Me Caterpillar is shipped as a DIY project.

 

bannerb

 

 

Very Affordable

Make the Birthday Banners yourself!  Buy some construction or card stock paper and get your Martha Stewart on!

 

But I was still hungry to plan more.  

 

 

About The Author

Vlog Mom/DFTM Creator

Not long ago, Heather Hopson hosted a television show in the Cayman Islands. Today, she's back home writing a different kind of story as a new mom. In her 15 years working as a professional journalist, this by far is her best assignment! Growing up, she dreamed of becoming Oprah Winfrey. She was the features editor for her school’s newspaper and a teen talk show host for her city’s most popular radio station. She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Michigan State University. After graduation, she worked as a television producer and reporter at CBS, NBC and Fox affiliates throughout the U.S. Instead of heading to Chicago to join Ms. Winfrey on her set, she bought a plane ticket to the Cayman Islands instead. She arrived five days before a category five hurricane! She lived in paradise for seven years, hosted an award-winning television show and traveled the globe with a government delegation. She also served on the board of directors for Big Brothers Big Sisters and spearheaded a Send a Kid to Camp campaign. Then, she relocated to Washington, D.C. to obtain a teaching certification and instruct 8th grade reading at a high needs middle school. She later returned to her hometown of Pittsburgh, PA to raise her daughter Caitlynn, now 4-years-old. During her 10-month-stint as a stay-at-home mom, Caitlynn inspired her to create this blog, and Diary of a First Time Mom was born on Mother’s Day 2012. Two years later, she expanded the family to include 20+ writers. Currently, Heather serves as the communications director at Allies for Children. In addition, she is the owner of Motor Mouth Multimedia, which ranked #49 in Startup Nation’s Home-Based 100 Competition sponsored by Discover Card and Sam’s Club. Recently, The Pittsburgh Foundation and The Heinz Endowments selected Heather to receive an Emerging Black Artist award to develop Diary of a First Time Mom.

One Response

  1. Jewel H.

    This was without a doubt the best child’s BD party I’ve ever attended. Very colorful food, treats and party bags made every child eyes light up as it seemed impossible to have some of everything. The delightful decoration were outdone only by the elegant Mommy and the Social Butterfly, “Baby C.”

    Reply

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