Ice Cream Cone Party Hats

Today I'm sharing another easy, peasy ice cream party DIY from Lola's birthday party back in October. Ice Cream Cone Party Hats! 

This one really has to be one of the easiest party DIYs ever. Just stick an ice cream cone on your head and you're done. Well, not quite, but it's almost that simple.

These hats were a huge hit with all of the kids at Lola's birthday party. They loved the novelty of wearing food, but not in that messy "I dropped my lunch all down my front" way that kids usually wear food! 

52 Weeks: Week 8

Week 8: Gelato

About once a week I take the girls out for an afternoon treat after school. Since we live in sunny California the weather is usually warm enough for frozen treats - actually, even when it's not warm enough we still go out for frozen treats! Sometimes we'll get frozen yogurt or ice cream, but more often than not we'll get gelato.

We're lucky to have three good gelato stores on Shattuck Avenue all within easy walking distance of Ava's school so we try to mix it up a little. Caravaggio (1797 Shattuck Ave) is the closest to school and has a great range of flavors that the kids love so we tend to go there the most often. They also make delicious affogatos which is great when I need an afternoon caffeine hit! 

Almare (2170 Shattuck Ave) is located in Downtown Berkeley close to the BART station. We tend to go here when we're on our way to BART, the library or after school optometrist appointments. Almare has a great range of authentic Italian gelato flavors plus they make Italian hot chocolate which is a great Winter treat.

Our other favorite gelato store, and where we went this week, is Lush Gelato (1511 Shattuck Ave) in the Gourmet Ghetto. Lush is located in Epicurious Garden which is kind of like a small upscale food court. The seating is located outside over three levels of decked garden space. The girls like coming here because it's lovely to sit outside next to the water feature. Lush features the most gourmet flavors out of these three gelato stores. The flavors are often better suited to an adult palate and at times can seem quite experimental. They're all delicious but the kids find it best to stick to the simple flavors like strawberry or chocolate. Or in Ava's case this week, donut flavor! Imagine a glazed donut churned into gelato. Pretty tasty. Lola always, and I mean always, goes for strawberry no matter which store we go to. She'll often taste test another flavor but ultimately goes back to her favorite when it comes time to choose. Poor Mathilde doesn't get her own gelato yet - although she desperately wants it! She shares a little of mine as long as I don't go for one of the more grown up flavors (ie. the ones with alcohol!). 

Here's a look at this week's after school gelato pit stop... 

Ten Months Old

Ten months. We've hit double digits. Before we know it we'll be celebrating Mathilde's first birthday. I still can't believe my little baby will be one year old in just two months. I am in total denial!

Lunar New Year in Berkeley

This weekend we celebrated the Lunar New Year with a festival here in Berkeley.

The Fourth Street shopping district came alive with the the sounds of traditional Chinese music, the color of ornate dancing lions and the excitement of the crowds.

Popcorn Ice Cream Cones

Ava's recent birthday party at Fenton's Creamery was a first for me. It was the first time that we hosted a party at a fully catered venue. All of the food, entertainment and decorations came part and parcel with the booking. Apart from the invites, cake and party favors there was nothing else I needed to do. I kind of felt a little lost. Usually I'd spend hours scouring through Pinterest for ideas for party food, party games, party hats, photo booth backdrops... This time there was none of that.

There may not have been much for me to prepare for Ava's party but there certainly was for Lola's ice cream themed birthday back in October. In fact, I made so many ice cream themed goodies that I never got around to sharing them all with you! So before Ava's ice cream party becomes a distant memory like Lola's, let's have a look at some of the ice cream treats I made back in October. Same theme, different party.

First up I'm sharing this super easy recipe for Popcorn Ice Cream Cones. Think Rice Krispie Treats made with popcorn instead of Rice Krispies shoved into an ice cream cone and covered with sprinkles. Actually, that's pretty much it! So easy they almost don't need a recipe, but I'll give you one anyway.

52 Weeks: Week 7

Week 7: Fairyland

This past weekend was a four day one for Ava with Friday and Monday off school for Presidents Day. It was also some of the warmest and sunniest weather we've had all year. We made the most of the beautiful weather (and no school) by spending much of the long weekend outdoors.

On Saturday Kim took to the water and went sailing on the Bay with a friend, while the girls and I headed to one of their favorite places: Children's Fairyland in Oakland.

Valentine Heart Sun Catchers

Last Friday Ava had the day off school so we took it as an opportunity to do a little decorating for Valentine's Day. We made red and pink, sparkly heart shaped sun catchers for our windows. They are super simple to make but look really effective.

Here's a look at how we made our heart sun catchers...