Birthday parties are especially hard.
My younger one’s birthday falls right in the beginning of October, and organizing a birthday party that early in the school year is tough. To add to that, new friends every year – her BFF’s have moved away every year, to a different school and last year to another continent! That means even the task of putting together the invitation list is monumental. So to simplify and still celebrate this beautiful day we do a “home celebration” on her birthday with homemade goodies, and a bigger party for her school friends a few weeks later once the school routine has settled a bit.
Last year as usual October rolled around and we weren’t prepared. The one thing my little one was clear about was that she wanted an ice cream cake. At that time I thought she was talking about her big party. She wasn’t!
So I made an ice cream cake at home. For all you last-minute mammas out there here’s what I did.
Homemade Icecream cake
- Line a baking tin (ideally a loaf shape, but no reason you can’t do this with other shapes – just think deep) with parchment paper leaving enough to hang over the edges.
- Layer the bottom of the baking tin with crushed cookie crumbs.
- Soften two favourite ice cream flavours – I left a tub of vanilla and another of chocolate chip cookie dough out on the counter for half an hour.
- Scoop out the ice cream – first one flavour, and then the other. Press them down.
- I could have topped this with more cookie crumbs but I ran out. For realz!
- Fold the parchment paper over and tuck it in, and freeze.
- Take the cake out and let it sit for a couple of minutes. Melt some chocolate chips in the microwave with butter or coconut oil. Here are some tips for melting chocolate chips to get you started.
- Pour it on top when you’re ready to serve.
“We have to pretty this up, Mom.”
There was a reason I had those icing sugar roses stashed away! Et Voila!
This year is already shaping up well and it seems we will be better-prepared courtesy Netflix Canada.
They tell me over three-quarters (82%) of parents around the world wish there was an easier way to make birthdays feel special for their kids. I say, “what is that remaining 18% on?”
Along with the homey celebration my kids are used to, they will also have their favourite cartoon characters sing them “Happy Birthday.”
Celebrating birthdays with Netflix #StreamTeam
Netflix Canada has launched the ultimate birthday gift with the launch of 14 Birthdays On-Demand featurettes. Starring the characters in your kids’ favourite shows like Beat Bugs, Barbie and Pokemon, kids will feel like the characters are singing just for them.
Kids may be the ones wearing the crown on their birthdays, but Netflix knows that it’s parents who are the real heroes on the big day. And when there’s a hack to make the day go by easier, I say press play.
Seach for “birthday songs” on Netflix and you can unlock a special performance from kids’ favorite characters, including All Hail King Julien, Barbie, Beat Bugs, DreamWorks Dinotrux, LEGO Friends, LEGO Ninjago, Luna Petunia, Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug* and Cat Noir, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, Pokemon, Project Mc2, Skylanders Academy, DreamWorks Trollhunters and others. For my youngest, it’s going to be Pinkie Pie all the way!
This should make this year’s birthday a success, with very little effort!
