{Happy Noon Years!}


As a mom of a toddler that doesn’t sleep, the thought of staying up until midnight to ring in the new year sounds like torture. Yet, for fear of being lame I had to do something, thus Noon Years Eve was born.

Now that Lucas and Chuck are old enough to enjoy their mom’s crazy ideas, we decided to put together a little party for them. It ended up being a really small party (thank you flu season!) but it ended up being the perfect size for them. The kids all had a great time, and that’s really all that matters.

The anatomy of a Noon Years Eve party doesn’t really take much. There were a few simple activities planned, a few decorations, some simple yet amazing food and we partied on!

The Decor
I bought a $3.99 roll of black glittery wrapping paper from the craft store, cut out a “Happy Noon Year” sign and used the excess as the backdrop to a big “2014” cut out of kraft paper. Note to moms: Extra Strength glue sticks do not stick to glitter wrapping paper so make sure you use wet glue or a glue gun before you tape the wrapping paper to the wall. Lesson learned.

Luckily, Ally has an unending supply of Kraft paper which I papered a section of the wall and floor for the kids to decorate with dot art, chalk and stickers. It wasn’t a big hit, it provided about 10 minutes of fun but made for a cute backdrop.

The NYE Bling
Thank you Walmart for selling cheesy paper 2014 glasses, 3 for $2.44. How could I resist?

We also have an unending supply of mardi gras beads that they loved putting on! At one point I think Chuck was wearing them all, she even managed to get them around her waist and legs-it was adorable!
The Crafts
What would NYE be without party hats and noisemakers? The kids werent interested in decorating the paper crowns I had cut out, but they loved the noisemakers and they were so simple to make! I cut up some mardi gras beads into short strands and Lucas and Chuck had a great time putting them into tennis ball tubes. The wide mouths of the tubes were the perfect size for little hands to put in (and take out) the colorful beads. I had also bought some sparkle star stickers to decorate the outside, but you really didn’t need them, the beads were so pretty by themselves. Some stars ended up inside the tubes as well and it made for a great effect!

Tasty Treats
Delicious food is a must for any NYE party and just because we were partying at noon didn’t hold us back! I wanted to do something simple, yet amazingly delicious so we had a mac and cheese bar! It was perfect for the kids and adults and as the hostess I loved it because it didn’t take me away from the party. Before the party I put together mac and cheese in the crock pot and prepped all the toppings. Since it was a small party, we only had 4 toppings but the possibilities are endless! Our choices were: chicken, bacon, peas and gouda (for those sophisticated palates). To make it fun, and easy to identify the toppings, I borrowed the chalkboard from Lucas’s room to use as a serving board to easily label each bowl. Unfortunately I did not get a pic of everything all set up- we were all very hungry! For desert, everyone got a midnight kiss!



The Big Countdown!
Supplies needed: plastic drop cloth, painters tape, balloons, balloons, balloons!
For the countdown to noon, I wanted to make it big and exciting with minimal mess. A balloon drop was perfect! For the countdown I made a quick slideshow on iPhoto. Luckily iPhoto makes everything simple, even computer challenged people like myself can figure it out (for clarification, I am Karen. Ally rocks at computers). 

After the countdown we pulled the painters tape off the ceiling and the kids ran around with the balloons for at least 20 minutes. They had the best time! Of course, after his friends left Lucas asked to “put them back up there?” It didn't happen, but the balloons kept him occupied for that evening and part of New years day!



We all had a great time and I am hoping to make this part of our New Years Eve tradition for years to come!







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