Ewan turns Three: A Panda Party

Every May will be a very busy month for the family. It is PARTY-FILLED! We have our wedding anniversary, Mother's Day and the children's birthdays to plan. Just when we think it is all fun and celebratory, we will be greeted with examinations when we walk into the years of formal education. Oh No! I need to be a SuperMom to juggle all of these and more in the Mays to come! 

Until then, we still have 3 more years of Merry May to revel in. We turned 3 with Ewan yesterday and agreed that subsequent birthdays after their Big One will always be an intimate affair. We asked Ewan who he would like to invite and he exclaimed without hesitation, "Cayla, Cayley and Callum!"

This boy had been in love with pandas from a very young age (20 months old) and those who follow us closely would recall that Ikea Panda recording we had of him squealing in delight at the sight of them. After sharing that clip on social media, we received lots of Panda gifts from friends and family! Everybody loves him!

It wasn't difficult to decide his birthday theme. It had to be a monochrome panda party and I shall DIY.

I sourced for everything black and white from straws to napkins and buntings to candles. It was a simple celebration with his cousins and prettifying the occasion became my pet project. Door gifts are usually a big headache. Whenever Ewan returns home with candies and chocolates, I'd toss them into the bin without a second thought. No way will I be packing baddy bags for the children that'll cause them irritable coughs for a moment of joyfulness. Whistle and Flute's Kawaii Panda Baseball Tee was the perfect choice for that door gift! It is a monochrome T-shirt, fashionable and befits the theme to the T with those Panda faces!

And Wow! I spent only S$160 for the party! My husband's super proud of my achievement to keeping cost at a Low as compared to what I've signed off at Faye's Big One two Sundays ago. *hiaks*

Materials and Costs
Paper Honeycomb Balls - S$3.50 each from Give Fun
Customized "Ewan Turns Three" Banner - S$15.90 from Give Fun
Black Tie Birthday Candles - S$8.00 from Red Carousel
Black Tie Napkins - S$7.95 from Red Carousel
Glass Drink Bottles - S$2.00 from Red Carousel
Straws - S$5.00 from A.Muse
Bunting - S$25.90 from A.Muse
Panda T-Shirt Goody Bags - S$98.50 from Whistle and Flute

These adorable pandAmonium shimmery cupcakes were home-baked by my sister-in-law from Yin & Yang Bakeshop and they were an absolute hit! I've watched her bake (yea just a glimpse because I am not someone for the kitchen) and I know she'll use only premium ingredients and very generous servings of lychee or mint in their signature Lychee Martini and Mint Chocolate cupcakes. Oh did I mention she can whip up some rich creamy durian puffs too? So naturally, she had to be the baker to Ewan's Birthday Panda Cupcakes!

While I am not a cook, I am quite the crafter. I'd love to show you how I've made those Pom Pom Panda ears from a ball of yarn and factored in those felt features to make a Paper Honeycomb Panda Ball for the wall decor.

What You Will Need
- 1 Pair of Scissors
- 1 Tube of Superglue
- 1 Chalk / White-Inked Pen
- 1 25cm Paper Honeycomb Ball
- 1 Sheet of Black Felt
- 1 Balls of Black Yarn
- 2 Tubes of Toilet Rolls / Kitchen Towel Rolls

Note: You can vary the size of your pom poms, Small or Large, by using only one or two tubes of toilet rolls respectively. For our Panda pom pom ears on a 25cm Honeycomb Ball, we will be needing two tubes.

Firstly, twirl the yarn around the tubes. I've experimented it and 100 rounds made the pom pom looked fuller. Then, cut a length of yarn and fit it in between the tubes. Secure the rolled yarn with a knot and remove it off the tubes. Tighten the knot and lock it with a dead-knot. Next, slide your scissors in between the side of the yarn and cut them open. There you'll have a messy pom pom so remember to give it a hair-cut before you glue them on! As for the felt eyes and nose, it's a no-brainer. You should know how to get that organised don't you? *smiles*

TIP: The positing of the eyes and nose make a huge difference on the look of your panda. Be sure to place it right before using the superglue!

How about those party hats? Get these from Spotlight with mini white pom poms and decorate them for the occasion. Or simply go black and stylish without the embellishments.

Time was against me when it came to setting the house up for the party. Thank goodness I had only a simple arrangement to put together. We had such a full and tiring day from Zoo to lunch at SinpopoBrand and a struggle to put the children down for their afternoon naps. I wished I could snooze a little as well but oh well! Too excited about the party to catnap anyways.

Ladder, BlueTags, 3M Hooks, Double-Sided Tapes and Scissors for this brick wall at Grandpa Yang's. After that, my job was to snap away while the children laugh and play to their hearts' content.

Ewan's favourite playmates are his cousins. They are a year apart from each other and play very well together. Oh my, they do fight too. I noticed Ewan can play amicably but once he is provoked, he gets really aggressive. They have a love-hate relationship but more love than loathe I must say. Ewan gets withdrawal syndromes if he doesn't see the 3Cs *haha* I wasn't surprised that he wanted them to be present for his birthday.

 

It hadn't been an easy month for the family. I must say I am reducing to ashes day by day with so much on my plate. Travelling, illnesses, party-planning and solo parenting. All these in one month which I could have handled better if it was spread across a quarter. I cannot believe I managed to find time for crafting, party prepping, blogging plus being a wife!  

The son was supposed to have a school party a day before his actual birthday. He was really charged up on that one and went, "I want a Pirate Bear cake mommy!". He didn't ask for Jake and The Neverland Pirates nor Winnie The Pooh. Ewan was going all original on this one. I spoke to several bakers and they all asked me what a Pirate Bear was. I had to tell them, "It's just a bear with an eye patch and a pirate hat. Can you do that?" I went to the extent of renting a Captain Hook costume for him and Tinkerbell for Faye to go with theme! History repeated itself. His school party was cancelled for the second year because there is a HFMD outbreak in school - 12 cases I think.   

The school holds a yearly Fairy Tale party on the last Friday of May where all the children are encouraged to come dressed up. For his second birthday, I rented Ewan a knight's costume, baked an impressive dragon cake and customised princesses and castles goody bags for his classmates. It had to be cancelled because Meyer and I was down with HFMD. We quarantined him and kept him away from school in case he got infected by us. There, school's party cancelled.

Surprisingly, all these fatigue that's been thrown my way hadn't made me felt like giving my Stay At Home title up. I love it that I am the one orchestrating the nursing, comforting, educating and disciplining job. *haha* Sounds crazy I know but I think I found a job I'm passionate about. That said, I would still welcome a break. I think if I had a genie in a bottle, I'd wish for 2 nights of uninterrupted sleep. Not greedy - just 2!

Moms don't rest.

All said and done, their existence makes me whole. I am taking pleasure in my role as a mommy so terribly much that if I never became a mom, it would have been life's greatest regret. 

Not forgetting, I have the daddy to thank for his support and patience as well. He isn't a party person and would shun away from one as much as possible. I had transformed him from a photography noob into a man with an eye for detail. He is beginning to wrap presents less sloppily as well! Oh isn't that a good thing? A new skill is always welcomed.

He bought Ewan a BMW motorised motorbike for his third birthday and he is riding it like a pro already. *haha* Well, it doesn't take much to be one because there are training wheels! Waiting for him to grow taller to balance the bike without them. Ain't Ewan a lucky fella? Possibly the best gift among the lot he received! Believe it or not, it is selling at Mothercare!

The party continued well into the night with lots of water play squeals. The children were so high from the party that no one listened to the adults anymore. Their screams and laughter were louder than our No-No-Nos! We are thankful to have a close-knitted family with cousins to grow up with. It takes everyone's effort to close the gap in any family and we are darn sure we are going to keep it that way.

Many thanks to:
-  grandYangs for preparing dinner for the party and ensuring that everyone were well taken care of at home
- grandLeongs for making it to the party and loving the children as much as we do
- sister-in-law for spending an afternoon baking Ewan his panda cupcakes and dressing up the kids to the theme (I noticed the new tights *smiles*)
- brother-in-law for pumping up that huge inflatable pool and setting the water play area up

Look! It's a family effort!

Read Ewan's other Birthday Celebrations:
- First Birthday, 2013
- Second Birthday, 2014
- Fourth Birthday, 2016
- Fifth Birthday, 2016

Like Us on Facebook if you enjoyed the read!

A stay at home mum, blogging to widen her social life. 
We want to echo the sound of love through our lives to inspire other mothers alike.