This post is sponsored by Clorox 2® Free & Clear Stain Remover & Color Booster.
We just had our last baby's first birthday cake smash! I feel like QUITE the pro at this now, having celebrated four first birthdays with my four little boys within a span of six years.
You can see Some Boy's rubber ducky-themed bash here, and Minion's all-chocolate-all-over-the-place situation here. Sidekick's party definitely happened, but apparently didn't get posted to the blog. Such is life with four children!
How is it even possible that my first baby is THIS BIG? I can't. even. handle it. Some Boy has grown into quite the helpful big brother, always eager to lend a hand with his little siblings.
I'm incredibly proud of the fact that we've all made it this far with our sanity (relatively) in-tact.
I've learned a lot of lessons over the years. I've learned grace for myself and my family. I've learned when to let things go and when to swoop in with that mama bear instinct. When it comes to first birthday parties, I've obviously learned to chill out a little bit. There was no fussy decor, no picture-perfect crafts, no elaborate meals. I grabbed some pre-marinated pollo asado, a veggie plate and some chips and called it a day.
It's all about balancing the needs of the entire family and frankly, I needed some downtime this week. We gathered the family and we had a wonderful time together, but I didn't stress myself or anyone else out.
This was the extent of our decorations. Everyone had a blast taking goofy pictures, pretending to be the birthday boy. Delegating decor is a WIN, for sure! I've also learned that when you plan to do a birthday cake smash, it's a good idea to buy two cakes: one for the birthday kid, and one to serve everyone else. Go ahead and serve that second cake up while the first one is being torn into, otherwise everyone will be awkwardly standing around just wishing they could nab some cake already. Don't leave them hanging.
Bam was SO NOT enthused about the cake situation. We tried dabbing a little in his mouth so he could get a taste for the frosting, but he wasn't about it. Dude apparently doesn't have much of a sweet tooth.
He must have been switched at birth, because he's obviously not my child.
Minion was more than happy to help out with the cake situation, smearing it all over himself and his brother and the furniture.
And the backpacks, the rug, his bed sheet. This kid covered some serious ground.
A few friends have asked how we handle post-birthday smash clean-up, and the answer is pretty simply. We wash it ALL away!
I used to stress about smocks and drop cloths and containing the mess, but I've since learned to embrace it. It's a lot easier to just be well-versed in how to scrub stuff up after-the-fact.
Life's too short to stress over frosting.
I yank those clothes away, scrape off the extra food and quickly get them pre-treated before the stain can set. I've mentioned that we love Clorox 2® for our summer stains, and I'm super-stoked that I can now use them on baby stuff since the brand has come out with a Clorox 2® Free & Clear version that's perfect for my littlest dude's sensitive skin. I use a natural detergent that's pretty good but doesn't always completely eliminate stains, so a bit of this helps brighten my clothes right up without adding dyes or perfumes. It removes 4X more stains and brightens 2X more than detergent alone thanks to the power of oxygen bleach, which detergent does not contain.
Clorox 2® Free & Clear is the thing that finally got Nate on-board with my “weird,” dye-free and perfume-free way of doing laundry for the baby. Bam is super-sensitive to additives, and it definitely took some trial-and-error to find the perfect combination of detergent and stain remover so that we were all happy with the outcome. I apply it directly to the stains, let sit for 5-10 minutes and then wash the item as usual with detergent and a capful of the Clorox 2® Free & Clear. Clothes are good as new after that!
My final pro tip is to make sure you get presents opened before the birthday cake, otherwise you may have a sugar-addled crankypants kiddo on your hands. We do snacks and activities first, presents second (if at all), cake last. Plus, saving the sweets until the end means people are inclined to stick around longer!
Have you ever done a birthday cake smash with your kids?