Army Men Birthday Cake & Camouflage Punch Recipe

Last Sunday my baby turned 8 years old & we gave him a surprise birthday party!  Since Connor is into everything camouflage & military, we used that as our theme complete with an Army Men Birthday cake & even Camouflage Punch (recipe below).

I baked an 11x13 chocolate cake in my Wilton Ultra Gold Cake Pan and then I made homemade chocolate frosting.

To decorate the cake, I used this army men toy set that I purchased from Amazon.  I also used chocolate candy rocks that I purchased at Walmart (located in the candy aisle but not all stores carry this item).

I used some of the extra army men to decorate the table around the cake and punch fountain.  The camouflage party decorations were purchased at Walmart, Party City & Hobby Lobby.

Camouflage Punch

• Green Hawaiian Punch (Green Berry Rush Flavor)
• Pineapple Juice
• Gingerale
• Pineapple Sherbet (optional)

Mix together equal parts green Hawaiian Punch and ginger ale.  Add pineapple juice to taste.  If serving in a punch bowl, you can add some scoops of pineapple sherbert.

This post is linked to:

• Ultimate Recipe Swap
• What's Cooking Wednesday

Frugal & Fun Birthday Idea

Last Saturday my son, Connor, turned 7 years old!  We had a simple birthday party at a pizza restaurant and here is what I printed on the invitations:

There will be a Hot Wheels Car Exchange Game at the party.  Instead of a gift, each child will need to bring a Hot Wheels Car (new or gently used) to exchange.

Now, I want everyone to know that I am not the meanest mom in the world.  I ran the idea by Connor before writing it on the invitation and he approved and was even excited about the idea.  Connor gets so many gifts from family that it can be overwhelming to also get presents from friends.  For most kids, a birthday party is about having fun with friends, not about the gifts.

At the party, the kids sat in a circle and we passed around a bowl with pieces of paper that had instructions like:

• Pass to the left 5 times.
• Pass to the right 2 times and to the left 6 times.
• Trade with anyone.
• Trade with the birthday boy.
• Trade with the person on your right.

There were also several pieces of paper with a gold star sticker.  If this one was picked, the child got to choose to stop the game and keep the car they had or keep playing.

The game was a huge hit with the kids and everyone went home with a "new" hot wheels car!  This game would work with lots of different items like lip gloss, bubble bath, Pez candy dispensers, silly bands, etc.

Connor loved the game and he was not disappointed about not receiving gifts.  He is already planning an exchange game for his party next year!

This post is linked to:

• Frugal Friday

Jason's Deli $5 Gift Card on Your Birthday

Go here and register with Jason's Deli to receive a $5.00 Gift Card on your birthday!

Go here for a list of more Birthday FREEBIES!

Frugal Friday: Birthday FREEBIES

(That's me at my First Birthday Party.)

Last Sunday was my birthday and so I have enjoyed lots of FREEBIES this week!!  In fact, I have received so many FREEBIES that it has been overwhelming!  Here is a list of all the Birthday FREEBIES that I received this week with links so that you can get them on your birthday too. 

Don't forget to sign-up everyone in your Family. These are a great way to celebrate Birthdays without blowing your budget.




Lone Star - FREE Meal


Sephora - Beautiful Eyes Trio


Noodles & Company - FREE Meal


Baskin Robbins - FREE Single Ice Cream Scoop


Sheridan's - FREE Single Topping Sundae, Concrete or Shake


Einstein Bros. Bagels - FREE Bagel & Shmear


First Watch - FREE Entree


Victoria's Secret - $10 off any purchase coupon


TGI Fridays - FREE Dessert


Hallmark - $5 off a $25 purchase (scroll down to the bottom of the page)


Houlihans - FREE Entree


Subway - B1G1 FREE 6-inch Fresh Value Meal


Coldstone Creamery - FREE Ice Cream + 1 Mix-in


On the Border - FREE Dip Trio or Brownie Sundae with the purchase of an entree


Culvers - FREE One-Scoop Sundae


Caribou Coffee - FREE Drink


Taco Bueno - FREE Cheesecake Chimichangas with the purchase of any platter or combo


Orange Julius - B1G1 FREE 20oz. Premium Fruit Smoothie


Pretzel Maker - FREE Small Pretzel Bites


Smoothie King - FREE 20oz. Smoothie


Chili's - FREE Dessert with the purchase of any entree


Arby's - FREE Swirl Shake with any Purchase


Fazoli's - FREE Dessert


Red Robin - FREE Gourmet Burger


MiMi's Cafe - $10 off a $20 Food purchase coupon


Firehouse Subs - FREE Sub


Texas Roadhouse - FREE Appetizer


IHOP - FREE Rooty, Tooty Fresh & Fruity Meal


Dairy Queen - B1G1 FREE Blizzard


Joe's Crab Shack - FREE Appetizer w/ Purchase


Hometown Buffet - B1G1 FREE Buffet


Red Lobster - $5 off 2 Adult Entrees


Sweet Tomatoes - FREE Meal


Ace Hardware - $5 off a $20 Purchase




Just for Kids:

K-Mart Birthday Club - $5 Birthday Bucks


Toys R Us - Geoffrey's Birthday Club


The Children's Place - Special Gift Coupon


Bob Evans - FREE Kid's Meal


Sonic - FREE Wacky Pack Kid's Meal


Chuck E. Cheese - FREE Tokens with Coupon


Burger King - FREE Kid's Meal


California Pizza Kitchen - FREE Kid's Meal

Frugal Friday: Birthday Treats for School

Kids love celebrating their birthday at school. It is fun and makes them feel special but it can be expensive providing treats for 20 something kids. Most schools do not allow homemade goodies so you have to send store bought treats. I do not like sending cupcakes from the bakery. They are very expensive, messy and most kids do not eat the whole cupcake.

The first year Connor was in preschool, I sent Little Debbie cakes for his birthday treat. The teachers were thrilled because they are individually wrapped and they are not as messy as bakery cupcakes. Little Debbie cakes are inexpensive at around $1.60 a box at Wal-Mart or on sale at the grocery store. Most boxes contain 10 cakes so it ends up costing $6.40 for birthday cake treats! I called a local Kansas City grocery store bakery (Price Chopper) and 2 dozen cupcakes would have cost me over $25!!!!!

I have also found that the kids love the Little Debbie Cakes! There are lots of varieties to choose from, even special holiday cakes (right now they have valentine cakes). Connor took the Chocolate Chip cakes pictured above and he says that everyone in his class really enjoyed them.

For more frugal ideas, visit Frugal Friday at Life as Mom.

Ultimate Recipe Swap: Birthday Cake Round-Up

I am going to make an admission: I usually buy my son's birthday cake at the bakery. I am not a cake decorator. I can bake a delicious cake but I cannot turn it into a 3 dimensional masterpiece! This year Connor asked me to make his birthday cake. I explained to him my limitations and he said all he wanted was a checkerboard cake. That I can do! I am also going to make cupcakes for his party and we will decorate them with Cars candy and sprinkles.

I am adding a link to this post at the Ultimate Recipe Swap Birthday Cake Round-Up in the hopes of inspiring others that are cake challenged.

Connor's 6th Birthday

Checkerboard Cake

Making a checkerboard cake is simple and it is guaranteed that you will get lots of oohs and aahs when you cut the cake! You will need to purchase a special cake pan. These are available at Hobby Lobby, JoAnn's, Michaels, Amazon.com and probably other stores and websites. My pan came with detailed instructions.

(Can you tell by the box that I've had this set for some time??)

First you need to make your cake batter. I usually use boxed cake mix that I have purchased on sale. You can also make it from scratch. Any flavor will work. Connor requested chocolate and vanilla for his birthday cake. Do not use cake mix with pudding in the mix. Your cake will be too soft and will fall apart. This is one of those tips I learned the hard way!

Next fill your cake pans according to the directions that come with the checkerboard cake set.

Bake the cakes according to box or recipe directions. Stack the 3 layers in the order above (left to right) spreading frosting in between each layer. Once all the layers are stacked spread frosting over the rest of the cake and then decorate.