Party in the USA

I cannot believe….that this upcoming weekend is Memorial Day weekend. Can’t Can’t Can’t. What’s even crazier, is that we have been self-isolating for over two months now.

The weather here on the East Coast is finally turning and Memorial Day weekend is due to be a good one! Hot, sunny and screaming BBQ!

This year, since the kids are not in their classrooms where they would normally start up a conversation about the meaning of Memorial Day, I’m going to sit them down and discuss the holiday with them. I found this article online which sums up the meaning behind Memorial Day, and includes some really amazing facts.

As for the weekend and our plans, I feel like there’s so much that I’d like to do. BBQ, lawn games, cocktails and FUN in the WATER!

For starters, I’ll be setting up my backyard with stars stripes and bangles. Is that what you say? I’m Canadian so I’m a bit green to the lingo. Red stars, white stars, blue plates, silver cups and a star shaped sparkler for our red, blue and white cream pie. Add me to the long list of people crushin’ on our Governor Andrew Cuomo. He inspired these water bottle labels in the shop, and I’ve been using “Calm Like Cuomo” as my mantra as of late. One special addition to our pie this year will be this insanely FABULOUS cake topper that we received from Bloom Paper Boutique. What a sweetheart this Etsy shop owner is and her toppers are TOO CUTE! She sent me two of these toppers, so as of this moment, the next Party in the USA Party in a Box sold will get this cake topper gifted with their purchase!

To celebrate over the long weekend we will break out all of our lawn games. We have received so many as gifts from friends such as jenga, connect four and cornhole. All so fun to play with the kids!

Our Party in the USA Party box also comes with a set of water balloons which simply connect to a hose and fill up instantly. My kids are obsessed. Between the balloons and their water guns there’s no doubt they will be running around staying active all weekend long.

To eat + drink, we’ll stick with the traditional all American menu of burgers, chips, hot dogs and veggies. We’ll make things more interesting like topping our burgers with a fried egg, crispy bacon and pickles. Given the circumstances, I will probably just use a straw and drink wine right out of the bottle while I grill.

Crafty Maggie’s boozy Memorial Day cocktail is one of my favorites so I’ll be doing my best to whip some of these up. For the kids, I was thinking strawberry cranberry juice with skewered blueberries to garnish.

We won’t be picnicking in Manhattan this year but we can certainly set up a picnic in our backyard. Why not?! Set out a blanket, bring your food outside onto the grass and toss around a football when you’re done eating.

I’m going to close out the weekend with a bonfire and s’mores. Don’t have a fire pit but love this idea? Check out our adventure awaits party in a box and set up inside. Throw your s’mores ingredients into the oven just like Aunti Debi does. YUM!