Last week, Disney released Inside Out on DVD. I headed straight to my neighborhood Walmart to grab a copy, a few Inside Out toys, and some goodies for a fun movie night at home with friends.
Everyone loves a movie that pulls on your emotions. And Inside Out does that – and more! We saw the movie in theaters over the summer and The Boy has been asking if we can watch it at home ever since. I was JOYful when I could finally say “YES” this weekend. No more SADNESS for The Boy!
Hosting a party can be as easy as riding a bike, if you plan ahead and organize your time. A few days before your party, plan your menu. The day before your party, shop for party supplies and food. I also recommend getting out the dishes and serving pieces you’ll be using. Washing them and sitting on the table ready to go is always helpful to me.
Here’s a printable to serve as a reminder for your next party!
For this party, I knew that I didn’t want to just serve candy. We just celebrated Halloween and have a TON of candy leftover. So, what’s the next best thing to candy while watching a movie? YES! Cupcakes! And, filled cupcakes are even better. I love a little surprise on the inside, don’t you?
I bake chocolate chip cookies from scratch, but any time I need a cake I take a little help from the baking aisle at the store. Box mixes can save time – and prevent measurement errors, which I’m known for. I whipped up a batch of chocolate cupcakes and let them cool completely.
Waiting for them to cool is always the hardest part.
Once they were cool, I mixed up some (store bought) frosting with food coloring. I filled them with yellow frosting. Because. JOY. Filling a cupcake is much easier than you think. Purchase a specially marked filling tip from the cake decorating aisle and you’re on your way to gourmet cupcakes.
Affix the special filling tip to a small plastic bag with the end snipped off. You don’t need a coupler for this tip – yippie for easier clean up! Fill the plastic bag with frosting and slip the filling tip right into the cupcake.
Apply a bit of pressure to push the frosting into the cupcake. Not too much though, you don’t want an explosion!
Repeat this step until you’ve filled all of your cupcakes.
Then, using your favorite tip or frosting knife, apply frosting to the top of the cupcakes. There is NO such thing as too much frosting. If someone tries to tell you otherwise, don’t listen to them. You don’t need that kind of negativity in your life.
Curious to see what a filled cupcake looks like on the inside? I was too, that must me a normal reaction. I cut one open. Pretty, eh?
The cupcake looks bright and cheery on the inside, doesn’t it? I used this as an opportunity to talk about feelings with The Boy. We chatted about how sometimes we feel one way on the inside and don’t always know how to express them. Of course, when we’re feeling JOYful, it’s easy. But feelings like anger and sadness can be tougher to communicate – and our initial reactions may not be appropriate.
Take a few moments to talk with your children about their emotions, you’ll be surprised what you’ll learn.
Be sure to pick up your copy of Inside Out at Walmart!. I’d love to hear about your DVD watch party plans!
What fun cupcakes! They’re so JOYful inside! Inside Out has helped our kids immensely, especially my youngest. These are some really cute party ideas! #Client