kiddie picnic

potterybarn kids

Well last week i talked about how we have been bringing out our "good" china for regular dinners, even for when we barbeque and my husband liked it but...then he asked about all the really cool everyday plates, bowls and cups i use for the kids normally. So I have to tell you about the great melamine items we use and you can find, we pick these awesome sets and pieces up wherever we see them, the foodstore, potterybarn kids, etc. and they are great because they dress up the table, are (usually) unbreakable, and they are RE-USABLE!!! When any of our four kids has a party, we use these in place of traditional paper plates and such.

The only real draw back is the clean up, but we have learned if you have the sink emptied except for water with some dish soap, most people will toss the dishes right in and the major work (soaking) is done while you enjoy the party.

Then we have the plasticware, but not just any, we have these awesome little animals...zoo pals, the kids love them and they are again washable to be re-used.

hefty zoo pals


As far as drinks, I stay away from juice boxes and I am even buying more frozen juices for less waste, i make the juice in a great container from rubbermaid and use adorable little tumblers...these are from crocodile creek

and for the baby we use the first years take and toss sippy cups (we don't toss though) and i am happy to say these are BPA-free

Most of the time the kids will pick a theme for their party, we will buy the party ware to match and then we use the cups, plates and utensils as part of the childs "goody bag", they LOVE it!!!

I really wanted to mention the cloth napkin thing here also, we are begining to use them here, with four little ones I'm sure you can all understand how much laundry this is now producing!!! This is such a great idea because they are re-usable, you can change them up for the seasons and holidays, and they make every meal feel special...just like at a grownup restaurant!!!