Thanks again for sharing your wonderful parties on Catch My Party this week! We received such a stunning mix of different party themes that you are sure to be inspired for any upcoming party you're throwing.

Hope you find them as stunning as I did!

I'm loving this week's crop of parties people have added to Catch My Party!

Given that we are in the midst of summer, you don't want to miss the fantastic Girly Glam Camp Out Party which is both rustic and pretty, and guaranteed to be a hit!

Now that summer is winding down, we're sharing these adorable free back-to-school owl printables designed for us by partyandprintables.com.

I'm a big believer in celebrating transitions. Going back to school is an important one for our kids. Lots of children find going back to school stressful. I know I do. Just figuring out what to pack for lunch gives me a headache. So my advice is to turn it into a celebration, and host a back-to-school party. This is what I do for my daughter.

Happy mid-July! It's hot here today in Palo Alto but we braved it and walked to our neighborhood art show. I shared a few snaps on Snapchat if you're interested. You can follow me at catchmyparty. Btw, I'm really enjoying Snapchat! Are you on it yet?

Lots of great parties were added to our site this week, including a woodland baby shower you will love! Check out the toadstool cupcakes with white chocolate chips!

My daughter started school last week, and while it all went well, she was definitely a little blah this weekend. I think she was exhausted from the excitement. I've learned over the years that when there is a high, there is usually a low to follow.

So I was happy when Snack Pack® asked me to come up with a fun way to celebrate back to school. When Lainey saw me on Sunday, starting to set up this back to school DIY pudding bar, and she knew it was just for her, she pepped up and dove in to help.

Now that duct tape comes in cool patterns and colors, it's become a crafters' dream material.

You can create so many unexpected things with it like these colorful duct tape flower pencils.

I know every family is different, but here's my advice from the trenches on how to make back-to-school clothes shopping both easy and fun for your family... Be the coach! Yep, that's my advice. Be the coach.

I watched a parenting video years ago, and the educator said that there comes a time when your role as parent changes: you go from being the "parent" to the "coach." At the time, I didn't know what he was talking about: I'll always be the parent I thought. But now as my daughter has reached the ripe old age of 8 and a half, I'm starting to understand, and our clothes shopping trip to Target turned out to be a great experiment. As a parent, there are certain things I need to make sure happen, one being that my daughter gets to bed at a reasonable hour with brushed teeth. Another is that at least a tiny bit of nutrition enters her body (this is actually hard with a very picky eater). I also need to make sure she is kind to herself and to others. But now we enter the grey area, the places where I could exert control and have it be my way, or I could back off. Through trial and error, I've found that the less I involve myself in her "business," the more successful I am. It's the push-pull thing. The less I push, the less she pulls. So this year, I said I was leaving clothes shopping up to her. My rule to myself was that if she asks me my opinion I'd give it, but otherwise, I would let her be the boss. She took the job very seriously. If you read my last post, you saw that she's no longer into rainbows, butterflies, or fairies. In fact, a new sophistication has emerged. Pink, purple, and sparkles are banished. Now it's

It's that time again! My daughter goes back to school two weeks from today. Third grade, here we come!

To get your kids ready and excited for back-to-school, we put together some great back to school party ideas to inspire you. We've included party foods, free printables, fun decorations, party favors and more. So let's get into it...

Can you believe it's almost time to think about back-to-school?

I've teamed up with a group of amazing bloggers to bring you this giveaway -- one of our lucky readers will win a $500 Amazon gift card! Think of how many many school supplies, fall clothes, and electronics you can buy with $500. Wouldn't it be a great way to kick off the new school year?

I was asked by Target to share my hack for making back-to-school a little easier. So here it is... a simple back-to-school morning checklist.

Going back to school is definitely not a fun transition in our house. School means structure, schedules, getting up early... ugh.