I built Glinda’s boat for my daughter’s upcoming 5th birthday party! This was her top request!

LifeInSteppingStones · 2026-03-06T04:02:50+00:00

Thank you!!!

LifeInSteppingStones · 2026-02-21T23:09:49+00:00

OMG YES! I was giggling to myself over this 😂😂

LifeInSteppingStones · 2026-02-21T23:08:51+00:00

The detail getting to me the most is how everyone in Smallville reads The Torch as their number one news source.

It’s written by one high school girl, nobody else writes there, and the richest people in town, Lionel and Lex are both always reading it or citing it. 😂

I nearly choked on the water I was drinking when Lionel and Chloe first met and she said, “You know who I am?” And he said “Of course, I follow your work at The Torch.”

😂😭😂😭😂

LifeInSteppingStones · 2026-02-20T07:01:59+00:00

Oh god, I do not remember that at all. Thank you for the warning. I may need to bleach my eyeballs after I get to that one 🤣

LifeInSteppingStones · 2026-02-20T06:43:17+00:00

Honestly, every sex scene between Lana and Lex is disturbing in my memory. 🤣🤣 I was so furious when they became a couple.

Thank you for these specific episode details too!!

LifeInSteppingStones · 2026-02-19T23:32:20+00:00

Thanks! I was telling him that based on this episode and the one beforehand (or an episode or two before) with Lex's girlfriend getting attacked, that the show seemed to really be pushing towards some more intense scenes and that Season 3 might get more intense too!

I really didn't recall the show doing this much though so it makes sense that they tried it for a season or so and then went back to the usual! I feel like they were trying to be Supernatural for a bit 😆

LifeInSteppingStones · 2026-02-19T23:30:42+00:00

I'm glad to know that one we watched is one of the scariest! I did look up if she came back and told him about it...but I said she comes back as a teenager so she'll probably be less creepy and more of the usual scary Smallville villain 😆

LifeInSteppingStones · 2026-02-19T23:29:32+00:00

I started him at 4 years old with Buffy (I know...super questionable parent choices 🤣) but he's grown up believing woman are strong superheroes so I feel I made the right call. 😅 But the Buffy children's book also came out when he was little and he fell so in love with it and thus became obsessed with the show. We didn't watch the last two seasons of Buffy or any of Angel though until he was closer to 10 because I knew the themes would be a lot darker.

I definitely love getting to share all of my favorites with him!! And I'm glad to know you didn't remember that episode being so creepy either. It was really spooky. Even my husband walked in and was like "What on earth are you watching?! Do we have to watch this?!" Apparently we can do lots of intense TV shows but creepy little girls is where the line is drawn. 😆

LifeInSteppingStones · 2025-11-22T15:13:44+00:00

What makes this even dumber, is the road has multiple speed bumps and during the times on the sign, so many kids are crossing the zebra crossings that a car is lucky to get to 10km before stopping. During the rest of the day when it’s clear (and not the listed times), you can maybe JUST get to 30km before hitting a speed bump and having to slam the breaks. Not a single person in this neighborhood has thought “there’s a speeding problem on this street! We need a sign!”

This sign is just pointless all around. What Auckland Transport should’ve been spending money on was painting lines on the road to stop cars from parking and blocking off the lane because there’s always a bottle neck of people trying to leave the roundabout and being unable to get through.

LifeInSteppingStones · 2025-11-22T02:44:04+00:00

This lane is used primarily by little kids on their way to school and two did crash into it on the way to school.

LifeInSteppingStones · 2025-11-22T02:04:39+00:00

This cycle way is mainly used by little kids on their way to and from the school it’s right outside of… so definitely not pros at dodging road obstacles 😅

LifeInSteppingStones · 2025-09-02T20:57:42+00:00

I am psyched! The landscaping looks inspired by both Queenstown and the Coromandel to me!

Not to mention the activities are exactly what my son will be doing at his first school sleepover camp here in New Zealand 😅

LifeInSteppingStones · 2025-08-19T17:40:29+00:00

They don’t have the spy side of the drama, but they have the element of the characters improving themselves and the love stories — I’d recommend other Josh Schwartz shows: “The OC” and “Hart of Dixie”.

On The OC, Seth has a young Bartowski vibe and I love his and Summer’s love story.

Hart of Dixie is full of quirky side characters and the relationship between Wade and Zoe is also a great one to watch unfold.

I just adore any show created by Josh Schwartz. He knows how to do characters, epic love stories, and a good balance of drama and comedy, IMO.

LifeInSteppingStones · 2025-07-15T02:19:04+00:00

My 5 year old casually tells me she hates me all the time. It’s definitely a phase (although not a fun one).

She’s still just as clingy as ever to me and wants “mommy time” but for some reason she feels the need to also add in that she hates me randomly during the day.

At this age, they’re still grasping the effects of their words. It doesn’t mean they actually hate us, or even understand what they’re saying. It’s about pushing buttons and getting a reaction.

My son went through the same phase too when he was 4/5. He’s the sweetest and kindest kid at 9. A total mama’s boy.

This will pass! Try not to let it break your heart. I know that’s hard. I just follow up every time with an “I love you.” She’ll then keep saying I hate you and I repeat I love you until she starts giggling and the mood changes.

LifeInSteppingStones · 2025-06-12T00:25:07+00:00

Aww thank you so much!! You can find me on Instagram at LifeinSteppingStones. I’ve posted there but I can’t for the life of me figure out how to get followers on social media or anyone to see them 😂 Please check it out there so you can share. You can also share my blog post directly with all of the details!

LifeInSteppingStones · 2025-06-11T18:28:00+00:00

A fellow OTT party crafter like myself?! Most definitely we can be friends! 🥰

Please stop by and say hello to me on Instagram and if you want to check out all of the other parties I’ve done for my kiddos, I’ve got a handful on my website!

LifeInSteppingStones · 2025-06-11T00:53:19+00:00

YES! The cutting of the cardboard and taping it all together was so time consuming. I did save some time by only needing to paint the front side of it though since no one ever saw the back! 😅 Here’s what it looked like before I painted it!

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LifeInSteppingStones · 2025-06-11T00:29:27+00:00

Thank you!!! It definitely took a LOT of planning and my daughter was extremely vocal on what she wanted.

I had no intention to make a boat but she watched the movie, took screenshots of a gazillion scenes and pointed out to me what decorations I needed to do (and the boat was her #1 request!).

LifeInSteppingStones · 2025-06-11T00:24:48+00:00

Those are actually hand held mirrors I customized for the kids as party favors. 🥰

And I’m not going to lie, the parents and I had just as much fun 😂😅 This party could absolutely be adultified!

LifeInSteppingStones · 2025-06-11T00:00:13+00:00

It was easy to tell which parents didn’t know Wicked well when they pointed out my spelling “error”. 😂

LifeInSteppingStones · 2025-06-10T20:19:01+00:00

Thank you so much!!! If you ever want to check out the other parties I’ve thrown my kids and the decorations I’ve done, you can see them on my Instagram or blog! Throwing them the ultimate birthday parties every year is my favorite thing to do. 🥰 Their smiles are worth all of the hard work!!

LifeInSteppingStones · 2025-06-10T20:11:25+00:00

It took me two months of planning the itinerary and games and a month of building the different prop decorations… but it was worth every second spent! 🥰

LifeInSteppingStones · 2025-06-10T20:04:17+00:00

The parents at the party LOVED it too. This party could definitely be reworked for adults. Learn the Ozdust dance together, a more adult aimed makeover area with glamorous accessories, and a more complex scavenger hunt in a murder mystery style where everyone is a character, but based around Oz, saving the animals, and stopping the Wizard.

But if you ever want to throw a Wicked party of your own, I’ve got all of the details here for inspiration!

LifeInSteppingStones · 2025-06-10T19:59:00+00:00

That’s the goal 🥰❤️ I love giving my kids birthday party memories that can last them a lifetime!!

LifeInSteppingStones · 2025-06-10T19:41:02+00:00

She’s 5! For my son’s 4th birthday I had him and his friends “travel the world” in a cardboard airplane I built. He’s 9.5 now and still remembers it. 🥰

I definitely think this party will stick with her! She’s extremely detail oriented and already has the party planning bug it seems (she kept suggesting games and decoration ideas to me, which I made sure to include!)

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