15 Best Ideas and Tips For Throwing a Wild One Themed Birthday Party for Boys

If you have been looking for the perfect one year old birthday party theme for your little boy, this post is for you! This is the ultimate guide to throwing a Wild One’ theme birthday party.

Well. It’s officially Summer. My baby boy Roman turned one on June 21, the Summer Solstice. Which means the days are longer and so much hotter. We had a really fabulous celebration.

Throwing a one year old birthday party is an interesting experience and I thought it would be fun to share all of my advice because I learned so much through all of this. The most important thing for a mom is to truly be in the present moment.

Related: my 5 tips for making the most of and truly savoring Summer.

Just a simple search on Pinterest for a one year old birthday party will drive any new mom into an anxious panic. It is a LOT to think about and it can be very expensive. Especially for someone who doesn’t like cheesy kid party decorations.

What I knew that I wanted to do was have a pool party because who wants to be inside on a gorgeous Summer day and what’s better than a pool party? There are so many character themes and I am sure I will cave for these soon but the ‘Wild One’ theme was my favorite. I didn’t want to get too jungle-y or animalistic, I wanted to go with a more Beverly Hills Hotel chic pool party tropical chic vibe, if that is a thing.

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4 Tips For Throwing a SUCCESSFUL BIRTHDAY FOR YOUR KIDS:

KEY #1: FEELING COMFORTABLE IS EVERYTHING

My outfit needed to match the theme of course so I got this palm leaf kimono which I’m telling you was a total hit. Everyone asked where I got it. Thankfully Amazon had me covered because I had no idea what to wear. It was perfect, breezy so I stayed cool yet covered me up so I didn’t feel uncomfortable running around in my swimsuit as I greeted guests. I also put my little boy in a palm leaf swimsuit to match his mama.

It made it easy for me to go in and out of the pool. I also suggest every woman grab this chic sun hat. It’s a wide brim oversized hat and comes in every color. I didn’t need to wear sunglasses because it covered my face so well. I will be wearing it all Summer long for sure.

KEY #2: KEEP THE DECOR SIMPLE & PICK A FOCAL POINT

I wanted the decor to be simple, chic yet really fun. So, I ordered two of these swan floats a la Lisa Vanderpump and named them Hanky and Panky. I got the 32” gold letter balloons to put behind the pool cave for a fun embellishment. I wanted the pool to really be inviting and center of attention. Roman really loves swimming. I always like to have the playlist match the decor and because it was a hotel pool vibe, I threw on Hotel Costes Mix on Spotify.

KEY #3: CREATE EASY SIGNATURE COCKTAILS

After reading Patricia Altschul’s Summer entertaining tips, I knew I wanted to rent a professional Margarita Machine, (if you are in Austin, I highly recommend Steve at River City) one side was a virgin pina colada which I named ‘Summer Solstice’ and the Margarita was called the ‘Roman Holiday’. How cute is that?

HOT TIP: Go to your local favorite restaurant with a really good frozen margarita machine and ask for their recipe. We had ours custom made with local tequila, nothing fake, nothing sugary, it was DELICIOUS.

What they give you to make the margarita mix with is typically filled with sugary things. I wanted them to be fresh, healthy and delicious. Green solo cups with cute neon straws and umbrellas really made them fun. They were a HUGE hit, everyone loved them.

It also makes it easier to be a hostess, you’re not stressing about pouring drinks or what people want. If you make something for everyone and make it easy to access, people feel right at home making their own drink. It really was a focal point of the party and put people at ease. We also had coolers full of gatorades, water and sparkling water so everyone could be properly hydrated.

(The kids really loved serving themselves virgin pina coladas)

KEY #4: EASY TO EAT BUFFET STYLE FOOD IS THE WAY TO GO

The food was Franklins BarBQ, which let me tell you was quite the ordeal to get and our cake was from Sweet Treats Bakery. I highly recommend them, they created the cake EXACTLY how I asked them to and they did a fabulous job.

A one year old party is interesting because it’s not really a kid party or a full on adult party so its kind of a limbo party. Ensuring things work for everything requires you to keep things simple, which I loved. I don’t like cheesy kid stuff at all, and I am so not ready for that but the cake and the margarita machine and pool floats were plenty for Romans cousin to have a lot of fun.

MORE CUTE IDEAS FOR A WILD ONE THEME BIRTHDAY FOR BOYS:

01 | Tiger Tails Pretzel Sticks

tiger tail pretzels

02 | Monstera Leaf Table Decorations

You will want to have plenty of jungle themed party accessories to place around the event space. I started by stocking up on monstera leaf decor accents.

03 | Wild One Gold Balloon Banner

No party is complete with out a large gold balloon banner. I personally did my sons name but I also love the idea of spelling out ‘wild one’. It makes such a statement and could be a fabulous photo booth background.

03 | Decorate the table with jungle animals

laluv party

Decorating the table with jungle animals is a must. I love the look of all gold animals to make it really chic. You can also keep the natural animal colors as well, it just depends on what look you are going for.

Get this look:

04 | Make a Monthly Milestone Photo Board

Let everyone see your child as he has grown each month to fully celebrate his first year.

05 | Make a jungle juice beverage stand

jungle juice stand

Get the look:

06 | Make a Wild One Party Chair

Sunseeking in style

amazon

When your baby can’t walk yet or barely walk, you’ll want a high chair so you can get photos of them eating their birthday cake and enjoying it. Style up your high chair with some chic wild jungle decorations.

Get the look:

07 | Lion theme veggies and hummus platter

messy apron

08 | Straw hats for everyone as party favors

Kara’s party ideas

If you’re having an outdoor party, everyone will thank you for a straw hat to keep them protected from the sun. You can decorate them with leaves and/or flowers to make it festive.

09 | Create a Wild One Balloon Wall & Snack Table

amazon

Get this look:

10 | Make a ‘please adopt me’ animal rescue

unicorn parties blog

11 | Strawberry & Grape Snake Snacks

snake snack idea

It’s a really fun idea to name all of the snacks you have according to the jungle theme. Here is a list to help inspire you:

Here is A JUNGLE THEME SNACK IDEA list:

• Banana pies – Banana Moon Pies

• Monkey Chow – Banana Chips

• Snake Eggs – Green Grapes

• Gorilla Poop – Chocolate covered raisins

• Giraffe Spots – Rye Chips

• Banana Treats – Runts Bananas

• Beetle Wings – Lays Potato Chips

• Tree Roots – Pretzel Sticks

• Elephant Snacks – Peanuts

• Zebra Cakes – Zebra Cakes

• Jaguar Claws – Bugles

• Grubs – Gummy Worms

• Animal Crackers – Animal Crackers

Birthday parties for children are so memorable and special. Hope you enjoyed this post. If you have any tips, feel free to add them in the comments below.

To protect privacy of everyone, I won’t post photos of the actual party but a big thank you to my childhood bestie for helping me set everything up. Love you.

Living with intention: how to do a proper tea ceremony meditation (Step by Step)

If you have difficulty meditating, a tea ceremony meditation might be for you.

These days, self care isn’t exactly something I get to put at the top of my list everyday. It is absolutely a high priority for me but I just don’t have as much time as I used to for it. As a mom, my attention is shared with another little human so I only get a fraction of my own time. What I have found to be essential is living with INTENTION.

LIVING WITH INTENTION

For me, that means in everything that I do, there is an intention behind it. Even something as simple as brushing my teeth, I use that time for affirmations and planting seeds of positive thoughts and good feelings. If I am taking a bath, I am imagining all of the days energy washing off of me. When I play with my baby, I am admiring his beauty and appreciating his existence. I pour praise, love, adoration and nurturing energy into him. When I make my jewelry, I am thinking about how these pieces will lead whoever wears them to their bliss, the energy inside them is full of intention.

What you focus on, expands. What you give energy to, always grows. There are countless ways to say it but it is very simple really. To sum it up, it doesn’t matter what you are doing in life, you want the energy behind what you are doing to be meaningful and brimming with a high frequency. That energy will fill your insides and then expand to others who come in contact with you. This will create a world around you of your own making. Your intentions will create your world.

When you begin to build your life with intention, you will find yourself baby stepping your way to bliss. Let’s break it down for you a little bit more.

You can live intentionally by adoption rituals into your daily routines. One ritual that I have adopted, after seeing the Kardashians do this amazing tea ceremony, is a tea time meditation. These typically are a Chinese ritual of silence and mindfulness while preparing organic & pure tea. However, as with most things, I like to create my own version filled with a lot of intention and a little glamour. I have totally become a woman who has an appreciation and love for all things spiritual but I choose to make these rituals glamorous, beautiful and in a way that feels fabulous to me. So that my home living experience if of course, blissful.

Full disclosure, this particular morning, I was drinking coffee. I just decided to make my coffee in the same way you make tea (french press gives you that filtered boiling water aspect). Anyway, the point is, you can make this your own and have the same effect. It’s more about taking time out to live intentionally.

Related Reading: the most perfect ritual robe I’ve found

Here is how to do a proper tea ceremony (step by step):

#1 Set the scene:

Once Roman goes down for his morning nap, I begin preparing for my mini meditation. I open the windows wide, let some fresh air in and lots of sunlight. You’re supposed to sit in silence but I prefer to listen to meditation music, the sounds are so soothing and serene. I like to provide myself ample beautiful things to look at because beauty makes me happy, joyful and zen.

I like interior design books because it’s more about visuals and not about words. I like to have fresh flowers, too. Pink roses are my favorite lately, however I can’t wait for peony season at Trader Joes. I like using a silver tray for absolutely everything so that usually carts around my teacup and tea pot. In a typical tea ceremony, they recommend using pottery but I always insist on beauty so I love porcelain tea cups. There is something mindful about them to me.

#2 What I wear:

Of course, I am always in one of my kimono robes, this helps things feel more ritual to me. A robe is a garment that signifies something. It means something. Traditionally, people wear robes to preform ceremonies or rituals, its a part of making the experience significant and meaningful. So, why shouldn’t we wear fabulous robes at home while we experience our own rituals. That could be washing the dishes, making tea, etc. Whatever it is for you that you are trying to give intention to, a robe really helps to amplify that.

I always wear crystals. I make it really fun and select the type of crystal energy I need for that day. Say I want to lean into gratitude and calm? I choose something like peach jade. If I am ready to manifest something, I choose something like amazonite. Wearing my crystal jewelry helps me to be specific with my intention. The universe and God love us being specific and being true to our hearts so crystals help you center around that.

Buy on Amazon

Buy on Amazon

#3 Making the tea:

This is where you get in your meditation. As you prepare your tea, be in silence. Be slow about the creation. Make everything beautiful and meaningful, sit in appreciation of this moment. Of course, thoughts will fill your mind ‘oh my god this is so silly’ or ‘oh crap, I need to fold the laundry’. Resist the urge to tend to those thoughts. Allow them and let them go. Return your attention to your intention and make your tea. Listen to the sounds, allow yourself to really get into it and see how the experience makes you feel.

Once I have made the tea, I take my tray over to the area where I just sit, relax and enjoy the experience. I take several deep breaths. I like to gaze out the window and see what colors I am most drawn to ( a Feng Shui practice that helps you learn what it is that you need more of that day ). Pay attention to your thoughts. If you think of a friend, perhaps you should reach out later or if you think of something you have been wanting to do, maybe it’s time you should go do it.

The purpose of this meditation is to quiet your mind and listen to your soul, your heart, your intuition.

#4. Journal whatever comes to mind.

Here’s the good part: When I am done with the tea, I write down EVERYTHING. All the thoughts, ideas, moments, etc. Whatever you need to get out of your mind, write it out. This will help you walk into your day with intention and clarity. You will feel a little lighter too.

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Buy on Amazon

I have always experienced a difference in my mind, body connection when I am in meditation. If you would like an easy start into a good mindfulness journey, join me in my Soul Aligned workshop. A 21-day workshop focused on your spiritual/personal growth…

I wanted to leave you with this quote so that you remember that while they may seem unimportant and silly, meditations and rituals like these are what you fill your insides up with. Hope you enjoy.

Have a beautiful weekend. Xo, ashlina