Last month a friend asked me what I had planned for the eclipse. I looked at her like she was a crazy person. "I don't know what I have planned for dinner tonight, I haven't thought that far out!" Triage is how I organize my life - deal with each week, day, hour, minute at a time. Usually when we have grand plans, they get smashed by the needs of my littles. So I've learned to procrastinate a bit and still have been able to make wonderful family memories based on reading everyone's mood, rather than trying to force a planned good time through. Yesterday another friend asked about our eclipse plans when I realized that it was right around the corner and I still hadn't planned anything. Eek! Thankfully it's not too late to pull of a simple, but fun viewing party for my little family.

We are located in Portland, Oregon, which will experience not quite a total solar eclipse, but 99.3% is pretty darn cool! "Experts" are predicting some of the worst traffic jams in Oregon's history so we'll be hunkering down at home and keeping our fingers crossed for a clear day. Use this website to check your zip code and learn how you'll experience the solar eclipse. No matter where you live, I hope you'll join us in celebrating the solar eclipse with these fun ideas.

No matter where you live, you'll need a pair of eclipse glasses. We were able to pick some up from a local eye doctor at a bargain, but Amazon Prime to the rescue if you haven't bought some yet. Not all eclipse glasses are created equal, you'll want to make sure they are ISO and CE certified so you don't cause eye damage.

Now for the fun stuff...

Crafts and Activities

Sun, moon, and space crafts are fairly easy to find or dream up. I've linked to quite a few fun ones for all ages on my Pinterest board, but here are a few we'll be doing at home.

Food

I kinda love theme parties, but you could make just about anything on theme using a star, sun, or moon cookie cutter. Sandwiches, cheese, and fruit are instantly eclipse ready! Here are some ideas and recipes for snacks that looks out of world!