It's Your Kid's Party

The Birthday Party Monster!
by Mary Waggoner

I hear you . . . you're groaning. You know the question is coming any minute now. "Mom . . . what are we gonna' do for my birthday party this year?" Oh, No! The dreaded birthday party monster-of-a-project! Is it that time again already?

The pressure to have the best party is on! Who will get invited? Just close friends and family? The entire class? Where will the party be held? At your home? A club house? A bowling alley?

The questions begin to swarm in your brain as you try to sleep. You toss and turn. Will it be just one gender or coed? What will you do with the kids to keep them occupied? What if their parents just drop them off and expect you to manage unruly toddlers or siblings? What if... horrors!... it rains and they can't go outside?! At about 2am, you begin to think of ways to bribe your child into not having a birthday party!

No need to go through all that! There's a more simple answer: theme parties! Theme parties are wonderful! They create the mood of the celebration. They set the stage for the activities and favors. Best of all, they take much of the guess work out of the most important step of a party—proper planning!

What you need is a party consultant. Sure, you say—like I live in Beverly Hills and can afford a party consultant! Don't worry—I don't mean THAT kind of party consultant. Just someone who can get you going in the right direction, think about all the little details that you're too busy to think about when it's your home being invaded by the little darlings. A trained party consultant—usually a mother herself—working with a party supply company can be a lifesaver! They help you plan the party, come up with ideas to make your celebration extra special, listen to your fears and your hopes, and see that everything you need for the party is delivered right to your door—no hunting all over town for things to "match" or "something different." And with the ease of the Internet today, you'll not only find party consultants online, but also plenty of places to shop for unusual gifts for your child (here's a good example, www.royalmunchkin.com)

As a party consultant myself, I thought I'd share some professional party planning tips with you:

1. when you begin planning your party, make sure to think about the age your child is going to be. Each age has different likes and dislikes. (For a breakdown on how to plan the perfect party for your age child, visit Frugal Parties

2. Grab a spiral notebook and sit down with your child (if they are over the infant/toddler age) and discuss with them what type of party they have in mind. They may begin with something right out of DisneyWorld; but write all of their ideas down. You'll find that you can work with almost any concept to have fit into your budget.

3. Create a list of people to invite. I prefer to create 3 columns. The first column includes those we MUST invite, whether it be family, best friends, etc. The second column is for those you'd really like to have at the party. The third column is for those you'd like there, but wouldn't be too upset if they weren't invited (you know the kid I mean—the one who thinks it's funny every year to splash fruit punch on the girls!) By doing this, you begin to see who is important to your child, and begin enlisting a little "monitoring" help from those mothers—can never have too many parental "eyes" at a party!
   

4. Once the theme is agreed upon and the list is created, it is time to start being creative. With your budget in mind, visit a party consultant's site—and if your child is old enough, let him/her help you pick out the invitations and theme goods, create the party favors, or plan the games you will be playing. For the school age child, this is very exciting.

5. Make sure to send your invitations out at least 4 weeks in advance. This will leave enough time for delivery, schedule checking and RSVPing within 2 weeks of the celebration. If you have not heard from some guests, give them a call on the RSVP date just to make sure they have not misplaced the invitation. Once you have all your RSVP's, you can begin to order your party supplies and relax. The most stressful part of the party adventure is over! You just sit back wait for your paper goods, music, gifts... even a piñata, if you choose... to be delivered. All that's left for you to do is order the cake and grab some other munchies and drink.

6. Once the guests arrive, have a place where they can go and create a party favor. By doing this, you're encouraging them to break the ice and get them into the party mode. Have some festive music playing and grab that camera to take still shots of the fun. (For ideas on how to take excellent pictures at your next party, go to www.fotogeek.com) When you send your thank you notes, enclose a picture of the child in the envelope. They'll love to see a picture of themselves having fun at your child's party!

So there you go—you made it! You child is happy, his friends had a great time, and the other Moms will be amazed at how organized and clever you are to have pulled off such a great party with no stress!

If you want help planning your next celebration, ask Mary. frugalparties@aol.com. She's helped plan a 250 guest graduation party, a party for 18 two-year old's, a do-it-yourself wedding, and even a party for a group of 32 elderly who wanted to show their American spirit! No matter what your reason for celebrating, why not make it easier and more fun? And visit her website: For party planning and money saving ideas: Frugal Parties

Recommended links & books on Kid's parties:

 

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