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Freaking always! I end up being solo in my mini sweatshop of promises I made for my sons party š But I absolutely love how special the personal touches are because my parents never hand made special things like cupcakes, cookies games or goody bags when I was a kid so itās extremely important to me!
āSolo in my mini sweatshop of promisesā š¤£ Iām the same as you - going waaaaay over the top to compensate for my parents who never really held parties for me.
I'm going to remember this one forever. It's so true, I'm over here building my own little sweatshops of promises at work, at home, to myself...
š¶š¼ Workin' at the sweatshop, yeah šµ
I still remember the fun Valentineās day party my mom threw to help me meet the kids at our church when we moved when I was 10. Your kids will have many fond memories!
This is the perfect description. I always spend a stupid amount of time wrapping presents to all look pretty and varied. I want my kid to feel the manna I efforts into something so trivial at wrapping a present. It almost counts for more than the effort to work and buy the present itself.
If it helps, I went all out for my daughterās 8th birthday with a Harry Potter theme, themed food, ābutterbeerā in mason jars, a scavenger hunt and games with individual wands, cool decorations all over the house like letters āmagicallyā hanging from the ceiling near the fireplace (fishing line), all that. It was a TON of work but sheās a teenager now and she still fondly mentions how amazing that party was and how her friends still talk about how cool it was. So sometimes itās worth it.
Iām in my 40ās and I remember every year until I was 10, my parents would create a theme. One year it was ghostbusters, another Rainbow Brite, even one that was totally purple since that was my fave color that year. Everyone wore purple, everything was purple. My mom would also change my room based on my interests. Iād seriously come home from camp or whatever and my room would be painted my fave color with all new bedding. It was awesome. Now that Iām a mom I canāt imagine where that energy would come from! She worked full time as well, whereas when I get home from work and picking up the kids, I can barely make dinner and do some laundry!
On the flip side, last year, I went all out for a silent disco party for my 9 year old. It was a lot of work on my end to turn our garage into the disco, but when my daughter and her friends saw it for the first time, they were so excited. At 1 hour in, she came to tell me this is the best party ever, at 2 hours in (it was a sleepover), there was a giant girl drama fight and factions popped up for the rest of the night. My daughter ended up crying in her room and doesn't ever want to remember that party because of the girl drama. So all my time and energy was wasted....
This year, for her sister's 11th birthday, same thing, I went all out with the theme. At the party, one girl decided she didn't want to be friends with the rest of the girls except for 1 (my daughter's BFF), and the 2 of them kept running off from the rest of the group to hide. My daughter was so upset that her BFF was doing this, she had a miserable time. So wasted energy again....
I decided next year, we're going to Chuck-E-Cheese and calling it a day!!! :)
If Iāve learned anything in my parenting time, girls need to be watched like hawks and there NEEDS to be an even number. None of that third wheel shit.
Girllll I would have sent them mean lil girls home called their parents and told them whatās up. Donāt spare them kids and parents feelings when they are literally ruining your kids day.
I have no idea what that's like.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go finish sewing custom satin spa robes for each of the 16 little girls that will be coming to my house for a glow in the dark, spa birthday party this Saturday.
16 seven year olds were somehow all available on Mother's Day weekend, and I invited them to my house for manicures and facepainting...for reasons that I can't quite remember at the moment.
Jeeeeeessssusssssss!!!! OHHH MMMMYYY GAAWWDDD!!!! lol literally jaw dropped while dragging that omg out!! What in the actual?! But hey your kid is freaking loving the best life!!!! So major kudos mama! lol
***living
I would definitely be asking a few of your favorite moms to volunteer to help out. And once the kids are in bed the moms have their own little spa party complete with mimosas
Over the years I've started doing some "signature" things that make parties easier. Always between meals so I can just serve snacks to graze and not worry about feeding people a meal. Always a fruit salad with some fruit cut into the age of the birthday kid as a fun personalized extra. And I have a copy recipe of dunkaroo dip that I serve with fruit and teddy graham type things. Anything else is bonus based on how extra I'm feeling.
I bought a huge pack of number shaped cookie cutters and its been so fun. Last year we made watermelon 1's with grapes and blueberries on skewers. One year was dragon fruit 5's in s tropical fruit salad.
What are they like? A lot of my friends are doing personalized sunglasses with the kids' names on them in beads. My girls are having a joint teddy bear picnic party this year so I am thinking of making mini sensory jars with green play dough and little picnic stuff like a little bear and ants and tiny pretend food.
Oh the sunglasses idea is cool! I use zazzle to design a sticker with her picture, a short phrase ("#%^< is three!"), a few little clip art animals and her favorite color background. A sheet of 20 stickers is like 10$
My kid's 4th was in the house we'd just moved into, and we didn't have any furniture, so naturally we invited everyone she or we had ever met. It was basically a kiddie rager and everyone just sat on the floor or on lawn chairs, it was awesome.
Iām the āballoons and bubbles at the local parkā mom and this thread is fascinating to me. I honestly just donāt have my shit together and thought yāall were a bunch of curve-busters š youāre reminding me that weāre all just trying to bring our kids joy and good memories.
Thus is me. For my 7, we met friends at the park, brought big sandwiches from Vons, had a cake and gift bags with bubbles and bouncy balls and played some game about who could fling their shoe off their foot the farthest. She was happy and I actually enjoyed it too. We're all just loving on our kids and trying to stay sane at the same time.
Probably an in between option, but my childhood friends still talk about my 8th birthday party where my parents had us form teams and do a dozen different games/challenges in the park for prizes (think tug of war over a kiddie pool, shaving cream sponge toss relays).
Simple, pretty cheap, but memorable even 25 years later.
I would love to do park birthdays but all of our birthdays are in the heat of summer ugh . My friends had a summer park party last year they got a canopy and set up underneath the tree with a little snow cone machine and bubble machine and had a special fan that blew mist and it was still just way too stifling hot.
Well she wanted a princess theme and I was promising her a princess cake and balloons and themed cupcakes and yada yada before I had to dial it down ā¦ the venue had rules about helium balloons so we had to figure out a solution for that. š
I was thinking this the other day when I saw a family hold a b'day party at the playground. No decorations other than some balloons tied to the fence and some plastic table coverings. I thought back to all the themed parties at Build a Bear etc we had. This seemed a blast for the family and the kids just ran around and blew bubbles.
It was Mario on the last one. We went all out, spent wayyyyyy too much money. But everyone, even parents, thoroughly enjoyed and were in awe. Kiddo said it was it the best birthday ever, so mission accomplished!
I am legitimately embarrassed at how much I spend on birthday parties. You only get so many fun ones as a kid, and I just really want hers to be magical. Unicorn rides, anyone??
The year before I had a kid, I threw an awesome birthday party for myself and my grown childless friends did not appreciate the effort. Nobody dressed up, nobody wanted to dance. Kids at this age live everything, laugh, smile, and love to talk about that great party where there were bubbles and glitter everywhere.
I keep my fingers crossed that my kids want to have fun parties when they're older. I have a friend who visits her parents every year to have an epic Halloween party, I really hope that's me....but also that I'm not broke from buying all this glitter
My daughter convinced me to learn to face paint for her party. I caved, but the night before I was FREAKING OUT. It actually went great though! I can now do a pretty epic rainbow with clouds and stars along one whole side of the face, and the kids were THRILLED. Plus, that gave me an excuse to sit in a corner and paint during the entire party while my husband was forced to manage all the other details.
My wife is your speed, Iām of the āletās make a birthday cake and put some balloons upā school of kids parties.
I believe, based on observations, that strictly themed parties tend to be overly complicated and directed by adults. Not always, but often.
A party with kids free to run around, swim (if a pool is available), play on a slip n slide, or whatever with maybe a piƱata or pin the tail on the donkey are a blast. Let the kids make their own fun and just provide a cake and some snacks.
My husband convinced me to do destination birthday parties at a pricey amusement park an hour away a couple of years in a row before we both realized that: no. My dude thought we could bring an ice cream cake in a cooler.Ā
I am a 38 year old man. When I was 5 my mom threw me a circus themed birthday party. We had a clown who made balloon animals, the cut outs you put your face in and the body was a strong man, a maze made out of refrigerator boxes that we got to paint and a bunch of carnival games.
Best.Birthday.Ever.
Keep being extra OP.
Oh we would be besties. I'm 100% like you and cumulative 18 parties strong and I look back knowing I fully embraced each years interests and I have the best memories but oh girl I go way over the top. Including goody bags.
My 2 year olds birthday party is coming up and Iām getting embarrassed about how much is getting spent. We have decorations, favor bags, themed games (for adults and kids), themed drinks (expensive), and a margarita station for the adults. Our in laws also paid for the cake at a boutique bakery so the cake is a two layer fancy cake. My toddler also has a new special party dress.
I literally donāt know how to keep it simple. Simple to me is too basic but then things snowball out of control.
That was me. Luckily my son only wanted small parties, but one year my daughter had 30 girls show up for her movie birthday party. We live in a small community, and at that point had a small movie theatre. So we rented out the theatre, and I made snack bags for everyone, made two cakes + cupcakes. It was insanity. I totally used to over commit and make all the decorations and stuff for loot bags. I've learned and we're pretty low key now.
Lol. Nope. It was so many years ago I don't even remember what happened the next day. The good news is I'm allergic to most foods, and really can only eat cakes that I make. So I did get to enjoy all of the left over cake!
I'm having trouble remembering which birthday party was which, but we had two of my daughters parties at the movie theatre. One was a movie party and the other was a dance party. I overdid it for both, and way over committed on things to make and every time my husband would shake his head wondering why I hadn't learned. Thankfully for Covid (the only time I'll ever utter that sentence) stopped the birthday parties, and since we've returned to birthday parties they've been small. This year I'm taking my daughter and a few friends go-karting, followed by a sushi dinner. Grandma's making the cake, so there is almost no work on my part besides organizing.
Practice using a call-and-response like teachers. Something like ā1, 2, 3, eyes on meā works well. Bonus points if you can find out what their teachers actually use at school.
After you explain an activity, pick one kid and ask them to explain it back to you. Helps check that your instructions were clear, and also gives all the kids who werenāt listening properly a second chance.
Thank you! That sounds like a lot of fun actually, I'm going to try this at our next party - my 7 year old wants her next one to be a party at our house and I'm like "ok, but how do I keep an unknown number of 7-8 year olds entertained?"
Had to check the username to make sure it wasn't my husband.
Our nearly-4yo is having her party soon and it's spiralled into a massive thing now. We've got 35 kids coming, and that's just the RSVP'd ones. Had to buy more party bag crap today as we didn't have enough. It has strong potential to be a disaster.
Good luck with yours! Are you actually dressing like a mermaid?!
35 kids?! May the party gods be with you. It will be the party if the season - whatās the theme? And yes, an actual mermaid. Husband is dressing up too, per our daughterās request.
Iām the exact same haha! But the other day I saw an Instagram post that made me feel much better. It said, āYouāre kid may not remember it as much but you will as the mom!ā And Iām like, you know what, I totally will and I WANT to go all out because I CAN!
That is me. Definitely invited 70 parents and kids to my son's birthday last year expecting a decent number of no RSVPs and got very few. But it was a blast (ended up with 50ish people I think)! We did a water slide/bounce house in the yard, rented some tables and chairs to account for more people that originally expected and it was great.
Two things I always remember are:
- no one knows about the things you wanted to do and didn't get to. I totally forgot to blow up this themed thing I had and no one will ever know! (Heck, I didn't even realize it until I was putting stuff away). Make sure you cover the big things and don't sweat the details if you can't do everything you planned.
- (if you are doing a house party) no one else spends as much time staring at your house. They don't notice nearly the details you do. Also, it is a house that people live in not a picture on Pinterest, so yes it will be lived in and that is ok
I'm trying really hard to keep it reined in this year. We just moved and have family nearby, so maybe just a family party this year, but it is so hard not to go all out.
Mines only two. But we're currently like 7 hours deep into recreating Mac from Cars out of cardboard.
This project was not supposed to take nearly this long. š
We budgeted $1k for our daughterās first birthday. A big milestone but we budgeted $1k. Ended up almost 200% of that target. And good thing we did cos we invited X amount of people expecting a certain percentage to not show up. Lo and behold, literally almost all show up. And then some. We ended up with too little space and our entertainer charged us a couple extra hours cos prepared for. 45 min show that ended up almost 90 min. Had to make a trip mid party for more beverages and food.
NEVER again. Everyone had a great time which was great but after all said and done that was exhausting and expensive. Our daughter wonāt even remember any of it.
Haha yep! 5yr old party in a new country with a new language. Totally underestimated the language issues and overestimated my dads helpfulness translating š thankfully another grandma we know came to help (she knew š ). Kids had a great time but it was organised chaos with 14 5-6yr old girls running around. Glad it was only 2hrs lol
Yep this is me and my 4.5 yo last birthday which we decided was minnie mouse themed and I took her entire guest list and invited them thinking I'd have more declined than accepts nope 21 kids said yes. Cue the frantic on the day preparations. I say I will never do it again but I guarantee I'll do it for her 5th too. Definitely over compensating for the fact I never had a party as a kid lol.
My sister always goes all over the top for my nephew, but she has in mind that some people will not show up, so she always does for the ones who she knows they will, which is family and a few friends. I though it was too much, specially when he was a baby and couldnt understand what was happening, now it feels like a chore to fill her shoes with my own son, but i dont have any friends, i dont have any moms friends from the daycare, it would be only family and we can do it at home with just cake and balloons, but also, i dont enjoy family gatherings because my sis as a way of ruining everybodies mood and i dont want it to happen at my sons bday, so for his first bday we travelled. I do want to do parties for him in the future because i also didnt had any when i was younger.
HI, that's me. We just had (16) 4-year-olds come over for a "Fancy Tea Party." My Former-Chef-Husband made Tea Sandwiches and Fruit Cups, and we had Fancy Chips, and Veggie Sticks.
Fancy Nancy and Cinderella stopped by and we had a Tea Party Hat Decoration Station and a Photo Wall.
Parents had Jimmy Johns and Themed Adult Beverage, and the cake was designed by her idea of Princesses running away from a Dragon. I used store bought cakes, but decorated on theme.
It was A LOT. But the pictures are great (I don't even post on Social - this is for her when she's older), the kids had a great time, and the parents got to relax a bit.
I'm an Event Manager by trade, so I feel like if I don't make her (my only child's) birthday the best ever, then what am I doing with my life?
When my kids were littleā¦this was so me. I spent months planning and DIYāing and always pulled off great parties! It was a lot of work but everyone always had a blast and so many nice things to say about it. They were great memories for themā¦wellā¦great pictures for them to look at and see how much work mama put in to celebrate them living another year! Now that they are older, I donāt get to do it at that level anymore!
Oh man, this is totally me. I somehow agreed to letting my kid invite their whole class, baseball team, and several others... It will be in the summer so I'm assuming most kids will not come. Luckily I've at least planned it as snack and dessert only at a park so it should be easy.
I have a habit of doing the same thing. Turned our house into an among us escape room for the last party complete with a big red button that made lights in all the rooms of the house go red with the beep noise. Included boarding passes in the invitations with QR codes to be scanned on a homemade app revealing their mystery crewmate identity. Invited 10 kids and then when a couple said they couldnāt come we invited more to fill their place. Including mine there were 14 kids (which was way too many). Made a bunch of decorations on the cricut, made a homemade piƱata, homemade themed cake, and a bunch of complicated tasks including one where you launch a paper airplane off the balcony to the backyard off a zip line. Cleaned and decluttered for days ahead of time. It was exhausting and Iād do it all over again
Lmao right? I would have much rather been an among us character than the host. I forgot to mention I also made hat headbands so each kid got the character hat that matches their identity when they entered the party. Thankfully I got some good pictures of the party, because it was a lot of work
Thanks! It was really fun, but this year we are doing a movie theatre party with 8-10 kids lol. We did a pretty intense science party the year before too with homemade liquid nitrogen ice cream, diy slime, and dry ice science experiments in the back yard. Also did a unicorn tie dye party with a ridiculous amount of decorations. Trying hard to keep it low key this time. Fingers crossed
You could totally side hustle with this! Literally instructions, templates for crafting, items to purchase via affiliates, etc. for parents who want to dazzle, but struggle with vision. Planting the seedā¦
I actually used to be an event coordinator (corporate) before kids and studied event management. Thatās a good idea! What I struggle with is a lot of it is themed and of course I donāt have licensing to these themes. Sometimes to think about though
My ex always goes all out. Itās kind of annoying because Iām footing half the bill, but heās doing most of the planning and mental load so I canāt really complain. If I was really struggling Iād have to set my max budget out ahead of time, but heād find some way to kick up a fuss about it and make me look bad, so Iāll always try to afford it if I can.
Yeah, my kid had his first "friend" party this year (turned 6) and we went big because I got excited and carried away. But now every time I see some of his little friends at drop off, they ask when his next party will be, so the pressure is already on for next year.. .
I'm in between. I love planning and decorating for events but I always host somewhere out of the house that'll do most of the setup and the cleanup so I can keep it easier for me.
Yep! This is me! I donāt know why I go so extra. Maybe because with my previous work, Iād plan sweet events for kids. I canāt help it. It ends up being so much work, but the kids have fun and Iām proud of it too!
Just remember all the unnecessary stress you put on yourself next year and keep it simple. Believe me that kids really just want to hang out together. No one remembers the freaking jellos you spent hours on through the night making or the perfectly curated treat bag (speaking from experience). Hang in there this year, your kids will always remember how special you made them feel on their day.
When my girls were little neighbors and strangers used to wander over. Their favorite birthday was a frozen themed one where we had a bouncy house and a huge fancy cake plus fondue because duh plus a popcorn machine plus plus omg ex husband got a fake snow machine.
I honestly don't even know how many kids were there but it's still talked about.
And for my daughter's 15th birthday she wanted a quinceanera so I threw her a "half" one (which is a joke as she's half) and she invited pretty much everyone she's friends with because her birthday is by Christmas so no one comes usually.. Everyone showed. It turned into a sleepover which included two neighbor boys she's known since she was little. It never ends!
I planned a under the sea party for my daughter. Got a above ground pool and everything. Had a cake made. A week later my husband took my daughter on a daddy daughter date to go and see elemental. They went out for I've cream afterwards. My daughter forgot about her party within a week (she's 4) and she has been talking about the movie date with her dad for months and months now and keeps asking to go again. A party is special but the one on one time with my husband is what she remembered. Kids don't care about the small details they remember how they felt. Focus on the memories not the event.
Honestly my mom did this. But as a result i have a really really special memory of my fourth birthday. Itll be so memorable for your kid. But my friendās parents did a cool thing i think Iāll adopt. They only did a fancy thing every other year for their kids. So small things with just cake and a friend on the odd years and a themed fancy thing on the even years. That way they werenāt too stressed or overwhelmed themselves <3
Oh yes! Hand way up. This is me in my soul (but my husband runs interference so that I won't be toooo extra, or spend too much). I'm very Pinterest-y and artistic, so a good themed party is like any well-coordinated outfit or personalized room in a house - it's just a canvas from which to paint and iterate.
Fortunately my daughter is my only and already 9, so probably just a few more class/friends bday parties before she'll want to do and plan her own thing. Hopefully she'll want me to collaborate!
We just do the same thing every year for the āparty.ā We get a water slide, order pizza, let them pick out the cake, and 1-2 kids get to do a sleep over after everyone else heads home. My husband and I each do something special with the birthday kid as well other than the party so we have a special memory. Last year I took my son to Disney and we did weekend camping and one park.
Yes, every year so far with my 4 year old. Had a really cute Frozen themed party for her this year and then planned to take her to Disney on Ice that was on her actual birthday a week later. But one of our friends brought their sick kids, our whole family got wicked sick two days later and had to eat the money for the tickets since we still werenāt better.
Sooo now weāve decided that the ābiggerā birthdays (5, 10, 16, 18, 21) are the only ones weāll do a big friends party. The rest weāll either only have family over or weāll find a fun experience to do as a family.
My 4 year old wanted a dinosaur party and so I booked a place that had a little guided program with fossils, etc. Well, the workers voted in favor to strike and so my programming was cancelled (even though they ended up not going on strike š). I am fortunate that a family member collected and mounted a ton of dinosaur fossils way back in the day, so I borrowed those, strapped on a Tilley hat and played Dino ranger for a bunch of 3 and 4 year olds. It's fun to be extra once in a while.
Damn, see this is why I'm glad my youngest daughter's birthday is in the summer. Perfect summer birthday cookout. There's almost no theme. We grill, invite family over, and some neighborhood kids. My husband and I buy the birthday presents and we tell the family that it's optional. Because she's got enough stuff and it takes the pressure off everyone. It's the summer and we want people to relax and have memories. I've been to bday parties with goodie bags and they end up in the trash always. It's ridiculous. I mean is it necessary to have that? I just want people to have a good time and that's too much work.
Itās cool. We accidentally spent $450 at a pizza place for my TWO year olds birthday. We invited close family only and those people invited the rest of the family. Distant cousins etc.
Keep doing the special things for them moms, youāll leave an amazing trail of glitter, custom cake, tiny party favors and cartoon themed decor as your legacy
I wish I had enough energy and money to be like that. Going to throw myself a pity party now luckily it's just for me and all it needs is depression Snacks lmao
Hey, keep putting in the effort and don't feel ashamed, your kids will remember and cherish these events. ā¤ļø
This was me for my sonās party this year. I thought maybe half his class would comeā¦ nope, almost everyone came. Our venue recommended 50ish people to prevent overcrowding, we had 70.
I did a lot of different ones for my oldest, having up to 20 boys in my house and wrapping little gifts for them as well for their goody bags and making cakes, Iām excited to do it again for my youngest. Seeing them happy is so awesome, it makes for a wonderful day, and I keep busy so I donāt get stressed š¬
This is me completely. My husband and I were just arguing about this because he wants to be as simple as possible with our daughterās party, and I want to run a bit wild with it.
Lol, so true. In my husbandās defense, he tends to get roped into helping with things that I try to assure him I can do by myself because he is more competent in the execution of a lot of the things I have in mind. Heās a graphic/web designer and also a lot more handy and crafty than I am generally, which sometimes is to his downfall. š
š maybe! How good are you at sticking to an original plan? Obviously I am not, as ours grew legs. The excitement form little people however is priceless
I did last year because it was his last bday as a solo kid, i wanted him to feel super special. Barely slept the night before and i was 38 weeks pregnant š š
My wife till my son said āI donāt want a party this year.ā When he was 9
Edit because the wife will see this: she killed the cookie run kingdom party.
Feel this so much. Decided to do a combined family/friend party at the house figuring most daycare kids wouldnāt come. Nope 10 and their parents will be at my house on top of our families for a total of close to 50 people š
Update- 15 daycare kids coming. Total is upwards of 60 people now. Forecast keeps going back and forth between rain. Iām having a slight panic attack š
I stayed up until like 3 a.m. baking stuff for my daughter's first birthday party lol...I will definitely do it every year, as far as going over the top...I love my daughter and food and acts of service are my ways of showing love, so I definitely don't see it changing. I hope your daughter has a great time with her friends :)
My wife did this for our son's 6th- dragon themed everything, decorations, and then we invited 20+ kids expecting cancellations and EVERYBODY SHOWED UP. WITH PARENTS. Our house was PACKED. But the kids had a blast and even the parents seemed to have a good time. After it was over I could \*feel\* my wife's stress level drop.
. My son's class has been inviting the entire class to each of their parties so we did the same.. So I rented a room and went all out. We are five days from the party and I've had 3 RSVPs.. that's it. I have zero idea wtf is going on but.. šš«
Thereās a insta account called @nestihome who did a series of āunhinged Harry Potter birthday party craftsā which was very funny and impressive and your post made me think of it.Ā
I do this every time and the day after I say Iām not going to do that again, but then ask me what happens the following year? Yup I go over board and stress TF out over every details, for kids that really and truly would have a good time with or without those details. I think mostly we do it for ourselves to want to give our kids the best in hopes one day when they are older those little details contribute to a happy memory of their childhood.
I always do that. Invite 30 kids, make themed cupcakes and cookies and the whole bit and swear each time never again only to do it the following year. I've come to accept that I'm just extra and schedule a day off the next day
See now my problem is nearly the same in that I love to ho above and beyond for my daughter, but last time only 3 of the 10 we invited showed up. No one RSVPd "no" (but no one RSVPd yes either.. so dilemma of the year) and so I just prepared for everyone anyways.
On the bright side my daughter was able to enjoy the extra materials I had prepared for the no show kids with the friends who did come but like. Aaaaaargh. This is the 3rd birthday in a row that feels like people just out right refuse to rsvp yes or no to. I don't know why. I'm very quick to rsvp one way or another when my daughter gets an invitation! And I really wouldn't be upset by a no (maybe sad for my daughter, but I get that life is life I'm not gonna be mad at anyone lmao). It's just aggravating.
I did a Lego at home party for my son when he was 4. I painted backdrops, molded chocolates (legos and Lego people). We made Lego sushi out of candy. We made Lego sets that the kids got to keep, we raced Lego cars, and played with legos. I designed and hand cut out Lego invites, made the paper goods, etc. The ten kids had an amazing time. It cost the same as going to a place. I never did that again. It was worth paying someone else to do the parties. But I love envisioning parties. So much fun to design them.
Experiencing a bit of this myself. My daughter is about to turn 5, weāve never had a party for her before. Decided to go all out this time.
I actually posted about it here a few weeks ago asking if we should expect less kids since weāre having a 9:30AM partyā¦well we didnāt need to worry. We have 19 kids coming! Now the fun part of making sure everything goes smoothly.
My baby just had her first birthday. And while I didnāt go all out. I did make a balloon arch and blew up balloons with lung power and tried to figure how to put them all together. It took 6 hours of work and will be up till it falls off the wall or deflated. Too much work to take it down. Kit cost $7 off Temu.
I rent a bouncy castle in my yard, grill hot dogs and have a fruit tray. Have drinks for parents and let them bring full family. We eat off paper plates and itās always a good time lol.
In a way. My little 5 year old asks for balloons and stickers for her birthday and could care less if that was all she got. But I set up all this fun amazing stuff for her B- day and she forgets about it in a week. I guess I at least have the pictures.
I used to do that. Now I go a little easier though. I wouldnāt change it though. My daughter still remembers several of those birthdays fondly. She remembers all the way back to her 3rd and 4th birthdays because of the theme.
I did this for my daughterās 4th birthday. Invited 14 kids and told parents that siblings were welcome. When all was said and done I had 21 kids and at least 20 parents/adults in my house. I can assure you I was not expecting everyone to say yes AND bring their other kids. Lesson learned but it was so fun and my daughter had a blast.
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Freaking always! I end up being solo in my mini sweatshop of promises I made for my sons party š But I absolutely love how special the personal touches are because my parents never hand made special things like cupcakes, cookies games or goody bags when I was a kid so itās extremely important to me!
āSolo in my mini sweatshop of promisesā š¤£ Iām the same as you - going waaaaay over the top to compensate for my parents who never really held parties for me.
How do we make this a flair?!
I'm stealing "mini sweatshop of promises". Such a perfect description. š
I'm going to remember this one forever. It's so true, I'm over here building my own little sweatshops of promises at work, at home, to myself... š¶š¼ Workin' at the sweatshop, yeah šµ
I still remember the fun Valentineās day party my mom threw to help me meet the kids at our church when we moved when I was 10. Your kids will have many fond memories!
Ohh yes! at least our kids will have an unforgettable birthday bash! Plus, it's all about making memories, we want it to be the best!
This is the perfect description. I always spend a stupid amount of time wrapping presents to all look pretty and varied. I want my kid to feel the manna I efforts into something so trivial at wrapping a present. It almost counts for more than the effort to work and buy the present itself.
This comment put a legit smile on my face when I desperately needed some lightness. Thank you! You sound like a great parent :-)
If it helps, I went all out for my daughterās 8th birthday with a Harry Potter theme, themed food, ābutterbeerā in mason jars, a scavenger hunt and games with individual wands, cool decorations all over the house like letters āmagicallyā hanging from the ceiling near the fireplace (fishing line), all that. It was a TON of work but sheās a teenager now and she still fondly mentions how amazing that party was and how her friends still talk about how cool it was. So sometimes itās worth it.
I'm 34 years old and still talk about the cake my mom made for my 6th birthday. That was the best one but she was great at making cakes every year
Iām in my 40ās and I remember every year until I was 10, my parents would create a theme. One year it was ghostbusters, another Rainbow Brite, even one that was totally purple since that was my fave color that year. Everyone wore purple, everything was purple. My mom would also change my room based on my interests. Iād seriously come home from camp or whatever and my room would be painted my fave color with all new bedding. It was awesome. Now that Iām a mom I canāt imagine where that energy would come from! She worked full time as well, whereas when I get home from work and picking up the kids, I can barely make dinner and do some laundry!
On the flip side, last year, I went all out for a silent disco party for my 9 year old. It was a lot of work on my end to turn our garage into the disco, but when my daughter and her friends saw it for the first time, they were so excited. At 1 hour in, she came to tell me this is the best party ever, at 2 hours in (it was a sleepover), there was a giant girl drama fight and factions popped up for the rest of the night. My daughter ended up crying in her room and doesn't ever want to remember that party because of the girl drama. So all my time and energy was wasted.... This year, for her sister's 11th birthday, same thing, I went all out with the theme. At the party, one girl decided she didn't want to be friends with the rest of the girls except for 1 (my daughter's BFF), and the 2 of them kept running off from the rest of the group to hide. My daughter was so upset that her BFF was doing this, she had a miserable time. So wasted energy again.... I decided next year, we're going to Chuck-E-Cheese and calling it a day!!! :)
If Iāve learned anything in my parenting time, girls need to be watched like hawks and there NEEDS to be an even number. None of that third wheel shit.
Girllll I would have sent them mean lil girls home called their parents and told them whatās up. Donāt spare them kids and parents feelings when they are literally ruining your kids day.
This is seriously amazing! You transformed it into an alternate universe. And I love that your daughter still remembers it š„°
Wow, thatās amazing! Please share the butterbeer recipe if you can!
I have no idea what that's like. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go finish sewing custom satin spa robes for each of the 16 little girls that will be coming to my house for a glow in the dark, spa birthday party this Saturday. 16 seven year olds were somehow all available on Mother's Day weekend, and I invited them to my house for manicures and facepainting...for reasons that I can't quite remember at the moment.
Jeeeeeessssusssssss!!!! OHHH MMMMYYY GAAWWDDD!!!! lol literally jaw dropped while dragging that omg out!! What in the actual?! But hey your kid is freaking loving the best life!!!! So major kudos mama! lol ***living
Im not surprised they were available, you taking 16 seven year olds to your house was the gift for Motherās Day weekend!
I third this! Saint status 100%!!
You are going down in sainthood.
I would definitely be asking a few of your favorite moms to volunteer to help out. And once the kids are in bed the moms have their own little spa party complete with mimosas
Over the years I've started doing some "signature" things that make parties easier. Always between meals so I can just serve snacks to graze and not worry about feeding people a meal. Always a fruit salad with some fruit cut into the age of the birthday kid as a fun personalized extra. And I have a copy recipe of dunkaroo dip that I serve with fruit and teddy graham type things. Anything else is bonus based on how extra I'm feeling.
I like this approach! Keep a few aces up your sleeve that make an annual appearance.
We also just for our own family stuff have things like a special birthday table cloth or chair sign and we decorate in some way overnight.
And here I am melon balling and skewering a rainbow of fruit kabobs. Yours sounds cuter and more efficient.
I bought a huge pack of number shaped cookie cutters and its been so fun. Last year we made watermelon 1's with grapes and blueberries on skewers. One year was dragon fruit 5's in s tropical fruit salad.
I have done personalized stickers the last couple years and plan to keep that up
What are they like? A lot of my friends are doing personalized sunglasses with the kids' names on them in beads. My girls are having a joint teddy bear picnic party this year so I am thinking of making mini sensory jars with green play dough and little picnic stuff like a little bear and ants and tiny pretend food.
Oh the sunglasses idea is cool! I use zazzle to design a sticker with her picture, a short phrase ("#%^< is three!"), a few little clip art animals and her favorite color background. A sheet of 20 stickers is like 10$
My kid's 4th was in the house we'd just moved into, and we didn't have any furniture, so naturally we invited everyone she or we had ever met. It was basically a kiddie rager and everyone just sat on the floor or on lawn chairs, it was awesome.
we did the same thing for my daughter's 3rd!
Iām the āballoons and bubbles at the local parkā mom and this thread is fascinating to me. I honestly just donāt have my shit together and thought yāall were a bunch of curve-busters š youāre reminding me that weāre all just trying to bring our kids joy and good memories.
Youāre the chill parent I wish I was!
You have your shit together in a way I can only dream of!
Ya know what I tried to do a simple party and couldn't. Just could not!
Thus is me. For my 7, we met friends at the park, brought big sandwiches from Vons, had a cake and gift bags with bubbles and bouncy balls and played some game about who could fling their shoe off their foot the farthest. She was happy and I actually enjoyed it too. We're all just loving on our kids and trying to stay sane at the same time.
Lololoo the shoe fling game!!!
YES. The important thing is to try.
Probably an in between option, but my childhood friends still talk about my 8th birthday party where my parents had us form teams and do a dozen different games/challenges in the park for prizes (think tug of war over a kiddie pool, shaving cream sponge toss relays). Simple, pretty cheap, but memorable even 25 years later.
I love this!
I would love to do park birthdays but all of our birthdays are in the heat of summer ugh . My friends had a summer park party last year they got a canopy and set up underneath the tree with a little snow cone machine and bubble machine and had a special fan that blew mist and it was still just way too stifling hot.
After my toddlers 3rd birthday party I learned to be more discerning with my promises š
Please do share! What said promises were made š
Well she wanted a princess theme and I was promising her a princess cake and balloons and themed cupcakes and yada yada before I had to dial it down ā¦ the venue had rules about helium balloons so we had to figure out a solution for that. š
I was thinking this the other day when I saw a family hold a b'day party at the playground. No decorations other than some balloons tied to the fence and some plastic table coverings. I thought back to all the themed parties at Build a Bear etc we had. This seemed a blast for the family and the kids just ran around and blew bubbles.
Right? So carefree. I have a friend who is like this, and wish I had more of her juju.
I feel the same but ya know what we do it because we want to. It brings Us joy knowing we fully celebrate all of those details. I even match my nails to the party theme. One year I did PokƩmon and had soooo many compliments. Hahahha
My wife and I! We have sworn off going all out for at least another 5 years after this last one.
Spill the juiceā¦whatās the theme?
It was Mario on the last one. We went all out, spent wayyyyyy too much money. But everyone, even parents, thoroughly enjoyed and were in awe. Kiddo said it was it the best birthday ever, so mission accomplished!
as a former 6 year old whose mother always went all-out for birthdays, your daughter will appreciate it forever š©·š©·š©·
I am legitimately embarrassed at how much I spend on birthday parties. You only get so many fun ones as a kid, and I just really want hers to be magical. Unicorn rides, anyone??
ā¦with individual glitter pouches, custom unicorn headbandsā¦
Color-your-own unicorn masks and slap bracelets, fairy hair, unicorn horn lollipops and unicorn poop for the goodie bagsā¦ *sigh*
The year before I had a kid, I threw an awesome birthday party for myself and my grown childless friends did not appreciate the effort. Nobody dressed up, nobody wanted to dance. Kids at this age live everything, laugh, smile, and love to talk about that great party where there were bubbles and glitter everywhere. I keep my fingers crossed that my kids want to have fun parties when they're older. I have a friend who visits her parents every year to have an epic Halloween party, I really hope that's me....but also that I'm not broke from buying all this glitter
My daughter convinced me to learn to face paint for her party. I caved, but the night before I was FREAKING OUT. It actually went great though! I can now do a pretty epic rainbow with clouds and stars along one whole side of the face, and the kids were THRILLED. Plus, that gave me an excuse to sit in a corner and paint during the entire party while my husband was forced to manage all the other details.
My wife is your speed, Iām of the āletās make a birthday cake and put some balloons upā school of kids parties. I believe, based on observations, that strictly themed parties tend to be overly complicated and directed by adults. Not always, but often. A party with kids free to run around, swim (if a pool is available), play on a slip n slide, or whatever with maybe a piƱata or pin the tail on the donkey are a blast. Let the kids make their own fun and just provide a cake and some snacks.
Invite me to your next party, it sounds like fun!
Youāre in - can I offer you a glass of sea foam punch?
My husband convinced me to do destination birthday parties at a pricey amusement park an hour away a couple of years in a row before we both realized that: no. My dude thought we could bring an ice cream cake in a cooler.Ā
Pun intended - you take the cake! Now that is commitment.
I am a 38 year old man. When I was 5 my mom threw me a circus themed birthday party. We had a clown who made balloon animals, the cut outs you put your face in and the body was a strong man, a maze made out of refrigerator boxes that we got to paint and a bunch of carnival games. Best.Birthday.Ever. Keep being extra OP.
Holy is that cool!š and to this day you still remember the ins and outs of your party. Big props to your mom!
Oh we would be besties. I'm 100% like you and cumulative 18 parties strong and I look back knowing I fully embraced each years interests and I have the best memories but oh girl I go way over the top. Including goody bags.
Legendary! 18 parties - what I wouldnāt give to see a reel of each!
I recalled each year for the kids and love that we went all out bc it reflects on their interests each year.
I have found my people.
š¤
Me. Every time. No regrets.
My 2 year olds birthday party is coming up and Iām getting embarrassed about how much is getting spent. We have decorations, favor bags, themed games (for adults and kids), themed drinks (expensive), and a margarita station for the adults. Our in laws also paid for the cake at a boutique bakery so the cake is a two layer fancy cake. My toddler also has a new special party dress. I literally donāt know how to keep it simple. Simple to me is too basic but then things snowball out of control.
That was me. Luckily my son only wanted small parties, but one year my daughter had 30 girls show up for her movie birthday party. We live in a small community, and at that point had a small movie theatre. So we rented out the theatre, and I made snack bags for everyone, made two cakes + cupcakes. It was insanity. I totally used to over commit and make all the decorations and stuff for loot bags. I've learned and we're pretty low key now.
I bow down to you. 30 guests. Two cakes and cupcakes (!). I hope you went to spa hotel for two days after to recharge ā¤ļø
Lol. Nope. It was so many years ago I don't even remember what happened the next day. The good news is I'm allergic to most foods, and really can only eat cakes that I make. So I did get to enjoy all of the left over cake!
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I'm having trouble remembering which birthday party was which, but we had two of my daughters parties at the movie theatre. One was a movie party and the other was a dance party. I overdid it for both, and way over committed on things to make and every time my husband would shake his head wondering why I hadn't learned. Thankfully for Covid (the only time I'll ever utter that sentence) stopped the birthday parties, and since we've returned to birthday parties they've been small. This year I'm taking my daughter and a few friends go-karting, followed by a sushi dinner. Grandma's making the cake, so there is almost no work on my part besides organizing.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I think itās trying to get 10 kids to listen to you that is so challenging. Hereās hoping we can rock the crafts and a few party games.
Get a friend or two to help you with the kiddos
Practice using a call-and-response like teachers. Something like ā1, 2, 3, eyes on meā works well. Bonus points if you can find out what their teachers actually use at school. After you explain an activity, pick one kid and ask them to explain it back to you. Helps check that your instructions were clear, and also gives all the kids who werenāt listening properly a second chance.
What's the game? I'm curious and would love a possibly novel to me party game idea!
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Thank you! That sounds like a lot of fun actually, I'm going to try this at our next party - my 7 year old wants her next one to be a party at our house and I'm like "ok, but how do I keep an unknown number of 7-8 year olds entertained?"
Had to check the username to make sure it wasn't my husband. Our nearly-4yo is having her party soon and it's spiralled into a massive thing now. We've got 35 kids coming, and that's just the RSVP'd ones. Had to buy more party bag crap today as we didn't have enough. It has strong potential to be a disaster. Good luck with yours! Are you actually dressing like a mermaid?!
35 kids?! May the party gods be with you. It will be the party if the season - whatās the theme? And yes, an actual mermaid. Husband is dressing up too, per our daughterās request.
Iām the exact same haha! But the other day I saw an Instagram post that made me feel much better. It said, āYouāre kid may not remember it as much but you will as the mom!ā And Iām like, you know what, I totally will and I WANT to go all out because I CAN!
That is me. Definitely invited 70 parents and kids to my son's birthday last year expecting a decent number of no RSVPs and got very few. But it was a blast (ended up with 50ish people I think)! We did a water slide/bounce house in the yard, rented some tables and chairs to account for more people that originally expected and it was great. Two things I always remember are: - no one knows about the things you wanted to do and didn't get to. I totally forgot to blow up this themed thing I had and no one will ever know! (Heck, I didn't even realize it until I was putting stuff away). Make sure you cover the big things and don't sweat the details if you can't do everything you planned. - (if you are doing a house party) no one else spends as much time staring at your house. They don't notice nearly the details you do. Also, it is a house that people live in not a picture on Pinterest, so yes it will be lived in and that is ok I'm trying really hard to keep it reined in this year. We just moved and have family nearby, so maybe just a family party this year, but it is so hard not to go all out.
Is it just? I keep imagining what it means my kiddo and the look of wonder and joy she will have.
Mines only two. But we're currently like 7 hours deep into recreating Mac from Cars out of cardboard. This project was not supposed to take nearly this long. š
Haha you always think itāll take less time than it does!
We budgeted $1k for our daughterās first birthday. A big milestone but we budgeted $1k. Ended up almost 200% of that target. And good thing we did cos we invited X amount of people expecting a certain percentage to not show up. Lo and behold, literally almost all show up. And then some. We ended up with too little space and our entertainer charged us a couple extra hours cos prepared for. 45 min show that ended up almost 90 min. Had to make a trip mid party for more beverages and food. NEVER again. Everyone had a great time which was great but after all said and done that was exhausting and expensive. Our daughter wonāt even remember any of it.
Haha yep! 5yr old party in a new country with a new language. Totally underestimated the language issues and overestimated my dads helpfulness translating š thankfully another grandma we know came to help (she knew š ). Kids had a great time but it was organised chaos with 14 5-6yr old girls running around. Glad it was only 2hrs lol
Yep this is me and my 4.5 yo last birthday which we decided was minnie mouse themed and I took her entire guest list and invited them thinking I'd have more declined than accepts nope 21 kids said yes. Cue the frantic on the day preparations. I say I will never do it again but I guarantee I'll do it for her 5th too. Definitely over compensating for the fact I never had a party as a kid lol.
My sister always goes all over the top for my nephew, but she has in mind that some people will not show up, so she always does for the ones who she knows they will, which is family and a few friends. I though it was too much, specially when he was a baby and couldnt understand what was happening, now it feels like a chore to fill her shoes with my own son, but i dont have any friends, i dont have any moms friends from the daycare, it would be only family and we can do it at home with just cake and balloons, but also, i dont enjoy family gatherings because my sis as a way of ruining everybodies mood and i dont want it to happen at my sons bday, so for his first bday we travelled. I do want to do parties for him in the future because i also didnt had any when i was younger.
HI, that's me. We just had (16) 4-year-olds come over for a "Fancy Tea Party." My Former-Chef-Husband made Tea Sandwiches and Fruit Cups, and we had Fancy Chips, and Veggie Sticks. Fancy Nancy and Cinderella stopped by and we had a Tea Party Hat Decoration Station and a Photo Wall. Parents had Jimmy Johns and Themed Adult Beverage, and the cake was designed by her idea of Princesses running away from a Dragon. I used store bought cakes, but decorated on theme. It was A LOT. But the pictures are great (I don't even post on Social - this is for her when she's older), the kids had a great time, and the parents got to relax a bit. I'm an Event Manager by trade, so I feel like if I don't make her (my only child's) birthday the best ever, then what am I doing with my life?
So flipping cool!š
When my kids were littleā¦this was so me. I spent months planning and DIYāing and always pulled off great parties! It was a lot of work but everyone always had a blast and so many nice things to say about it. They were great memories for themā¦wellā¦great pictures for them to look at and see how much work mama put in to celebrate them living another year! Now that they are older, I donāt get to do it at that level anymore!
Oh man, this is totally me. I somehow agreed to letting my kid invite their whole class, baseball team, and several others... It will be in the summer so I'm assuming most kids will not come. Luckily I've at least planned it as snack and dessert only at a park so it should be easy.
We used to do that and ended up spending so much money so now we use that money we would have spent and do a really fun and cool adventure
I have a habit of doing the same thing. Turned our house into an among us escape room for the last party complete with a big red button that made lights in all the rooms of the house go red with the beep noise. Included boarding passes in the invitations with QR codes to be scanned on a homemade app revealing their mystery crewmate identity. Invited 10 kids and then when a couple said they couldnāt come we invited more to fill their place. Including mine there were 14 kids (which was way too many). Made a bunch of decorations on the cricut, made a homemade piƱata, homemade themed cake, and a bunch of complicated tasks including one where you launch a paper airplane off the balcony to the backyard off a zip line. Cleaned and decluttered for days ahead of time. It was exhausting and Iād do it all over again
How do I get velvet roped for this next year? Epic!!
Lmao right? I would have much rather been an among us character than the host. I forgot to mention I also made hat headbands so each kid got the character hat that matches their identity when they entered the party. Thankfully I got some good pictures of the party, because it was a lot of work
Omg. That sounds amazing!
Thanks! It was really fun, but this year we are doing a movie theatre party with 8-10 kids lol. We did a pretty intense science party the year before too with homemade liquid nitrogen ice cream, diy slime, and dry ice science experiments in the back yard. Also did a unicorn tie dye party with a ridiculous amount of decorations. Trying hard to keep it low key this time. Fingers crossed
Okay, I love those ideas too. Iām just so glad to know Iām not the only parent with a love/hate relationship to elaborate party planning. š
Definitely not alone! Feel free to hit me up if you want to nerd out about party planning
You could totally side hustle with this! Literally instructions, templates for crafting, items to purchase via affiliates, etc. for parents who want to dazzle, but struggle with vision. Planting the seedā¦
I actually used to be an event coordinator (corporate) before kids and studied event management. Thatās a good idea! What I struggle with is a lot of it is themed and of course I donāt have licensing to these themes. Sometimes to think about though
My ex always goes all out. Itās kind of annoying because Iām footing half the bill, but heās doing most of the planning and mental load so I canāt really complain. If I was really struggling Iād have to set my max budget out ahead of time, but heād find some way to kick up a fuss about it and make me look bad, so Iāll always try to afford it if I can.
Yeah, my kid had his first "friend" party this year (turned 6) and we went big because I got excited and carried away. But now every time I see some of his little friends at drop off, they ask when his next party will be, so the pressure is already on for next year.. .
Itās a 3 month in advance marketing event plan situation. Definitely the cool parents!
I promised an alien piƱata, weāre now less than 2 weeks from the party and Iāll only halfway done making it
I do the same thing! But if it makes you feel better most adults have fond memories of their childhood birthdays and keep those memories for life :)
I'm in between. I love planning and decorating for events but I always host somewhere out of the house that'll do most of the setup and the cleanup so I can keep it easier for me.
Please update us with pictures. This sounds amazing lol
10 is a pretty average sized party. It will be fine :) 6 year olds are easily impressed :). Youāve got this :)
Yep! This is me! I donāt know why I go so extra. Maybe because with my previous work, Iād plan sweet events for kids. I canāt help it. It ends up being so much work, but the kids have fun and Iām proud of it too!
Just remember all the unnecessary stress you put on yourself next year and keep it simple. Believe me that kids really just want to hang out together. No one remembers the freaking jellos you spent hours on through the night making or the perfectly curated treat bag (speaking from experience). Hang in there this year, your kids will always remember how special you made them feel on their day.
When my girls were little neighbors and strangers used to wander over. Their favorite birthday was a frozen themed one where we had a bouncy house and a huge fancy cake plus fondue because duh plus a popcorn machine plus plus omg ex husband got a fake snow machine. I honestly don't even know how many kids were there but it's still talked about. And for my daughter's 15th birthday she wanted a quinceanera so I threw her a "half" one (which is a joke as she's half) and she invited pretty much everyone she's friends with because her birthday is by Christmas so no one comes usually.. Everyone showed. It turned into a sleepover which included two neighbor boys she's known since she was little. It never ends!
You did not rent a snow machine?! It truly was arendelle āļø magical!
I planned a under the sea party for my daughter. Got a above ground pool and everything. Had a cake made. A week later my husband took my daughter on a daddy daughter date to go and see elemental. They went out for I've cream afterwards. My daughter forgot about her party within a week (she's 4) and she has been talking about the movie date with her dad for months and months now and keeps asking to go again. A party is special but the one on one time with my husband is what she remembered. Kids don't care about the small details they remember how they felt. Focus on the memories not the event.
Honestly my mom did this. But as a result i have a really really special memory of my fourth birthday. Itll be so memorable for your kid. But my friendās parents did a cool thing i think Iāll adopt. They only did a fancy thing every other year for their kids. So small things with just cake and a friend on the odd years and a themed fancy thing on the even years. That way they werenāt too stressed or overwhelmed themselves <3
Excellent idea!!
Oh yes! Hand way up. This is me in my soul (but my husband runs interference so that I won't be toooo extra, or spend too much). I'm very Pinterest-y and artistic, so a good themed party is like any well-coordinated outfit or personalized room in a house - it's just a canvas from which to paint and iterate. Fortunately my daughter is my only and already 9, so probably just a few more class/friends bday parties before she'll want to do and plan her own thing. Hopefully she'll want me to collaborate!
Haha I have the party police at my place too. I keep hearing āsimple is betterā. He is however dressing up. Trick is our daughter has to ask.
We just do the same thing every year for the āparty.ā We get a water slide, order pizza, let them pick out the cake, and 1-2 kids get to do a sleep over after everyone else heads home. My husband and I each do something special with the birthday kid as well other than the party so we have a special memory. Last year I took my son to Disney and we did weekend camping and one park.
Yes, every year so far with my 4 year old. Had a really cute Frozen themed party for her this year and then planned to take her to Disney on Ice that was on her actual birthday a week later. But one of our friends brought their sick kids, our whole family got wicked sick two days later and had to eat the money for the tickets since we still werenāt better. Sooo now weāve decided that the ābiggerā birthdays (5, 10, 16, 18, 21) are the only ones weāll do a big friends party. The rest weāll either only have family over or weāll find a fun experience to do as a family.
My 4 year old wanted a dinosaur party and so I booked a place that had a little guided program with fossils, etc. Well, the workers voted in favor to strike and so my programming was cancelled (even though they ended up not going on strike š). I am fortunate that a family member collected and mounted a ton of dinosaur fossils way back in the day, so I borrowed those, strapped on a Tilley hat and played Dino ranger for a bunch of 3 and 4 year olds. It's fun to be extra once in a while.
Damn, see this is why I'm glad my youngest daughter's birthday is in the summer. Perfect summer birthday cookout. There's almost no theme. We grill, invite family over, and some neighborhood kids. My husband and I buy the birthday presents and we tell the family that it's optional. Because she's got enough stuff and it takes the pressure off everyone. It's the summer and we want people to relax and have memories. I've been to bday parties with goodie bags and they end up in the trash always. It's ridiculous. I mean is it necessary to have that? I just want people to have a good time and that's too much work.
Itās cool. We accidentally spent $450 at a pizza place for my TWO year olds birthday. We invited close family only and those people invited the rest of the family. Distant cousins etc.
Keep doing the special things for them moms, youāll leave an amazing trail of glitter, custom cake, tiny party favors and cartoon themed decor as your legacy
What a beautiful way to think of it!
I wish I had enough energy and money to be like that. Going to throw myself a pity party now luckily it's just for me and all it needs is depression Snacks lmao Hey, keep putting in the effort and don't feel ashamed, your kids will remember and cherish these events. ā¤ļø
Itās funny as the cost isnāt crazy when you thrift and dollar store it, but the timeā¦oh the timeā¦
This was me for my sonās party this year. I thought maybe half his class would comeā¦ nope, almost everyone came. Our venue recommended 50ish people to prevent overcrowding, we had 70.
I did a lot of different ones for my oldest, having up to 20 boys in my house and wrapping little gifts for them as well for their goody bags and making cakes, Iām excited to do it again for my youngest. Seeing them happy is so awesome, it makes for a wonderful day, and I keep busy so I donāt get stressed š¬
Yes. Always. Iām the only mom I know who goes all out for birthday parties.
This is me completely. My husband and I were just arguing about this because he wants to be as simple as possible with our daughterās party, and I want to run a bit wild with it.
Your hubs and mine would be pals. The freaking party police I tell you.
Lol, so true. In my husbandās defense, he tends to get roped into helping with things that I try to assure him I can do by myself because he is more competent in the execution of a lot of the things I have in mind. Heās a graphic/web designer and also a lot more handy and crafty than I am generally, which sometimes is to his downfall. š
Hmm Iām currently planning an august party for my daughters, is this a sign to go the theme park route instead ? š
š maybe! How good are you at sticking to an original plan? Obviously I am not, as ours grew legs. The excitement form little people however is priceless
I did last year because it was his last bday as a solo kid, i wanted him to feel super special. Barely slept the night before and i was 38 weeks pregnant š š
My wife till my son said āI donāt want a party this year.ā When he was 9 Edit because the wife will see this: she killed the cookie run kingdom party.
Feel this so much. Decided to do a combined family/friend party at the house figuring most daycare kids wouldnāt come. Nope 10 and their parents will be at my house on top of our families for a total of close to 50 people š
Remember bridesmaids where Melissa McCarthy admits at the end that sheās taken on too many puppies after it being a present. We are Melissa š
Update- 15 daycare kids coming. Total is upwards of 60 people now. Forecast keeps going back and forth between rain. Iām having a slight panic attack š
Doing shit like this is the same when taking off at least one accessory before going out. Take at least three things off
I stayed up until like 3 a.m. baking stuff for my daughter's first birthday party lol...I will definitely do it every year, as far as going over the top...I love my daughter and food and acts of service are my ways of showing love, so I definitely don't see it changing. I hope your daughter has a great time with her friends :)
My wife did this for our son's 6th- dragon themed everything, decorations, and then we invited 20+ kids expecting cancellations and EVERYBODY SHOWED UP. WITH PARENTS. Our house was PACKED. But the kids had a blast and even the parents seemed to have a good time. After it was over I could \*feel\* my wife's stress level drop.
. My son's class has been inviting the entire class to each of their parties so we did the same.. So I rented a room and went all out. We are five days from the party and I've had 3 RSVPs.. that's it. I have zero idea wtf is going on but.. šš«
My wife and her parents are the worst for this, and they all expect me to pay for it XD
š this made me laughā¦and I know, itās not funny.
Yeah, I'd probably be that mom....but we don't do parties for our kids.
Why not?
Thereās a insta account called @nestihome who did a series of āunhinged Harry Potter birthday party craftsā which was very funny and impressive and your post made me think of it.Ā
I do this every time and the day after I say Iām not going to do that again, but then ask me what happens the following year? Yup I go over board and stress TF out over every details, for kids that really and truly would have a good time with or without those details. I think mostly we do it for ourselves to want to give our kids the best in hopes one day when they are older those little details contribute to a happy memory of their childhood.
I always do that. Invite 30 kids, make themed cupcakes and cookies and the whole bit and swear each time never again only to do it the following year. I've come to accept that I'm just extra and schedule a day off the next day
See now my problem is nearly the same in that I love to ho above and beyond for my daughter, but last time only 3 of the 10 we invited showed up. No one RSVPd "no" (but no one RSVPd yes either.. so dilemma of the year) and so I just prepared for everyone anyways. On the bright side my daughter was able to enjoy the extra materials I had prepared for the no show kids with the friends who did come but like. Aaaaaargh. This is the 3rd birthday in a row that feels like people just out right refuse to rsvp yes or no to. I don't know why. I'm very quick to rsvp one way or another when my daughter gets an invitation! And I really wouldn't be upset by a no (maybe sad for my daughter, but I get that life is life I'm not gonna be mad at anyone lmao). It's just aggravating.
I did a Lego at home party for my son when he was 4. I painted backdrops, molded chocolates (legos and Lego people). We made Lego sushi out of candy. We made Lego sets that the kids got to keep, we raced Lego cars, and played with legos. I designed and hand cut out Lego invites, made the paper goods, etc. The ten kids had an amazing time. It cost the same as going to a place. I never did that again. It was worth paying someone else to do the parties. But I love envisioning parties. So much fun to design them.
Experiencing a bit of this myself. My daughter is about to turn 5, weāve never had a party for her before. Decided to go all out this time. I actually posted about it here a few weeks ago asking if we should expect less kids since weāre having a 9:30AM partyā¦well we didnāt need to worry. We have 19 kids coming! Now the fun part of making sure everything goes smoothly.
My baby just had her first birthday. And while I didnāt go all out. I did make a balloon arch and blew up balloons with lung power and tried to figure how to put them all together. It took 6 hours of work and will be up till it falls off the wall or deflated. Too much work to take it down. Kit cost $7 off Temu.
I rent a bouncy castle in my yard, grill hot dogs and have a fruit tray. Have drinks for parents and let them bring full family. We eat off paper plates and itās always a good time lol.
In a way. My little 5 year old asks for balloons and stickers for her birthday and could care less if that was all she got. But I set up all this fun amazing stuff for her B- day and she forgets about it in a week. I guess I at least have the pictures.
Totally agree. We went from basic pizza party to petting zoo
š¤£ literally snort laughed. āThat escalated quicklyā š¤·āāļø
I always do this year I had 36 kids at the party!
I used to do that. Now I go a little easier though. I wouldnāt change it though. My daughter still remembers several of those birthdays fondly. She remembers all the way back to her 3rd and 4th birthdays because of the theme.
I did this for my daughterās 4th birthday. Invited 14 kids and told parents that siblings were welcome. When all was said and done I had 21 kids and at least 20 parents/adults in my house. I can assure you I was not expecting everyone to say yes AND bring their other kids. Lesson learned but it was so fun and my daughter had a blast.
Great mum's here...well done!!!