My Pattern for Success

To the Bushman Birthday Party: 

You are my friend if I am disciplined to follow my own rules.

When the prep time is too much, I know I'm straying.

You and I are buds if I follow the pattern.

After all, you are my creation.

September brings a birthday in the middle and at the end. 17 days apart makes for birthday craziness, especially on an even year (friend birthday party). However, I don't stress anymore. I have it down! I follow my pattern for success and it's just that...successful. 

Julie's Pattern for Successful and Inexpensive Birthday Parties

The Theme
Decide on a theme but don't go over-board or stress about it. A theme helps with an invitation, a cake and to plan out your activities. I love having a theme but I don't let it get me. Keep it simple. The children are not going to care if you spend weeks planning the decorations and party favors or if you throw something together last minute. 

This year we had a Spiderman theme and a pink princess punch party theme. I took a picture of my son in a Spiderman costume and used it as part of the invitation and decorations. I used my trusty Printshop program to make invitations. This one took ten minutes to design and print.

If I can find a cute graphic that goes with the theme, I'll use that as my base. It worked out nicely for the Pink Princess Punch Party. The invitation was cut out around the edges of the cup. It was cute, if I do say so myself. (Invitations edited)

The Decorations
Balloons, Streamers, Banner, Cheap Plastic Table Cloth
For the most part, this is all I use. Make it festive but don't overdo it. The children will still have fun - even if there are NO decorations. For the Spiderman party we did use some $0.99 web and plastic spiders. My little guy found a Spiderman poster at Walmart for $5.00 that he wanted. Forget that - it will just be torn and ruined in a day. So, we made our own with him as the star!

The Elements

I have the same elements for every child's birthday party. They just change based on the theme of the party.

1. Start with a Craft. This gets everyone involved and busy from the get-go. It also allows time for all of the children to arrive. The craft tends to be something they wear or use for party participation. For the pink party we made princess crowns. I found a website online that had the printable template. Voila - in ten minutes I found the template and printed them out. We picked up some stickers at Walmart and with some crayons for color, they made some beautiful crowns that were worn for most of the party.

For the Spiderman party, I found a Spiderman mask template that I printed on cardstock. The boys colored them for the first 15 minutes of the party. Add some elastic with a stapler and you have a prop to be used for later in the party.

(His cousin broke his writing arm three days before the party and was thus struggling to color his mask. The birthday boy saw the struggle and offered to color his mask for him. So tender and sweet!!)

2. Activity
Decide on a main activity. Having a lot of little games just makes me crazy. I prefer a 20-30 minute activity to four short little games; less planning which equals less time spent. For these two parties we had a "Punch Party" and a "Spiderman Adventure".

The Spiderman Adventure was amazing. The boys LOVED it. I utilized my two big boys as Spiderman and Venom. (Thank you to my amazing friend for letting us borrow the Spiderman costume and for the willing hearts of my sons!)

While the boys were finishing their masks, the birthday presents slowly disappeared. One of the boys realized they were gone and they all panicked. All of the sudden Spiderman appears - jumping over the railing and the couch. They were in AWE! I told Spiderman that the birthday presents were gone. He took them on a search outside which then led back to the house. They went downstairs and there was Venom with the presents. Spiderman and Venom had a mild little duel and Venom conceded. The boys rescued the presents and they all got a picture with the hero and the villain. I told Venom that he was a naughty boy to steal the gifts. He repented. Spiderman said his goodbyes and jumped over the railing and down the stairs. It truly was a hit - one of the best birthday activities yet!!! No cost, no preparation - just good old impromptu fun.

3. Games

The best birthday party game is Don't Eat Pete. I've written about it before - here. 

Add additional games as needed, depending on the age group and length of the party. Other games we love include The Candy Bar Game and The Family Game. I try to stay away from Pin the Tail and Duck, Duck Goose. Boys love throwing games; make sure to use soft items.

4. Presents
Play musical presents...or not. We play it by ear.

5. The Cake
Most of the time I make the birthday cake. With a standard 9x13 cake you can be so creative and make almost anything. For the princess party, I cut the cake into the shape of a crown and decorated with frosting and candies. I had a bit of help with the Spiderman cake, thanks to a cake kit from Maceys which gave me the web and Spiderman figure. I don't mess with fondant. Too much time...too much money. Plus I LOVE my butter cream frosting recipe.

6. Party Bags
Keep it simple! Always include a non-filled balloon. I think kids like this the best of anything. Some of my other go-to favors: licorice stick, sucker, fruit snack, stickers, pencil, notepad, bouncy ball, gum, bracelet, necklace.

Other Tips
Serve lunch or dinner as a good filler. Take pictures of the birthday child with their cake BEFORE people arrive. Make sure to charge all batteries for picture and video taking the night before. Have extra helpers around. Don't vacuum or mop your floor before the party. Do the dishes! Leave some downtime for the kids to just play and have fun together. Plan an extra game or activity just in case. Turn on some music for a dance party. Take a photo of the birthday child with each guest. If you incorporate a movie, make it short. Kids get bored. A 20 minute Spiderman episode was perfect. Bake the cake the night before. Frost it the day of the party. There is nothing worse than the birthday cake being too warm to frost and the clock is ticking! In my opinion, don't offer to take the kids home. It just adds another level of responsibility and something to worry about. Avoid opening presents with small pieces while the friends are still around. Things tend to get lost if you let them have a free-for-all. Before spending much time on anything, think, "Is this really worth it to my child or is it for me?"

"Stick" to those guidelines and you'll have a successful party every time!

Oh, and Happy Birthday to my Super September Stars. Love you both!!!

More to Come...but until then, Stick-to-it!