One of the stresses for moms who have a birthday party at home is all the work that’s involved in throwing a bash at home - let alone the clean up.

Hiring birthday party assistants is definitely the way to go, especially if you are having your child’s entire class over or have a lot of activities planned that need extra hands on deck!

Hiring help for your party doesn’t have to break the bank either. Remember that your party is not an all day affair and depending on the jobs you are outsourcing, you can hire someone for an hour or two or for the entire day, depending on your needs. Just make sure you make it clear ahead of time so both of you know what you’re in for.

Some jobs you can hire out:

1. Photography - one of the key elements of a great party is the pictures you take and then pass on afterward. But it’s also one of those things that gets pushed aside when things get hectic. Hiring a teenager is a great way to insure that the job will get done and that a lot of pictures will be taken. Give the teen a list of specific pictures that you want but then give them free reign to take candid shots throughout the party.

2. Activity coordinators - give them full jurisdiction over your crafts and games and let them have at it. That way you can sit back and relax and help your birthday child or enjoy the other guest parents who have stayed for the party.

3. Clean up crew - Have your hirelings be in charge of all aspect of clean up so you can enjoy the day and not feel like you have to bring in a bulldozer to get your house back to normal.

4. Do it all - hire a team of teens or young adults to run the party from A-Z, put them in charge of planning and implementing everything from invitations to thank you cards. Professional party planners charge a lot of money but if you’re clear with the teens you’re hiring you can get a lot done for much less. Again, just make sure your expectations are very clear from the start so you know what you are hoping to have done will be done.

Hiring teens for jobs like this gives them great exposure to the working world too, so it’s not only helping you, it’s helping them. If you promise references after the fact it’ll be a great addition to their portfolio as well. Prime candidates for these types of jobs are teens that are considering teaching positions (especially those who are looking forward to Physical Education degrees for your craft and games assistants). Ask around at church or your local community college. You might even get free help in the form of an internship or something similar.

Most parents focus on the inside of the house when decorating for an upcoming kids birthday party at home, but think about how fun it would be to decorate the outside too. It’s a great way to welcome your guests in style and really sets the stage for a fabulous party for everyone.

Outdoor decorations for your birthday party can range from simple to elaborate depending on your budget and the amount of time and energy you want to spend.

(If you plans are to have your party at an alternate location, make sure you check with the manager there about any restrictions on decor. This post is mostly concerned with a birthday party at home.)

Balloons for all budgets

Make it obvious to your guests where the party is happening.

A balloon bouquet of helium balloons tied to the mailbox is an inexpensive and simple way to ensure that your guests will arrive at the right home. If you want to be more elaborate, leave several balloon bouquets along the sides of your driveway.

Make your balloon bouquets by tying a dozen helium filled balloons together and then attaching them to a weighted base.

Tape air filled balloons to the sides and top of your door for a simple entrance archway or you can get elaborate and hire out a balloon artist to create a full blown balloon archway. If you’ve never seen one of these - check out THIS LINK!

Banners
Make a beautiful “Welcome” doorway banner using butcher paper and markers. Tape it vertically on your door to welcome your guests.

Or printout of something related to your party theme on the door as your guests arrive.

Be sure to list the names of all of your friends on the welcome sign so they feel special as they enter your home.

Outdoor Lighting

Weave white Christmas tree lights in all your trees and all around your yard. If it’s a nighttime party or a sleepover, this can be quite magical.

Garland and Tinsel

If you have a street lamp outside your home, decorate it with garland. You can also decorate your mailboxes and trees with tinsel as well. Fun and shiny - it makes a great addition!

What about you? Do you decorate the outside of your house when you have birthday parties at home? What type of things have you done? Make sure you leave a comment and let us know!

With great birthday parties, the memories last a lifetime. I can still remember birthdays from when I was a youngster - vivid details - it’s wonderful. But these days with the benefit of digital photography you can not only have the memories in your mind but also have a great photo record of the day. And with so many photo sharing sites out there, you can spread the love too!

Here are some ideas for great memory keeping shots of your birthday child and guests:

1. The party table before the guests are seated. Particularly if you have a theme party set up, make sure you get good shots of the decor and the party table/cake before the guests arrive (and destroy it!)

2. The party table with guests seated but no one has started. Get a quick shot of all the guests seated nicely before they dive in to the goodies!

3. A photo of you or someone else serving the guests food and/or cake.

4. Each guest taking a bite of cake.

5. The birthday child standing next to each guest at the table.

6. All the guests standing behind the birthday child at the table

7. The birthday child with YOU (the parents).

8. Several shots of the activities and games in action.

9. Several shots of the birthday child opening gifts.

10. Individual shots of each of the guests with the birthday child and the gift they gave her. (This makes it easy to write thank you notes too!)

The list could go on and on. With the wonder of digital cameras you can take pictures galore and not worry because any that don’t turn out can be discarded. If you’re really brave, let your birthday child take the camera for a while and get the shots she wants for her scrapbook.

Now I know it’s hard for mom or dad to be in charge of taking photos at some parties - you’re busy with other responsibilities. That’s why it’s nice if you can assign a friend, teenager or one of the guest parents who is staying for the party to be officially in charge of photography. That frees you up to do other things and enjoy the party. Give them a list of specific shots you want so they’re sure to get them and then let them go crazy with the camera. The more photos you take the more choices you’ll have to keep, scrap and/or forward on to family and friends.

I read this post about a knitting birthday party and thought the idea was really cute. It’s amazing how many regular retail type stores also offer birthday party services. All you have to do is ask!

For instance, around here we have:
Make your own pottery
Beading stores
Archivers (scrapbooking)
Knitting and quilting stores
Hobby shops
retail stores (like build a bear, etc)
Restaurants with unique themes (Rainforest Cafe, etc)

Her post lists some other cute ideas like the zoo, fire station and airport (my kids loved the airport!). The key is to get a feel for what your child is “in to” and then get creative with how you can incorporate a field trip or the like into your birthday party planning.

From there you can take the party back home (my favorite place to party) and incorporate decor, tableware, party favors and the like to keep the theme going. The sky really is the limit when it comes to out of the box party ideas!

And just remember, anything can be turned into a fun birthday party theme. If your child finds something facinating - like a retail store or other location, just ASK if they’ve ever considered hosting birthday parties there. They may have never thought about it but with some coaching you could probably come up with a great way to make it work and help them make some money in the process. It’s usually a win-win for everyone.

What do you think? Have you ever had an “out of the box” type birthday party? Let’s hear about it!

Kids seem to love the American Idol show as much as their parents do so why not make the most of it and have your next birthday party be centered on all things IDOL?

Here are some fun snack ideas for an American Idol birthday party:

1. Star Pizza - Before you put on the toppings, cut the pizza crust into triangle slices and then arrange into a star shape. Top with your favorite toppings and pop into the oven to bake! Yum!

2. PB&J - Idol style - make your usual peanut butter and jelly sandwich but then using a large star cookie cutter, cut them into star shapes. Serve on a flashy plate for effect!

3. Hand me the mic! - Here’s a simple IDOL treat - serve up a scoop of ice cream in a sugar cone - instant microphone!

Some fun things to do:
1. Make autograph books - have the kids decorate some simple notebooks and then get each other’s autographs. Or you can get fancy and give each child a white tshirt and have them have each of the other guests sign the shirt with fabric markers. (just make sure you put some cardboard in between).

2. Hot Microphone - like hot potato where the kids pass the microphone around while the music is going but the twist is, when the music stops if you’re holding the mic - you have to sing Happy birthday to the birthday child!

3. Karaoke - kids love it and it’s a great way for them to spend the afternoon!

So have fun with your little STARS at your American Idol Birthday Party!

Last time we talked about some cute snacks and simple decor items for a birthday party that might go along with a trip to the movie theater to watch “The Bee Movie”. Today we’ll follow up with a few games and crafts that you can add in if you have time.

But first, I found this really cool site that has pinatas for every imaginable party theme, including a great one for the Bee Movie. Although I personally would prefer just a plain old bee pinata if I was having this type of party, I thought this one was pretty cute:

(Photo courtesy of www.worldofpinatas.com)

Ok, so back on to game ideas. Let’s start with the old standbys:
1. Honey, Honey, BEE! Little kids love the game of Duck Duck Goose so jump on that and just change the words around a little bit. Voila - instant fun!
2. Pin the bee on the hive. I love this idea and I wish I could give credit for it to whoever first thought of it. Take a brown paper grocery bag and fill it up with crumpled up newspaper and tie at the top to resemble a “hive”. Draw an opening to resemble the “front door” of the hive. Make bees out of yellow and black construction paper and stick a piece of double sided tape on the back. Have the kids try to get their bee closest to the door.
3. Line up 5 “honey buckets” in a row. Make small bee beanbags out of yellow material and have the kids toss the bees into the honey buckets for prizes.

Crafts:
1. Finger Bees - give each child a piece of cardstock and make fingerprints with a yellow stamp pad. Once the ink is dry, they can draw on stripes, wings and antenna. They can add sticker flowers or other items to their creation too.
2. Antenna - get black headbands, yellow pipe cleaners and black pom poms. Attach the pipe cleaners to the headband and top each pipe cleaner with a black pom pom. Instant antenna!
3. Bee egg - I absolutely LOVE the look of THIS CRAFT over at one of my favorite sites - Family Fun. They’ve got complete instructions there and although I know the egg blowing gets a bit messy, this looks like a super fun craft or an older group of kids. Visit the site here to learn more.

For a limited time you can get these adorable Make Your Own Stuffed Animal Bumble Bears!

Contact me by clicking HERE to find out more!

So I hope that’s a good start for you to make the most of your Bee Movie adventure and birthday party! Enjoy!

I’ve noticed a trend in the kids birthday party business - having the party theme go along with a current movie or TV show. There are some cute movies out there and I’ve heard that the Bee Movie is adorable so I thought I’d share a couple of posts on fun things you can do at home after you take the birthday child and her guests out to watch the movie.

First let’s talk Snacks:
Remember the Twinkie? You can make those little cakes into bees pretty easily. Use chocolate chips for the eyes, a Hershey’s chocolate kiss for the stinger on the back and some licorice laces for the stripes. Add wings if you want with half slices of lemons and voila - a bee!

Bee Juice - mix up a batch of lemonade. Put 3-5 blackberries into the bottom of a clear cup and pour the ice cold lemonade over the top!

Fruit with honey dip - of course!

My kids also love those honey sticks that you can find in the grocery aisle now - individual sticks that you bite open the top and squeeze or suck out the honey. Yum!

Serve your snacks and cake on official Bee Movie plates and partyware. You can find those when you CLICK HERE.

Decorations can be as simple as black and yellow balloons all over the place, but here’s a cute Bee Movie banner that says “Happy Bee Day”. Cute!

Go with anything yellow and black and it’ll fit the theme. Incorporate a few teddy bears into the mix as well because we all know bears love honey - and honey means BEES!

Most of all, just have fun with it - Movie themed parties are easy and fun and kids love them! Plus a big chunk of the birthday party is taken up just watching the movie! Whoo hoo!

Have you ever done a movie themed birthday party? If so, what movie and how did you incorporate other things like games, crafts and such into the theme? I’d love to hear about it!

Today I found something very interesting on the internet and wanted to pass it along. As you’ve read in past posts there seems to be a trend in “giving” rather than “getting” gifts when it’s your birthday and there are a couple of moms who got together and created an organization to make it easy for you to do that.

Here’s how it works. You register your birthday party online with their service and choose and online e-invitation for the party. You then enter the names of the “guests” you want to invite to the party and they receive the e-vite with an option to RSVP by giving a donation of any amount. On the party day, you choose one of the charities to give the total amount to in your birthday child’s name and then print out a reward certificate for your child as a reminder of the good they’ve done. Cute idea!

And apparently it’s pretty popular too. I like the idea of discussing the various charity options with your birthday child and helping them to see how charities work and how doing this will really help someone. After you’ve discussed the options, let your child choose which one will get the donations and then do some more research into that specific organization so he/she can really be involved in what is happening there and understand the impact that the donation can have.

I can see where still having an actual face to face party would be a great way to further the learning and helping - still have cake and ice cream and some games but then have a time to talk about where the money is going and how each of the kids helped to make that happen. Maybe even have one of the crafts be a community card that all the kids work on together.

What do you all think? How do you think your kids would react to something like this?

To find out more, visit ECHOage.com and click on the various links to see the online invitations and the process.

I found this fun video explaining a cute birthday party game that would be perfect for a girl or boy sleepover party. It’s called the challenge game and it’s basically a mimic type game where the “leader” does some movements and then someone copies them exactly. If the first person who is copying can do 3 of the challenge sequences correctly, that person becomes the leader and someone else must be the copy person.

I like this game because it could, for the most part, be totally child directed and any age group can do it so it would be a fun game for a family birthday party as well. See what you think!

I was looking for some birthday music to use for the traveling birthday party business that I do and I came across this wonderful little CD full of some great variations of the song “Happy Birthday”. Give this page a few seconds to load and you can click on the little play button of each version to hear a clip of the song (and then purchase it if you want to download to your favorite MP3 player).

Too fun! I love the polka one and the russian version. It’d be a great CD to use for musical chairs or hot potato too!

Enjoy!