We celebrated Kelsey’s 4th birthday party Sunday at a local place called Let’s Party. And we partied! Treasure hunts, parachute play, dancing, bouncing on those cool bouncing balls, playing in the moon walk, sliding, pretending to be a pirate, swatting at a parrot pinata. And that was just me. I think some of the kids did this stuff too. But hey, this is MY blog.
Yes, you heard me correctly. *I* had a great time. I didn’t have to cook, coordinate, serve, clean up, worry. Allen and I showed up with the kids and the cake, and they did all the work. I actually have guilt. Yeah, I know. Big surprise. Our party package came with two adorable teenagers, who helped coordinate the 15 kids ranging in age from 18 months to 4. It was a little bit like herding hampsters on acid, but they did an excellent job keeping the pace going. I did have them replace the piped-in bootylicious teen dance music with a compilation of preschool-appropriate music that Allen and I put together, but otherwise the party was perfectly coordinated.
Some things I learned:
- Always have too many balloons
- Bouncing balls should be left to the toddlers. Unless one stretches beforehand.
- 36-year-old moms with bum knees should probably stay out of the moon walk.
- Along those same lines: Always choose the athletic support bra on the day of a birthday party. The frilly pretty ones will make you pay.
- Ibuprofen is your friend. Take some before the party.
- Treasure hunts are so much more fun when you throw the coins right behind the kid when he’s not looking. Searching is NOT a 4-year-old’s strong suit.
- The sister of the birthday girl is going to want to swing at the pinata, too. Let it happen. Just get out of her way.
- There’s nothing quite as frightening as an angry toddler weilding a very big stick, trying to bat at an obstinate parrot pinata.
- The cure for cranky toddlers who are teething? Big red lollipops. It breaks every rule I have about raising kids. Artificial colors, sugar, hard candy, something that could gag your child….
- Cake solves all problems.
- Bribe a friend to help with the sibling so you can focus on the birthday girl.
- Ask the husband to be the photographer. Never rely on others to get photos of your party. Yes, you’ll miss all the extra help, but you’ll have photos.
Thanks to all who attended. Big hugs all around. Check out the gallery for photos of the madness!