Party Solver

PARTY TIPS AND IDEAS from the PARTY GURU

It’s never too early to start planning, or at least thinking about a birthday theme party. If you write down your thoughts you will often times come back to them adding, subtracting and expanding your ideas. This will give you and idea of how big the party will be and provide information on the potential cost of the party.

A hockey party theme for a birthday party is a great idea. Make the cake in white icing and add the lines and goals just like a real hockey rink. Decorate with hockey stick or hockey puck candles. Cut frozen ice cream with a hamburger mold and cover with dark chocolate. Presto – your hockey theme with be a slap shot hit!

Don’t even think of choosing a party theme for your child – unless they are just too young. Cartoon characters and such are their lives. They are the professionals. They know what they like. All you need to do is figure out the details.

So, where is this party going to be. Are you looking for credit card meltdown pulling it off, or something moderately priced, or maybe free. For instance, if you have a farm or animal theme, many zoos can accommodate this, some for free.

Are you bringing in music, clowns, and ponies? Better plan ahead. Have plan B if you are planning to be outside or inside. If it rains, do want the pony in the living room?

A tour of the neighborhood fire station is great with smaller groups. Be sure to call in advance to accommodate their busy schedule. Don’t be surprised if you get to the station house and find the fire truck and firemen off to a fire! If you have a plan "B" like a Fire Truck Pinata, the wait will be easier. Of course if you get there when the siren is wailing, the kids are going to love it! Yeah, you will too!

There is a tremendous amount of books written about children's themed parties, ideas, activities and games. Surfing the net or heading to the library will give you plenty to work with. Trim it down to where you can work with it. Be careful. You are going to find and overwhelming amount of information. Don’t try to take it all in. And don’t forget Saturday morning cartoons. Watch what your kids watch.

It wouldn’t hurt to put some sort of schedule together (that means writing it down). If lots of things are happening, it could be hectic. Do you want the children over for a swim just when the pizza shows up right after the clown shows up only to find you forgot to pick up the cake in the morning?

If you use a lot of solid party ware such as forks and spoons, it’s always good to have some around the house. The themed party ware is best purchased closer to the party date. Occasionally you will have a child who changes their mind once or twice – or give new meaning to a revolving door. Try not to get into the hassle. Talk up how great a choice your child made and how the other children are going to love it. Then unplug your TV set.

If you are going to have a theme party, check to see if the neighbors have some props you can use. For example, for a baseball themed party, see if anyone has bats, gloves, shin guards, or batting helmuts that can grace your party table. It’s a great mood setter. Caution: this doesn’t work well with animal or zoo themes – especially if you want to be authentic!

Don’t be afraid to ask Grandma, Grandpa or big brother or sister to maybe pick up the cake while Dad cleans up the yard and mows the grass.

You might not want to mow if your party involves pools, water balloons or squirt guns and your going to have any of the party indoors. Grass has a tendency to come indoors. I know. Ask my fury legged dogs.

Make sure you mail out the invitations in time. 3-4 weeks ahead of the party is a good amount of lead-time. Any less than that expect that some people are going to have other plans. Be sure to make a follow-up call to anyone you haven’t heard from so you can make your final preparations.

Are you sure you have everything you need for the party? Are you really sure? Did you write it down? I can’t stress this enough. Many a party is short or absent of something. This means embarrassment, or someone running out to the store during the party.

Take time out when you tuck your child in the night before the party to express your expectations. Make sure you talk up the party. How great it is going to be. How big they have grown. Wow! 5 years old already! Practically married and out on their own! This is when you lay down the rules. Don’t go in here. Don’t do that. Of course you are going to do this with love in your heart and a smile on your face. Yes, and again on the day of the party when they did what you asked them not to!

Don’t go looking around on the day of the party for all the supplies you need to play games or activities. If some games need setting up, either you or someone else can handle this the day before or before the party starts. If you are having a number of activities try to plan so that there is not too much down time before you start the next activity. The guests will find something else to do.

Find someone to take pictures. Especially if you plan to be involved running the activity. This way you can make sure everyone is having fun, you included without trying to capture the moment. Later, you can look at the pictures. A digital camera is great if you have one, but you can still get pictures developed in an hour.

Some younger children have a tendency to get distracted while the birthday child opens their presents. Don’t even bother guessing why. Just try to keep the opening going. Your child doesn’t have to get fully involved and play with every present. Either you or someone you designate can put all the wrapping in a garbage bag. Just be sure you don’t throw out a card that may have been taped to the paper or was hidden under the pile of wrapping paper. This can make for a stressful situation. I know. Been there. Done that.

What do you do with your other children who are too young to jump in the car and get lost, or stick around and help? Telling them it’s not their party; stop whining and suck it up just isn’t going to cut it. Its better to have them co-run an activity with you. Grandma and Grandpa are a godsend in this situation. As if you aren’t stressed enough about the party. This will have you jumping up and down throwing your hands up while the children wonder what’s the matter with you. Or, just maybe have they seen this somewhere before?

Have fun. Enjoy the moment. Have a piece of cake. Carrot cake for me, thank you.

It’s always difficult when sending out invitations to try not to offend someone that is not going to be invited. It doesn’t matter what age they are either. Adults can get just as upset as children. In the children’s case, mail the invitations and don’t pass them out at school. This goes for adults too. Don’t invite them to come when at work.

I know. You have heard this a million times. Take pictures. Did you ever hear anybody say they took to many pictures? No. You always here “ I didn’t take enough, I didn’t get this one or that one”. I recommend if you afford it – go digital. Get prints of what you want and keep the rest on a computer disk.

Everybody likes to hear a thank you. Everybody wants to be appreciated. Say that thank you right away – and make sure its not phony. Make sure you follow-up with a phone call or thank you card in the next few days. No, not in one week or one month. Now don’t you feel warm and fuzzy?

Halloween Tips For your Halloween party make coffin shaped finger sandwiches. Start by using a paper template in the shape of a coffin to help shape your sandwiches. After one or two you will be good at it and can continue free hand. For extra creepy fun hang a couple jelly worms out the sides.

Instead of wasting all that toilet paper on some body’s house, use it to play who can wrap the “mummy” the fastest. This is great at adult or kids Halloween parties. Pair up with one wrapping and the other being the mummy, then switch for the next game. Hint: don’t use the expensive double ply stuff.

The old party classic of “guess what’s in the box” is always fun to play. Just replace all the dry objects with wet slimy things like peeled grapes, melon balls and other “wet fruits”. If it feels like guts, you have the right stuff.

Play the game of “ add to the story”. Have a group of people one by one add to a story that you start. Make a tape recording and play it back to see how it sounds. Usually someone will end up saying “I can’t believe I said that!”

The right kind of lighting always helps set the eerie mood. Direct a light to make a shadow. If you hang a Halloween shape in front of it, the shadow will show on a wall. Be careful not to put paper close to or on a hot light bulb. Different colored light bulbs work well too.

There’s nothing like spooky sounds on Halloween. Tapes are available with most any sounds. Better yet, make your own. Just don’t be squeezing the cat for a screeching sound!

You can make ghostly treats by decorating a sucker. Small pieces of a discarded white bed sheet can be placed over the sucker and held with string or a rubber band. Get out the colored markers and get creative.

Everyone has played pin the tail on the donkey. Well, why don’t you pin the hat on the witch or pin the head on the skeleton?

Bobbing for apples is great. For a positively yucky experience, rubber hands and fingers make the bobbing a different kind of tasty thrill!

Fake cob webs (or the real ones if you have a cooperative spider) really set the eerie mood. Plastic spiders (again, the real ones are ideal if you can get them) along with bats, small plastic pumpkins add a nice touch to your decorating.

Halloween is not Halloween until you convert the front yard into a cemetery. Tombstones can be made out of stiff cardboard and a thick black marker. Funny sayings about friends and family always get a laugh. “Here lies Fred – He’s finally dead”. Or, “Here lies Matt – bit by a rat”.

A party is not a party without ! Foil or latex with a Halloween theme is great to place at the food table or a centerpiece.

Make a hand ice cube by filling a well washed no latex no powder exam glove (these can be purchased at any drug store). Tie the end and place flat in the freezer. When it’s frozen take the glove off and add it to the punch!

Pinatas are very popular now. Kids at any age delight at smacking their favorite piñata for the treats inside. Pick a creepy piñata like a spider that you already have a lot of practice smacking. A witch or even a pumpkin piñata. Some of these piñatas are so well made, a lot of people just use theme for decoration!

What better place to put your Halloween treats that in a Halloween pumpkin shaped treat cup? Keep them for the guests or hand them out at the door.

There are themed party bowls and chip and dip bowls for every kind of party. Football, baseball, even Halloween. Place a big bowl on the table for all the candy that the kids collected (this is really so that you can see if there are any favorites you are going to steal). A chip and dip bowl keeps everything in one place so you aren’t looking for the dip someone just took.

Instead of the same old Halloween cupcake with black and orange icing, add jelly worms to the top. Either just have them crawling on top or stick them in!

Bake Halloween themed cookies. You can use a ready to bake cookie dough from the supermarket, make shaped with cookie cutters or if you are artistic, make your own.

Turning off the lights and lighting candles placed by the fireplace or at the dinner just before the kids go out trick-or-treating is great for setting the mood. For more mood setting, instead of the regular dinnerware, use Halloween themed paper ware.

Have an adult’s only costume party. If couples are coming, have them dress in a common theme. I did this once. My wife & I came as raggedy Ann and Andy. I just came across the picture when our kids used it in a slide show for our 25th wedding anniversary party. I can’t believe I did that! One couple came as a nurse and crazed surgeon. Another couple came as a cowboy and cowgirl. They really were a nurse and surgeon. Both couples were able to share some trade secrets.

PARTY PLANNING

So you want to host a party? Here’s some helpful tips 1. Set a date, time and place 2. Start your guest list 3. Decide on a theme 4. Make a “to do” list 4a. Decide if you’re “to do” list will require more help 5. Formal or relaxed? A pizza, wing and beer party is a little different that roast Duck and a fine wine. 6. Music or the sound of a sporting event emanating from the TV? 7. The planning is done. Have fun. Don’t start worrying about cleaning up.

It’s always a good idea to have your child help as much as possible with the planning and choosing of items for their party. Hopefully, they will not change their minds after you bought the items. The child learns how much work goes into having a party. If you create a less stressful party, the actual party will go on without a hitch. Also, if the child is going to be involved in planning the party, they can be involved in cleaning it up! Fair is fair.

BABY SHOWER

You can play guess the sex (assuming you don’t know), birth weight and length of the new baby. Of course if you are going to award a prize, the winner is just going to have to wait.

If you know the babies name, have everyone in the party try to write down as many words they can think of using the first letter of the baby’s name. You might even make the rule that only so many can be places, things, animals, etc.

Have everyone in the group try to name as many of the correct names given to the babies of animals. For instance, a baby bear is a cub, a baby cow is a calf.

If everyone has e-mail or uses instant messaging, you relay all the up to the minute details about how the mother to be is doing, how is the nursery coming along, is the father to be nervous, countdown the estimated days to the baby being born. If someone does not have access to a computer, a phone call or even a letter works just as well.

Have the guests bring in baby or early childhood pictures of the mom to be. If you can gather them from other places also you will have enough to display. You will have a fun time listening to guest stories.

Have a contest to see how many phrases you can think of that include the word baby.

Give each guest a different baby item such as a diaper, safety pin, baby food, bottle, etc. Start a story and have each guest continue with a sentence that must include the baby item they have.

Get a pinata such as a stork or baby block. Instead of putting treats in it use small baby items the mother will need.

Put a bunch of present day articles etc. into a box or “time capsule”. The mother (and father) to be can add a handwritten note of their thoughts and include it. When the baby turns a certain age, 16, 18, 21, or has their own child, they can open up the capsule.

Play a game to see who can name the most baby or child stars.

A fun game to play is seeing how many words you can make out of the baby’s first and middle name. If the expecting parents haven’t decided just pick a boys name for one game, then a girls for the next. Everybody gets a pen and paper. Using any type of timer decide how long you are going to give the guests to make as many words out of the name as possible. 5 minutes seems to the point at which if the game was longer the interest and excitement start to lessen. Whoever gets the most words, wins.

Play a game seeing how many Disney, Universal characters the can write down in a 5 minute time frame. If there is a tie, see who can guess which character goes with Disney and which goes with Universal.

It seems like everyone who goes to get film developed gets 2 prints. Collect as many “doubles” as you can find that have one or both of the expecting parents. On the kitchen table (the expecting mom can’t be expected to sit on the floor) place all the cards face down after you shuffle them. From here one guest turns over a picture. They then try to turn over the “double”. If they are successful, then continue. If not, they must turn over both pictures and the next guest takes a try. The more you remember, along with a little luck, the better your chances of winning the most “doubles”.

Nothing is more fun than both playing and watching someone put a diaper on a baby – the old fashioned way! Get some “life-size” baby dolls that will be diapered. Pair up so one guest can perform the diapering, and the other can be the cheering section. Decide if you want to use the one or two diapering technique. Set the timer and go. You might want a band-aid or two around for the guest who is really glad for today’s disposable diapers.

In this game the hostess puts together a list of things about the expectant mom that not everyone will know. How old she was when she met the father, where was she (or he proposed to), etc. When it’s game-time have the guests try to guess as many of these “secrets” as they can.

Time is running out.
Only one more month to throw a party.
You say you can’t think of a reason?
Try these:
Uncle ____ is out on parole
It’s almost football season and you have to practice setting up your tailgate party
Didn’t you just get a new grill?
You have a new BBQ recipe and have to try it out
Of all your family and friends you are the least lazy
I have to try out my new table cloths that don’t blow away
It’s fun.
You know the song “ Roll out the barrel, we’re going to have a barrel of fun”

I know. I know. You have heard it a million times. Plan your party. It works. As a matter of fact if we planned and wrote down things like shopping lists and goals we would be scary! Plan, plan, plan, plan, and plan.

When your deciding on the finger food it makes more sense to put a theme to it. The ideas as what to have are easier – and it’s a lot more fun! You know; hot dogs, hamburgers, apple pie and . . .

I have often been asked about invitations. I say definitely yes for younger birthday parties. Mom and Dad surely need to make arrangements for siblings or other activities. If the party is formal or semi-formal and you might not know someone you are inviting that well, an invitation works well. As for everything else, if you are comfortable picking up the phone and calling and have a lot of time on your hands (or just like to talk) it’s a great invention.

Parties with attitude. As a noted chef likes to “kick it up a notch”, so can you. If you are comfortable with the group (or will never see them again anyway), throw caution to the wind and create some atmosphere! For example, if you are having a sports related party, drag some sports stuff out of your garage, your neighbor’s garage and anywhere else you can find it. Then decorate. Not too dirty though. Spread it around the buffet table or any place that someone will pick it up and share a favorite memory. Hmm, sounds like an idea for a game.

Chairs. How many should I have? There are two schools of thought here. The first; the less places to sit, the more people will mingle with each other. This can be great for office type parties when networking is important. The second; at a “typical party” you may find that if it looks like a chair, it is a chair. Do you want all your end tables, arms of couches, and counter tops – yes counter tops to become chairs? If you ever waited in line at your favorite theme park, you know what I mean. Find some chairs. Your partygoers will be glad to bring a few if you ask. Ask the neighbors. You’re church or club. If you can’t borrow – rent.

For you’re next sorcerer or magic party dip the end of a pretzel stick into melted chocolate or caramel then sprinkle with your favorite cookie sprinkles.

What about a party for your favorite ? It's a little harder to find out what they like,(unless it is a treat)but all kinds of fun party supplies can be found for your pet.

INVITATIONS

Whatever you do, get the time and place correct. Much can be learned from a carpenters motto, "measure twice, cut once". Be sure to note any special clothing considering your activities scheduled. An RSVP is a must. So is your phone number. With everyone having cell phones with speed dials - do you really know your own phone number? Guilty here. I can't even find my car in the mall parking lot!

Everyone knows not to send a invitations with you child to give out at school, right? Remember you read it here. I told you so.

How much money should I spend? How much do you have? Parties I have been to tend to be unbelievably cheep or very tasefully done. I rarely go to elegant parties - don't have any rich friends. If you need to make or even consider making excuses for your party, spend a few "power dollars" more and get it right.

I bet you are wondering what is a "power dollar". Think of it this way. If you are selling your house, how do you best improve the "show appeal" with the most return. What kind of show appeal would a cheap plate have piled with hot baked beans, hot dogs with mustard and ketchup? Your return will either be upset messy guests or thankful I'm glad I'm not wearing this guests.

Try to enjoy the party you planned. If you pull it off without a hitch, bottle your success and sell it! All us mortals are just going to have be fine with a few glitches.