Birthdays - ideas and keeping up with the
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Forum Name: Kindy and Beyond
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Topic: Birthdays - ideas and keeping up with the
Posted By: caraMel
Subject: Birthdays - ideas and keeping up with the
Date Posted: 09 June 2010 at 12:43pm
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Joneses!
DD is having her birthday party on Sunday, she's turning 6. We're quite strapped for cash at the moment and are just having a bunch of her friends over to our place for sugar-loading and tearing around the place giggling and screeching. I thought this would be enough at 6 but since we started arranging it DD has been to about 4 other classmate's birthdays and every single one has had at least 1 professional entertainer/face-painter/balloon animal maker/bouncy castle. I can see how cool they are and how much the kids enjoy them, but I can't justify that kind of expense, not for a non-milestone birthday anyway! She goes to a great little public school and we live in a middle of the road kind of suburb, I really didn't expect to be having to keep up with the Joneses kid's parties! Not yet anyway. I want to make it cool for her though and would hate for her friends to be making fun of her for not having the things they all have at their parties, so I'm looking for ideas that we can use to make the party memorable and great-fun for the kids without costing the earth. Help please?! ------------- Mel, Mummy to E: 6, B: 4 and: 
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Replies:
Posted By: AandCsmum
Date Posted: 09 June 2010 at 12:54pm
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Wow....
Haven't come across those in PNth yet. It's the treat bags they like the most anyway  ------------- Kel http://lilypie.com"> 
A = 01.02.04 & C = 16.01.09 & G = 30.03.12 |
Posted By: Peanut
Date Posted: 09 June 2010 at 12:59pm
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I wish I had a girl so I could have a tea party!
I would have a "high tea" and say on the invite for them to wear there best dress. Have juice etc in teapots and teacups. Decorate the table in a cute pink table cloth, flowers, napkins etc and try and borrow a couple of tired plates so it all look flash. They coud decorate their own cupcake to take home etc. Would be great fun. I would also try and take a photo of each child while sitting at the table to send to them with a thank you note. -------------  
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Posted By: BriAndOlisMum
Date Posted: 09 June 2010 at 1:16pm
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we just had my DD's 6th birthday party and we just went to chipmunks for it, maybe you could do something like that. It often ends up alot cheaper than having it at home. I heard kelly tarltons do kids partys too. And you don't need to clean up afterwards. -------------  http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker">
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Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 09 June 2010 at 1:25pm
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making it a dress up party is free and fun... or a disco. i think someone on here did one once. get coloured lights for the lounge and shut the blinds! hang your xmas lights, especially if they flash!
get them to make some necklaces perhaps, you can pick up bead kits from the $2 shop. or get them to decorate their own cupcakes. we did that at an adults party recently and its fun! you may find that they like the freedome of doing what they want too. ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker"> 
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Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 09 June 2010 at 1:26pm
that kind of rules out cheap though! LOL! ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker">
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BriAndOlisMum wrote:Posted By: High9
Date Posted: 09 June 2010 at 2:24pm
I like this idea!! Doesn't that sound fun?! I would have loved that as a kid, unfortunately my cousin smashed my tea set 
You could do fairy bread for sandwiches. Or little club sammies with ham, tomato, cucumber etc... I remember my 6th, we went to Macca's and the week before it had been my best friends birthday party at none other than... McD's! You could always dress up and try entertain them? Or if you go with the tea party idea you could play along and be like a waitress? ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: mamanee
Date Posted: 09 June 2010 at 6:21pm
I refuse to believe that Ella is turning 6! 
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Posted By: 2boysmum
Date Posted: 10 June 2010 at 9:04am
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Best idea that we had for girls birthday that has lasted us from ages 3 to 9 was a fairy or princess or dress up party. A few fairy sandwiches, cupcakes, anything cute to eat, plus a bit of confetti or similar and you have a great party. (She's 10 now and the girly theme has morphed into singstar!).
Kids of that age aren't too concerned with keeping up with the Jones, its just us parents who feel that we have to! A bit of music, pass the parcel, and running around and screaming is what the kids enjoy, and being able to eat whatever they want. And as for party bags ..... these should be banned! Since when should the birthday girl/boy have to give the guests presents? Whats wrong with a "thank you for coming and for my present" and taking home a piece of birthday cake and a balloon? Kids these days have come to expect far too much and the blame is squarely on the parents (we dont have these at our parties anymore and we only have parties for milestone birthdays now). Bit of a rant about the party bags but it is a real thorn in my side issue. Your daughter will just be excited that its her birthday and her friends are coming
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Posted By: High9
Date Posted: 10 June 2010 at 9:26am
I agree, you don't have to spend a whole lot, kids just want to have fun at the end of the day really! Organise some games for them to play, let them blow off some energy... If a child goes home happy I doubt his parents won't care that the party wasn't as flash as their kids! ------------- http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: .Mel
Date Posted: 10 June 2010 at 9:28am
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What about a Nail party? Get some cheap nail polish and stick on stickers and do the girls nails?
Or do what we did for DD's I did a "Canvas Party" for her, and the kids and parents thought it was a great idea. There were 4 girls and I just loaded up the dining table with paints, stickers, ribbon and got cheap canvases for them and they had a blast creating their own masterpiece. I just asked on the invite that the girls had an old t-shirt to paint in. I got the paints from the $2 shop as well as the stickers etc. I think all together the add ons cost $20 and the canvases were 1/2 price so all up I spent $40 and then just had sausage rolls, fairy bread, lollies etc. If it's a nice day you could have them outside on your deck and just let them go for it! Can't believe she is 6!!! ------------- Mr Mellow (16) Miss Attitude (8) Destructa Kid (3) 
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Posted By: kiwikid
Date Posted: 19 June 2010 at 6:53pm
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Do you have an arty friend who could do facepainting for you? I have absolutely no idea how much face paints cost but if its not too expendy then someone who is good at the creative stuff might like to help out. I had a friend who did this for another friend recently, she had a design for boys and another for girls and the kids really loved it... but they were 4yr olds if you think that would make a difference.
A High Tea Party would be lovely, you check out your local second hand shops / sallies ets to get fancy flowery but non matching tea cups and saucers and plates etc and do fancy treats, love the idea of decorate your own cupcake! The Canvas Decorating idea is very cool too. I think are loads of ways to entertain the kids without needing to hire a professional. ------------- 
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Posted By: Babe
Date Posted: 19 June 2010 at 10:04pm
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I think they enjoy the fancy stuff (prof entertainers, etc) if its there in front of them but if its not there and they're still enjoying themselves I don't think it'd be a problem. JM2csW though -------------   
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Posted By: newmum
Date Posted: 13 July 2010 at 10:30am
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I agree with Babe
Well I hope she's right because we definitely can't afford all the flash stuff for Joey's 5th and all his friends that turned 5 this year have had big parties. I really HATE "loot bags" but feel obligated to do that too as everyone else has. 
Peer pressure sucks LOL ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: caliandjack
Date Posted: 13 July 2010 at 11:33am
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There are some great ideas for little girls parties. ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow">   [/url] Angel June 2012 |
Posted By: newmum
Date Posted: 13 July 2010 at 11:59am
"Like"  ------------- http://lilypie.com">
http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: jaz
Date Posted: 18 July 2010 at 7:15pm
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The good news is that your daughter isn't demanding it. Kids really like party games like pass the parcel, musical chairs, pin the tail on the donkey etc. The 'high tea' party idea is great. Princess parties are also good, with lots of pink food, nail painting etc. For kids this age the excitement is in the party itself. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: High9
Date Posted: 18 July 2010 at 8:11pm
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The excitement is the party! And I agree with Cali, what happened to just taking a piece of cake or 2 home and a balloon if there was any?!
It's almost like the oscar pre/after parties where they get flash goodie bags! Not only those, but imo you also feel like you have to have a gift/present for every child in games too. ------------- http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: Daizy
Date Posted: 18 July 2010 at 8:21pm
I am totally turning into the Jonses
Its Keira's 5th Birthday at the end of the month and I have already been busy the last few weeks. I am trying to stick to a budget and making a lot of the things myself which is why its all taking so long. I am cutting out butterflies from coloured paper to stick around the house. I have found some old pink sparkly material to drape around the house and will hopefully get the fairy lights up too. I have made little goodie bags full of bracelets (with beads I found around) Butterfly Pens and Notebooks, etc We are going to set up some butterflies to decorate with glitter and markers. If I am able to find the time I am going to paint butterflies on the girls faces. Cake, I haven't even thought about cake yet :s I figure it is her 5th birthday so its a big one... Her other parties won't be quite as extreme 
Last year we had a dress up tea party which was fun. A box full of dress ups, over sided dresses, old jewelry, big hats.. and then I found a cheap tea set at an op shop and we sat around and drank 'tea' ------------- 
 
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Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 18 July 2010 at 9:39pm
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i dont do parties until they turn five... so this year i had tobys party at butterfly creek. it was so stress free not having to worry about food or activities or decorations... all i did was the cake! because i dont do parties all the time i dont mind spending a bit on the big one but it really wasnt any more expensive than the one i did at home when gabriel turned five where i did all the food myself and hired a bouncy castle, themed it and got masks and goodie boxes and had games.... ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker">
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Posted By: Renee & Lauren
Date Posted: 25 July 2010 at 11:05pm
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We do birthday parties every year - it's DD's special day and we would like her to be treated like it is her special day. The last few yrs she has had her birthday out somewhere (Chipmunks, McDees etc) but next year it will be at home. We also have the problem of it being in the xmas holidays so we have a family lunch at home (with the grandparents, aunties and uncles and cousins) and then follow up a month later with a friend one.
I just found out that my sister doesn't even bake a cake or ask her daughter if she wants a friend over for her birthday - now I know why my niece acts the way she does. They don't treat her like she is special enough to even have a cake or anything for her. I don't even think they get her presents. ------------- http://lilyslim.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: caraMel
Date Posted: 26 July 2010 at 9:40am
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Thanks for all the ideas and advice guys, have stored it away for future birthdays!
Ella had a fab party in the end, We had balloons hanging down from the ceiling, petals and sparkly streamers all over the floor. DH reckoned it looked like Lady Gaga exploded in our living room! We organised some of the old favourite games, pin the crown on the princess, pass the parcel, lolly scramble but as it turned out they were happy enough to spend the whole time playing with Ella's toys in her bedroom. We had to convince them to stop long enough to come up and eat! ------------- Mel, Mummy to E: 6, B: 4 and:
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Posted By: TheKelly
Date Posted: 22 August 2010 at 10:32pm
I had a disco party for Caitlyn's sixth ,was it me ? (sorry , I know this reply is abit late ) Was awesome,we just got disco balls from the $2 ,and had the music playing ,kids just danced all over the place,ate ,danced somemore ....they all had a great time ------------- 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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