Upcoming Party

So your child is having a birthday soon, what kind of party do you throw?  Well, I think there are many questions to ask yourself first such as: Who will be coming? When can we have the party? Should we invite friends and family?  What is our budget?

Our daughter is turning 9 in a month so we asked ourselves some of those questions.  The biggest question for me is who will be coming.  Now that she is in school, there are many classmates that she would like to invite. There are friends in her class and friends in other classes so we have to figure out how many to invite. We do not want to hurt any feelings nor be selective but I am not sure if inviting all fourteen girls from the third grade class is a good idea.  But then I am reminded that only ten percent of that fourteen with RSVP and maybe half will actually come.  So that isn't so bad. Plus there are other friends that she would like to come so if ten girls came, that would be great.

In counting up party guests, we have to add our family too. With cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandmas coming, our guest list has just grown exponentially.  We know that our family will come to the party because they are family and that is just what we do for birthdays in our house.  Now adding 25 more people with children has gotten a guest list of almost 50 people.

Having a party for 50 people is not too hard in our family where hamburgers on the grill and soda in the cooler works just fine.  But what if classmates' parents decide stay?  Now we have to think about their food and drinks, chairs, tables, etc.  So should I plan for 60?  But wait, I didn't even invite the neighbors and their kids too.  Okay, maybe now I'm up to 75 or 80 people?

My husband thinks we should do a party activity like a large movie screen or have a magician come.  I am entertaining the magician idea because for a total of one hour, he walks around showing tricks to the party guests then provides a show and interacts with the kids.  Magic is always fun no matter the age.  Whether you can catch the magician in his act or just be entertained and wonder, magic is always a good time.  And for one hour to ninety minutes of entertainment, that might be a good idea.

We will have an inflatable obstacle course up for the kids to play on too. I think that we do need to have something else going on during the party before the magician comes. With the obstacle course, then various ages can play and race a friend to see who has the fastest course time. Maybe I should give prizes away for that?

In looking at all that would go on for this party, I am thinking that I may not want to prepare all of the food as it is a lot of work and money in the end. I saw an advertisement for a hot dog vendor to come to your party.  How fun is that?  They bring the cart, food and serve it during your party. No prep work for me!  Just sit back and eat a hot dog.  I need to look into this further but a hot dog cart may be coming to my backyard soon.

I am not sure what we will decide in the end, but the goal is to make our 9 year old (middle child) have a fun and special birthday party.  Now onto planning her 10th birthday party huh?

Safety

     Recently in New York there was a incident involving a bounce house that injured 3 children. This has brought up questions and concerns to many parents about the how safe a bounce house truly is. You can look up on YouTube and see many inflatables being blown away. Many are staked down appropriately, but the 2 key factors are a good rental company and adult supervision. First, in New York the inflatable that was blown away was a toy inflatable that one could get from a large super-center or big box store. It was blown away most likely because it was not adequately staked down and put up in unsafe weather conditions. The stakes provided in the store bought inflatables are no better than small tent stakes. We at Dreamland Bouncers always put safety first. We have some the best and safest equipment manufactured. We have commercial grade equipment with reinforced anchor points, made by the best manufacturers that take safety as serious as we do. We watch weather conditions and get the most up to date weather conditions possible. We always use 18" stakes to secure our bouncers and waterslides and we also use extra stakes on windy conditions to ensure it stays on the ground. We go over the rules and let parents know what signs to look for so they know that the weather has become too unsafe to use.  If the weather does turn bad, we go over the steps to ensure the kids stay safe and the inflatable gets deflated quickly so it would stay on the ground. Having your own small bouncer is an easy way to entertain the kids but there is a lot more to it than just putting it up and walking away. When you want an inflatable up at your next party, make sure you get a good quality product from a good reputable company. The good rental company can make all the difference in the world.

What to do in the summer...

As summer is approaching, many of us wonder what we are going to do with the kids once school is out.  What activities do you plan to do for their time off?  Do you plan any vacations? Do you enroll them in swimming lessons? Is there going to be any relaxing during the summer?

Many parents try to find ways to keep their families busy in the summer months. From swimming lessons to summer camps to trips to the beach, we are always trying to find ways to fill those summer days. What happened to just enjoying the time off?

Here in Arizona, we do look for ways to cool down and stay out of the heat during the summer with the kids.  Going to the movies is often a summer activity and anything else that is in the air conditioning too.

Also in the summer, people are gathered around water whether that is the family pool, the city pool or even just the sprinkler in the yard.  For us, a water slide is the way to go! We will often put up an inflatable water slide in the backyard and the kids will slide for hours.  And the adults will give it a try too. :-)  Some good family fun while trying to stay cool is how our family likes to enjoy the summer days.

Party Theme

New movies, new toys, new party themes.  With so many great kids movies and  television shows these days, everyone has a favorite character.  So do you like The Avengers, Despicable Me, Monster High, Super Mario Bros, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? What will your party theme be?  Once you decide on your party theme, then it is time to go shopping. Hitting your local party or big box store to find the best decorations for your party is a must. Now, do you buy streamers, tablecloths, cups or a pinata?  But what if you can't find your favorite character?  Many online sites do offer a large variety of party supplies to suit your specific theme if you don't find what you are looking for at your local store.  But how much do you spend?  In the end, those matching napkins and plates sure do add up.  But they match everything right?  As a parent, I have bought every matching party supply to make sure our party looked great. And the kids really cared that it all matched right?  Ha!

In the end, no matter what your party theme is, there is a party decoration somewhere for you.  Happy decorating and planning!

Birthday Parties and the Holidays

The holidays are coming and so are family parties.  Do you just add your birthday party onto Thanksgiving or Christmas? Do you just celebrate the birthday child and the holiday at the same time?  I mean, family and friends are already there right?  I know there are many kids out there who do have their birthday parties Thanksgiving weekend or Christmas time so it does make sense.  It is cost effective too. And, everyone is already at your house!  Now, there are some kids who would rather have their birthday moved to July so that way it could be celebrated apart from the holidays. I know that is not always possible but at least their birthday is still made special because everyone is there to celebrate.  Many families just lump everything together and who doesn't like pumpkin pie and birthday cake at the same time?  Anyhow, no matter the day, family, friends and celebrations are what is important so eat up and have a great time!

The weather is getting nicer outside and that means lots of people will be heading to their local parks. The city and community parks offer lots of space for your party guests including tables, ramadas, and playgrounds.

Many city parks do require you to reserve your space with a permit so make sure you check that out before your party day to ensure you have the spot you would like.  Some of the reservations do have a fee attached so plan your party appropriately with that cost. Also, some cities rent the spaces in certain time increments so do check when you will be allowed to use the space and when you need to leave the space for the next reservation.

Many parks are limited on the electrical outlets that are available so you may want to see what needs you have and what the park offers. Generators are a common site at parks in order for you to plug in your rentals items like a  bounce house, or your personal crockpots and radios.  Many cities require you to provide a generator if you have other items to plug in as they do not allow you to use their electrical outlets nor can they guarantee the outlets working properly.

The cooler weather brings parties outside and what a great way to celebrate!

Halloween is coming and that means lots of candy and parties too!  This year, Halloween falls on a Thursday so what day are you going to have your party?  Many people decide to have their party on a Saturday or  Friday night which makes sense for availability of the masses.  Many people will still have their Halloween party on Halloween night when the kids are ready to Trick-or-Treat and the pumpkins are glowing.

One safe way to host a party at home is to include an activity for the kids and the adults too.  Many play games like pin the nose on the pumpkin or bobbing for apples. A bounce house can also be another way to keep the kids entertained and the adults able to enjoy the party.  A bouncer can have a Halloween theme with Frankenstein, a witch or pumpkins to add to your party decorations.  Or the jumper can have ghosts and goblins in order to make the scene a bit more spooky.  What ever you decide to have for a theme, a bounce house is a good way to let the kids and the adults have a good time at your Halloween party.