i find the making of, the planning of and the execution of birthday parties for my children to be extremely stressful. there’s so much to think about. where to have it – home/place? what kind of cake – homemade/store-bought? who to invite – the whole class/all of one sex/selected people? invitation – mail/send home in backpacks?
about two months before the birthdays arrive, i begin the stress planning process. Emily is six. after last year’s princess dress-up party at our house disaster, i decided early on that i wanted to do it somewhere else. but where? she is at the age where she’s too old those indoor playground places.
A friend of mine recommended the site Help! We’ve Got Kids. it’s a fantastic resource for parents in the GTA. i am not sure if they have these in other Canadian cities, but they should! it listed hundreds of party places – from princess tea party places to slot-car racing places. there was something for everyone.
i settled on a place called Gymalaya. an indoor gymnastics club.
what a pleasure this party was to make!
the place is new and clean. they take the kids into a room and they lead all the activities. they set up the room. and serve the food. and clean up. they are incredibly nice and helpful.
(and i should mention that one of the instructors told me she liked my abercrombie pants and she said that i had ‘great style’ yes, i did let it get to my head)
looks like a success, no?
(and completely stress-free!)
song and video of the day: i really miss the OC. anyone else???
(i’m also slightly obsessed with Mates of State these days. love love love. have i used this song as a song of the day??? what about fraud in the 80s? that’s a great one too!)
come over and visit me at my other home, Cheaper Than Therapy. Come and learn all about my naughty, naughty little boy!!
AWESOME!!! I love that site “help we’ve got kids.” We use their kids event calendar a lot. It’s a great resource. And, I’m all about having the party somewhere else — which is why we did Gymboree. Stress free!
We did my daughter’s at a play place because she wanted to invite EVERYONE! But my son, up until last year, only wanted a few guests so we went to a movie and came back for McDonald’s dinner and a piniata (yes, it WAS all about the food).
My rule is, more than 5 guests and we’re outta the house. Funny thing is, the small party cost me more than the big party out of the house. Movies cost a fortune!
I heart “away” b-day parties! Especially when there’s a flat fee: invite as many as you like for $175! Unfortunatley, this year my oldest wants a sleepover at the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller (otherwise known as “the dino museum”). It’s a kick-ass place and their sleepovers are supposedly killer, but at $90 a head (that includes the grownups, as well) it might stretch the budget a bit. Alas, I’m thinking we’ll end up at home with 15 kids all clamouring for a turn on the backyard trampoline.
I stumbled upon your blogs a while ago, and they’re always entertaining! I would have loved a birthday party like that!
Also, the mates of state were on This American Life this week, and they covered the OC’s theme for a segment, it was awesome! I just listened to the podcast re-broadcast this morning, so I was amazed that both topics popped up.
Looks like a great time was had by all the kids! I too am holding my son’s party at a location other than my house lol, a nice climbing/tubes place. After 14 kids destroyed my house last year (sort of .. at 5 they were just too energetic), I thought it way better to hold it outside of the house this year. And I’m SO less stressed about it!! love it…
looks like a great party! i’m hosting my son’s 4th this weekend, and due to the stress of last year’s home party for my daughter, i’ve relocated to a play center – Jungle cubs! hope it goes as well as yours.