For younger children small parties are best. Keep the guest list to eight of her closest friends. It's difficult not to invite the entire class because we don't want to hurt any feelings or let anyone feel left out but trying to accommodate an entire class of girls at a party can be overwhelming and stressful. Make sure she brings a treat to all her classmates at school the day of her birthday but keep the weekend party to a manageable size.
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| This party took place in the meeting room of a retirement village. There was plenty of space and a full kitchen. |
If you are nervous about, guest parking, moving furniture, or hiding your grandmother's fragile vase in an upstairs closet you may consider renting a room. Rented rooms often come with a table and may have a sink and refrigerator. You can usually come in ahead of time to do a little decorating. You would be surprised how many local businesses have back rooms to rent. In papillion, Tripoint coffee on the main street has a lovely meeting room that can accommodate 30 people and is freshly remodeled and rents by the hour at a very reasonable rate. Sometimes banks and other businesses have meeting rooms they will rent. Perhaps your workplace rents out an entertaining space to employees. Another option is a hospitality room at a hotel. These are small party rooms with kitchens and can be rented by the hour.
Decorating is a snap when you choose a theme for your party. We are using a story book theme. Buntings are really popular right now but instead of bothering with sewing you can use pieces of scrapbook paper cut into triangles. I found this design on Adventuroo and you can get the instructions
here.
A great craft activity for the children would be to to create a tiny story book using pieces of scrapbook paper. I found a great little book shaped like a matchbook on Cut Out & Keep. You can see how it is done
here.
It's nice to keep food bite sized. Try to choose recipes that can be done ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator. We set all the food out at the start but you can also bring out snack items one at a time throughout the party. If you are worried about stains stay away from red drinks and dark chocolate cakes. If the girls are dressed up then their mothers will appreciate it.
When you are preparing food, prepare something special for the parents on the sidelines. It's nice when parents come in and stay during the party. Children tend to be less stressed and more behaved when their mom or dad is right in the other room. Treat parents who stay to chips and dip or sandwiches. If you keep them happy, maybe they will help you tidy up afterward.
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| Princess Party Omaha |
The perfect touch to a story book themed birthday party is to invite a real life story book character. Check to see if you can hire a storybook princess in your area. Real Princesses Omaha serves the Omaha metro area and specializes in birthday parties. They will bring two princesses to your party to play games and craft with the children. There is also a royal assistant who will be your helper and will set up and clean up all the activities.
www.realprincessesomaha.com
Don't forget to keep it simple. It's important that you are not too busy to enjoy this special day!
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| nursery rhyme characters have been frosted onto the cupcakes! |
