Celebration – Children’s Parties (Part Two)

Posted on April 17, 2013 by barbara

As I discussed in part one of children’s birthday parties, I’ve enjoyed the entire planning process from deciding on a theme, to shopping for invitations and party supplies, to creating party decorations, special party favors and gift bags, to deciding on what type of birthday cakes. Most blogs give ideas about specific theme parties, but I’m going to talk about the process involved and give some tips and suggestions. Part one discussed party themes, decorations, food and birthday cakes. In part two, I will discuss birthday activities/entertainment, gift bags, and special parties.

Birthday Party Activities/Entertainment

Activities are a wonderful way to make a birthday party more fun! For our daughter’s Ladybug birthday party, we made a very simple Ladybug game using red and black foam. A strip of black foam was used with white foam numbers 1-6 glued onto the black foam. Red foam was cut into a ladybug shape, six for each “number strip”, and with a black marker I made dots on each of them. One ladybug had one dot, two dots, etc. until the final ladybug had six dots. With a toss of a big white foam dice, each girl rolled a number, and then covered the number on the black strip with a ladybug having the corresponding number of dots. The first one to roll all six numbers, and fill their strip with ladybugs, won a prize. It was a very easy game but fun for this group of six year old!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Our daughter’s seventh birthday party had an animal safari theme. We had sold our house in California and were moving to the Midwest, so we knew it would be the last party with her California friends and we wanted to make it memorable. In keeping with the animal theme, we hired a local animal rescue that brought some animals to our house, like an iguana, several snakes and even a monkey to name a few of the animals. The kids really liked the informative show that Animal Encounters put on and at the end everybody had their picture taken with the monkey, we included the photo with the thank you notes. That wasn’t the only entertainment, my husband took the kids on a fun-filled animal themed scavenger hunt all over the backyard and front yard of our house ending with everyone climbing to the top of our backyard wooden jungle gym/fort to get a prize out of the treasure box and the children down the slide to finish the game. It was a very fun party and the kids really enjoyed the animals and the scavenger hunt!

Always keep in mind the theme of the party when planning activities. For example, for a “Littlest Pet Shop” themed party I found bobble-head cats and dogs that looked like a larger version of a Littlest Pet Shop animals and cardboard “dog houses” at my local craft store. The girls painted the animals and then decorated the houses with stickers and colored markers. Another activity we planned for a cupcake themed party was simply having the girls decorate their cupcakes, my daughter and I are big Cupcake Wars fans. To make it easy we made all the cupcakes before the party in both vanilla and chocolate flavors. Then, the girls were supplied three different types of frosting; vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. We bought a variety of different kinds of sprinkles in a several shapes and colors. The girls were very creative in decorating the cupcakes and had a great time. Once the cupcakes were frosted and decorated the girls needed a container to take the cupcakes back to their homes. To solve this problem I found white cardboard boxes at the craft store that were the perfect size to fit six cupcakes each. The girls enjoyed decorating the boxes with stickers and colored markers.

Special Birthday Parties

For special birthdays, sometimes the party will be more elaborate and a little more expensive. As I mentioned before, our daughter’s fifth birthday coincided with Disneyland’s 50th Anniversary and we thought it would be a great way to combine the two celebrations. About two months before the party, we sent out “Save the Date” notices to everyone on the invitation list. We told them the date, the schedule of events for the day and a request to submit pictures of their family Disneyland pictures for a special video we were making. On the day of the party, we wanted to meet everyone in front of the castle, take a group photo, and hand out a game packet with a Disneyland trivia game and scavenger hunt. Guests were free to enjoy the day at Disneyland and then meet at Goofy’s Kitchen for a birthday/dinner celebration later in the afternoon. At the restaurant, after eating we handed out the prizes to the game winners and distributed the gift bags which included a special DVD video made from their family Disneyland photos that we requested months earlier. It was a very expensive event but everyone had a great time and it was a very fun day!

Party Favors and Gift Bags

When having a children’s birthday party always send the guests home with gift bags because it is a wonderful way to say thank you for coming to the party. When shopping and assembling the gift bags keep in mind the party’s theme. The gift bags and decorations along with the items purchased for the gift bags should be about the party theme. For example, at an Ariel theme party I used white bags tied with green raffia and a starfish glued onto a white tag. At a local retail store I found small Ariel coloring and activity books, some Ariel stickers and an Ariel party noise makers. Also included in the gift bag were a box of crayons, a small bag of goldfish crackers and a seashell. For our big birthday party at Disneyland I again used white paper bags but this time I glued on a red/white polka dot ribbon and lined it with red tissue. On previous Disneyland visits, I shopped for gift bag items which included two small postcards of Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Disney stickers, a Mickey Mouse lollipop and party noise maker, a small Donald Duck toy and a Disney dollar bill, also included were magic bubbles.

For an animal safari theme party I used brown paper bags with white gift tag that read “supply rations” and personalized with the child’s name. I shopped for animal themed items online at a party supply website and purchased animal print bracelets and stickers. At a local retail store I found toy compasses, since we having an safari animal themed scavenger hunt, and I also included bubbles and a box of animal shaped cookies. For a cupcake birthday party, the decorations were polka dots, daisies and the colors were bright green, blue, purple and pink. I purchased paper gift bags/tissue in these colors and glued on a matching polka dot ribbon and white daisy. Inside the gift bags were strips of polka dot candies, bright colored rubber bracelets, a couple of small polishes, a tube of lip gloss and a cupcake scented body spray.

Birthday Photos

When celebrating a children’s birthday party be sure to take lots of photos, these are the moments to remember! Before the party starts, we always take a photo of our daughter with her birthday cake and wearing her special birthday outfit. When picking out an outfit we try to keep in mind the party’s theme. For the ladybug party I found a cute pink dress with an embroidered lady bug. I also made lady bug visors for all the girls, I used a simple red visor, black pipe cleaner curled with a pom-pom on top for the antennae and each black dot spelled out the girl’s names, this was also a party favor for them to take home. During the party I made sure to take a group photo of the girls wearing their lady bug visors! For the animal safari party, I was lucky to find a leopard crown at my local party shop and even though she only wore it for a short time at the party I was able to get a photo of her wearing it.

For a princess sleepover the girls decorated foam crowns with sparkly letters and shiny gems, the girls enjoyed this activity took their crowns home as a party favor. After they were done decorating them, I made sure to take a group photo of the girls wearing their princess crowns. For the cupcake theme party, I found white chef’s hats and blue aprons that read “junior baker”. During the party I made sure to take a photo of our daughter wearing them. I made sure to take a group photo of the girls with them all wearing their lady bug visors.

PARTY NOTE: Group photos are a great idea to include in the thank you notes!

Special Birthday Photos

Every year since my children were each born I have always taken them to JC Penney for their annual birthday photo. Every year I would buy our daughter a beautiful dress and have her photo taken and some years when her birthday is a very special one I bring her birthday outfit and take additional photos. For her Disneyland birthday, in keeping with the Disney theme she wore her birthday dress and her Mickey Mouse Ears. For her animal safari birthday, I brought several stuffed animals to the photo shoot and had a cute picture taken with her wearing her safari outfit with all the animals scattered around.

Birthday parties are a very special time in our children’s lives, so take the time to plan a fantastic party and make those wonderful memories!! I would love to hear from you about your ideas, suggestions or tips on your children’s birthday parties.

P.S. Recently for my daughter’s birthday we had a Mall Scavenger Hunt themed party, for more information please click on the link.

Celebration – Children’s Parties (Part One)

Posted on April 16, 2013 by barbara

Over the years I have planned many birthday parties for my children. I’ve enjoyed the entire planning process from deciding on a theme, to shopping for invitations and party supplies, to creating party decorations, special party favors and gift bags, to deciding on what type of birthday cakes. When I was a single Mom and planning my son’s birthday parties I purchased mostly store bought items for their convenience and held most of the parties at pizza places or park venues. With my daughter’s birthday parties I was able to create most of the decorations and have most of the parties at our house. Either way, during the planning process there are a lot of decisions to be made concerning a children’s birthday party, like the date, location, budget. Most blogs give ideas about specific theme parties, but I’m going to talk about the process involved and give some tips and suggestions.

Theme/Decorations

When deciding on themes there are a lot of different choices, but try to think of ideas to personalize the theme in some unique and different ways to make it special for your children. After a theme is determined the next step is setting a reasonable budget. With the cost of children’s birthday parties being so expensive, my idea is to keep the budget from getting out of control by creating the party decorations myself or if I do purchase party items I make sure they can be recycled or re-purposed after the party.

As an example, for our daughter’s fourth birthday party we decided on an Ariel theme, her favorite Disney character. We could have gone crazy with mass produced Ariel items from the party supply store but instead I made most of the decorations with seashells. There was a seashell front door wreath to welcome the guests, a hallway column decorated with inexpensive ocean netting covered with more seashells, and a seashell “rose” arrangement for the buffet table. I know these decorations sound unusual for an Ariel party but I was able to recycle and repurpose these items after the party. (Check out how I recycled the seashell “rose” arrangement in this month’s post, Floral Arrangements) For the other Ariel party decorations, our family room fireplace mantel was decorated with an Ariel doll and Sebastian, Flounder and Scuttle stuffed toys. To add a personal element, I framed two photos of our daughter taken with Ariel on our visits to Disneyland and also two autographed Ariel photos signed by Jodi Benson, the voice of Ariel. Our daughter played with all the Ariel items for years after the party and the framed photos and autographed pictures are now displayed in our home.

Another example of keeping party costs within budget are the decorations we used for our daughter’s Ladybug theme sixth birthday party. I found several inexpensive small stuffed ladybugs from the dollar store that I hung from the kitchen chandelier over the buffet table, inexpensive lady bug masks also purchased at the dollar store were used as decorations and foam/paper/letter stickers were used to create a Happy Birthday banner. With all these low cost items we were able to keep within our budget.

In keeping with the idea of creating the party decorations, the scrapbook aisle of the local craft store is an excellent source for solid and pattern paper. Also in the craft store there is a wide selection of foam colors to make birthday banners and signs. For a seventh birthday animal theme party, I used several different animal print papers to make a Happy Birthday banner and another sign that said “the Jones Safari Headquarters” that we put on our backyard wooden swing set/fort. Another example, for an eighth birthday princess sleepover party, I made a “The Royal Bedroom” sign leading down to our basement where the girls were spending the night. For a ninth birthday Littlest Pet Shop party, which was another sleepover party, I made a “Pet Den” sign for her bedroom and on our front door I added a welcome sign and enlarged copies of Littlest Pet Shop animals tucked into our front door wreath. For a twelfth cupcake theme birthday party, I made a Happy Birthday banner out of several bright colored foam pendents and white foam letters. After the party, this banner was stored away in our basement waiting to be recycled and used again for another party.

2009 Littlest Pet Shop - home decoration

Food and Birthday Cakes

When planning your child’s birthday party try to keep the food menu limited to easy to make and simple to serve foods. Years ago, we had two different birthday parties for my son’s at our local Chuck E. Cheese Pizza restaurant. It was so easy because the food and entertainment were all provided by the restaurant and the best part was that there was no clean-up afterwards. Check other local venues with activities like miniature golf, bowling, aquatic parks and movie theaters These are some fun ideas if you are looking for an easy and simple party and the entertainment can easily be provided by the venue.

When having a child’s birthday party at your home consider ordering a pizza delivery or a 4-6 foot long sandwich for a local sandwich shop. Add some drinks like soda, juice or bottled water, serve some simple snacks like vegetables/dip and maybe a salad and don’t forget the birthday cake for an easy to serve party menu.

Birthday cakes are such an important part of the birthday celebration and we have such a fun time coming up with ideas to fit the theme for each party. For our daughter’s Ariel party we had a birthday cake that was frosted to look like a sandcastle with seashells scattered around the base of the cake. For her Ladybug party we had a birthday cake with a Boyd’s Bear Ladybug figurine on top and it was decorated with leaves and more ladybugs. For her animal themed birthday my husband baked, frosted and decorated a large green snake cake, the kids really like that one! For our daughter’s first sleepover party, my husband made a really fun birthday cake. It was made to look like the girls were sleeping in a cute pink bed. Twinkies were used to make the sleeping girls who had their heads on marshmallow pillows. The girls loved this cake!

There is so much information, ideas and suggestions for children’s birthday parties that I have to divide it into two different posts. Please check out the Birthday Party (Part Two) post about birthday activities/entertainment, gift bags, etc.

Celebration – April Fool’s Day

Posted on April 1, 2013 by barbara

April Fool’s Day is a day of pranks and practical jokes… but how did it all get started.

Centuries ago, the Romans held an eight day festival at the time of the vernal equinox and was an ancient religious celebration honoring Cybele, the mother of the gods. The Romans celebrate that winter was over and the days were again longer than the nights. On the final day of the celebration, known as the Hilaria, there was solemn procession of a statue of Cybele carried throughout the streets preceded by a show of wealth in the form of gold and works of art belonging to the emperors or other wealthy Romans. This was usually followed by an elaborate masquerade in which the people would disguise themselves as people of power and prestige.

In Medieval times there was the Feast of Fools, starting in the fifth century and ending in the sixteenth centuries, it was celebrated in several countries in Europe mainly in France but also in Spain. At these celebrations the participants would often mock the power and dignity of the church’s highest clergy. They would congregate around a church, dress themselves in different masks and disguises, engage in all types of song and dance, and perform a ridiculous parody directed toward the offensive person naming them the “Lord of Misrule”. These types of celebration always occurred during periods of social and religious revolution.

Famous April Fool’s Day Pranks

On April1, 1860, people throughout London received the following invitation to come to the Tower of London to view the annual ceremony of the “Washing the White Lions”. Admittance was only at the White Gate entrance and it was requested that no gratuities be given to wardens or attendants. By noon a large crowd had reportedly gathered outside the Tower of London and when they realized nothing was going to happened they left very disappointed. In Fact, lions hadn’t been kept at the Tower for centuries and in particular never white lions. This prank in still often used today on unsuspecting visitors to London.
On April 1, 1957 the British news show Panorama broadcast a three-minute segment about a bumper spaghetti harvest in southern Switzerland and showed a film of workers harvesting the crop from the “spaghetti trees”. The success of the crop was attributed both to an unusually mild winter and disappearance of the “spaghetti weevil.” The Swiss Spaghetti Harvest hoax generated an enormous response and hundreds of people phoned the BBC wanting to know how they could grow their own spaghetti tree. In response the BBC diplomatically replied, “Place some spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best.
In 1965 BBC TV featured an interview with a professor who had just invented a device called “Smellovision.” This miraculous technology allowed viewers to experience in their own home aromas produced in the television studio. The professor demonstrated this new device by cutting some onions and brewing coffee. Surprisingly a number of viewers called in to confirm that it was working and they smelled these scents through their television sets. Since no aromas were being transmitted, whatever these viewers thought they smelled was due to the power of suggestion.
On April 1, 1996 a full page ad from the fast food chain Taco Bell appeared in six major American newspapers announcing that in an effort to help the national debt, they had agreed to purchase the Liberty Bell, were renaming it the “Taco Liberty Bell”. The ad generated an enormous response and thousands of concerned citizens called the Taco Bell’s headquarters in Irvine and the National Park Service in Philadelphia to find out if the Bell had really been sold. Later that same day, Taco Bell issued a press release in which they confessed to the hoax and also announced that it would donate $50,000 for the upkeep of the Liberty Bell.
Burger King published a full page advertisement in the April 1, 1998 edition of USA Today announcing the introduction of a new item to their menu: a “Left-Handed Whopper” specially designed for the 32 million left-handed Americans. According to the advertisement, the new whopper included the same ingredients as the original Whopper (lettuce, tomato, hamburger patty, etc.), but all the condiments were rotated 180 degrees for the benefit of their left-handed customers. The following day Burger King issued a news release revealing that although the Left-Handed Whopper was a hoax, thousands of customers had gone into restaurants to request the new sandwich.
On April 1, 2008, the BBC announced that camera crews filming near the Antarctic for its natural history series Miracles of Evolution had captured footage of the “flying” Adélie penguins and explained that instead of huddling together to endure the Antarctic cold, these penguins would fly thousands of miles to the rainforests of South America where they would spend the winter in the tropical sun.”

Celebration – Backwards Party

Posted on April 1, 2013 by barbara

Here is a fun idea for an April Fool’s party were everything is done in a backwards order – from the invitations to the décor to the food to the games and activities! Follow some of these simple suggestions and enjoy a fun party to celebrate the day.

Invitations

On the invitation write all the information spelled backwards, such as: ytraP sdrawkcaB. Invite your guests to wear their clothes backwards and to speak in a backwards way, such as: goodbye for hello, yes for no, etc. Have guests enter backwards through the door and for more fun have them walk backwards for the entire party. Give each guest a name tag to write their name backwards.

Attire

Clothing suggestions: wear a shirt backwards, wear pants or skirts backwards, wear socks and shoes on hands, wear necklaces hanging down the back, put sunglasses on the back of the head, wear a hat backwards, etc.

With the guests wearing their clothes backwards, be sure to have a camera ready to take photos. Have special prizes for the most creative outfit!

Décor

For the front door either have a welcome sign, spelling out the word backwards. Hang balloons upside down from ribbons. Set the table with the plates, glasses and utensils upside down. If possible, create an upside down floral centerpiece. Maybe in a large vase or crystal bowl, put the flowers heads in first with the stems pointing start up. Set the chairs with the seat facing away from the table.

Serve the meal in reverse order with dessert first, then the main course, then the appetizers. Here are some menu suggestions:

Backwards Sandwiches – assemble lunchmeat, cheese and lettuce on the outside of a slice of bread, cut the sandwiches in quarters for easier handling.
Meatloaf cupcakes – cook meatloaf in cupcake or muffin pans, let them cool after baking, top with mashed potatoes to look like frosting, pour a little gravy on top, garnish with peas or corn and for a finishing touch add a cherry tomato on top.
Upside-down Ice Cream Cones – serve a scoop of ice cream in a bowl, with the cone on top.

Games

Opposite Charades – tape a word or phrase onto someone’s back, everyone else gives the glues and that person needs to guess, set a time limit.
Reverse Alphabet – see you can recite the alphabet backwards in the fastest amount of time, be sure to have a stop watch handy.
Palindromes contest – pass out a blank sheet of paper to each contestant, have them write the most palindromes (a word that reads the same spelt forward and backwards, such as: noon, kayak, racecar and deed)
Backwards Treasure Hunt – write all the clues backwards, provide a mirror for the contestants to easily read the clue, have them walk backwards from clue to clue, surprise them by leading them back to the starting point to find the hidden treasure.

Celebration – Easter Trivia

Posted on March 31, 2013 by barbara

There are so many traditions and custom celebrated during the Easter season. The origin and history of some the most famous events are listed below: the White House Easter Egg Roll and the New York Easter Parade. Also, check out some trivia concerning our favorite candies used to fill our Easter baskets: Peeps and Cadbury Eggs.

The White House Easter Egg Roll

In the United States there is an annual event held on the White House lawn the first Monday after Easter. In 1814, Dolley Madison, the wife of President James Madison, invited hundreds of children to bring their decorated eggs and join in games on the grounds of the United States Capitol. In 1877, when a new lawn was planted the event was cancelled. Subsequently, Congress passed a law making it illegal to use the grounds as a children’s playground. In 1878, President Rutherford Hayes brought the event to the White House but during Franklin Roosevelt’s presidency the tradition was abandoned and later to be revived by during President Dwight Eisenhower’s administration. The Egg Roll is a race where children push an egg through the grass with a long-handled spoon across the White House lawn. The event is attended every year by a large crowd of children and their parents invited by special invitation or selected by a lottery system. Activities include speeches, book readings, exhibits of decorated Easter eggs and appearances by the President and his family, members of Congress and even famous celebrities but the highlight is always the Easter Bunny.

SPECIAL NOTE: This famous American event was featured in a scene in the 2007 film, “National Treasures: Book of Secrets”.

The New York Easter Parade

Wearing new clothes for Easter has been a tradition since ancient times. The Pagans celebrated the vernal equinox with a celebration to honor Ostera, the Goddess of Spring, and they believed that wearing new clothes brought them good luck. In Christianity, during Easter many Christians were baptized and they wore white linen robes to symbolize rebirth and new life. The Roman Emperor Constantine declared that his court wear their finest new clothes in celebration at Easter. The tradition eventually evolved to mark the end of Lent, during a time when people would wear the same clothes for weeks, and finally would discard their old clothes for new ones.

Starting as a spontaneous, informal and unorganized event in the 1870s, the New York Easter Parade on Fifth Avenue quickly became an American cultural tradition on Easter Sunday. The event developed when the New York City churches would decorate their sanctuaries with elaborate floral displays for Easter. After church, the wealthy New Yorkers, dressed in their new, fashionable clothing with the women wearing their elaborate hats, would try to impress each other with their finery as they stroll down Fifth Avenue walking from one church to the other to see the impressive floral displays.

Over the years, the annual Easter Parade became an important event on the New York social calendar. By 1900, merchants and milliners began to link their advertisements to the event in hopes of increasing their retail sales. Not everyone was comfortable with these displays of wealth and extravagance. Comparisons were made to bring attention to the hardships and working conditions of the sweatshop employees who produced the wealthy consumer’s Easter finery. During the Great Depression, unemployed workers paraded in their worn clothing and carrying banners that called attention to troubles. It was pointed out that the cost of a single elaborate gown was equal to a year of welfare for an unemployed worker and their family.

By the mid-20^th century, any connection to the religious aspects of the Easter parade had faded. The community event had changed from a parade of refinement based in a religious celebration to become a reflection of the American’s new idea that a person’s choice of clothing was only linked to their status and wealth. The decline in attendance continued until the New York Easter Parade became associated with outlandish and tasteless costumes becoming a satirical comment on the parade’s former focus.

Peeps

A traditional Easter treat, Peeps are marshmallow candies sold in the shape of chicks or bunnies. They are produced by the Just Born candy company founded in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. They are made from marshmallow, corn syrup, gelatin and carnauba wax. The yellow chicks, appropriately named Peeps, were originally created individually by hand until eventually this process was replaced by mass production. Peeps were originally sold only seasonally to use in Easter baskets but have since expanded to include other holidays, such as Valentine’s Day, Halloween and Christmas. The Peeps line has also expanded to include items such as lip balms, jewelry, fashion apparel and home accessories. In 2009 the first Peeps & Co. store opened in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania with additional stores following in two other locations, Maryland and the Mall of America in Minnesota. Their products are also available online at their website, www.peepsandcompany.com

Cadbury Eggs

Cadbury Crème Egg is a delicious blend of a thick milk chocolate shell in the shape of an egg with a white and yellow fondant filling that is created to resemble the yolk of a real egg. Crème Eggs are made by Cadbury UK and at the factory in Birmingham 1.5 million are made per day. The Cadbury Brothers have been making filled eggs since 1923 but the Crème egg with its seemingly realistic egg yolk was introduced in 1963. In the United States the Hershey Company has the marketing and distribution rights. Over the years, Cadbury had introduced other related products such as: the Caramel Egg which is a chocolate egg with a caramel filling, the Chocolate Crème Egg with chocolate fondant filling, the Orange Crème Egg similar to the original but with an added orange flavor and the Mint Crème Egg with a green colored yolk and a mint flavored chocolate.

You may be wondering … how do they create these unique Easter treats? The Cadbury Crème Eggs are created as two half chocolate egg shells, each is filled with white fondant and then a smaller amount of yellow fondant is added. Both halves are joined together and as they cool the two chocolate pieces bond together to form one whole egg. The eggs are then removed from the molds and wrapped in foil.

I hope you enjoyed this Easter trivia and maybe it will give you have some interesting facts for conversation at Easter lunch or dinner.

Happy Easter from the Enchanted Manor!

The Enchanted Manor

a lifestyle blog by Barbara Jones

Category Archives: Celebration

Celebration – Children’s Parties (Part Two)

Like this:

Celebration – Children’s Parties (Part One)

Like this:

Celebration – April Fool’s Day

Like this:

Celebration – Backwards Party

Like this:

Celebration – Easter Trivia

Like this:

Share:

Like this:

Share:

Like this:

Share:

Like this:

Share:

Like this:

Share:

Like this: