How not to plan a birthday party.

[PrincessFiona]

1. Never plan a birthday party on a day that you have to travel 1.5 hours away in the morning and 1.5 hours to get back before the party. We ended up stuck in sleet and hail and barely got to the hotel where we were having the party (swim party) in time. The party started at 2pm...we arrived at 1.57.

2. Never invite 2 girls to come home and spend the night with you after the party. DUH...this seems like a NO BRAINER in retrospect. We offered to let two of our neighbors drive home with us and spend the night. It seemed like it would be a nice end to the day for Amanda and wouldn't be too much effort. Unfortunately, word got out at the party that it was a 'sleep-over'...and as we were leaving I heard girls telling their moms that they needed to get their PJ's/sleeping bags because they had 'forgotten'. Interestingly, we ended up with 6 girls spending the night...the moms just ran home and got the girls' stuff and then dropped them off It's ok, we survived...though Chris (Dagny) called and I honestly can say I heard only about 1/2 of what she said before finally admitting that I had to get off of the phone.

3. Never underestimate how much a wild pack of 8 and 9 year olds can eat. We ordered 3 pizzas at the party which they gobbled up and then they came home and ate our entire ration of snacks for the kids for the week, plus spaghetti at 9pm plus all of our waffles/pancakes/toaster strudel in the morning.

I'm sooo tired! :thud:

kris

[PrincessFiona]

Here are my two favorite birthday party stories, too.

1. Mom calls me on Friday night and says that her daughter is coming to the party. She then proceeds to tell me that she has a spa day on Saturday and it starts at 1.45pm and is there any way that she could drop her daugther off at my house around 1pm Saturday and that we could just drive her to the hotel... I politely explained that we had german school in the morning and were planning on driving directly to the hotel. So she asked me if there was some place in St. Cloud that I could pick the child up or if she could drop her off at 1.30 at the hotel and we'd just get there early. (I'm not making this up!) I told her we couldn't set up until 1.45....and so...the mom just dropped her daughter off at the hotel without us there on Saturday and then called me later to make sure that everything was "ok".

2. Mom comes to pick up daughter from party...and notices that there is a line of girls waiting to change from their swimming suits into their clothes. The party had officially ended and the party room was already being remade for the next group coming in...and the mom said "I have to run to the grocery store to pick up diet cokes...I know exactly what I need...I'll be right back". Again...I kid you not....She got back at 4.50 and I was having to stand there and wait with my kids and the two who were driving home with us.

Good Grief..

[Rapunzel]

Two comments:

1) What kind of psycho people do you have to deal with?!? This is some crazy crap!

2) You are entirely too nice, Kris. Some people just deserve to hear a witchy, "NO!" :>

Jennifer

[mommax3]

Wow, Kris....the NERVE of some people, right?

DS #2 is having a birthday party next Monday after school at a local skating rink. I purposely made it on a weekday, from 3:30 to 5:30, so that perhaps not quite as many people could come due to parents still being at work, etc. This son always gets the shaft on his birthday (IMO) because it falls right after school is out, and sometimes it falls during Memorial Day weekend.....his actual birthday is the 29th. It also happens that this year, we will actually be in the midst of our move on his birthday, and of my three boys, he is the one having the roughest time about leaving all of his friends. So, due to my guilt about all of the above, we have invited 25 kids to this party, at $7 a head. Hence my wish that not everyone will be able to attend! I also am hoping that he doesn't get any big or awkwardly-sized presents, since the movers will have left with our stuff the Friday before the party, and whatever he gets we will have to haul to Indiana in one of our cars!!!!

Kris, we have not done a sleepover party yet. Actually, I don't know if boys even do that.....but if they do, I am hoping to put it off as long as possible!

Sally

[Sheherezade]

Sounds like fun, Kris . I particularly like the impromptu sleep-over! We had our birthday party here yesterday (23 6-year olds ). It went well, but DH and I were shell shocked for the night and collapsed at 8 on the couch. I can't imagine having to deal with more kids last night. You are a saint. Or insane. (You pick! ) I'm glad you survived. Did your daughter have fun? It's great that she has so many friends!

Sally, my son has had 2 sleep-overs in a row, and they have been the most simple parties I've ever done. I just rent the movies and video games, order the pizza, pop the popcorn and serve cake. The hardest part is picking "PC" movies and games; other than that the party is on auto-pilot. My son is no night owl, so the first party he had all the 8 year-old boys came traipsing into my room at midnight in their PJs to tell me he had fallen asleep first. They were so cute and went right to bed after making it to midnight. I think it is harder when they are older and have more....trouble-making ability? He has a fourth of July birthday, so he always gets the shaft too. It is hard to schedule.

[houseelf]

Seriously, Kris, people never cease to amaze me. You can't make this kind of crap up.

It sounds like Amanda had a fab birthday, however.

You ROCK as a mom and I'm not just blowing sunshine your way. Take a moment to look at all that you do.

Kelly

I'm SOOO glad my kids are still at the age where I just invite MY friends because those are the main kids they boys play with anyway. :!

I realize it's an old thread, but w/this Sunday counting as the THRID birthday party in 10 days for ds' classmates, it strikes a tone.

I plan to subscribe to the "invite the same number of friends as your age" plan: you're 5? invite 5 friends to your party! I realize this is FAR easier said than done, and is probably a pipe dream, but ahhhhh let me dream!

I see the point in inviting the whole class so no ones feelings will be hurt for really young kids, but I hear horror stories of 20 nine year olds running around and your kid won't talk to 6 of them.

[SueC]

OMG Kris, I just finally read this thread--I can't believe the nerve of some parents. I agree with Kelly--you do rock! A lot of moms would totally not go for an impromptu sleepover.
I hope your son's party goes well Sally!