Had arranged a birthday party for my eldest and sent the invites weeks ago. Party is late afternoon and all the close friends from school (about 10 in total) are coming, along with cousins, family, and friends of the family etc. had received all replies from the school friends a while ago apart from one. The school friend mum finally sent me a message yesterday to accept the invite and to invite me to her dc's party which she said she'd only just booked yesterday morning and which would now be on the same day as my eldest's party and finishing only 1 hour before but with about a 45 min drive between the two party locations (hers is one way from where we live and mine is in the opposite direction)
I'm now so frustrated as we were planning a quiet family day at home that day before the 'big party' as we have two other very young children and had actually already declined an invite for our middle one for the morning of that day as we wanted family time. My eldest now wants to go to her friend's party before her own which is a bit of a nightmare as it means we can't prep our own party properly now as one of us will have the other two and one will have to go to the party. Our eldest is only five so we can't really drop and run! It's also stupid things like I wanted her to look really lovely and now she'll be all sweaty and dishevelled from softplay as well as having already had one load of party food that day. i also feel bad for all the other families who have already accepted with us and who now feel pressured to give up pretty much the whole weekend day carting kids around to parties. I'm also worried my eldest's friends will be too worn out to enjoy her party too as they'll have come straight from another one.
Aibu to feel frustrated that this mum has done this?
I know I can't expect to control calendars just because we're having a party but to knowingly book one so close to another where the same kids will be going just seems a bit off.