Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to beg for your help?

28 replies

PeapodBurgundy · 02/03/2019 20:33

Shameless posting for traffic (sorry!). DS's 3rd birthday party next Sunday (10th March). We've recently moved to a house with a (small) playroom and a fair sized garden, so I made the fucking stupid decision to have his party at home this year. I've booked a bouncy castle for the back garden, and had planned to set up Paint Your Own Biscuits on the patio, and the train set in the front room (so pretty much everything outdoors). I planned one game of pass the parcel to get them all sat down while we get the food boxes out of the fridge. All easy and aside from a giant mess at he end, relatively stress and fuss free, with the idea they'll all play with the garden toys.

It's going to rain. The bouncy castle comes with a rain cover, and we have foam play mats we can create a path from the house to it over the lawn, so that's not much of an issue, that can still feasibly be used. However I now have the issue of 21 kids plus parents being largely in the house rather than the kids being mainly outside. Aside from the lack of space, how the hell do I keep them entertained for indoors for a 2 hour party? I had also planned to feed them outside on picnic mats, so I'm going to have to try to clear away before they eat rather than after they've gone.

Is there any way this isn't going to be complete and utter hell?? Any survival tips or bright ideas to get us through this?

OP posts:
Crystalintheeyes · 02/03/2019 20:34

Any local halls you can rent at short notice ?

Lwmommy · 02/03/2019 20:36

I was going to say tge same, church or village hall, theyre usually very cheap to rent and will take a bouncy castle

LordVoldetort · 02/03/2019 20:36

I would be ringing around all’s to see if any are available and try and get notice out ASAP.
We had DDs party recently (less kids) and although the weather was ok it wouldn’t have been suitable if we only had an area pretty much outside

Original poster
PeapodBurgundy · 02/03/2019 20:37

It's too short notice to change the bouncy castle. It's an outdoor only hire, and all of their indoor ones are booked out. The other hire companies around here would push it to outside of our budget with the money lost from the one we've booked, the cost of a hall, and the cost of the new bouncy castle.

OP posts:
AntiHop · 02/03/2019 20:40

Put a message on your local Facebook group to ask if anyone can lend you a gazebo

Original poster
PeapodBurgundy · 02/03/2019 20:42

Good thinking AntiHop. I'll put some appeals out now. Thank you x

OP posts:
TheCanyon · 02/03/2019 20:42

Order a big gazebo!!

TheCanyon · 02/03/2019 20:43

Ah x post. Honestly is the best idea, but I don't imagine many of the dc will care if it's raining

Hodgehegg · 02/03/2019 20:45

Oh dear. I'd have a look at a gazebo for the garden so you can set up the food under there. They have them in argos I think. Maybe a few more indoor play areas/games musical statues is always a winner. Itl go so quickly once they arrive!
Incidently I remember it raining on my bouncy castle party as a kid and it was still the best party ever! Hope it all goes well for you. Try to enjoy it (teeny glass of wine might help!)

Original poster
PeapodBurgundy · 02/03/2019 20:48

DS won't care, neither will his friends. It's the older cousins who I NEVER refer to as the outlaws who will bitch and moan. Although they've done that at the previous two parties as well, so I suppose I'm no worse off in that respect Hmm

OP posts:
llangennith · 02/03/2019 20:50

They'll play together like at nursery or playgroup. They'll entertain themselves and their parents will have to see to them if there's a problem.
Send out a message suggesting the parents bring their DC "a change of clothes as there's an outdoor bouncy castle". Have towels on hand and accept it's going to be a bit messy.
Kids won't care about the weather.

Original poster
PeapodBurgundy · 02/03/2019 20:54

I don't mind the mess and mud; we have a stack of spare waterproofs. The invites stated it was a bouncy castle in the garden. It's more that they're such a wide range of ages. I can't imagine DC and his few friends will care. It's the neighbours, the cousins and some of the older siblings who I think I'll struggle to keep happy. I'll have to split them between two rooms to eat unless DP can somehow rig up some kind of canopy with the waterproof canvas I bought for another project or we can borrow a gazebo.

OP posts:
Absofrigginlootly · 02/03/2019 21:12

Can you hire a small marquee??

Putt several gazebos or those large tents you can stand up in (not quite a marquee - the ones you get at outdoor events

Absofrigginlootly · 02/03/2019 21:13

www.garden-camping.com/party-tent-6x3-beige.html

This sort of thing

Original poster
PeapodBurgundy · 02/03/2019 21:26

Absofriginlootly we can't really afford to spend more than we already have. I'm a SAHM and DP is on minimum wage. We've put back money monthly and planned it at home to keep the cost down. And my pram just broke, the traitorous bastard!!

OP posts:
Nothingunpleasant · 02/03/2019 21:29

Know anyone who does car boot sales? They might have a gazebo or similar.

hidinginthenightgarden · 02/03/2019 21:34

A frined of mine got one off amazon, used it and then said there was a fault and sent it back. Pretty ruthless but she said she was desperate.

Nothingunpleasant · 02/03/2019 21:34

Some selling on gumtree from £25. You could always sell it again afterwards.

Nothingunpleasant · 02/03/2019 21:34

eBay has some too.

Original poster
PeapodBurgundy · 02/03/2019 21:36

We've put an appeal on both of our Facebook pages to see if anyone we know has one we could borrow.

OP posts:
TestingTestingWonTooFree · 02/03/2019 21:39

ruthless? I’d say dishonest.

Definitely worth asking around if anyone has one you can borrow.

Absofrigginlootly · 02/03/2019 21:58

OP if you’re that hard up why have you gone crazy on a 3 year olds birthday? I mean that in the nicest way possible, it’s not necessary! For my DDs 3rd birthday we had 3 of her friends round to play (as in just play with her toys in the playroom) and then we had pizza, salad and cake for lunch. Sang happy birthday, blow out the candles, opened presents and everyone went home with a party bag.

She had a blast and it cost me maybe £30?

Original poster
PeapodBurgundy · 02/03/2019 22:07

Absofrigginlootly hiring a bouncy castle in the garden is hardly going crazy. He has 4 friends coming, the rest are made of siblings of those friends, the kids next door and his cousins so no way to keep the numbers down. We usually have some in the pot after a little into savings, but as above, I've had to shell out for a new pram this month which isn't a cheap purchase.

OP posts:
EvaHarknessRose · 02/03/2019 22:08

Can you appeal to the cousins and neighbours parents and either uninvite them because of the weather or let them have an area to go on screens.

Original poster
PeapodBurgundy · 02/03/2019 22:16

I can't keep the neighbour's kids out of my house/garden on a regular day, much less when there's a party going on (see my previous threads should you care to hear that sage! haha).

The cousins are all from DP's side of the family, and there would be hell on if I disinvited them and they would just turn up in any case as none of them have met DD yet.

Hoping to rig up something with the canvas we have. I bought it to make a small shelter in the garden as it gets sun all day (when there's any to be had), so we have that, and some wooden posts. DP is looking to rig it up temporarily as just a roof rather than a roof and three sides so it's quite a big piece.

OP posts: