Two things I'd love to have your help with

[earlgrey]

1. DD2 will be 7 on 18 October - we're having her party on the 21st. I've gone for the arty crafty theme - painting plates - but what else can I do, bearing in mind there's are a 10 and 6 year old boys coming too? Any ideas?

1. She's got so much, I don't know what to get her. Even she doesn't know what she wants. Has anyone heard (and please be blunt if you think this is a terrible idea) of a moby that you can only speak to your daughter/mum on? My only reasoning about this is that H either leaves his moby at home when when he takes them out, or leaves it off. It would be nice to know where they are/what they're doing.

Any ideas greatly appreciated.

Not heard of a mobile like that. You could get her some theatre tickets - we've done this for DD (6) for a couple of years now and it's worked really well. Maybe take one of her friends along too. Avoids adding to the pile of stuff, anyway.

My niece has a phone that my brother has 'blocked' all outgoing numbers on apart from his own and his wife. Ring a couple of phone networks as it is them rather than the actual phone handset that determines which numbers can be used.

Won't boys enjoy painting plates too? No experience with this as I have 3 dds, sorry!

here is a mobile like that

I know nothing about it though!

And I think the design is crap it looks like a baby toy, but check it out for yourself.

annie, same here, no experience of boys, but I just think they'll paint a plate in two seconds flat!

6yo ds went to a party yesterday where they had, among other things, a craft table making cardboard crowns. He loved it, spent ages working on his crown. We've also painted plates and mugs (as a family activity) and he loved that too. I don't see that it should be a problem for the boys. Just make sure that you have a good range of colours available, and that if you have 'suggestions' they shouldn't all be flowers and fairies.

As for a gift, how about something like a one-off horse-riding or ice-skating lesson?

Jackie, what did you do re. food then? I'd luuuurve not to have to bother with that too!

earlgrey - we did the theatre thing as a present, rather than as a party. Just DD and me, plus DD's friend and her mum (who is a good friend of mine). We did a matinee and went to a restaurant before the performance. Worked well. Would have been too expensive for us to do with lots of people. Though maybe a cinema trip might be more affordable, if you fancy going down that line? You could just buy refreshments there (drinks and sweets, so not exactly a healthy option) I guess.

PC, can you give me the low down on all the stuff needed to make crowns?

Jackie, that has to be a no-no then as we've 12 children coming. That or remortgage!

Abslutely - it was more of an idea for a present that doesn't add to the stack of stuff, iyswim, rather than an alternative party.

OK, there's nothing on at the Playhouse and I'm going to have to mention .... because I'm not that brave yet ....

...Party bags. Please feel free to shout me down about them, but I'm just ordering the contents now. Would a whoopee cushion thing make you feel I was a bad mother? Everything else (I think) is okay.

Can you tell I'm more than a little stressed about this?

Thanks Jackie. She'd already picked her chums before we'd decided what to do

Eff. I'm in Oxford.

Can you hear my scream in Newcastle?

I'm sorry, I've got on a roll here.

Why does someone who's six cause such grief?

I'm only muttering on to you loves because I can't face the reality of it all

And because I need your help .....

OK, not that you're at all interested!

Got the church hall booked for all the messy stuff, then come 'round home for lunch.

Awwwwwww, tell me what I'm doing wrong.

I'd stay at the church hall for lunch too - then you can come home and not have to tidy it up after having 12 girls in it. Quite like the whooppee cushion idea.

Corrugated cardboard sheets/roll. The mum cut it into strips about 50cm long and zigzagged one edge for the crown shape. A big table covered in a vinyl tablecloth, icecream tubs full of felt pens, sparkly glue pens, Prit sticks, glitter in shaker tubes, feathers, sticker sheets, pompoms etc. Each tub contained one type of thing. No scissors on the table, nothing that needed extra cutting. Packet of wet wipes ready fro when the child finished and got down from the the table. Crowns either left to dry flat on a sideboard, or, if not too dribbly with glue etc, stapled into crown shape by adult and left to dry on sideboard. Children reminded to include their name in the design! One or two parents to get things going, only one parent needed to supervise while children were busy at the activity.