May I reveal the chaos that was DD's 4th birthday party on Saturday ??

[yeahinaminute]

.... the morning was going well - She was sharing her birthday with another little friend and her mum and I had everything under control - or so, dear reader we thought !!!

We were due in our village hall at 2pm to set up, disco arriving etc before 30 little darlings were due at 3pm .....

1.30pm - Call from a mother who said she didn't want to panic us but according to her other daughter's schedule ballet was still booked in to the hall 'til 3.30 - 4pm ..... waves went through me and DH was despatched to hall ........YES it was true - ballet was there 'til 4pm as they were having extra coaching for medals!!

Now - I would not say I'm a really "panicky" person per se - I ran a multi million dollar budget in a previous life fgs - but at this point I felt I ought to phone the other mum and point out there may be a problem!!

So off we went in total hysterics, general melt - down and palpitations .....

I got on to the local pub - they would be happy to host it but obviously - I needed to be mindful it would be a busy smok pub on a Sat afternoon - and to be fair they weren't going to chuck a load of paying punters out for Roisin, Connie and 30 other 4 - 5 year olds!!!

So, phoned "Disco Stu" and advised there may be a change of venue - he was lovly and just parked up in the High St 'til I could sort it all out ... anyway eventually lovely Mrs Hopkins - Ballet teacher - said she'd move to the Community Centre if we could find the chappy who had the keys!! OK - things are looking up ......

So, found Community Hall chap - just before he went off to Sainsbury's and booted Ballet out, and moved us in at 2.40 pm ..... Phew!!!

Now - forgive me but when I invite a child - and I can be as flexible as the next person (not gymnastically admittedly ) - I really am not expecting ALL their siblings too - we had catered for 30 - 34 at a push ... we had ..... 42, plus all the mums/dads - my brother was despatched for extra bread rolls - the party bags were only given to the invitees, which apparantly caused melt - down in some quarters ( and no, not just the pre-schoolers!!)

And to cap it all my DH and other mums DP wandered what all the fuss was about and why we felt the need to get royally pissed that night!!

InterGalacticWalrus was there and can vouch for my I think valid, general nervous cackling, rocking backwards and forwards mental state !!!!

Next year it's bloody Boomerang !!

Oh blimey - you poor thing! These things are stressful enough at the best of times (did one last weekend, another this weekend!). I don't see that anybody should be annoyed that only the invitees got party bags - how on earth could you know if there were going to be other children there, and if they're not invited, why should they get one (obviously can understand the child itself might be too young to understand, though).

Oh God - what a nightmare!

you deserved to get pissed!

what a shemozzle yeahinaminute!

-- and yes, totally agree with the 'in dire need of several large drinks' being needed too!

((but that aside ... a very well-written and entertaining post!! ))

How did they manage to double book the hall I would complain to someone!!

It was double booked because the duffer who runs "bookings" for the Legion Hall ( I kid you not) had booked us in a couple of months ago and also very breezily said "Yes" to ballet when asked if they could extend their Jan pre booked Sat sessions (normally 'til 12)due to the childrens exams !!!

Bright Spot is that the duffer was truly mortified and has waived the fee !!!

We took her to the panto yesterday afternoon as it was her real birthday - Why in God's name was it universally populated with OAP's - all yelling "He's behind You" whilst simultaneously cracking their dentures on boiled sweets and passing them down the row as "Doris likes these ones ... has she had one yet?" " Marjorie shall we go to the Ladies now and beat the interval rush?" Cue - all getting up, squashed toes, "are you coming too Deirdre?" - full theatre and at most there were 20 kids !!!

Oh god - sounds awful for you. Bet your daughter loved it though.

I had a similar situation once where the WI refused to get out the hall for my dd's party - they were serving tea and coffee in there while there was a sale in the other bigger room. They could easily have helped me out seeing as I had booked and paid for it, but were miserable cows. They left just as the kids were turning up so I had to set up with 40 kids running about. And the entertainer got there 5minutes before the start and he was meant to have been there 30mins earlier. I thought he wasn't going to make it.

Not on, the parents thinking their other kids were entitled to food - they could have at leas rung and asked so you had warning. Even then I think I'd have been miffed.

i'm so glad ds1 who will be 8 this year just wantf a family bbq and a bouncy castle, our parties get bigger and biggre every year, we invited bout 65 kids last year and had bout 40 turn up and i do everything ( get REALLY flappy if anyone tries to help)

But yiam, it was a great party.

DFelt bad I didn't contribute a great deal by way of helping etc, but spent most of the time either feeding DS2 or chsing DS1 from the back of Disco Stu's desk

DS1 had a whale of a time with all those girls, I can tell you.

Thanks IGW it was good - even though i was doing the proverbial duck thing - serene (ish) on the surface and everything going like the clappers underneath !!

And why should you have been any help ??? silly mare - you and your lads were INVITED!!!

Disco Stu was amazing !!!

You were great yiam! DP remarked that it was very organised actually. (he's a kiddy party veteran.)

Dreading the day I have to do parties for the DSs, esp DS1 with a birthday 9 days before xmas. Woohoo.

DS enjoyed to food to, apert from when his sausage was broken, at which he was distraught!

Oh Sh*T

Got my DS1 4th birthday party AT MY HOUSE on Saturday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

funkimummy - I shall drink on your behalf and raise my glass to you ....

IGW - sorry his sausage was broken - I tried to keep them as "whole" as possible - but it was a tad difficult with all the kids wanting their hot dogs - NOW !!!! little buggers !

Wow! Brilliant crisis management, Yeahinaminute - well done!
Lucky the ballet teacher was a co-operative soul and and community centre chappie hadn't made it to Sainsbury's!

The whole thing sounds like a storyboard for a Dad's Army episode.

It was whole when he got it. He broke it.

We are going through a phase atm where he won;t eat anything unless it's in it's entirity.

Oh they're priceless aren't they !!!!

And thanks for the vote of confidence Blu - I would probably have been Jonesie - Don't panic Mr Mainwaring !!!

Twas a very good party.

I think the DSs will be taken to pizza hut or something on their birthdays.

Being a teacher has made me alergic to organising a room full of kiddlywinks

Obv being a teacher has also made me allergic to typoing properly.

You would tell us, if InteGalacticWalrus was one of those who went into meltdown when she didn't get her party bag,
wouldn't you?

She was a trifle "put - out" shall we say !!

No she and her little men and the not so little one were fine - it's the other buggers who came en masse that threw the spanner in !!

YIAM love the description of the old dears at the panto !

No wonder you had palpitations.

YIAM - very entertaining posts providing me with an excellent number of excuses to avoid parties for my 2 at all costs

Thank God that one's over anyway !!

Definitely Boomerang next year !!

Right off to re-stock my wine lake as I still need fortification when I have flash backs !!