Shirley's party advice thread part 2

[stealthsquiggle]

...can I take the liberty of starting another thread, since the other one filled up?

I know what I would do for a 9yo sleepover - I really really want to hijack my 8yo Goddaughter's next birthday. I would have a glorious time on Baker Ross and ebay sourcing craft kits, beads, etc, etc - have a big "making" session with added snacks, let birthday child choose an (appropriate - DS's friends seem to be into horror films ) DVD, line a room with cushions and duvets, and leave them to it whilst being prepared to intervene when it all gets nasty. I wouldn't do makeovers and the like but that's because it doesn't appeal to me [selfish].

Is 9 a bit young for the makeover/pretend spa type sleep over? I dont know nowadays! For my 9th birthday i asked to go to a restaurant and felt so grown up. Hmmm

Craft one like stealth says, if they all decorated a baggy t shirt could wear as nightie or decorate a tote bag or something to double as a party bag.

American style, shirley has some great recipes on her blog for american food.

Pamper- if your not adverse to making up 9yr olds, shloer in champagne flutes, manicures with clear polish or nail art. Pedicures. Get the straighteners out and get ready to curl hair etc.

Pizza party could translate well. See stealth and blathers ideas but all make pizzas and eat them watching movie etc may be tricky to cook if large numbers.

DrsW - I think 9 is far too young for the whole makeover thing, but I am aware that I may be alone in a minority on that. I also think 10 is too young for watcing spooky/horror cert 15 films at sleepovers, but apparently the parents of DS's friends (the girls) feel differently [cats bum mouth]

Thanks guys, it is for my niece. My SIL needed some ideas. I had a scan of the first thread at dinner time and two ideas that my SIL liked were the movie parties and cheerleading parties. I also like the idea of craft parties so I will pass that on. We thought that the movie party could be combined with a "premiere" of the film where parents (or more likely me and a few randoms from the street) are invited down the red carpet for a viewing with popcorn etc. I think my SIL would agree with you re the horror films Stealth but nails and hair have been mentioned! Thank you kindly. I had a halloween party based on some ideas from the first thread and spent many a cold winter's night drooling over party websites!

The movie parties look great Greedygirl. You could maybe pair one of the scripts with a similar themed movie so the girls could do the scripted bit first then settle down (possibly in their pyjamas?) to watch the movie with some pizza, hotdogs, popcorn, chocolate and pop (or other movie-like snacks)...?

I'm not sure what you'd do for party bags though, maybe better to base them on the movie you chose rather than "movies"

There's some fun bits here including a red carpet..

Movie party looks good. Def some great ideas. I agree stealth about too young for makeover. I dont let my dd (3) have nails painted or heeled dressing up clothes. My name is mud as dh's niece at 5 is allowed heels, makeup and sil curls hair on straighteners so dd asks for the same. I didnt even allow glitter tattoo. Is that too strict?

Great link Blatherskite! Thanks, I'll pass it on.

Doctorwife46 - I think you just need to follow your own instincts. I have let my DS have nail polish and "girly" tattoos on funnily enough! He spent most of his time at nursery in a pink princess dress and I didn't want to do the whole "boys don't wear that" thing. I think there is no harm in experimenting and messing around but I think if I had a girl I would also be promoting her right to wear trousers etc. and not wanting her to think that she had to dress a certain way. I certainly hate to see a young girl all made up but I think there is a difference between that and mucking around, playing dress up iyswim.

My niece is 10 and I can imagine her having a face pack on and nails painted. She'd have to have the varnish taken back off for School but I can't see it doing any harm for one night.

That said, I can't imagine letting DD do it but then she is only 2 right now...

Well I have never let DD have her nails painted or makeup and have always said that I'd anyone gave her dressing up shoes with heels then I would break my rule of not confiscating presents (in my defence, we have wooden stairs and hard floors and they would be dangerous
). Her cousin has far more "pink tat" than she does, but uncharacteristically DD has accepted that there is no point asking for it.

I am not sure where I stand on glitter tattoos - I think I have let her use one she got in a party bag once, and she was underwhelmed.

Yes you're prob right. I'd let a boy do as you have but my dd i think im petrified of her growing up too fast or feeling pressure about appearance. I'd let her play at it but niece has all this as part of an outfit. At her birthday party (4th) she had curled hair with pink extensions, heeled shoes and clip on earrings, make up and painted nails which had been done in a salon. I just couldnt go that far.

A bit OTT defo!

That's way too much for a 4 year old! A dab of nail varnish as party of a dressing up game maybe but clip on earrings and extensions! Yuk.

DD isn't having heels until she's well into her teens.

DrsW that would have me reaching for my judgey pants, big time. 4yos of either variety should be rioting. Fortunately none of DD's classmates are that way inclined either.

Im glad its not me being stuffy then! The problem is that dd idolises niece and wants everything she has. And when i say no, sil and mil will look at me baffled! We get a lot of hand me downs and i have to sift out all the wedges, heels and t shirts saying 'always in your dreams' which i just find bleugh on a three yr old.

Yuck! I would also be holding back the sea of pink, glittery stuff if I had DDs so I find it ironic that my DS's favourite teddy is his Princess Aurora doll (inherited from his cousin). I also do not like t-shirts for boys that label them "little monster" or "Mummy's little hero" etc. or anything that is overtly combat/army stylee.

Oh, we have too much plenty of pink - just age appropriate pink. Some days DD is head to toe pink, others she wears nothing that hasn't been handed down from DS - I am fine with either.

Just got an email from Party Ark. E331 is the current 10% discount code for anyone getting party stuff :)

I dress DD just like Stealth does by the sounds of things. She is also quite regularly in head to toe pink - it's actually quite tough to buy anything else! - but she also regularly wears DS's hand me downs. She looks especially cute in DS's old blue sleepsuits as she has blue eyes and so the colour really compliments her.

Totally random but I just saw these and now I want to make some.

I know what you all mean about the invasion of pink when you have a girl! DS is only 3 months old and already has a wardrobe full of it (mostly presents though). I have tried to buy things in other colours, especially blues and purples, but while she is small she's wearing mostly pink. She looks really sweet in it though.

I've started planning for DS's party properly now. Went to Home Bargains yesterday (not sure if they're just a northern thing? Think poundland but not iykwim!) and bought loads of sweets (for pinata, prizes etc), party rings, Pom bears etc. I do love cooking and baking nice food for guests but I gather four year olds prefer to eat crap at parties so will go with the flow and just do some nice tray bakes for the adults to prove to the nursery mums that I can actually bake

I've ordered some knight themed cups, plates etc from eBay. Have also ordered some invitations as I discovered that vistaprint wanted fifteen fucking quid to deliver the fab personalised invitations that I spent ages creating at midnight on Sunday.

I'm going to make some bunting (well i'll cut out the triangles and my mum will sew them for me ) and I've bought a massive pack of balloons. Think that'll be it for decorations.

I've ordered a dragon piñata and plan to fill it with moam sweets, loose stickers (bought 100 random disney stickers from eBay) and some of those annoying party blower things. My plan is to do the pinata at the end of the party, give each guest a plastic bowl or cup to collect things into then they can tip their goodies into their party bags. Have also got a bag of chocolate coins for each bag. Am trying to decide whether to give them each an inflatable sword or (either deflated, in the party bag, or inflate them and give them to play with at the party). Or forget the swords and put a small non-themed gift in each bag, like a hot wheels car or similar.

I'm getting excited now! Next job is to ask our neighbours if we can put bouncy castle on their land......

I want cow biscuits!!! How good are they.

Silver...wow you're doing so well. Love all the ideas. I'd blow the swords up and let them swashbuckle away. Far more fun than a hotwheel in a bag. And i love homebargains. They must be national surely. Its more poundstretcher than poundland.

Well four times i've rang the hotel to get the chapel for dd. ive narrowed it down to 7th july or 25th aug. i cant legally hold the service in the chapel whilst a civil ceremony wedding occurs in the hotel. Trying to establish what times this blocks off but they promise me callback after callback. Delegated it to dh. He just text me saying 'amy is the co-ordinator, i'm just waiting for her to call me back'.

if im going on the family tree theme i thought i better research dh's nans side as not started her yet. Logged on and it matched up with an existing family tree. Contacted the owner of it and its 'nan's' great niece who says i can copy it as all validated with birth certificates etc. bonus!!!

Still no baby to facilitate my visit and choc drop Due date is today so can't be long now!! Niece was born on her due date exactly so this one is already late

Apparently due date is Monday not yesterday so baby might still be on time...

I've just bought a cow cutter too so if baby is late, I might even have tome to add cow biscuits to DW's care package.

Just got to find a milk/butter free biscuit recipe now....