Shirley's party advice part 4 - Better at party planning than Pippa Middleton

[BlatherskiteOfTheLivingDead]

New thread :) Everyone welcome.

chinese new year activities

look fun - shame I won't have any time to do them - too much boring fixing-the-house-yet-again stuff to do. DD is home today, having turned up next to my bed at 4am to announce that she had been sick (all over herself, her bed, and a selection of animals ), so I might print some sheets to keep her busy.

I'm taking DD to a CNY event at the art gallery after pre school today. I'll pinch some ideas and do them with DS tomorrow - between Parkrun, the party I'm face painting at and possibly taking DS to the cinema to see Wreck It Ralph as well!!

hello wise ones
I have just bumped an old thread too but thought i'd ask here too.
wondering if any of you party goddesses have an idea how to girl-friendly-fy a lego star wars party for 5 year olds?
TIA

What's the focus, JediGirl (maybe a stupid question, given your name) - the lego, or the star wars? My DD went to a fantastic lego themed party. As it happens, she would be fine with star wars too (less so ninjago) but if you have lots of very pink girls coming then I guess the easy way out would be to introduce some Lego Friends?

Ooh JediGirl, I was in the LEGO shop on Friday and they were doing party packs for £8.99 rather than the £29.99 they usually sell for in store! It's 10 lots of invites, thank you cards, lego birthday people, building instructions and a lenticular card plus a special birthday card and a magnet. I've bought one ready for DS's birthday already.

Does LEGO star wars really need that much girly-fying? I always liked it and I'm a girl. We found my old Naboo Starfighter and X wing in the loft a few weekends ago and DS was thrilled :)

Otherwise, I think Stealth's idea of adding LEGO Friends is a good one. Focus on Leia maybe?

I agree, Blathers, I think Star Wars is fine as it is (but then I could never be accused of being a "girly" girl ). DS hates lego friends (sulked when DD and 2 DNs were playing with all theirs at New Year) so you might need to check with birthday boy.

CNY shopping went OK yesterday. Only slight worry is that DD was sick in the night again (third time in a week ) so I will have to moderate her dumpling intake this evening.

We had ours last night as I had read that the feast should be the night before CNY. I cheated went to M&S in the end and bought sweet and sour chicken (less luridly red than the take-out stuff and pretty much chicken nuggets with a funny dip so "safe" for kids), egg fried rice, spring rolls and chicken chow mein to go with the tempura prawns and crispy duck that I already had. Both kids were really excited - DD is at the table in the photos I took as she refused to wait! - DS did OK but DD ate nothing more than a spring roll and a few bites of crispy duck in a pancake The table looked good laid out with the chop sticks and the plastic snakes though and I found the proper chinese dishes that MIL bought us years ago too.

For pudding, I did plain old bananas and ice cream but put it in more chinese bowls which I stood on a plate with a fortune cookie and a huge jelly snake. The kids thought that was amazing :)

I hope your DD is better soon Stealth. Being sick is horrible

I hope she is better too - not least because every time has meant me clearing up and washing bedding, duvet, mattress cover and half a dozen cuddly toys. I wish we could work out what's causing it, as she seems 100% fine in between times.

I know it should have been last night, but we weren't organised and DC are on half term so tonight isn't a school night.

Is it worth keeping a diary of everything she's eaten and done on the days she is sick to try and pick out a pattern? Is she eating something that doesn't agree with her or maybe coming into contact with something she's allergic to?

I think it is coming to that. We can't think of anything that has changed. Anyway, fingers firmly crossed for tonight, as she has been invited to play at a friend's house tomorrow.

We over catered, as usual. Crispy duck pancakes, sesame prawn toast and tempura prawns, 3 sorts of dumplings, snake noodles and baby pak choi.

We have leftovers

Bleagh I am v about lego friends
DS loves the starwars part. There are lots of things he could do actually. and I am not even 100% convinced I want to DO a big party...
Will think on.
Thanks

I share your feelings on Lego Friends, TBH, but it would have been ungracious in the extreme to say so when DD and DNs were so happily engrossed. I am more of a playmobil person.

If it is about the star wars more than the lego, then I wouldn't even bother trying to girlify it. I would just make sure it wasn't all about the light sabres, IYSWIM.

These would be good for the girls at your party JediGirl!

at Darth Kitty :)

So - pancake day plans, anyone? DS has gone off to London with DM (DB2 playing in a jazz gig tonight) so just 3 of us - although I have promised DS pancakes tomorrow night. We did manage pancakes for breakfast (again) before he went though

I have 15 eggs, 4 pints of milk and a bag of flour so we should be OK :)

Can't decide whether to make the pancakes this afternoon and re-heat later or whether to just make them fresh so that the smell doesn't have me craving pancakes for the rest of the day. Cooking them fresh also stops me eating hundreds as there is never any batter left once DS has finished!

DD has a swimming lesson tonight and I really should go running even though I'm feeling very, very lazy today so I've only got about an hour between and will me making mine to reheat anyway unless I wimp out and stay home.

I did pancakes. Low and behold dd1 hated them.

And i've inadvertently flirted with the husband of some goid friends with an ill placed "tossing" joke. Cringe.

*good

C hated them up until last year when she ate 1 - or maybe it was part of one? - I ended up making her beans on toast just to fill her up.

This year she ate 6!

She even had multiple toppings! Lemon & Sugar and Nutella.

It does get better slowly

With no DS, there was less pancake enthusiasm than usual. We had savoury pancakes with fishy filling, but DD turned down pancakes for pudding .

Pancake day mark 2 tomorrow, but DH and I are going out, so I will be leaving it for DC and babysitter

I'm feeling guilty.

Dh is totally uninterested in Valentines day. I am not expecting to get flowers or be taken out for a meal. I will get a card and possibly some chocolates if I'm lucky.

Usually, I buy a card and hand make a present (chocolate covered marzipan is a favourite, he doesn't want 'stuff') and then make a lovely 3 course meal with wine and really put some effort in.

This year I can't be arsed. There's only me that appreciates it and I'd rather have the night off and order a pizza.

I feel sad that it's all so rubbish though Should I go shopping tomorrow and do an M&S/Waitrose meal for £20 thing at least?

As a total aside to my Valentines-guilt, I've just found this on StumbleUpon and really fancy doing it for Easter now :)

We dont do valentines. Sometimes we do cards but usually confer first and this year we havent. I've got hospital for wisdom teeth again in another town so i'm making pulled pork in the slow cooker. but we're having it with tortillas, salsa etc as a twist. Dd may eat boiled rice i'm sure.

But I always always do Easter. In fact I think I love it more than Xmas as theres less frenzy. I do a big three course meal with coffee/mints etc etc and decorate the table a bit like Pinterest would. My mum usually comes over as the meaning of Easter is lost on my heathen-in-laws. We do a big egg hunt after dinner. I even make the bunny shaped napkins. Last year i tried to make sure I put other bits in the eggs other than chocolate.

Dd was wandering the garden yelling "knickers?!! Knickers?!! The easter bunny has left me knickers?!!"

LOL at the knicker indignation. The Easter Bunny and/or Beagle (messed up atheist household) brings cuddly rabbits/ other appropriate animals, and chocolate. Some bunny ears one year. Anything else would get him in major strife.

I love Easter. DH does this and refuses to follow his egg trail

Oh and Blathers - I left home at 5am and won't be back until tomorrow night, so I am with you on the guilt (I did take him out for dinner last night though, and I drove).