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

[BlatherskiteOfTheLivingDead]

New thread :) Everyone welcome.

I don't remember ever really having parties either. Not past a-few-friends-round-for-cake anyway. I'm making up for it now though

Right, help! I've realised that I need to get DS's party invites out this week as I need to confirm numbers with the venue 2 weeks in advance so I need to give at least another week for people to get back to me. There is only room for the basics on the LEGO invites so I'm making a little note to go in with them to cover the extras - how do I word:

a) Please RSVP by x date as I have to confirm 2 weeks in advance how many children are coming and I don't want to be paying £15 for your child if he's not coming. If you don't reply, I'm going to assume you're a no....

b) parents can wait with me at the table if they're staying but can't go on the slope as I have to pay £10 each for adults and also have to confirm 2 weeks in advance...

c) please wrap your children up warmly as it's minus 5 on the slope and real snow so they might get wet and need spares...

...without sounding like a loon? Do I even need to mention b? I need something about c in there as they're not allowed on the slope at all without gloves and I don't want 8 cold and miserable kids on my hands after they've sledged.

As I need to confirm numbers with the venue in advance, please reply by x/x/13, otherwise I am afraid I will have to assume that you are not coming. You can contact me on {insert mobile, email, home phone, twitter....}.

Whilst you are welcome to join us at the party table, adults will not be able to join the children on the slopes unless pre-booked and pre-paid. {is there any point offering to take some of them to/from your house - would that make it easier or harder?}

Please come dressed for sledging - warm clothes and gloves. Some spare clothes would also be useful in case they get wet - just like any other day playing in the snow!

Thanks Stealth.

I've gone with "As I need to confirm numbers with the venue in advance, I?d really appreciate it if you could reply by 7th March, otherwise I am afraid I will have to assume that you are not coming. You can contact me on phone number or email address
On the day, please come wrapped up in warm clothing and suitable footwear i.e. wellies or hiking boots as the temperature inside the slopes is kept very low at around -5°C.

Gloves are COMPULSORY, the children will not be allowed on the slope without them.

All sledges and safety helmets will be provided by the venue. The slope has real snow so you might want to send spares of anything that might get wet, especially if wearing trainers. Having cold, wet feet while we eat won?t be much fun.

After 45 minutes of sledging, we?ll be moving to the restaurant area for Pizza and Chips, Fruit, Ice Cream and Cake. Please advise in advance if you have any food allergies." which is a mixture of your wording and theirs. Does it sound OK?

Am feeling a little better since the final guest list DS came up with (without an awful lot of poking) is all Mums and Dads that I know to chat to in the playground so I'll be able to broach the 'no adults' issue with them face to face if it comes up so I don't have to look mean on the invites.

Sounds good, Blathers - and even better that all the parents are sane people you can talk to.

I've used a snowscene background with a snowman too to really hammer to point home :)

I'm wondering if I could get some cheap click-y hand warmers for the party bags now...?

Wouldn't it be a bit late for hand warmers by the time they get the party bags ?

Well yes but they could have them when they came off the slope and then pop them in their bags to go home

I got cheap hand warmers from home bargains at Xmas and I've seen some here in Boyes shop if you can get dsis on a scout around. What have you got in the party bags so far?

Actually ignore that. eBay have loads!

Get reusable ones! My dd loves hers even if its just to see them solidify and then back again etc.

The venue are doing the party bags for me I've got a Lego birthday figure kit to add and then possibly a hand warmer. I've seen some for about £1 each on ebay.

As a total aside - I really fancy making these for easter

Have you asked what they put in the bags?

They look good but I'll never shoehorn knickers in there!!

I'm on a Mother's Day mission. Last year I got that twin lakes pass and we went out for dinner with dh's mum/stepdad.

So yesterday he starts gushing about booking again so we can go with his mum. But I'm gonna say no! I've had not one bloody day of being pampered or frigging cherished. So I want a Mother's Day for meeee!! I don't care if I'm a selfish old hag. I'll visit my mum the fri, his mum and nan on the sat and demand Mother's Day for me! No theme park tickets allowed! I ain't told him yet. But Father's Day is the week before his birthday so he always gets lavished in June. Well not this year if I see no effort dammit!!

On an aside, I always make handprint cards for mothers/fathers day but I think I've exhausted all designs. Any ideas?

Yes, I got a vague "bouncy ball, stickers, plastic toy" It's plastic tat basically.

Does it have to be handprints? I saw some cute footprint butterflies the other day

No I've done footprint ones too. I think I've seen them on Pinterest now you say it. Off to search.

If you did handprint butterflies, you could let S paint her own hand in many colours, press the two together and then print on the paper so you get matching wings?

I love the eggs

Okay Party Goddesses
DS is going to be 5 in the easter hols.

Last year when he was massively into fire stations we bought a fire station visit in an auction at a charity do.

But he is much more into Lego and Starwars than Fireman Sam these days
BUT do you not think a chance to visit a real fire station would be cool for him and half a dozen friends?
ANd then a pizza afterwards?
Do you think they will need party bags?
Thanks for thoughts on this...

My DS is 10,and was never especially in to fireman Sam, and he would think a fire station visit was cool.

Go for it. Cake and party bags would be cool if you can be bothered.

Or just hats and balloons instead of party bags?

I think 5 year olds would love a fire station visit! Mine certainly would. I would do party bags, maybe not a bag as such but definitely something to take home. The fire station may very well have cheap plastic fire helmets (I know ours does at open days) and you could give them each a Matchbox fire engine which would only cost you a pound or so each. That and a few sweets would probably go down a storm.

I'm feeling awful this morning. I encouraged DS not to invite a certain boy from his class because whenever DS is in trouble, it's because he's been playing with this boy. His parents are definitely the drop and run type and I wasn't sure I could cope with him after the sledging in the very open restaurant. To be fair though, DS didn't seem that bothered and was happy to choose someone else when I said it might be a good idea.

But when DS was handing out his invites this morning, this child was following him around the playground asking for his! DS only had 7 so it wasn't as if he was handing them out to the whole class but not this boy and there was another little girl giving out invites too so there were a few going round.

Still feel like shit though

Oh dear - but with a small party there was always going to be someone who didn't quite make the list. Maybe if someone says no you could reconsider (although I am with you on the difficult children in public places issue. So far, I have done whole class parties and just crossed my fingers that a couple of the most challenging DC can't make it.

DW - I have a mental image of you trying to stuff knickers into balloons to do those eggs. It would be impressive if you managed it

It's very public too. There's a short corridor from the restaurant to the main lobby of the building and then there are 3 major exits to the busy car park outside, 2 ways to get upstairs and lost and about 30 shops and a cinema to hide in! If someone made a run for it, I'd be stuffed.

Oh yowser that's gotta smart aint it. Dont feel shit though, you cant pay for the world to go sledging and if it wasnt him disappointed it would be one of those that are invited and that'd be worse!

On that subject then, as i havent hit big school etiquette yet, do the kids usually hand out their invites. Cos at playschool i hand to the mums so that expectant look isnt there from the kids. Coward me!