Shirley's party advice part 6 - don't be afraid to interrupt us!

[Tinkerisdead]

Okay, this is shirley's party advice part 6. Shirley ducked out a while ago and you'll notice us chatting about all kinds of stuff whilst we wait for party planners to barge in.

So, don't lurk, jump in and chat. We'll give you any advice on parties from costumes to cakes....

Right I'm all caught up.

Nonsense - what progress you've made!! It's all sounding brilliant but I'm laughing that you have what I always call "cake angst". I agree with stealth get the cake done and decorated before you touch anything else. I get all my decorations/props made and bundled up weeks in advance then party week I make the cake. Party day I make the food and decorate the venue.

PoppyT - I hope you've sorted all your lunchbox problems out. I much much prefer doing lunch boxes but I do get adults looking all doe eyed as there's nothing for them. But my parties are always 22 kids plus usually both parents per child and it bankrupts me.

Anyway my best tip ever which might help both of you is buy a pack of folding crates(I've found tesco the cheapest) then I organise all my decorations into crates weeks before so party bags filled labelled and in one, games/colouring etc all in another. And lunch boxes depending on space I either stack the filled boxes in a crate or the components into a crate all prepped ready for assembly at the table. Then you use the crates to ferry the gifts and props back home again.

And lunch boxes are fine unchilled etc for hours it's no different to a school packed lunch stood for the morning.

And I haven't seen despicable me...is it one I should get for the summer holiday hyperactivity for 4yr old dd?

And where's blathers? Is she still being sick?

Blathers is on holiday with no signal, so only occasional FB updates.

I know (re Oct party) , it should be done by now... Entertainment is outsourced, hall is booked, I have started buying the makings of invitations (clay ones!) and party bags. I am going to do tie dye aprons with names on, so they're not getting fancy bags too - white carrier bags this year.

I wish Baker Ross would send me a 20% off everything voucher, though....

How are are you putting the names on? Printed or embroidered?

Oh and my dd said yesterday "when i have my pizza party..." My friend and i span round and said what?!!! What about mermaid disco?!! She says no cos she'll get pizza this way! Im not going to suggest a disco with pizza oh no.

Just as well you weren't too invested in the mermaid idea

I was planning to put names on with 'resist' stuff so that they come up white among the tie dye - which means I can't really do the aprons until I have some idea who is coming .

DW - that's a great idea about the crates. Now, do you have a time machine so I can go back in time, buy the crates and get them filled by now??
I have space savers with 'party stuff' in them but its all a bit if everything and a total mess!

So I've bought a big Halloween web to go on a wall, do I leave it as is or try to put something on/in it?
I've seen a spiderman tablecloth that I was thinking of using on a wall (is that naff?) and BIL (who is a manager at toys r us and a total geek) has some huge spider/super/bat man things that I can put up (out of reach of the children of course)
With red, blue and yellow balloons - and possibly streamers - what else do I need?
Also, I was thinking of using a pop art type theme for the tableware like this but as nothing else will be in the pop art style, it seems a bit silly.
Shall I do a mix of superhero character plates and napkins even though I'm not keen on that kind of thing or, what? Toyed with the idea of just red, blue and yellow but we did something similar for DS2's party in January.
I am having bottles of water with homemade 'pow' type labels on them, so won't need cups apart from plastic ones for adults. I don't have an idea in my head for anything. We have no banners even!
I am now in 'this party is going to be shit' mode. Usually happens around a week and a alf before

Also - feeding the adults

Usually, because I invite adults in their own right, I do food for everyone with children going first but I tend to over cater.
I have 22 DC and 30+ adults.
Party is 11:30 - 3pm (I think) so it's bang on lunchtime.
My original plan was to fill baguettes and put out pickles and crisps but I'm not sure if I can afford this now. Especially as I do tend to go over the top.
Would it be acceptable to do baguettes or rolls and cook sausages so that everyone can have a sausage sandwich? It might not actually cost any less but it's a lot less work.

And what can I make instead of sandwiches? None of the sandwiches et eaten at my parties but I'd like to do something along those lines but I'm thinking pittas or wraps might be too messy. Could they live without sandwiches?
I seem to spend pre-food party time getting the food ready and post-food party time cleaning up the food debris and this time I would actually like to enjoy the party. And I have a starring role, in that of a 'Superhero League training expert', so I need to be out front!

I am babbling, I'm sorry, I'm just reeeally stressed!!!

Nonsense - I think the pop art stuff will be fine. Branded superhero stuff risks DC angsting about having the "wrong" superhero, and leaving anyone who is a homemade superhero (the best kind, IMHO) feeling left out.

If you have streamers and have/could borrow a hula hoop, you could do something like this

Food for adults - sausage sandwiches would be great. If you want a sandwich alternative, how about wraps? Thin layer of filling, roll up and cut into smallish bits?

...or, of course, no sandwiches. They are not compulsory!

Is there anyone you can delegate things to? I now write briefing notes for all adult helpers . They laugh at me, but it massively reduces stress (mostly mine) and confusion.

Oh my Gosh! I love that! But I can't reach the ceiling in the hall I have hired
I might just do it at home.........

I have put in the invite that capes and masks will be provided so no dress up is needed. That doesn't mean no-one will come dressed up though!
And I really like the pop art stuff so I think I will stick with that.

I might print off 'happy birthday DS & DD' to stick onto the web. Or I might leave it plain. Depends on time.

TBH - I get nothing but offers of help yet when party time comes, everyone disappears! I have one friend who always offers help and the one time I asked her to come early to help out she said "I'm sure you have it covered" and has turned up late ever since! Coincidence?
I will get help with the set up but that's about it. My in-laws aren't here this year otherwise they would help. It'll just be me and DH, both of whom will be involved so I have no idea how it's going to work! It'll all have to be prepped beforehand I guess.

No luck on the pre-party help then, I guess. However, there are generally some people who make vague "anything I can do to help?" noises - what you need is a mental list so that you can say "yes, there is, actually. Could you just...."

This is "do as I say, not as I do" advice, BTW - hence the briefing notes as it is the only way I can force myself to delegate.

Im one to grab people in the moment. Weird as it sounds the best ones to ask arent the ones that you know the best but the ones you know the least. They are always the ones sitting there feeling like a chump. I got people gluing kids lanterns, handing out sweets to those who were out in the musical games or operating the music itself.

Loving the resist fabric idea stealth actually! Im really hoping dd means it about the pizza party because i can avoid siblings gategrashing a pizza place do better. She can have a disco next year if she wants but ive found out the PTA disco is usually around her birthday anyway. And im holding out for a science party when she's seven but that does mean recruiting the scientist friend with the double entendré cringe moment.

Feeding adults: four times ive done that hence this year i resorted to lunchboxes. But ive always done a buffet. If blathers was here she'd tell you to ban sandwiches snd get thee to costco for giant pizzas dirt cheap!

Was thinking about pizza but they never really get eaten either. Perhaps I just do too much so the 'normal' food is left out.

Are under 5s too young to manage two PtP at once? I gave this suggestion to DH, including the stickers, and was met with a raised eyebrow. But one doesn't hold their attention for 20+ DC - once they get their sweet they're not interested. Incidentally, what is the acceptable now for sweets in layers? Do I really need to give individual packets of buttons/haribo? Seems a but much to me but I'm being called 'tight'

Well I have done 2 parcel PtP with under 5's. It actually helps if you have some tiniest, as they will generally be sitting with/on a parent, and the parents will then help keep the thing going.

I put freddos in PtP, generally, but that's because I buy a big box of them from Costco which does both PtP and party bags.

Tinies, not tiniest.

There's a child who can't eat chocolate....
Which leads me on to my next question: what brightly coloured sweets can I use in a jar for a game of 'how many sweets in this jar'? I'm looking for the effect of M&Ms but can't use chocolate. Unless I rig it so that said child doesn't win

Totally missed a load out!
There's a child who can't have chocolate..... But I think a bag of haribo is a bit much and also can't be controlled for the babies who win.

I would go with something like mini flumps for layers of PtP - it would be better if they were individually wrapped, but they are OK-ish for all ages and OK with most allergies.

Come to think of it, you could use those for guessing the number in the jar as well.

I am going to give up baking and stick to sewing. Of my 3 agricultural show entries, the bag won second, the sugarcraft got nothing in a class of 4 ( ) and he chocolate sponge came nowhere in a huge entry.

I'm back from holiday! Who missed me?

Everyone, of course, Blathers

Stealth - you cannot stop baking How dare you suggest such a thing!

DNiece is milk allergic and can have flumps. You can get stick ones that would work in a pass the parcel. For sweets in a jar, I'd probably go for Fruit Gums. If you buy the big bags I think they still come in fruit shapes which would look nice. Flumps or Fruit Pastilles would work too if you wanted something less chewy, or maybe foam shapes? Mushrooms maybe? Or how about flying saucers?

4th out of 4

Can I ask about adult parties? Or ami barking up the wrong thread tree with this?

It's our 10th wedding anniversary party this year - any recommendations on what would make it fun?

Hi onedev I'm sure an expert will be along in a minute!
Have you got an idea for a theme? A particular colour you want to go for? What colour theme did you have at your wedding - maybe you could go for that?

I had a practise run of Nigella's Buttermilk Birthday Cake yesterday. Doubled the quantities (good job I have a KitchenAid!) and baked in square tin. Came out pretty well. Cut in half - didn't go so well (may need to buy a tool for this!) Then decided to double the buttercream icing to ice it Mistake - there is lots left over (now in freezer) can you tell I'm a bit of a novice!!