Shirley's Party Advice Part 7 - how did they all get so big...

[stealthsquiggle]

Part 7 - link to previous one to follow!

Stress is just general work, life, house, etc - nothing dramatic, just too much of everything (and an 8yo going through "a phase" which is really getting me down - defiance and sneakiness and tantrums and "you don't love me")

DD had the full on party, on her birthday itself, so no separate family celebration - science party went really well, although I am still trying to get hold of decent photos (there is some video of the lolly stick chain reaction - which we discovered just in time doesn't work on hard floors )

DS's was very low key - school day, so we had family dinner with loads of sushi, and are going out for tapas this weekend as a joint thing with DB2's birthday (which means cake #3 - he has had a home one and a school one already) and he is going to the new hunger games film on it's first day on Thursday (looks like I am too, which was not the plan, as DH is much keener. That has reminded me I need to get someone to pick DD up that afternoon...)

I will consider Gruffalo cakes later. It's for the weekend after next, but we have a lot on that weekend (cooking for the village ) so it has to be mostly done before that, and I am away half of next week too [pulls hair out]

School Christmas cakes are yet another thing in my stress list, as the last but one week of term I am away all week (missing DD's starring role in the nativity and DS's parents evening in the process) so they have to be done before that. No design ideas other than that I want to do isomalt "glass" decorations of some sort.

Tell me about the science party what experiments did you do? I really want to do one for 7th birthday.

Oooh you have my sympathies on the stroppy tantrums, i bet missing the nativity hasnt helped either has it and im certain thats prob crushed you anyway (could you skype/facetime it?)

If it helps my best mate has an almost 8 yr old and dh's niece is 7.5 and both can only be described as stroppy little brats at the moment. Awful awful backchat, slamming, trying to march out of the house, pure defiance. Im not saying that dd is like that but your not alone if shes "acting up". Im dreading it cos dd1 is already prone to rages i could do without it at 8!

Ohhhh isomalt, ive had my eyes on trying that to make coral by pouring it through icecubes.

They made kaleidoscopes (kits from oriental trading, I probably have enough left for a small party if you want them?), played with frozen lumps of bicarb and vinegar with plastic frogs frozen into them, and then hopping the frogs (and lots of extra frogs - I had 144) into a bowl. W had some tornado tubes, which they absolutely loved. They played with dry ice (blowing bubbles, blowing up balloons, making big "crystal ball" bubble) with DB2, made brilliant constructions from coffee stirrers, marshmallows and cheese puffs, and did a big combined lolly stick chain reaction with DS and a guest's older sibling supervising. We also played mento geysers outside,no tried to demonstrate supersaturated liquids but it didn't work .

..that was it!

DD is all that and more - sneakiness is my main gripe with her, but she still lacks self confidence and will react to situations she is nervous about by going on sit down strike and saying "no" (example this afternoon was being told to go into a classroom occupied by DS and his classmates to collect her stuff after a match. DH told her to, she said no and ran off into the dark ). It's all growing up stuff, but she knows exactly how to wind me up because she is just like me at that age . At home it's mostly not doing stuff that she knows perfectly well she is supposed to do, and bursting into tears about bloody everything [sigh].

Facetime/Skype not an option for nativity as there is no signal at school. She is actually ok about that, as long as someone is there (Daddy/Granny/Grandad), which they will be. I am currently gutted that due to sheer exhaustion I let her costume go into school without taking any photos (dress, from scratch, with no pattern. I was rather proud of it )

Oh no! Are you like me? I think I need to get a photo and mentally plan to get my dslr out, and forget I have a camera phone! Every time. And then videoing I do on my phone forgetting that the dslr captures video better lol.

I just clicked on the start of this thread, back in 2013 I ask you what elastic bands are and you tell me about loom band bracelets. Imagine that, the mother of a primary aged child and at that time I had no concept of loom banding ha ha.

Today I've fetched mil's table and chairs to put alongside my own in the conservatory so I now have a nice big long table ready for the party, coloured bunting pinned up the White room. I need to start the cake on Thursday but Thursday's are my nightmare day with toddler group, school run and rainbows. Then I'm helping with the school xmas fayre fri and sat so im short on time! I've made a cake board like a painted plate, with a peg dolly and used that glaze spray you recommended, it really yellowed the icing so I'm not thrilled with it but I've got too much on to start again.

Where is blathers by the way? Tell her to come back.

Happy New Year to you all

How did the parties/cakes/end of term festivities/Christmas etc go?

I am planning a surprise 50th for my DH at the end of March. Have hired a hall with an enclosed garden for the day on a Saturday. Hoping to have around 50 guests (families). Have enlisted the help of a couple of his old friends with who to contact.

Ideas are...

buffet style food/drink (ask guests to bring a contribution if they wish to - is that too cheeky/rude?)

Ask people to bring a photo of DH 'in the olden days' for a wall of memories

birthday cake (obvs) - might ask a friend to make it as I might be too stressed out

maybe outdoor activities/games for the children if fine

that's it so far

Also, do you let your DC choose their own party theme or do you guide/tell them?

jetSTAR plans for DH's party sound good. My recent discovery is that if you start enough in advance and are disciplined you can get party decorations and the like really really cheap on eBay, mostly from China. If you search for auctions, the vendors generally have lots of low starting auctions, mostly with free postage. If you put in a 1p (or 6p) bid, you will mostly get outbid, but just occasionally you won't. I got most of Father Christmas's shopping from that and cheap Amazon deals from China and may already be bidding on stuff for DD's next party in October

As for themes - well apart from DD's third birthday, when she blindsided me by coming home from nursery and announcing "Mummy I am having a princess party and I have invited X, Y and Z", then they think they chose, but they were actually generally talked into a theme which I had already chosen [evil mother]

heh, heh :) yes I think I will try to guide them a bit in terms of theme. At least I have a bit of time to play with (May & Aug)

Also trying to think of cold buffet ideas for 50th party. People are asking me 'what can I bring' and I'd like to say yes please bring X so that I don't have to provide the whole buffet myself since I have realised I have invited potentially 96 guests!

Please talk to me more about those science parties!

I'm considering doing one for DS for his 6th birthday with 6-8 kids at home and leading it myself. Where did you find the experiments/kits from? Was it messy? Did the kids like it?