Friday, December 12, 2008

To Theme or Not to Theme?

Everyone loves a theme to a birthday party. Really, it could make decorating for a party quite easy. The problem? It can get expensive and out of hand. You start with the idea, then buy the plates, cups and hats. Then you need goodie bags filled with favors. And what about the games?? And the balloons?? And the table cloth?? Before you know it, you are having a breakdown because you can't find the right color of red to go with the red streamers hanging in your daughter's hair!!!!

Okay, that may be a little over the top, but it shows how being so stuck into a theme can really make you lose site of the real reason to have a party: the birthday child, or in my case, children (oh, yeah, and mom, too!)

So what am I planning to do? Well, the boys are too young to tell me what they want in a party, so I am keeping it simple. Close family and friends on the invite list, snack foods, cake and ice cream and a simple theme or, um, non-theme.

The boys have a lot of music toys since their dad loves music. So what I've decided to do is use some of those toys to decorate with. I'll go to a dollar store and get a solid color table cloth, plates, cups and napkins.

Now, about the invitations. Those thinga are about $5 for 10! Then add stamps, and things could get pricey there, too. Check back to see my ideas on how to do invites inexpensively without missing out on the cute designs out there.

For their cake, I am going to make it myself. I haven't chosen on a specific design, so I'll just see where an idea takes me. I will reserve enough cake batter to make each boy their first individual cake: a cupcake.

So there's the plan. Keep an eye out to see how I do.

8 days and counting!

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