Who pays attention to legal? Coffee and Baileys is always nice, and it fits right into a cup from which you can't identify if it is an alcoholic beverage or not.
For your future reference, here is my recipe for a great party. It has worked every time, so far.
Our parties always occur around brunch time, usually 10 am.
Outdoor (spring).
Fruit plate. Biiiiig fruit plate. Kids love the fruit plate. Usually strawberries, pineapple slices, and grapes go the best.
Whatever breakfasty things I feel like making--scones, muffins, cinnamon rolls, biscuits and honey, etc.
juice for the kids, hot tea or coffee and Baileys for the grown ups.
A nicely arranged table. A bouquet of flowers for the birthday girl arranged in the middle, with a nice table cloth, and food arranged in a nice manner on the serving dishes.
We NEVER have games or anything. The kids just run around like maniacs. It's alot of fun! Then they open gifts, everyone gets a party favor, and we go home. I keep the parties to two hours or less; we have some friends that don't know when to leave (or have a difficult time making their kids leave), so we are always very firm about the end time. Near the end of the party, I say "Oh, looks like it is almost 11:30! Time to give everyone their party favors before they go home!" I seriously have a friend who would stay all day, her kids wreaking havok on my house, if I didn't do this. SO, rather than not invite her, we just do it this way.
Party favors are a packet of seeds, or a starter plant (usually marigolds or vinca, because they do well in our area with little help).
Parties will probably get more complicated (the sleepover type of thing) now that the kids are getting older. But for now, its all good.
This year, we might invite everyone on a camping trip. Our other option is that there is a parade on my dd's birthday. We thought about entering, and have the party be a "decorate your bike/stroller/wagon/scooter party and wear your coolest dressup outfit" and all of us ride/walk/skate in the parade as the culmination of the party. I'm voting for that, but oldest dd wants the camping trip (we don't camp, so it should be a fun!). You could do a neighborhood parade, hey-look-its-my-birthday-parade with all the kids and parents, if there is no local parade around your child's birthday. For fun, throw candy to people you walk by. We did this once; two of my friends and I were celebrating the end of my schooling. So we dressed up our kids in dress up clothes and flowers, walked 2 miles downtown, and threw candy at people walking by us. We ended with a tea party at a local coffee shop. We all had a blast; it was just a riot.
And next time, invite people you enjoy, who are fun. Don't invite people that stress you out. Why would you want to spend your daughter's special day with them?!? And, they can only stress you out if you let them. What do you care if they are superficial people? Their loss, NOT YOUR PROBLEM.
I hope this party turns out well for you and your child. You have all the ingredients---kids, sugary cake, pizza, and a park! What could be more fun!? Just enjoy it!!!
For your future reference, here is my recipe for a great party. It has worked every time, so far.
Our parties always occur around brunch time, usually 10 am.
Outdoor (spring).
Fruit plate. Biiiiig fruit plate. Kids love the fruit plate. Usually strawberries, pineapple slices, and grapes go the best.
Whatever breakfasty things I feel like making--scones, muffins, cinnamon rolls, biscuits and honey, etc.
juice for the kids, hot tea or coffee and Baileys for the grown ups.
A nicely arranged table. A bouquet of flowers for the birthday girl arranged in the middle, with a nice table cloth, and food arranged in a nice manner on the serving dishes.
We NEVER have games or anything. The kids just run around like maniacs. It's alot of fun! Then they open gifts, everyone gets a party favor, and we go home. I keep the parties to two hours or less; we have some friends that don't know when to leave (or have a difficult time making their kids leave), so we are always very firm about the end time. Near the end of the party, I say "Oh, looks like it is almost 11:30! Time to give everyone their party favors before they go home!" I seriously have a friend who would stay all day, her kids wreaking havok on my house, if I didn't do this. SO, rather than not invite her, we just do it this way.
Party favors are a packet of seeds, or a starter plant (usually marigolds or vinca, because they do well in our area with little help).
Parties will probably get more complicated (the sleepover type of thing) now that the kids are getting older. But for now, its all good.
This year, we might invite everyone on a camping trip. Our other option is that there is a parade on my dd's birthday. We thought about entering, and have the party be a "decorate your bike/stroller/wagon/scooter party and wear your coolest dressup outfit" and all of us ride/walk/skate in the parade as the culmination of the party. I'm voting for that, but oldest dd wants the camping trip (we don't camp, so it should be a fun!). You could do a neighborhood parade, hey-look-its-my-birthday-parade with all the kids and parents, if there is no local parade around your child's birthday. For fun, throw candy to people you walk by. We did this once; two of my friends and I were celebrating the end of my schooling. So we dressed up our kids in dress up clothes and flowers, walked 2 miles downtown, and threw candy at people walking by us. We ended with a tea party at a local coffee shop. We all had a blast; it was just a riot.
And next time, invite people you enjoy, who are fun. Don't invite people that stress you out. Why would you want to spend your daughter's special day with them?!? And, they can only stress you out if you let them. What do you care if they are superficial people? Their loss, NOT YOUR PROBLEM.
I hope this party turns out well for you and your child. You have all the ingredients---kids, sugary cake, pizza, and a park! What could be more fun!? Just enjoy it!!!
