Happy Party Planning from a Mom Who's Been There

Planning a big birthday party and need some ideas?

Over the past 10 years, I have planned what I think were some fun birthday parties for my twins. 

My intent was to have simple parties at home with a personal touch. Somehow, many of the parties took on lives of their own. Here’s what happened.   

Age 1: Their first birthday was a party for us, not for them. The girls had an Elmo cake and way too many gifts. All of our friends attended. 

Age 2: We went simple and just had our families over, but each girl had a special cake made by their aunt. We had a nice dinner, sang "Happy Birthday" and opened gifts.

Age 3: This is when the craziness began. I went all out and hosted a “dress up” party for the girls. I had about two dozen 3-year-olds plus their parents at my house. I set up a “dress up” station with all kinds of costumes. We had pizza, chicken nuggets, veggies, dip and of course, food and drinks for the grownups. Gift bags included tiaras for the girls and fire hats for the boys. I was quite impressed with the party I planned. I even made one of the cakes!

Age 4: After my success with the “dress up” party, I planned a variation on that theme for the next year. We asked all attendees to dress as their favorite princess or superhero. Again, we had around 25 little ones, a piñata, pizza, ice cream and two cakes!

Age 5: This was the year of two parties. The kids' party was a Lilo & Stitch/SpongeBob luau with grass skirts, limbo games and coconut cups to drink out of. I created stations with different games, crafts, kid tattoos and prizes to keep everyone busy. Gift bags included sunglasses, leis and grass skirts from Oriental Trading Company.

St. Patrick’s Day was very close to the date of the luau, so we decided to change themes and host a grown up party later that evening with Irish music, lots of food and libations! Needless to say, I was exhausted the next day.

Age 6: After the big party the year before, I did not want another huge party at my house, but my girls did. We agreed on a “pretend sleep over” for 20 of their first-grade friends. Guests came dressed in pajamas. I prepared finger foods including pizza bagels, little hot dogs, chicken nuggets, cookies and Dibs ice cream. They sat on the floor on sleeping bags while they ate their snacks. They played freeze dance and hot potato. 

Age 7: We planned Movie Night at our house. We set up a mini movie theater in our basement and had popcorn and assorted appetizers. This was the biggest party yet, with more than 30 squealing second-grade girls and me. Gift bags were popcorn bags, which included microwave popcorn and tiny-sized movie candy like Dots and Twizzlers.

Age 8: We took a well-deserved break and I took the girls, their cousins and aunts to The New Leaf in Riverton for tea and then on to Sweet and Sassy in Cherry Hill where the girls got manicures.

Age 9: We planned a small, simple cooking party for a limited number of guests. The girls made pizza using premade pizza shells, sauce, cheese and toppings. They dipped strawberries, pretzels and whatever else they could find in chocolate and the party ended with sundae making. Gift bags included cookie cutters, mixing spoons, erasers shaped like pizza and ice cream flavored lip gloss. 

This year my girls will be 10.  A slumber party is high on their list, but not mine! We are still negotiating.

I’d love to surprise them with a trip to Disney and skip the parties all together. 

As much as I enjoyed our house parties, my girls enjoyed some unique parties around town too.

I’ve seen pony rides, bounce houses, Build-A-Bear at home parties, spa parties, craft parties and pool parties. 

We’ve attended parties at Jelly Bean Jungle in Mt. Laurel. That was always one of my favorites; the place is small and safe enough for kids to maneuver on their own. 

We’ve been to gymnastics, skating and bowling parties at Jets Gymnastics in Mt. Laurel, the Little Gym in Marlton, Will-Moor Gymnastics in Mt. Laurel, International Sports Centre in Mt. Laurel, the Playdrome in Cherry Hill and Laurel Lanes in Mt. Laurel. They are always a good time.

Chuck E. Cheese, although not my favorite, is always a slam dunk for the little ones. They have locations in Cherry Hill and Burlington.

We attended a party at Nellie Bly’s in Riverton which was a nice change from the big party venues. Nellie Bly’s in Moorestown offers parties too.

Holiday Ice Cream in Delanco has been the spot for several sporting parties we’ve attended through the years. You never go wrong with ice cream.

Swimming and basketball at Moorestown Community Center was an enjoyable treat for the kids, especially in the winter. 

Recently, they attended an ice skating party at the Igloo in Mt. Laurel and I had to pry the ice skates from their feet.

There are countless local party places to visit and so many ideas for parties. It all depends on what you want for your child’s big day. 

I asked my girls what kind of parties they like best and they answered in unison, “It depends on who is there.” 

The most important thing I’ve learned is that it doesn’t really matter where your party is or if there is an awesome theme or if you work your butt off cooking and cleaning. What really matters is who they spend their day with.

So, don’t go bankrupt or stress over party decorations or food—remember what really matters is who your kids share their day with.  

A weekend away with mom and dad might be more fun than any other party plan or place you could possibly think of.

Keep that in mind, plan from there and the rest will be cake! Happy party planning and I’ll see you around town.