B's Birthday Boo Bash

It was B's birthday last month, but we didn't get our act together until this month, so we took full advantage of the Halloween theme. I've learned many birthday party lessons over the last 11 years. I may have just gotten it down pat.

1. Keep the number of guests at a bare minimum. And for goodness' sake, invite the kids you like.
2. Keep the duration of party at a bare minimum. Two hours is my new maximum.
3. Organize enough activities, crafts, stories and snacks, so that you are changing it up every two minutes. This afternoon's party was two hours long, so I had approximately 60 different things to do and eat. Just ask my sister.
4. No meals. Keep it at cake and ice cream and a few healthy snacks and juice.
5. Recruit older sibling and friend to do all the grunt work. When your sister asks out of sheer politeness if she should stay and help, immediately say yes and put her to work as well.
6. If they start to look restless, throw on some jaunty tunes and demand that they dance.

It was an absolute success! No one cried (with the exception of Olivy Bean when her cousin demanded she wait her turn to toss her beanbag), but she was right as rain when we changed to the next activity. Get this! I even danced and sang and read a story in my bestest Grover voice. I had a ball! And I got plenty of pictures.

Cheers!

N