Mommy Practicality: Birthday Party Ideas

Thursday, September 09, 2021

Cocomelon-Themed Birthday Party

Time flies by so fast and my youngest is now 5! I can't believe just how smarter, talkative, more creative, and more observant he has become! It still feels as if I just gave birth to him last month. Wow! It's been 5 years since this boy made a huge impact in our family life. I call him my game-changer.

He made me breastfeed him exclusively until 4 years of age. He made me resign from my almost 20 year corporate life. He made me a teacher momma when we opted to indie homeschool him last year. Oh my heart! He's our family's bundle of joy indeed!

On his fifth birthday, Damien requested a simple Cocomelon themed birthday party. It's his second quarantine birthday and being in a pandemic (still) is no excuse to party and celebrate his life at home!

Here's how we decorated the house and achieved the theme!

Our happy family of five celebrated his life with a simple salo-salo at home. I didn't want to tire myself too much as I have been valuing my physical and mental health, so we had food delivered instead!

I bought these party foil curtains and foil letter balloons and numbers on Facebook Marketplace. It's so convenient to just check the available items on the most used app and voila, you get what you need or want. This was delivered same day COD.

I also bought Cocomelon themed foil balloons such as the JJ giant balloon and round watermelon and character foil balloons.

A nicely decorated and custom cake always sets the tone of any party. His cake was became the focal point of our party table! I've been ordering custom cakes from my dear friend Shae of Delishaes Cakes for years! You may contact her on her Facebook Page to see her works and for inquiries: https://www.facebook.com/Delishaescake

And boy, the cupcakes were awesome it had Cocomelon characters as their toppers! My youngest wanted to eat almost all the characters! Who wouldn't be joyful seeing these? These custom cupcakes were also created by Shae of Delishaes Cakes!

No good party ends without gifts! Of course, still Cocomelon toys for our cutie! I bought the Cocomelon coloring and activity books from National Book Store. JJ plushie that has a face bigger than my son was bought from Facebook Marketplace. The original Cocomelon School Bus toy was also bought online. All these were delivered same day COD. How awesome is that right?

His birthday celebration ended with full tummies and happy hearts! Life is worth celebrating even if present circumstances aren't ideal. Let's always be grateful for each day and the blessing of being with our loved ones.

Happy 5th birthday our dearest Damien! Thank you for making our family a little crazier and happier each day!

Sunday, October 08, 2017

A Disney Cars/Racing Themed Party and My DIY Projects

It's no secret that I'm a DIY enthusiast. Every chance I could get to DIY some personal party or event, I would. My first DIY event project was my very own Rustic-themed wedding. Since then I got hooked to doing DIYs in succeeding special occasions of my family.

The recent birthday party of my son was Disney Cars-themed. It was the same character which my eldest got hooked to since he was 2 years of age back in 2005, galing! We celebrated Wes' 7th birthday party at McDonald's Granada. The manager and crew allowed us to dress up the focal front table with this chosen theme. After all, it's our birthday boy's special request.

So, here's the latest DIY party project I did for my son's party. When I think of Cars or Racing, I think of the color red and black and white checkered flags. I played around those ideas and from those came the road and traffic signs I had fun doing.

Here were my DIY projects for my son's Disney Cars/Car Racing themed 7th birthday party:

DESSERT TABLE

As you may know now, I love assembling dessert tables for my children's parties. There's something about symmetry, leveling, balance, and sweets that make me giddy excited. I prepared cookies, marshmallows, cupcakes, stick-os, gummy candies, and the cake was the centerpiece of this DIY creation.

RACING BUNTINGS AND BACKDROP FRINGES

I printed the black and white checkered patterns on bond papers, cut them in triangles, hung them on a string and voila, racing buntings.

For the backdrop fringes, I used red and yellow crepe papers, cut them in strips and taped them on a string. Husband helped in setting the fringe backdrop up on the front wall set the theme.

WELCOME VIGNETTE

This area was set up to welcome guests and give them a brief feel of what theme to expect before the enter the party premises. I made the traffic light out of illustration board and art papers cut in circles. The orange paper road cones were made from cartolina. And of course the flags were from the many printed out black and white checkered papers attached to staws.

The red and yellow early warning devices for vehicles were from the trunk of our car. And lastly, instead of putting ONE WAY, I printed WES' PARTY to direct the guests to the party venue.

TABLE CENTERPIECES

The table centerpiece I used were also the DIY road cones and racing flags placed on top of the racing flag mats. We were supposed to add balloons but due to lack of ingress time, my friend supplier wasn't able to do so anymore. The centerpieces made quite a cute racing or road traffic feel and for that I believe we succeeded without removing or covering McDonald's own theme/presence.

Now sharing also with you other Cars-themed party elements which we implemented during our son's simple 7th birthday party at McDonald's Granada.

INVITATION
This invitation was made by my husband and the inspiration of course came from Pinterest. If you're a DIY enthusiast and want to get a lot of ideas on how to do a project or at least get pegs, Pinterest is the place to be.

MATCHING FAMILY OUTFITS
I got our matching shirts two days before the party from Landmark Makati. My question was: "How could these good quality shirts come in less than Php500 price tags each?" Well, only in Landmark, Makati Philippines baby! :)

2-LAYERED DISNEY CARS 3 FONDANT CAKE
My cake supplier has always been our dear friend Shae of Delishaes Cakes. I gave her the look or peg of the cake that Wes likes and she executes it perfectly. Her cake and cupcakes are always moist and just has the right kind of sweetness.

CARS 2D CUPCAKES
As a bonus, Shae gave Wes free 2D cupcakes as gifts but these are also available for sale or as part of a package. Just message her on Facebook. The guests enjoyed the yummy moist choco cupcakes.

CARS THEMED GAME PRIZES
Since it's a Cars-themed party, of course I have to go all out with Cars even with prizes or most of it. I added around 30 pcs of prizes to McDonald's prizes. It was such a fun party and almost all the kids came home with something. You also wouldn't believe that I got these items for only Php10 - P15 each.

SPECIAL PRIZES
Apart from the game prizes, I prepared something for the Best Dressed or Best in Costume and Early Birds too! I bought these special prizes from the department store and the kids were all eyes on the prizes!

CARS 3 NECK PILLOWS AS GIVEAWAYS
I had the neck pillows customized. I'm so happy about the quality of the print and the plumpness of the pillows too. The supplier was so easy to transact with and the items were also delivered to me. These were done by Cuztomate and each piece is lower than Php80 each.

RACING COSTUME
I already received more than a dozen of inquiries about where I got Wes' racing costume. I had it tailor-made from Len of Costume Manila. RTW Racing costumes are available in some department stores but I didn't like the quality of the cloth. I just had to add a few hundred pesos to get this quality and tailor-fit costume for the birthday boy. The costume also came with a cap which completed the whole racing outfit of Wes.

PHOTO BOOTH PICTURE LAYOUT
The package I got from my photographer came with photo booth services. The design was of course aligned to the whole Disney Cars theme. The photo paper was thick glossy and print is high quality. Each photo came with a board frame and was immediately posted on the supplier's Facebook page.

Our party was so much fun! These Disney Cars party elements made the party more alive and put together! Having a theme for your parties make it also look more organized and great on photos. It also sets the party mood for the kids especially for the birthday celebrator. But the most important of all is even without party themes, your birthday celebrator child is happy and that you show and make him feel all the love in the world. Birthdays are milestones of our children's lives and personally, whether with a party (at home or in a venue outside home) or a vacation. it's worth celebrating!

Sunday, July 08, 2012

How to Organize a Successful Children's Birthday Party

Majority of mothers become excited when any one of their children's birthday is coming up, specifically those turning 1 year and 7 years old. In the Philippines, those ages mentioned are the more celebrated birthdays of the family. Next to that would be 18 years old, for girls, and 21 years old for young men.

I am one of those thrilled mothers who skips a heartbeat when party planning is concerned. Let me share with you my party organization list which will help you get through.

How to Organize a Successful Birthday Party

Photo from Flicker Creative Commons by Dragonfly DuLou

Pick a Date and Time -You are lucky if your child's actual birthday falls on a weekend. If not, pick a date that's closest to your child's birth date. Weekend is when most of your attendees may be available to attend. Picking a time depends on what you want to serve your guests. It could be lunch time or afternoon snack. The former may be more expensive than the latter though.

Set a Budget Discuss financial matters with your husband. It's important that you set a budget that is comfortable for you and make sure you stick to it. Remember you can be creative and resourceful in making your child's birthday special without spending too much.

Choose a Venue - To save rental fees, you may hold the party at the comfort of your home. You may also opt to scout for popular fast food chains that offer complete party packages to help you have a worry-free party. If you are in the Philippines the popular venues are: Jollibee, McDonald's, KFC, Shakey's Pizza, Pizza Hut or Max's Fried Chicken. If you live in a subdivision with an available function hall/ multi-purpose hall/clubhouse, you may take advantage of that. They offer discounts or free use of the venue for residents.

Select Food - Remember, one of the most important elements in a party is F-O-O-D! Food choices depend on the time of your party. Make sure your guests would be satisfied with what you serve. It would help if you ask yourself if you are to attend your own party, will you be happy with the food served? Another saving tip, you may separate food menu for kids and adults.

List down Invitees - If you have a set budget, listing down all your invitees will help you stick to it. Knowing how many you are expecting helps you count how many plates or meals to serve. Knowing how many kids will be present will help you prepare just enough loot bags or goodies you wish to give-away. This way, you will not over-spend.

Choose a Theme - Who or what is your child's favorite character? Where is his/her dream vacation? The beach? The fairy land? The jungle? What is your child's hobby, talent or sport? It's his/her day, having a theme for a party makes it more exciting. You may ask your guests to come in costumes too!

Send out Invitations- It is recommended that you plan ahead of time. If your invitations are not yet ready a "Save-The-Date" notification through call, text, Facebook or Twitter message or through email will do. This will help ensure your guests' attendance. Busy people will appreciate this and will block their calendar just for your child's party. As soon as the invitations are ready, send it at least 2 weeks or a month in advance. Don't forget to include a map how to get to the venue and contact number for the R.S.V.P.

Ben 10 themed chocolate fondant cake made by Delishaes Cakes

Themed Cake - What is a party without a cake? Blowing the birthday candle/s while guests are singing the Happy Birthday song is the highlight of the party. You could buy celebration cakes from 2 giant bakeshops or order online or from friends who bake themed cakes. You may opt for cupcakes towers too which could double as your souvenir item.

Decorations - Some fast food chains offering party packages already include the decors. If you're doing it at home or in a subdivision's function hall, you might need some help from suppliers with that. If you are saving, you could do it yourself or ask help from your family and friends. Here are some decor ideas you may put in your party venue: balloons, birthday banners or backdrops, buntings and cloth drapers are few.

Balloon pillars and cake arc by SID's Party Favors

Appoint a Photographer/Videographer - If you are on a tight budget, you may ask a family member or photography enthusiast friend to cover your party. If you have set aside some budget for a photo or video services, you may ask for friends' referral or search on line.

Write a Party Program - If you want a personalized program, you may write your own, involving your family and friends to maybe say the opening prayer or ask younger kids in the family to render a song or dance number or an adult to help host the party. If you choose a fast food chain as a venue for your kid's party, they have a ready program you could use and a skilled party host to go with it. A simple program would go like this: Registration, Opening Remarks/Prayer, Games1, Eating Time, Mascot Appearance (if available) or Song/Dance number, Happy Birthday Song and birthday candle blowing, Loot bags give-away and Thank you Message.

Prepare Game Prizes and Loot bags - Every kid attendee to your child's party looks forward to game prizes and goodies to bring home. Some party providers already include those in their packages. If you have an extra budget, it won't hurt to add game prizes for more winners, kids and adults alike. It's also a treat for your attendees to take home extra candies and toys from your loot bags as well!

My last tip to a successful party is to Have FUN! It's a special day, a moment to celebrate a blessing, your child's birthday! Forget the worries, let go and have fun! Any party is a live show. As they put it, anything could happen in a live show. If something unexpected or unplanned happens, then that's what makes your party all the more memorable and special!