Before I tell you my dirty little secret let me just preface by saying that I am empathetic to the many motivations people have for throwing their kids' birthday parties at "venues" rather than at home. I'm a stout believer in "to each their own" and I know that kids are so easy going and adaptable that they will find the fun in a party no matter where it is or what it involves. There are times and circumstances where parents just can't pull together an at-home party (which does take a little bit of planning and preparation) and for these times party venues are a welcome respite.
That said though, I secretly despise the jumpy-place kid birthday scene. In this birthday universe parents and kids are herded like cattle by some shouting teenage worker through a parade of loud rooms that smell like feet where children run wild and parents can't talk to each other over the noise. Then they are all crammed into a tiny, florescently lit room (which also smells like feet) where there is often no place for adults to sit down, while kids get dished a slice of cardboard with cheese on it followed by some ice cream or cake, and the excrutiating tradition of gift opening. Soon the air in the room is full of pizza grease, b.o., and sugar. In my mind I am screaming "just open the damn gifts kid so I can get out of here!!!!" I know that sounds ungrateful and I don't mean for it to be, its just that this is one of many tortures I think parents have been conditioned to endure for the sake of making their kids happy in a society that values artificial over authentic in every way, including memories.
So it is with that in mind that I want to say to you that at-home kids parties don't have to be hard, expensive, or lacking in fun! We are so blessed in this day to have powerful resources for sharing ideas with each other. With the emergence of pinterest my at-home party planning has truly become a piece of cake. I simply choose a theme that reflects my child for the year, something she was really into that year or a favorite thing, and then fill up a board with ideas as I find them. Then I pick and choose the things that are most doable for me within my time and budget constraints and presto-chango, a party is born! Here are the links to some of our at home parties. I hope you will feel encouraged knowing that I am no professional and that each of these was created on a teeny tiny budget, really.
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