Stress Free Blog | Stress Free Birthday Parties

Great idea for teen party

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 06:22:25 -0500

I absolutely loved this idea for an inexpensive birthday party for teenage girls! It's so clever!

Grab your digital camera and pile all the guests into the car (or cars) to head to the local mall. Walk through each store and have the guest girls choose items that they WOULD buy for the birthday child if they could and take pictures with that guest and the birthday child with the item. Do that with each store snapping off photo after photo. (Talk with the store manager and let them in on the game so they know what's going on - most will be fine with it!)

Then, swing by the photo kiosk, print out the pictures and come back to create a fun scrapbook of the day. Enjoy some pizza and pop and voila - "This was the most fun party ever!" And all it cost you was some photo developing and food cost!

And you can do it even cheaper by signing up for a photo sharing website like THIS ONE so you can email the photos to the other guests too and create online photo albums.

Many thanks to Mary Hunt of Debt Proof Living for the great, frugal idea!

camping bananas

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 21:00:02 -0500

I love this yummy looking recipe for baked bananas "smores". And it's simple too!

Place an un-peeled banana on a piece of aluminum foil (large enough to wrap the banana). Slice the banana in half lengthwise and top with mini marshmallows and chocolate chips. Wrap in the foil.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. Remove carefully, allow to cool in foil and then open up. Top with Ice Cream.

Fairly healthy too and an easy to do snack for any birthday theme!

Popcorn Balls - Yum!

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 21:23:53 -0500

I know it's still summer but for some reason when I think ahead to fall I think of popcorn balls! And what a perfect treat for an upcoming fall birthday party or one with a sports theme?

Here's an easy recipe for this classic treat:

Pop 2.5 quarts of popcorn - set aside

1/2 cup corn syrup

1/8 cup water

1 cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

Combine the above together in a heavy saucepan until the mixture comes to a boil. Continue cooking and then quickly whisk in:

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup butter

Pour the mixture over the popped popcorn and toss until the popcorn is coated. Allow to cool only slightly and then with buttered hands, form into balls. Let cool on waxed paper and then wrap in individual squares of cellophane.

Enjoy!

Tips for a Great Princess Party

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:25:46 -0500

If you're like most parents, you are looking for easy, affordable and fun birthday parties for your children. With a little planning, a Princess Birthday Party is the perfect party for your little girl!

Here's some easy to implement ideas for your little Princess:

• Take some time to plan ahead by thinking through some of the logistics of your party. What day of the week will work so that a majority of your guests will be able to attend? What time of the day works for your age group? Remember, if you're planning for little ones nap times may still be an issue so it’s best to plan the party for a time when you know the kids won’t be overtired or cranky because they missed nap time.

• If you plan on having “outside entertainment” secure that early as well. Some great ideas for a princess party entertainer would be a balloon artist, magician or a children's storyteller. Check your local yellow pages under "Party Entertainment" or search the web for ones near you.

• Send your invitations out at least 2 weeks before your party date with some party planners suggesting a 6-week advance invitation. Purchase some linen paper from the office supply store and use a calligraphy font on your computer for printing the royal invitations. For your more local guests, roll the invitation into a scroll and tie with gold organdy ribbon and hand deliver them. If mailing the invitations, use cute stickers or rubber stamps to decorate the envelope in royal fashion.

• Begin making your party decorations early too so you’re not rushing at the last minute. Plastic champagne flutes or wine glasses hot glued with inexpensive jewel pieces make fabulous royal goblets. Do the same with clear plastic plates with the jewels along the outside ridge. Tie the napkins with purple organdy ribbon and you’re set. Inexpensive and fun!

• Balloons are a must at any birthday party and your princess party should be no exception. Tape balloons around your entrance door for a royal archway. Have a bunch of helium-filled balloons tied to the mailbox to show your guest the way to the ball. Even silver, white and gold colored balloons all over the “dance floor” creates a wonderful effect. If you have very young ones you want to be careful with balloons, but kids love them…so get lots! Most craft and party stores sell inexpensive helium tanks so getting the balloons filled is a snap!

• Plan the royal menu. Keep it simple, but make it look royal with glass serving plates with real or wax grapes as a side garnish. Serve typical "high tea" fare, finger sandwiches, chocolate dipped strawberries (actually, chocolate dipped anything would be a hit!) and bubbly punch in your plastic champagne flutes.

• The little princesses will be so adorable and you’ll want to snap lots of photos, so be prepared with fresh batteries for the camera. Take a separate photo of each of the party guests with the princess of honor and send a copy to that guest with your thank you note.

• Relax and have fun. Don’t overdo. Most kids just love to play and have fun. Organized games are great but don’t make the party so structured that the kids don’t have time to just interact with each other, spin around in their costumes or dance in the balloons.

An 18th Birthday Party For the College Bound

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 18:12:57 -0500

by Audrey Okaneko

One of the most memorable parties my daughter ever attended was an 18th birthday party her friend’s mom put together for him and his friends. All of the teens were thinking of college. It was May of their senior year. They all were graduating in just 4 weeks. They had all chosen and been accepted to the colleges of their choices.

This mom, feeling very nostalgic, decided to create a children’s birthday party for these soon to be adults. She rented a bubble machine, a fog machine and a bouncer.

The teens had a contest with paddle balls, a bubble gum blowing contest and hot dogs and hamburgers.

Getting ready for college is both exciting and a bit scary for the senior in high school. This party allowed the teens a few hours of total childlike fun.

As your own child begins to think of college, remember this is one of the biggest steps they will take. They are leaving the comfort of home, the comfort of mom and/or dad always being there. They are beginning a life away from home where they will now be responsible for what happens in their life.

Consider how you can help your own teenager appreciate the past but look forward to the future with great anticipation.

Audrey Okaneko is mom to two girls. She can be reached at audreyoka@cox.net or visited at http://www.recipe-barn.com

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

How to Throw the Best Birthday Party Ever

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 18:29:59 -0500

Throwing a birthday party at home does not have to be stressful. A little planning can go a long way to help you turn a potentially chaotic mess that you approach with fear and trembling into a wonderful event that your birthday child will remember for the rest of his life.

So what’s the key to a stress free birthday party? Here are 4 tips for making the birthday party planning as well as the day itself super fun and stress free:

1. Plan ahead - Work with a birthday party checklist to keep you on track as to what needs to be done and when. This little step alone can help to take the pressure off because you have built in reminders and there is no “did I forget anything” stress on your mind. Have separate sections on your list to keep track of the items you need to buy as well as a timeline to help you work toward the day. Include even the things that you know you won’t forget like “bake a cake” or “buy paper goods” just so you know that everything is there and will be taken care of. This also helps if you have people helping you with the party as they will know what’s been done and still needs to be done based on your checklist.

2. Involve your child - Remember that your birthday child is the important one so he should be consulted and involved in the planning of the day. Let him pick a theme and work with you to make sure you’re ready for the day. Take him with as you shop for the goody bag treats, paper goods and other items and get his okay on everything. It may take some extra time but having him involved will really make him feel special - and that’s the goal of the day after all!

3. “Hire” an assistant - If you do nothing else for your birthday party - do this! Bring an older sibling or cousin into the picture to help you on birthday party day. They can be the clean up crew or even be in charge of the games and activities, freeing you to focus on your child or the guest’s parents, etc. You can, of course, pay them a small stipend for their work or give them an extra special gift from you for their help. And who knows, you may be helping them create an event planning career for themselves at the same time!

4. Have someone else take the pictures. You want to remember the day in photos but often the last thing on your mind during the actual party is taking pictures because you’re so busy with the kids or the parents or getting the candles on the cake that the camera gets left on the counter unused. Snag one of the other parents or a neighbor friend to be in charge of the photography of the day. Make sure you communicate which pictures you want to have taken if you have special ones you want, but otherwise, let them just snap away. The beauty of digital cameras is that you can take tons of pictures and delete the ones that don’t work.

With just a little extra planning and preparation you can have a fun, memorable party without pulling your hair out. Keep your birthday child as the focus and the rest of the day will go smoothly! Enjoy!