Tips for a Successful, Stress-Free Birthday Party

Ok, I admit that stress "free" may be a slight exaggeration.  Stress, it seems,  is just part of the package  any time there is a group of small children getting all jacked up on cake, ice cream and soda .  So without tying the kids to their chairs and gagging them with their own socks, here are some of my solutions for making it enjoyable for all involved.

#1 - Venue

                On the surface, having the party at home seems like a very budget friendly and convenient place to host a birthday party. In my situation that is not the case. I prefer one of those pizza and game places that are located throughout the country.  I pick our local favorite and book it in plenty of time to ensure the date and time that I prefer.  This eliminates: cleaning before and after, finding tables and chairs for guests and games or entertainment .  The  food and drinks are included, as well as plates, cups and silverware. 

#2  - Theme

                Children have great imaginations, and that is great..... until they use it to come up with off the wall ideas for their birthday parties. Don't get me wrong,  I love parties that are full of creative and lovingly handmade decorations and games. While on one hand they are such unique experiences, and I believe that all children should have at least one of those in their childhood memories. They are a lot of work and can be very stressful to pull together.  To eliminate this problem I simply go to my favorite website for party supplies. My son and I pick from the themes available on there.  Officially licensed character supplies can get pretty pricey. So I limit the items I buy to: Invitations, Plates & napkins for kids only, table decorations , cake or cupcake topper and treat boxes. The closest party supply store is about 1 1/2 hours from me, so I purchase my theme items online to save very valuable time and gas.

#3 - Invitations

                I do not suffer from the need to make all people happy at all times.  This comes in very handy at times like this.  My guest list usually consists of siblings, family and close friends with similar aged children, grandparents, and most recently I allowed him to pick 3 to 4 friends from either school or church to invite.  For the most part, I invite people personally.  I only send written invitations out to the school friends.

                I also do not invite stressful people.  You know who they are. Everyone has them in their family or social group. The super needy friend, the drama queen cousin and even good ole Uncle Freddy who hasn't seen a sober day since 1982.  I just leave these people off of the list, and it saves me tremendous worry and aggravation.  

#4 - Cake or Cupcakes

                In order to make serving much easier, I prefer cupcakes and the individual containers of ice cream.  My local venue doesn't have a problem with us putting the ice cream in their freezer until serving time.  If yours does not accommodate such a request, I would probably just skip the ice cream. 

                Some people actually enjoy cooking and baking, but I am not one of them.  Fortunately, a childhood friend of my sisters has a sweet shop, and I prefer to order my cupcakes from her. This is a huge time saver for me, and thus a stress saver.

#5 - Gifts

                The fewer presents there are to deal with, the better.  I don't know about everyone else, but with the allure of the pizzeria's token games, it is hard to keep my son's attention focused on opening gifts. So I let him open his gifts from me at home the morning before the party.  This way there is less to pack over and then again back home.

#6  - Treat Boxes

                The treat boxes are one of my favorite parts of the party.  I usually spend a little extra on the boxes instead of using the bags. They work as extra decorations for the party as well as gifts for the guests.  I hand these out as the guests are going home, to help prevent fights over the goodies inside.  I put these together a day or two ahead of time. Whichever fits best into my schedule.

#7- Don't forget!

                Take camera and/or camcorder. Best to check batteries the night before.

                Decorations, Plates, Napkins, etc.

                Treat Boxes/ Bags

                Cake (Cupcakes) and Ice cream

                Serving Utensils for the cake.

                Candles and a Lighter

                Pen & Paper (to take notes for Thank you cards.)

                Aluminum Foil - (I like to send the extra cake or cupcakes home with other people. )

One last piece of advice is: Don't be afraid to enlist help. One person can't and shouldn't have to do it all. Although, I have streamlined this process into a fairly manageable process for myself, I still give my camera to another family member for them to take pictures. This allows me two free hands for everything else that needs  to be done.

It has taken a few years to figure out what works best for me.  I hope this may help you find your way to a successful, stress-free birthday party as well. 

***UPDATE 2/23/2011***
While surfing the net today, I stumbled upon a great article on parenting.com.  30 New Amazing Birthday Cake Designs. The article shows you step-by-step with pics and diagrams how to make some very, very cute cakes. I felt compelled to share it here, for those crazy people out there who might actually enjoy making their own cakes. :)