A Busy Moms Tips for Throwing an At Home Party

The at-home birthday party. There is something sweet and timeless about hosting a birthday at home. It can be as extravagant (bounce houses and pony rentals) or as simple (pizza and an ice cream cake) as you want. I just finished taking down the streamers from my daughter’s fifth birthday party at home, and I have some helpful hints that I’d like to share.

• Pick a Theme. Try and pick a theme early and stick with it. I know this is easier said than done with kids who like to change their mind more than their socks, but the more time you have with a theme already picked out, the more time you have to plan, shop for deals, and DIY anything that you can’t find ready made.
• Set the Guest List, Menu, and Budget. Are you inviting just family, the entire kindergarten class, or just a few special friends from the soccer team? Having a solid estimate of how many little guests (and their parents) to expect will make planning much easier. There is a big difference in activities you can do with seven kids versus 25. Picking the party time is also a good first step in planning a menu. If the party is at noon, lunch is probably expected, but if it starts a 2 p.m., then you can get by with just some snacks. Keeping these two things in mind when it comes to setting a party budget will help guide the rest of your party planning decisions. (Money Saving Tip: This year, I skipped the party favor bag and made a craft with the kids and let them fill a bag of candy from the piñata.)

  
  

• Shop the Deals. My daughter’s birthday is in April. This means that every year after Valentine’s Day (and sometimes after Easter depending on when it falls) I shop the clearance holiday aisles. Find the holiday that is closest to your child’s birthday and shop that after holiday sale for candy and other tiny trinkets to fill a piñata or goodie bags. I promise that the little ones really don’t care that there are hearts on their package of Skittles.
• Take Advantage of Pinterest. I have already expressed my love of Pinterest. But really is there any better place for finding party ideas than Pinterest? You can take any theme and add the keywords “party games” “party craft” “party food” or “party decorations” and find a nearly endless supply of inspiration. I start early and make a board full of ideas and then narrow things down as the day gets closer.

• Make it Festive. I love decorating. But decorations don’t have to be expensive to look amazing. Last year, my daughter had a superhero themed party. I went through her toys and pulled out every superhero themed one I found and set them up on shelves and tables around the house to add little pops of her party theme all around. Crepe paper streamers and balloons go a long way to fill an open space and make a room feel over the top decked out for party day. We hang streamers from corner to corner and add bunches of balloons anywhere we need a little color and fun. (Money Saving Tip: Remember to shop the dollar sections and the dollar store. Solid color plates and napkins are much cheaper and work just as well as themed ones and often you can find party favors and other items that match your theme in the dollar spot of your favorite store.)

At the end of the day your kid and their friends aren’t going to care about the decorations and all the small details that you can drive yourself crazy stressing about. They may or may not remember how you spent weeks carefully crafting decorations and planning a special themed menu. Just remember to just have fun. If all you do is blow up a few of balloons and order a couple pizzas and that ice cream cake it will still be a fabulous party as long as you remember to have fun celebrating your child’s special day.

And whatever you do, don’t forget to take a few photos. These years are flying by too quick and regardless of how over the top or how simple, you will want to look back and remember these sweet days of at-home birthday parties for years to come.