We are a little obsessed with Trolls in our house. We listen to the Trolls soundtrack everyday – so much so, Phoebe knows the words to every song. Whenever she sees Poppy or a Troll, she points and says ‘Everybody’, which is one of the catchy tunes from the movie. It was a no brainer that we had to put on a Trolls Party for Phoebe’s 3rd Birthday.
Having put on a few kids parties over the years, there are some things that I know work well to ensure a fun and stress-free party with kids.
Be organised – cook the cakes the night before and ice them on the day. Put together party bags and bake as much of the party food you can (biscuits and slices) the day before.
Make your own party bags by purchasing plastic bags from Kmart ($1 for a pack of 24 from the party section) and make your own paper label on Picmonkey and staple to the bag when filled with lollies.
Set up tables for kids to sit to eat. This helps contain the mess to one area. When you have a communal food table, everyone helps themselves and will leave their rubbish or uneaten food all around your home and backyard. With the kids seated, the mess is secured to one area.
Organise a platter of food for the parents to nibble on.
Keep the timeframe limited. A kids party should go for 2 to 3 hours.
Party games are always a winner. Musical statues and pass the parcel are firm favourites in our household. With pass the parcel, I make enough layers for each child to have a turn unwrapping and a few extra layers to the main prize so no one knows who will win the ultimate present.
Phoebe’s party was a lot of fun to organise, and I didn’t go overboard with styling. Kids don’t remember the styling. They remember the food, games, cake and friends they get to share it with. And the lollies. Can’t forget the lollies!
To keep some sort of theme for the food, I made flower biscuits, rainbow biscuits and clinkers slice. Fairy bread, cheerios, sausage rolls and chicken nuggets added a savoury touch.
The Poppy Cake was designed by Jacob (I baked the cakes). To Phoebe, it looked like Poppy, and that’s all that mattered. It tasted pretty good too.
Phoebe loved her party. She enjoyed unwrapping her presents and received some beautiful gifts.
After everyone left, she walked into the living room and said to me, ‘mummy, thank you for my party.’
Her words and sentences are becoming so much clearer. I was proud she understood the effort it took to put the party on for her and the fact she appreciated it by saying thank you. It makes it all worthwhile in the end.
While her Birthday isn’t officially till Tuesday, it’s been lovely celebrating with Phoebe as she turns 3. My how fast has she grown!
The baby years are certainly behind us now and we’re hurtling through toddlerdom.
Happy Birthday my dear Phoebe. Like Poppy, you add joy and love wherever you go.
