Another Party.

I've been a busy girl! I have been having fun, seeing friends, making plans, and having hard times as well as lovely times, smiling big smiles, purchasing good purchases and dating. Yes, I do believe that we can still call it 'dating', even after this long, and even this infrequently! So I apologise for the delay, but here is the recent party write-up!

My Little Guy turned 3 before Christmas, and for many a varied reason, he had to wait until last week for his party. Hmmm- he wasn't at all bothered, but I felt a little guilty that he had to wait that long... although the original delay was intentional. The plan inside my head went: Birthday-Christmas-Birthday-Party-(Breathe!)-Party... its just that the 'Breathe' took longer than anticipated! Missy Pickle had her Cat Party not so long ago, and I lifted the ideas from there really, having seen what worked well. Little Guy is like every typical pre-schooler boy, and he's into three main things, which made the choice of theme easy: Thomas the Tank Engine, Dinosaurs, or Pirates. He decided on the last option, but Mummy said 'no dressing up' (but she felt sad about it!) because she didn't want to put pressure on the other parents. Just as well, because she came across some pretty worried looks when it was first mentioned. Face paints were available upon request for stubble and moustaches though!

The children were younger this time- most of his friends were only 2 and a half, and what a big difference there is between a 30 month old and a 3 year old! But they all joined in, and here are some of the things they got up to:

They had parrots to colour in first of all. And the children had lots of things to choose from to decorate them with, but they went with googly eyes, and kept things simple. I was most surprised!

What a pity, because I had found feathers and stickers and bits of coloured tissue, and I put them all in a large tupperware, (in a semi-organised fashion) all ready for them! We played a short 'pass-the-parcel', and after that we had a little game of 'pin-the-tail-on-the', with the parrots and a pirate.

No parrots were harmed in the playing of this game.

Most of the parrots were taken down again before I got a picture- but you get the idea. It was a close one, but we had one happy winner. The prizes were little ones: small boxes of crayons, a mini-puzzle, a bracelet or two, all kept in the 'treasure box' until they were needed. Everybody won something. So, what else? Ummm...

Pirate biscuits to decorate (and eat alongside the trifle). Do they look like pirates? Maybe not. But after some creativity they were gorgeous. Heres one I made earlier:

These were fun. The children had a picnic tea, and weren't short of yummies. I kept things simple, and raw, which is just as well, because what should greet me when I arrived home earlier that day to hinder my Party Prep Plan? I shall tell you, because it will be much quicker. (I indulged in a game of '20 Questions' with my sister earlier today, and it really did take a while to get to the incorrect answer!) A power cut. Three and a half hours worth. I popped around to a neighbouring shop to see what the news was, at a Very Nearly Lunchtime sort of hour, and upon finding that I was unable to prepare cooked food for the party as planned, she marched me (yes, she does 'march' me) around to the pub next door, and asked if they might cook the quiches and the sausage rolls in their gas oven. It was more a case of 'not knowing when the power would be re-installed' on her part I think, but I was very embarrased. However, I can confirm that Community Spirit is alive and well people!

Here are the party bags:

My mum made them and sent them down from London the week before. I remember these pirate (and rag-doll, nurse, princess, baby...) badges from fundraisers and craft fairs and Summer Club Projects that she was involved in years ago. Lovely memories, all created from a pair of old tights, I do believe!

And here are the contents:

Arrrrrr!

There ye be, shipmates. Twas a grand time. Oh, one last thing- the Best Bit: the cake! Happy Belated Birthday Little Guy!

xxx