5th Birthday Celebrations

Don't you hate it when you start to sound like your parents, but I'll inflict my first thoughts on you regardless. Where have five years gone? ....This weekend the Pickle was the grand old age of FIVE.

She loves her parties, she starts to plan one from the moment she has said goodbye to her last friend. My aim is to keep the parties as simple and innocent for as long as possible. Maybe I am just nostalgic for my parties - actually, it must be in part the reason as we had to have Iced Gems to make the party complete, a must for all 1970's children's parties!

We always start with a simple craft activity as this is a good way to get even the shy ones involved. In keeping with the Princess and Pirates theme that was demanded I customised the party hats with a little net - and they loved them - well, most of the girls did. I was delighted that one really cool girl made a pirate hat - just as well the boys ignored the craft activities altogether.

We had a few of the standard games - all running smoothly. Have I mentioned that the Hubster's family are something special? Well at 8 1/2 months pregnant they came to the rescue. I had a blissful sit down when the Hubster, assisted by his team of sisters and nieces ran around playing pass the parcel and making sandwiches, fruit salads and all manner of goodies. After tea came our speciality - the treasure hunt - you have to work for your party bag here.

This year we had a treasure map and each number hid a clue. They had to work out the clue, find the destination, then (in case it was too easy) find a decorated Post It note hidden somewhere to win their prizes. This is very much a group activity - as you can see from the Hubster being mobbed!

It must have been quite successful, one little Pirate has since told me that he wants to marry me when he grows up!

What did I learn this time around?
I still love the toy library for a few big garden toys
I love my sisters in law even more - and the Hubster is the best.
As well planned as you can make it it is still a sod of a lot of work
Sandwiches take forever, but less time if you take the butter out of the fridge in advance!
The cake was fun to make, but I should have turned it upside down to have a flat top and then the Castle towers may not have slid off until I rammed them upright with some cocktail sticks.
Bribing parents to stay with wine and extra pastries is a very cunning plan!
I thoroughly recommend having a party at 8 1/2 months pregnant - everybody helps and who, would have guess it, with a history of pre-eclampsia and high blood pressure, at my next check up 2 days later my blood pressure had come down.
Yes, I am really yearning that first long glass of wine!