by clevercupcakes
A birthday party would be incomplete without a birthday cake. If you have to, you can skip the ice cream, but a children’s birthday party isn’t a party without a cake. Lately, I’ve been purchasing cupcake cakes for my children’s birthday parties, and they’ve been a huge hit with the parents and the children.
The first cupcake cake I purchased for my oldest daughter’s Rock and Roll Ladybug Princess Garden Party was out of necessity. Looking for a ladybug themed birthday cake, I had called every commercial bakery in town. The only place that sold a ladybug cake was Walmart, and it was a cupcake cake shaped like a ladybug.
I contemplated buying a ladybug-shaped cake pan at Michaels or Hobby Lobby, so I could attempt to bake and decorate a cake for my daughter’s party, but my vivid imagination took over. I envisioned disaster, so I ordered the pink and purple ladybug cupcake cake with the legs drawn on the cardboard, and my daughter was happy. I, on the other hand, wished the cake had more personality. I wanted a cute ladybug cake.
For my youngest daughter’s Dora the Explorer Water Party, I ordered a Dora the Explorer cupcake cake from Walmart. The cupcakes were decorated like a cake would be designed. The frosting covered all twenty-four cupcakes and had intricate flowers for a boarder. Also, the cake’s decorations included Dora, Boots, and Swiper cake toppers. The parents didn’t realize it was a cupcake cake until it was time to “cut” the cake.
Cupcake cakes are convenient and can be decorated almost as intricately as a cake. I enjoy serving them. Children love eating their individually wrapped cake, and I don’t have to concern myself with cutting equal slices. Also, I know most children aren’t going to let a good cupcake go to waste.
July 30th, 2009 by Yolanda D. Young | Posted in Cakes, Party Stories | Comments (0)
by Ctd 2005
When I was growing up, my mother, sister, and I were responsible for decorating the Christmas tree. My father would drag our boxed up artificial tree from the attic, and we would begin separating the branches into piles according to the colors on the metal tips of the branches.
As Christmas music played on the record player, we placed the metal tips into the holes on the tree stand. Next, we placed the multi-colored blinking lights on our ceiling-high tree. Each year, my mother had to replace bulbs on the useful Christmas tree light strands with bulbs from abandoned Christmas light strands to get the lights twinkling properly.
Once the lights were blinking, we added toy drums, ice skating girls, football toting Santas, angels, and other toy-like Christmas ornaments to our tree. When I was a small child, my mother didn’t think the tree was decorated unless the green branches were draped with silver tinsel. By the time I was a teen, my mother’s fascination with tinsel had passed.
One year after we’d finished decorating our tree, my sister thought our tree was particularly beautiful, so she went to school and invited her high school friends to our home for our first Lighting of the Christmas Tree. Later that day, my sister told my mother about the upcoming event. My mother didn’t tell my sister to cancel the celebration. In fact, she helped her plan the event.
On the day of the Lighting of the Christmas Tree, we had punch, cake, and various foods. At some point in the evening, my family and our guests gathered in our dark living room. My sister pushed the button that turned on the Christmas tree lights, the lights shined, and comically, we said, “Aahh! Ooh!” Once the Christmas tree lights were turned on, we sung a Christmas song and returned to eating, laughing, talking and playing games.
We continued having the Lighting of the Christmas Tree for a few years. Each year the crowd grew, and one year we even had two party crashers attend.
July 27th, 2009 by Yolanda D. Young | Posted in Holiday Parties, Party Stories, Party Themes | Comments (0)
by mpettebone
The first luau I can recall attending was held in the basement of my home when I was a child. It was my cousin’s college graduation party. I don’t remember the details because I was too young, but I do recall wooden coconut-shaped cups, bamboo sticks, and wooden shades with tiny slots being used for decorations.
Since that time, I’ve attended about a dozen luau-themed parties. Even as a teenager, a club my sister, friends, and I started threw a summer luau in a local Warrensville Heights park. In the 80s, a luau for teenagers consisted mostly of teeagers wearing JAMs, t-shirts, floral shirts, and Hurache and regular sandals. The girls in my group did purchase floral fabric to wrap around our bodies, and we made certain everyone received plastic leis to wrap around necks, ankles, and wrists. Also, there were plenty of beverages and fresh fruit in the belly of a watermelon. For a minimal fee, a local played popular music on his turntables.
Hosting a luau for young adults and teenagers continues to be a popular idea. As with our park luau, the party doesn’t have to be elaborate. Essentially, you need leis, beverages, and great music. If you have access to a swimming pool, teens will have a great time at a luau-inspired swimming party. In your invitations, encourage guests to wear Hawaiian attire and swimming suits. If you’d like a few decorations to set the tone, usually, a local Dollar Store has colorful Hawaiian themed decorations with flowers and wood masks.
The teens will be eager to get to the Hawaiian Luau because it promises something different and an opportunity to dress up or wear bathing suits and trunks.
July 24th, 2009 by Yolanda D. Young | Posted in Party Planning, Party Stories, Party Themes, Uncategorized | Comments (0)
by Sërch
The impromptu celebration began with my sister’s small pack of Michael Jackson photographs. Each image represented a different period in Michael Jackson’s life and career. She passed around glossy photos of Michael Jackson donning an afro as a child and sporting a curl and a texturizer, as an adult. Then, I pulled out my 1980s Michael Jackson memorabilia from my mother’s attic. My 6-year-old cousin thought my grey “Thriller” sweatshirt would look good on him, and his mother would like the black and white “Thriller” painter’s hat. My mother pinned two Michael Jackson buttons on her t-shirt. Books, magazine articles, posters, shoe strings, and albums were pulled out, too. The celebration was well on its way!
We watched Michael Jackson music videos as the children, all younger than 6-years-old tried to dance like Michael Jackson, each doing their own version of the Moonwalk. Before we knew it, one of the children had popped open a can of confetti. The children tossed the burgundy, purple and yellow shiny pieces up while Michael Jackson’s music filled the air. I pulled out my long balloons and blue and black balloon pump and created balloon sculptures for the children.
As for the adults, we had a great time reminiscing about our favorite Michael Jackson videos and memories and celebrating his life with a new generation of Michael Jackson fans.
July 15th, 2009 by Yolanda D. Young | Posted in Party Stories | Comments (0)
By The Pug Father
Do children dress up for birthday parties anymore?
When I look at old family birthday party pictures from the sixties and seventies, I see girls dressed in patent leather shoes and pretty dresses and boys wearing perfectly pressed pants, starched shirts, and dress shoes. There’s one photo of me at my 7th birthday party in a white sleeveless dress with green and white plaid trim. As other children, dressed in their summer dressy attire, watch me, I’m squinting my eyes as I try to tie a balloon. When I peruse my recent family birthday party photographs, the children’s attire is far from dressy. The boys and girls are wearing gym shoes, t-shirts, and jeans or other casual outfits.
Recently, at my 5-year-old daughter’s Rock-n-Roll Ladybug Princess Garden Party, one of her friends came dressed up. She wore white patent leather shoes and a fluffy pink dress with a matching bow in her hair. Her mother had dressed her like mothers of previous decades dressed their daughters when going to a party. As she slid down the sliding board and ran around our backyard, she stood out from my daughter’s other guests. She didn’t seem any less comfortable playing in her patent leather shoes than those children in sandals and gym shoes. Her mother didn’t run behind her to make sure that her dress didn’t get dirty, either.
Children’s birthday party attire has evolved with the times. Children do much more than play Pin the Tail on the Donkey and Musical Chairs at today’s parties. Wearing casual clothes is practical for jumping in bouncy houses, roller skating, climbing play equipment, and riding horses. Yet, seeing children dressed up for a birthday party still makes me smile.
July 7th, 2009 by Yolanda D. Young | Posted in Birthday Parties, Customs, Party Stories | Comments (0)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dcjohn/
The Fourth of July sparks memories of fun, family, friends, great food, and fireworks for many people. Many of my Fourth of July memories include Warrensville Heights, Ohio, my hometown. When I was growing up there, each Independence Day promised an evening of spectacular fireworks and fellowship at the Warrensville Heights High School. Our community gathered around the school, on the grass, on the tracks, and in the bleachers around dusk, eagerly awaiting the fireworks display while catching up with friends.
Much of the conversation ceased with the first explosion, which let us know the light show was about to begin. Then the first flash of light painted the sky, and the only human sounds would be “Ooh!” and “Aahh!” For 45-minutes or so, despite the thunderous sounds surrounding us, all was peaceful in Warrensville Heights. Under the red, orange, green, yellow, and pink lights, a sense of unity prevailed that was evoked by our community tradition of watching fireworks together.
Although we didn’t have any formal presentation about the meaning of Independence Day before the fireworks began, the love that floated in the air on those Fourth of July nights, at least in my recollection, tells me that we got it. Without spoken words, we understood the unity necessary for independence. We understood the unity necessary for America to thrive.
How will you celebrate the Fourth of July this year?
June 30th, 2009 by Yolanda D. Young | Posted in Holiday Parties, Party Stories, Party Themes | Comments (0)
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