Party Planning

I can hardly believe that my baby boy will be turning FOUR in less than two weeks. In fear of being too cliche, let me ask you this....  Where did the time go?  Really, where?!?!

Anyway, with another birthday upon us, I have exhausted pinterest looking for party ideas.  This years he's wanted the following themes: Dinosaurs, Monster Trucks, Hot Wheels, Louisville Cardinals, Angels In The Outfield, Rookie Of The Year, and Super Heroes.  It literally changes every two days.  I finally made him stick with one idea, and he settled on....drum roll please...SUPER HEROES!!!

With a theme in place I started planning the perfect party.  Through this process I realized that (at least for me) the planning was becoming more about me, and less about him.  I wanted a party my friends would enjoy, my friends would talk about, and my friends would pin to their boards.

That's when I decided it was time to scale back.  I don't want to throw a party that would cost more than the presents.  After all, Eli could care less what snacks I serve as long as there is cake.  He could care less about decorations as long as there is something with a super hero on it.  He could care less if there are a hundred people there or five as long as he is the center of attention.

So with Eli in mind, I decided to plan a party that was all about him.  For starters, we are not having it at our house this year.  With family staying all night and two kiddos in the house, it will save a lot of time and stress if I have it elsewhere.  We'll be celebrating at the park...outside...where the kids can run free!!

Obviously, this isn't a park.  I pinned it anyway because I like the use of balloons in primary colors as a focal point.  It will be a cheap and easy way to decorate the shelter.  

 In addition to balloons, our Dollar Tree has plastic tablecloths that can be spruced up like the one you see above.  You would be amazed what $2 and a roll of Scotch Tape can do! 

In the past, we've had Eli's party in the evenings which means that we have to feed our guests dinner.  Again, this gets costly, and Eli would much rather stuff himself full of sweets, so this year we are having the party in the afternoon which means that we're going back to good, ole cake and ice cream.

I think I'm going to order a few dozen brightly colored cupcakes from Sam's Club.  I'm going to add my own toppers like you see above.  They'll be simple enough to make, and the DIY project will save me a ton of money that I can use on presents. 

I also like the idea of candy being served in kid friendly sized containers.  Don't get me wrong, I love the beautiful tables I see on pinteresr with Apothecary jars full of goodies, but let's get real.  It takes a ton of money to fill them up, and who trusts a bunch of kids around glass?  Not this Momma!!!!

While I'm at the Dollar Tree, I'll pick up some cheap candy like in the picture above. 

As for drinks, this will be an outdoor party, in August!  To prevent dehydration and to save money, I'm gonna pick up some mini water bottles and add my own labels.  Cheap, ease and fun!!

I'm not a huge fan of character plates and stuff, however, this is about Eli!  If he wants it tacky cartoon plates, then that's what he'll get...especially at seventeen cents a piece!!! 

One final pinterest idea...an inflatable Spiderman.  Let's hope I can find one!!

Ya'll this is going to be a low key party.  Everything I need will be coming from the Dollar Tree or Sam's Club.  Eric will design the "add ons" and with a little creativity and glue gun magic, we'll have ourselves a party fit for a super hero!!!