My dad turned 50 on a windy Saturday in late April, and I remember standing in his driveway at 4:12 p.m. with a roll of painter’s tape in one hand and a Costco sheet cake sliding around in the back seat. We were supposed to rent a private room at an Italian place. Then my…
Last Tuesday, my son Owen’s best friend Toby decided he didn’t want a “normal” party anymore. He wanted to go to Mars. Specifically, he wanted a “Space Mission” in his own backyard in Cincinnati. Toby’s mom, Rachel, called me in a panic because she’d seen those $400 Pinterest setups with life-sized cardboard rockets and fog…
I was taping pink plastic tablecloths to the side of a folding dessert table at 9:14 on a rainy Saturday when Ava’s little sister walked in wearing rain boots, a winter coat, and a plastic tiara that was already missing one jewel. She looked at the room, looked at me, and said, very seriously, “This…
Last Saturday, I learned that a three-year-old’s lung capacity is roughly equal to a 747 engine. Sam, my friend Courtney’s son, has officially entered the “everything must roar” phase of his life. If it doesn’t have scales, a tail, or the ability to swallow a jeep whole, he’s not interested. So, when Courtney asked me…
Last Tuesday, my son Owen’s best friend Toby decided he didn’t want a “normal” party anymore. He wanted to go to Mars. Specifically, he wanted a “Space Mission” in his own backyard in Cincinnati. Toby’s mom, Rachel, called me in a panic because she’d seen those $400 Pinterest setups with life-sized cardboard rockets and fog…
Toddler Birthday Party Ideas: My 90-Minute Setup Plan (and the Party Hats That Actually Stayed On) I used to think toddler birthday parties needed a “theme” and a color palette and a Pinterest-worthy backdrop. Then I watched a two-year-old have a meltdown because the balloon touched his forehead (not even popped… just touched). That was…
Last Saturday I helped my friend Erica pull off a soccer birthday party for her son Leo (turning 5) in a very normal New Jersey backyard. Nothing fancy. A slightly lumpy lawn, a folding table that wobbles if you breathe near it, and my corgi Biscuit stealing cheese cubes like it’s his job. It ended…
Last Saturday at 7:12 a.m., my six-year-old walked into the kitchen in a Spider-Man hoodie and announced, very calmly, that his birthday party was going to be “a real hero mission.” Not a theme. A mission. He also informed me that his little sister would be “the dispatcher,” which meant she got to boss everyone…
I learned this the hard way: classroom celebrations don’t fall apart because the kids are wild. They fall apart because setup gets messy. I’m talking about that moment when you’ve got 30 kids staring at you, cupcakes are melting, and you’re still digging through a plastic bag for the hats. So here’s my simple, repeatable…
Vanessa called me on a Wednesday night, half-panicking. “Chloe wants a mermaid party. I looked up mermaid performers and they start at $275. For one hour. In a costume that honestly looked like it came from Spirit Halloween.” I told her to close the browser tab. Look—I’ve thrown enough kids’ parties at this point to…
