!Today we have Malu Talan, fellow mom to 2 boys, AMB follower, and bilingual in Spanish sharing how to make birthdays simple, easy, affordable, and fun for the entire family!

Make Birthday Party Planning Fun for the Family

Birthdays are a very special time in all children’s lives. As much fun as it is to have a party for our sweet little ones, planning it can sometimes get overwhelming. That is why I came up with my own little plan to combat the party planning stress.

Here are six little tips that I am trying to abide by to help make birthday parties fun for the family. And it is my hope that these tips can help take some of the planning stress off of moms who work so hard to make their day memorable. I even added a bonus tip at the end just for you.

• First and foremost, Tip #1 – Keep it simple!  I tend to go overboard on everything I want to do, but this year I decided that less is more. I picked a theme, decided on what colors would match my theme and bought the necessities from Oriental Trading Company (one of my favorite places to shop online). I bought plates, napkins, utensils and table cloth for a lot less than any store I’ve searched through. And I decided that rather than spend a lot of money in decorations I could only use once, I would have to get creative. By keeping it simple, I will try to keep my husband happy by not blowing the budget. 🙂

(I reused the very first Birthday banner with a little touchup to include both boys and to fit last year’s theme. And I will do it again this year.)

(Homemade cupcakes, cupcake holders made by me, my mom and sister Marion and fabulous noise shakers made by sister, Michelle)

• If you have multiple children and their birthday dates are close enough, why not follow Tip #2 – Combine their parties? This is a great way to keep things simple. You will not have to plan separate parties so close together, thus helping relieve some of the stress. Mine are just over 3 weeks apart, so we pick a day in between their two birthdays and have the party then.  We celebrate their actual birthdays with just family while the bigger party is for their buddies. Now, I don’t know how long I can get away with this before they start wanting to do their own thing for their birthdays, but I’m hanging on to this one as long as I can.

• Now that I had taken care of the simple things, it came time to get creative with the decorations. This is when my next tip comes in. Tip #3 – Include them in making decorations. I know I always want things to be a surprise to the ones I love, but this year I’ve let them help me make the decorations we will use at the party. Their artwork will proudly be displayed throughout the house for guests to see.

I simply gave them construction paper that matches the color scheme I chose for the party and let them go crazy with paint and glitter glue. I have also been saving some of my oldest son’s art from summer camp preschool that goes perfectly with my theme and will show them off at the party as well. They love knowing that they were making their own party decorations. I think they worked a little harder at making them extra special. I love that they are so proud of their work.

(Boys busy painting away along with their finished product)

• This next tip may seem a little silly, but it helps make them feel even more important knowing that you are letting them choose. Tip #4 – Let then pick the menu (from options you had already chosen). I would recommend not giving them too many options because if they are anything like my boys, they will want it ALL. Give them two or three things to choose from for the meal and even let them pick the flavor of their cake. You will be surprised at how happy that makes them. It really is the simple pleasures that make kids happy.

• When planning a group gathering it is easy to want to include everyone you know. That is why this tip is so very important. Tip #5 – Think of them before you think of yourself.  Make sure the guest list consists of their friends before yours.  It’s tempting to make this an event for you to catch up with old friends, network and socialize with other adults, but never lose track of what is important…it’s their birthday party not your social event. Plan a play date with parents of kids you want to get to know better at another time and try not to invite adults without kids unless they are family, and friends that your children are familiar with.

• And finally, the most important tip I can share is Tip #6 – Keep traditions alive. Each of us has own traditions that we grew up with that have become a normal part of life and have helped make us who we are today. Birthday traditions are a wonderful thing to share with your children. Not only will they help make the celebrations fun, but they will learn a little more about you and how you grew up.

I will make sure that there is always a piñata ready for their birthdays.  That is one of the most fun traditions I can share.  I mean what kid doesn’t like hitting something with a colorful stick as hard as you can only to have it explode with all kinds of fun things! Now that’s entertainment!

(Two types of piñatas made by my fabulous mom last year. The traditional bust with a stick type and the pull string for little ones)

Along with the piñata, comes the piñata song of course! I can’t wait for my boys to start singing that one. I need to practice that one ASAP.

And since we are talking about songs, why not add in some traditional songs, too!  Are there any songs you sing during celebrations that reflect your culture? For me, being a proud Mexican, the birthday song is a must for our family. If you have never heard the Spanish birthday song, you have been missing out.  It is called “Las Mañanitas” and it’s a lovely song that you can’t help but sway to.  However, my friends that are not from Mexico think it’s a bit long.   So we will save the song for their actual birthdays when we can sing the whole thing together without taking time away from the party. Unless, of course, it is requested and then my mom, my sisters and I may just have to sing it! I mean who am I to deny a request; that would not make me a good hostess, right?

And the one tip that may help keep the party planning even simpler is one that we did for my oldest first birthday but have somehow forgotten about. This one is a surefire way to take a lot of the stress away. Bonus Tip: Find a venue to have the party at. That way, they take care of the set up and clean up and you just worry about getting there on time with plenty of food for your guests. Now, why didn’t I think of that before I did all of the above? Oh well, maybe next year!

I hope you enjoyed my tips and I will post pics and stories after the party takes place with an update on how it all worked out. Happy party planning to all the wonderful mamas out there!

:: What was the EASIEST party you ever planned? ::