Mickey Mouse Birthday Party – Part 1 of 3

May 14, 2013 by Tracy

This year is very strange for me. Dates and holidays seem to spring up suddenly. I know they are coming and have them noted on my calendar, but I just seem to run out of time preparing for items. Finding myself grabbing a card on the way out the door or waking up a tad early to wrap a gift, I just feel out of balance.

Working around illnesses and friends’ schedules just added to the delay to my daughter’s birthday party this year. I appreciate her so much as we celebrated her birthday on the day she turned 3. Then we waited until we found a non-soccer, non-event running, and non-illness Friday evening to host my daughter’s Mickey Mouse birthday party.

Though choosing the party date ended up being more challenging than choosing the theme, we started the birthday party process with choosing the theme.

Part 1: Choosing the Theme

Long are the days when I could ask, “Do you want a princess party?,” and get an immediate, “Yes!” Now, the process must begin months in advance to weed out the list compiled during brainstorming.

Discussing the Theme

When the question was first posed to my youngest daughter, her siblings were present. Of course, they wanted to “help” choose her birthday theme to something they wanted. Let’s just say, the first session was unproductive.

The next time we discussed her birthday party, brother and sister were at school. In chatting with my daughter, she needed some choices. Going back to party ideas we have hosted for other family members, I suggested Strawberry Shortcake, princess, Mickey Mouse, or Good Night, Gorilla (party based on the book by the same title).

Choosing the Theme

As an avid Mickey Mouse Clubhouse viewer, she excitedly chose Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Daisy, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto because they all get included. I was thrilled with her response as my son chose the same theme for his 3-year-old and 4-year-old parties and my oldest daughter had a Minnie and Daisy party for her 3-year-old party.

Reinforcing the Theme

Realizing that I had most of the supplies, I fed my daughter’s excitement in the weeks prior to her party by asking her which games she wanted to play, allowing her to choose the colors for her cake, and helping to remind me to look for Mickey Mouse items at the store.

By keeping her focused on the party elements, my daughter never wavered in choosing the theme for her 3-year-old birthday party. As the days approached for her party, I worked with her to prepare a party itinerary which I will share next week in Part 2. The last installment of this series will reveal the execution of that itinerary.

In using time wisely to create a special memory of my daughter’s third birthday, we started by choosing the theme. Knowing where we were going allowed us to find party favors and ideas to add to our celebration. Though I needed to start earlier this year in choosing the theme, we did decide which gave us direction to plan her Mickey Mouse birthday party. Happy theme choosing!

Question: How do you or your children get through the process of choosing the theme for a birthday party?

Planning for Success: Choose Event Dates – Day 22

January 22, 2013 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: iStockphoto

Knowing that a successful year will not materialize on its own, we must plan and prepare for a prosperous 2013.

Throughout the 31 days of January, I will choose one topic each day to prepare or schedule for this year.

Without preparation, I know I will forget, miss, or overlook certain items. If you desire an organized year, then join me in this adventure of Planning for Success for a prosperous 2013.

To receive a daily e-mail around 11:00 a.m. with the new posts of each day, subscribe to my free daily newsletter. In case you miss a post in this series, I will provide the link to each day as the month progresses. 🙂

Day 22: Choose Event Dates

Not sure how it happens, but birthdays sneak up on me. I know when my children’s birthdays are, but it seems like that distant birthday increases speed and arrives early. Though each birthday party has gone well, I would like to plan better this year.

With out-of-town relatives, I need to give advanced notice for their availability and travel arrangements. For the sake of my sanity and locking in the dates for key participants, I am working to add the following events to our 2013 calendar:

1. Child 1’s birthday party (To Be Determined – TBD)

2. Child 2’s birthday party (Hello Kitty)

3. Child 3’s birthday party (Mickey Mouse)

4. Family vacation

5. Fall Festival

6. Halloween Party

7. History Fair

8. Hubby’s birthday celebration

9. Science Fair

Though I won’t confirm these dates until contacting others, I will have a tentative date and a reminder to start planning. Just thinking about these events now, gets the ideas flowing for future planning. I also can keep a lookout for inexpensive party supplies which saves money, energy, and time.

In planning for success, ponder the events you will host this year and choose event dates. With the reminder in your calendar, your next birthday celebration shouldn’t sneak up on you so quickly.

Keep scheduling important items on your calendar. As you get organized, you can follow your calendar to a successful 2013 while using time wisely. Happy choosing!

Question: What events are you planning for 2013?

2012 Update Week: Fall Festival

December 11, 2012 by Tracy

Since most of my summer and fall focused on coordinating the KidZone at our Fall Festival, I felt it time to give you an update of the event.

Though KidZone itself ran smoothly, the process was not without incident. In using time wisely for a successful event, I planned, executed, and adjusted.

Planning the Fall Festival

Having coordinated for two years now, I used my prior year’s information and started with the framework, filled in the space, and chose reliable volunteers.

The Framework

Upon contacting the vendors and deciding on the number of spaces needed for the event, I rearranged the areas considering noise, electrical connections, and curb appeal. With bounce houses and generators, we are talking about a lot of noise. In consideration of our vendors, I worked to fit them in without overpowering them with constant sounds.

Without power on the field, some of the vendors and performers needed electricity. Keeping those areas near a generator limited the amount of cords scattered throughout the event.

The curb appeal focused on attracting the attention of drivers, who may see our event and stop by. This year, I had a giant slide, bounce house, pony rides, and hayride visible from the main road. Though I am not sure how many saw these attractions, we had around 1700 attendees at our event.

Filling the Spaces

Assigning spaces and discovering what each vendor needed, I put together a master supply list, including items from tape to generators. Anything I might have needed was added to the list.

I also worked with our live performers regarding the schedule and addressing their concerns. This year, we had 2 stage areas: main stage in the center and preschool stage to the side. Both areas were very well attended.

Staffing the Event

Though the process for volunteers changed this year, I ended up with the best combination available. I am very protective of my workers, and they do not disappoint. I appreciated their promptness, energy, and time. My setup help saved the day as I needed assistance throughout the event, and they came to the rescue.

Executing the Fall Festival

Setup went lickety-split this year. The crew of volunteers came ready to work, and we finished our preparations early. The first-shift helpers worked hard until the transition.

When the second-shift volunteers arrived, they jumped right in. We had fewer workers, but all areas were covered. The issues from the first shift were resolved, and second shift ran more smoothly through the end of the event.

Clean up was a breeze. I kept all the KidZone items out on the field. We sorted and returned items without any confusion between zones. It was great! I missed my son’s soccer game, but I was not exhausted and utterly worn out this year.

Having a setup schedule, event schedule, and clean up schedule solved most of the issues that occurred last year. Thankfully, I learned from my mistakes, and this year was a grand success netting our school over $12,000.

Adjusting at the Fall Festival

The new issues that arose this year included a falling bounce house. A fuse blew in one of our borrowed generators. Thankfully, a setup helper came to the rescue. He immediately detected the issue, and he rerouted the power. We tried to get power from another generator, but it blew a fuse as well before realizing that the blower to the bounce house was the problem.

After a quick call, the bounce house owner brought a replacement blower, but our generators were not operating at full power. We ended up taking down a donated basketball/soccer combo unit which worked out just fine.

Another small bump in the road was the late arrival of the majority of our second-shift volunteers. The first-shirt workers stayed though some were inconvenienced. I appreciated all their help, and let them go as soon as I could.

With these small adjustments, the day went just as planned. It was a great day. My parents came to help, and I could not have survived without them. They walked around with my kids enjoying all the stations. I took a break and went with them on the hayride which was my favorite part of the day.

In using time wisely to organize our Fall Festival, I planned, executed, and then adjusted. Working from the successes last year, I laid the foundation, tweaked the format, and enjoyed raising money for our school through the KidZone. Happy relaxing!

Question: What type of events did you plan in 2012?

Keeping Children at the Table: Reusable Placemats

November 20, 2012 by Tracy

Entertaining company with a meal brings about a change in my children. I’m not sure if it is because talking about their day gets overtaken with conversations with our guests, but my children seem to eat lightning fast with guests.

Any other night, they linger and chat and need reminding “to eat.” Even though we include the children into the adult conversations, they seem to finish early and want to depart from the table with company present.

In noticing this pattern with my children, I tried incorporating placemats and dry erase markers with their table setting, and it worked. When my children completed their meal, they remained at the table and colored their placemats.

Not only do my children enjoy these placemats, but also their friends. The children stay at the table and participate in the conversations while coloring their placemats. Win, WIN, WIN!

After the dinner, a simple wipe with a paper towel (or from my daughter’s finger :-)) removes the colors. Our reusable placemats keep children at the table meal after meal after meal.

How to Make Reusable Placements

1. Enlarge or print a coloring page or printable, like these adorable ones from Cheerios & Lattes.

2. Laminate them or place them in a plastic envelope purchased at a craft store.

3. Color, draw, and write with dry- or wet-erase markers.

In using time wisely to entertain family and friends, reusable placements assist hostesses in keeping children at the table. As you execute your plan on Thanksgiving Day, consider adding a reusable placement to each child’s place setting.

As they finish their meal, they can remain at the table coloring and creating with the markers provided. With happy children, the adults can interact while all guests remain together. Happy entertaining!

Question: While entertaining, how do you keep children at the table?

Event Promotion: A Personal Invitation

October 9, 2012 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: iStockphoto

I am getting consumed with Fall Festival preparations. Keeping separate times to work and to put it away, I feel more balanced this year. Having spent so much time last year designing the space, I only need to tweak the plans, which saves me energy and time.

Our marketing volunteers have created banners, posters, flyers, postcards, and business cards to promote our Fall Festival. Keeping these invitations in my purse, I am learning the power of a personal invitation.

When I shopped at a craft store today, I extended to our cashier an invitation to our Fall Festival. After chatting about the event, I left a postcard with her listing the location, date, and time. Our cashier seemed truly thankful for the information and the details.

Though I know not whether she will come, I know that she has the information to attend. I cannot tell you how many times someone has informed me of an event when I am on the run. When I get to a place to write it down, I cannot remember the location, date, or time. Had I been given an invitation or flyer, then I would have the information to add to my calendar.

In using time wisely to promote an event, remember a personal invitation spoken will go further with a written flyer, postcard, or business card. Knowing this gesture saves me time and energy, I seek to help others as I invite them to our upcoming event. Happy inviting!

Question: Do you find personal invitations helpful for community events?

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