Shirley's party advice part 4 - Better at party planning than Pippa Middleton

[BlatherskiteOfTheLivingDead]

New thread :) Everyone welcome.

[BlatherskiteOfTheLivingDead]

What ages of children will you have at the party MBJ?

Are you doing party bags? Fancy pass the parcel now he's old enough? Something like this would make a good filler if so.

[stealthsquiggle]

Marking place.

[stealthsquiggle]

I have yet to make the acquaintance of these pirate dinosaurs (DS was into Astrosaurs for a while - space-exploring dinosaurs ). I shall have to do some research.

If you have a friendly contact in the US who would send things on to you, then the infamous Easter Dinosaurs appear to be still available and remarkably affordable - if you gave them bandanas would they pass for pirate dinosaurs [ignorant]?

[TheRealMBJ]

Wow! Those are cheap! And yes, they may be able to pass. A bit 'friendly' coloured though. If that makes sense?

Pass the parcel will definitely be played. DD and newborn (currently unborn) DNephew will be the youngest at the party and DS will probably be next youngest. It is such an awful time (poor lad) no one wants to come to parties then

[BlatherskiteOfTheLivingDead]

How have I managed to get 20 coming to C's then? We obviously know too many people who love any excuse for a party

I think, seeing as Captain Flinn and his pals are all human children who like dressing up as Pirates, I'd use that as your main theme and just add a few dinosaurs in here or there. Maybe this one with an eye patch in the room somewhere?

I'd be tempted to have the party fancy dress too as pirates is quite an easy one for everyone to do. I saw a little girls Pirate Halloween costume that would have been small enough for B in Sainsbury's today too!

Being nearly christmas, you should be able to get hold of gold coins easily to use as gold dubloons. You could then stick them in the layers of the pass the parcel and in the party bags too. Somewhere like aquarterof would be good for picking up other themed sweets too. Maybe some candy skulls or jelly fish...ooh, ooh, you could join in the current blue jelly obsession and make some shark jellies? Half fill a clear cup with blue jelly (DW we need that link again) leave to set then put in a shark jelly sweet and top up with more blue jelly to get a shark swimming in a jelly sea. I wonder if you could get jelly cutlasses that you could put at the very bottom?

For the bags themselves, you can buy all sorts of pirate party bags or you could buy black paper bags and paint a skull and crossbones on them? Depends on how many you need to do obviously.

Pirate bunting and balloons are also easy to get for decorations.

[stealthsquiggle]

gold for the bottom of the sea? (disclaimer: I have no idea if the gold would dissolve off in the jelly)

What about cake? Treasure chest, or pirate ship?

DW - I haven't forgotten about your lunchboxes. mini cup of grapes, a sandwich/finger roll, mini cup of crisps/hula hoops (not a whole pack - they won't eat them and can't open them), a couple of sausages, a biscuit and a fairy cake. Plus drink (or do drinks separately).

[stealthsquiggle]

Those "Easter Dinosaurs", BTW, underwent cosmetic surgery to become dragons for DD's party. They unconvincingly deny being "too friendly". 2 of them are now resident in Blathers' house, and another is sitting on my router being network security and there may be a few others lurking around the house.

[BlatherskiteOfTheLivingDead]

The only problem with dregees is that they're just chocking size for the smaller ones.... You could always make sand with mini slices of sponge cake a bit like a trifle?

I love the orange slice and pirate flag on these ones Very pirate-y.

I wonder what's in the bottom of these ones? Custard maybe?

[stealthsquiggle]

I vote sponge cake, with a candy skull on the sand and a shark in the water.

[BlatherskiteOfTheLivingDead]

chocking? choke-ing?

They're probably not but I'm always super paranoid when feeding other peoples children

[BlatherskiteOfTheLivingDead]

I got some super cheap plastic wine glasses to do DD's rainbow jellies in while I was up north at the weekend. 99p for 8! I think they'll look sweet layered up.

Considering a little pile of white marshmallows on the top as a 'cloud'

Just got to fill them with water to check volume and then decide how dedicated I'm going to be to rainbow making so that I can work out how many packets of blue jelly I need to buy.

Do I go the whole hog:

Red - Strawberry
Orange - Orange
Yellow - Lemon
Green - Lime
Blue - Blue Raspberry
Indigo - Blackcurrant
Violet - Raspberry

Or use less colours?

[TheRealMBJ]

Ooh great ideas! I've seen some blue jelly stuff on Pinterest but dis't realise it was a trend

Am knackered, having dealt with 2 poorly feverish children today and the clock shenanigans so am going to sleep.

I like the whole hog idea for the rainbow jellies Blaths.

[stealthsquiggle]

Another vote for whole hog. Have you got any nurofen syringes? That would make it quicker and easier to measure each layer.

[stealthsquiggle]

I think blue jelly is only a trend in the parallel OTT party planning universe, TBH.

[BlatherskiteOfTheLivingDead]

After DD's hospital stay I have loads of Nurofen syringes! Good idea. Just wondering if each layer will be pathetically thin if I do all 7 colours. I guess I will have to do a trial to find out...

I think the blue jelly thing is only really a trend on here MBJ. We keep coming up with reasons to buy it :)

[BlatherskiteOfTheLivingDead]

Blue jelly link is here I went back and copied off the last thread.

Right, job for tomorrow is to fill one of the wine glasses with water, divide volume by 7 and then multiply by 20 to work out how much I need. 1 pack of jelly is going to make about a pint right?

[Tinkerisdead]

Blimey I sound the party klaxon and you runaway with yourselves.

I've been distracted by hurricane sandy updates so I'll be back in the morn to read properly. And pippa comes on here for ideas I'm certain. (I made myself a rapunzelesque tshirt tonight) polishes halo.

[Tinkerisdead]

Ok im swatted up now.

Firstly: choking.

Secondly: if my blue jelly is sold out come feb because the rest of you have had a frenzy i will get mn to delete all the jelly links! So there.

Thirdly: blathers def do the different layers but i'd say dont do indigo and violet just do one purple layer because everytime ive seen it it looks too muddied and the effect isnt as strong.

Fourth: i have no idea on pirate dinosaurs but happy to help.

Fifth: lunchboxes great now do i ask parents what to put in sandwich? Do a selection to choose from or just give them all cheese!

[stealthsquiggle]

DW - give them all cheese, and have a plate of alternatives hidden away for any real objectors/ demands for seconds.

[Oblomov]

We just had our Dinosaur party for ds2(4). Was surprised how many children asked for Jam sandwiches. (of which we had none) So it might be a good idea to have a few of those as a secret back up supply.

[Tinkerisdead]

Ahhhh oblomov from nov 2008 antenatal thread.

see i am thinking i the absence of 'party food' should i not fill their boxes with crap like cheese strings and party rings. I'm gonna get morrisons version of fruit shoot (no aspartme) purple and yellow and put the sun emblem on them and ive already glued them onto purple boxes.

All the parents are family friends so its not unfeasible to ask each one what their child would prefer by text message but i already know mine only eats ham or cheese, cousin chicken, step cousin peanut butter so i can feel me bellowing on the day "this is not a cafe!"

[Oblomov]

DrsWife. I missed your post. I didn't see you there. How are you? Ahhhhhhhh happy days, threads of Nov 08 ...........

[stealthsquiggle]

You can get individual "snack packs" of mini party rings. Those would work.

(unless of course you want to make party ring and marshmallow tea cups which are one of my favourite things, although I haven't done them since DD's 2nd birthday, which I cannot believe is 4 whole years ago)

[BlatherskiteOfTheLivingDead]

DS only eats Ham sandwiches and also won't have butter - and will look for it in party sandwiches and then reject. This is why I never do sandwiches at parties.

I'd ask.

Or give mini pizzas

[BlatherskiteOfTheLivingDead]

"This is why I never do sandwiches at parties." Not because DS doesn't like butter - I know my own child and make sandwiches appropriately. It's knowing how bloody picky small kids can be that stops me.