[1]All the planning was complete and ready for the party to begin. Learning from past birthday parties, I did not make a big deal of the day.
We planned and talked about the games and presents and goody bags; however, I did not press her to follow the planned itinerary.
Before jumping to the results of my daughter’s 3-year-old Mickey Mouse birthday party, a few items were set into motion to make the day special.
- Part 1: Choosing the Theme [2]
- Part 2: Planning the Itinerary [3]
- Part 3: Executing the Plan
Part 3: Executing the Plan
Thankfully, all the invited guests arrived. We had delayed this birthday party until all the guests could attend. Everything else could have fallen apart, and my daughter would have had a great time with her friend in attendance.
The Friday night came, and here is how the events played out:
Greeting
When the doorbell rang initially, all three of my children went running for the door. The birthday girl waited in the hallway for her grandparents to enter and dote on her.
As they began to play, my older daughter heard the doorbell the second time it rang and let in the rest of the guests. All were warmly greeted when they entered the party space. Upon seeing her friend, the birthday girl’s face lit up, and giggles ensued.
Activity
Using the Mini Murph pizza kits [4] from Papa Murphy’s, each of the children made their own pizzas.
[5]
While the pizzas baked, the boys played a game on the 3DS consoles, the older girls watched their brothers play, and the younger girls pulled out many toys.
Dinner
Sitting at the birthday table, the girls enjoyed their pizza. The boys and adults enjoyed pizza at our dining room table. For the adults, I baked a Chicago-style stuffed pizza from Papa Murphy’s. Yum!
[6]
Games
As usual, the children finished eating first. After a little play, we began the games. Asking the birthday girl to choose the order, she decided on Finding Pluto’s Bones for the first game.
Finding Pluto’s Bones
With some of the bones hidden just for the boys, they raced each other. They were fast, and my son ended up with rug burns on his knees.
The girls enjoyed tripping over one another and helping each other find the bones. The game finished when all the bones were found, and my daughter asked to give out the Mickey Mouse ears headbands which she did.
[7]
Pin the Ribbon on Daisy
All geared up, the older children wanted to play Pin the Ribbon on Daisy. Since the birthday girl was starting to act shy, I informed all the children that the birthday girl would choose the next game. If they had a preference, then they needed to ask the birthday girl. Well, my daughter loved having all the big kids ask her, so she chose Pin the Ribbon on Daisy.
Though she did not want to play alone, we let the other children play first. Then Daddy picked up the birthday girl, and they played together which she absolutely loved. Getting a bit tired, the birthday girl allowed me to distribute the Mickey Mouse blowouts as prizes for pinning the ribbons on Daisy.
[8]
Mickey Mouse Bingo
Needing a bit of rest, we completed the games section with a few rounds of Mickey Mouse Bingo. With eating marshmallows and laughing at the pictures, all the children enjoyed matching the pictures revealed with the pictures on their bingo card.
[9]
This game was so popular that we played 2 or 3 times. The children took turns pulling cards from the pile which kept them excited about their next pull. For participating, the birthday girl distributed the flying discs which we quickly put away since we were ready for cake.
Cake
With the 3 candles lit, we sang as the birthday girl blew out her candles. Then we cut the cake and ate it.
[10]
Presents
All sugared up, we moved back into the party space to open gifts. As our daughter missed her friend’s birthday party, we started by allowing our birthday girl to give her friend the gift she picked out.
Taking the attention off of herself, she relaxed and enjoyed the giggles and thrills from her friend. Then the birthday girl opened her gifts without shyness or embarrassment. (For some reason, this part of the party seems to be difficult for my children. But with the change in giving a gift first, my daughter did just fine.)
[11]
Goody Bags
After opening her gifts, my daughter was grinning from ear to ear as she thanked each of her friends and gave them handpicked goody bags which they each adored. In fact, each of the children began to play with their items and show each other. The birthday girl spontaneously gave Daddy and Mommy hugs which was a touching moment.
[12]
Play
The remainder of the time together was spent playing, laughing, and picking up. As their friends left, my older daughter asked if we can have this party again next week to which all the children agreed. This answer confirmed that they all had a great time.
Having an itinerary and all the supplies gathered, we adjusted those plans as needed. Though we had other outfits for my children to wear to the party, none of them wanted to change. So, they wore their school uniforms and the birthday girl wore her reading shirt. The outfits were a minor detail that paled in comparison to the memories they made having a great time celebrating my daughter’s third birthday.
As you plan and host parties, try to focus on the guest of honor. By doing so at this party, all the participants had a great time and wanted a repeat. Wishing you success with your next event as you adjust your plans to accommodate the guest of honor. Happy planning!
Question: What have you let go from the ideal plan that had a great result?