Your child is a true Disney-phile. He knows every character from every movie and every show. His bedroom looks like a wing of a Disney store. He has a rotating list of favorites that continuously change. So of course he wants to have a Disney themed party- here are some steps to help you plan and decorate without going crazy, or from going broke buying everything under the sun.

Plan for the Right Number of Guests

Party planning experts suggest that the number of guests for parties for little children should be kept to the same number as their age in years until they hit 9 or 10 and can handle more people. If you think that it sounds sad to only have two kids at a party, wait and see how you feel after those same two sugar fueled little darlings, have tried to ride the dog like a pony and have managed to knock over your plant for the nine hundredth time.

For a small group of younger children, consider enlisting the help of your older children, or a trusted friend so that things remain peaceful.

Plan to Hold the Party Somewhere Kid Friendly and Kid Safe

If you can do so, consider holding the party outside where things can be hosed off without any problems. However, if you cannot have the party outside, or there is not a safe area outdoors to contain the children, use one room in your house, moving any breakable, priceless items out of the way and closing off access to the rest of the house. Make sure that the children know where the bathroom is, and to let you know when they need to go.

If you have the party in a public place, make sure that the area is closed off from others, so that people are not just wandering in and out of your party area. Also, consider using little tags or special hats to differentiate the children attending your party from other revellers.

A note about safety here: make sure that you know who will be dropping off and picking up each child- especially if these are new little friends. It might be a good idea to ask each parent to give you a call with a secret word that they will use to pick up their child at the end of the party.

Decorating for the Disney Themed Party

The simplest thing that you can do when decorating is to use what you already have on hand. Posters can brighten the walls; stuffed toys can be dangled from strings from the ceiling, or piled in cheerful little groups in the corners. Add in a few balloons and similarly colored streamers and you are set. But, if your child wants a specific character for the party theme, you can narrow things down that way as well.

Look at the colors of the character and use the two main ones for your decorating theme. Be aware that you if try to overdo the colors you may cause the children to be over stimulated as well.

Think about dressing your child in his favourite disney character costume to match the theme of the party.

Tags: Childrens Costumes, disney character, disney costume ideas, disney themed party, party ideas, plan a party

You know the lines of the best scenes. You know the words to all of the songs. Heck, you even know the hand jive! So, is that all that you need to know to throw a great Grease Party? You are amazingly farther along the way than you might have thought. Now, let’s take what you know and add it to a few party planning tips and you can rock, rock, rock, the night away.

Set the Scene With Some Grease Themed Décor

A party should look like a party, which is pretty obvious. A themed party, however, should go that one step better and look like the theme. For instance, a Grease theme should give you the impression that you have gone back in time to the 1950’s. If you can do it, you can recreate the look of an old fashioned malt shop or a high school gymnasium. Use lots of paper streamers and if you have access to one, a jukebox. (For those who are on a tighter budget, there are cardboard cutouts that look just like a real jukebox for only a small bit of the cost!) Another option, you can hang old 45’s from the ceiling and use old black and white photos on the walls.

Food Choices for a Grease Party (Greasy Food, Anyone?)

Before you start planning your party, you should have come up with a working budget that would allow you to determine if you are going to serve a full meal or just stick to little appetizers and snacks instead. If you are going the full meal route, use slider style burgers, baskets of fries and serve milkshakes for dessert. If you are having an adults only Grease party, you can offer shots of flavored alcohol to mix in the milkshakes for a tasty treat that can’t be compared. If you would rather stick to smaller foods, then you can use bowls of popcorn, chips and pretzel rods for the salty flavors. Jars of penny style candy can be a major attraction for something sweet. An advantage to using the penny candy is that it can also become part of the décor for your Grease party as well.

50s Costumes or No Costumes?

A Grease party is probably one of the best excuses to get your friends into a fancy dress costume. After all, who doesn’t want to be blue eyed Sandy or leather clad Danny Zuko? Whether your pals want to stick with the basics (rolled up blue jeans, bobby socks and white tee shirt) or wants to go crazy with the full on Pink Ladies outfit, wearing the costume can make the Grease party all the more fun.

Finally, make sure that you have the music- starting with the sound track and then moving to the other great songs of the era. Have a Hand Jive contest and take turns lip synching to Summer Lovin’, making sure that you get all of the fun on tape to share.

Tags: danny zuko, fonz, grease costume, grease costumes, greaser, pink ladies costumes, poodle skirt, rizzo, sandy costume

Celebrating birthdays for little ones five years or younger can be a lot of fun, as long as you don’t sweat every little detail. Remember, a two year old is not going to care that the napkins and the tablecloth were a shade apart in the color spectrum. A four year old is not going to care that you used egg substitute to bake her triple layer princess pink cake with tons of sprinkles. Make that the first rule for these and other birthday party ideas: let the little things go and focus on what will really matter. Here are some ideas to keep the birthday party fun and most importantly, easy to pull off.

The Pretty, Pretty Princess Tea Party

You know you have a girly girl on your hand when she practically wears out the sparkle on her tiara. If you open her closet and you worry that there will be a pink material shortage in other parts of the world, you have a princess in your midst. A tea party idea can be simple and blissfully one that just begs for exclusivity. The smaller the tea party, the better. The color scheme is simple and already selected for you: pink. Go the cute factor one step further and make it a bear and princess tea party, asking each little princess/guest to bring her favorite bear or other stuffed toy to the party. Hand out little tiaras at the door and play princess themed activities. Serve little, dainty sandwiches and punch in small tea cups as well as tiny little cupcakes instead of the big, birthday cake.

Bug Stuff, Boogers and Other Gross Things

There are some kids that vex their mother’s souls. If mom was hoping for the princess type but got the bug fan instead, it can be very trying, indeed. Whether it is for a boy or a bug loving girl, these parties should be considered Fear Factor Light, just one step removed from the gross out contests that we all know and loathe. Decorate with bug or other creepy posters, dangle some plastic flies on strings from the ceiling and of course, coil some rubber snakes from the banister.  Make an earthworm cake, using gummy worms for the top and serve it with a brand new garden trowel for a really gross, but fun presentation.

Those are two extremes- you can modify in either direction. Now for some universal ideas that will work whether you are dealing with the dainty or the daring.

1. Limit the number of guests to the age of the child. If there are siblings that are fairly close in age, consider inviting the entire family which gives you adult assistance as well.

2. Do NOT give gift bags or game prizes until the kids are heading out the door. You have not lived until a four year old has lost a piece out of her little bag or becomes convinced that little Courtney has stolen her pony. Save yourself that heartache.

3. Be careful with your choice of cakes or other treats. It might be a good idea to include your proposed menu with the invitation or send a request for any allergies so that you know who can have what.

4. Know your limits. If you know that you are not going to be able to relax with a gang of three year olds in your family room, then have the party outdoors or, if the weather will not cooperate with that plan, at a neutral, public area instead.

5. Let the parents know if its dress up, there are many princess children’s costumes, probably most of which they already have in their wardrobe.

Tags: birthday party ideas, childrens party ideas, how to plan a childrens party, party ideas, plan a party

Planning a party does not have to be a nerve wracking process, even if you are choosing a specialized theme like Star Wars. In fact, choosing a theme might make things a little more simplified in the long run, as long as you keep these key tips in mind before you get started.

Tip Number One: Define the Theme (It’s More Than Just “Star Wars” After All)

Star Wars is not just a single movie; the entire franchise consists of more than one episode, an animated series, comic books and parodies. Knowing that you are having a Star Wars themed party might be enough for some of your friends, while for others, you may have to say which “episode” you mean.

Tip Number Two: Decide on a Focus for the Party

If you want to focus on entertainment, then do so- show Star Wars movies, host a costume contest, or even play trivia games and make food a cool, but more relaxed, secondary thought. On the other hand, if you are showcasing your cooking skills, then you can make the entertainment focus on communication among friends.

Tip Number Three: Costumes or No Costumes?

The minute people hear you are having a Star Wars themed party they will either panic, wonder whether their Chewbacca costume is back from the cleaners, or if they can wear the R2D2 again, while others will panic thinking that they are going to have to talk the first person into letting them borrow something. You don’t want five or six people showing up dressed in a star wars costume, only to find the rest of the party in their street clothes, nor do you want everyone but one or two embarrassed people in costume. Make it clear whether you want costumes or not, but remember, there are some people who will jump at any chance to pull out their Darth Vader cape, while others wouldn’t wear a costume for all the Tiger Shrimp in the sea.

Tip Number Four: Set the Mood, But Don’t Break the Bank

Decorating for a party is meant to be a lot of fun. It should not be a stress factor that leaves you with empty pockets and sweaty palms. Consider your party as only a small part of your week, let alone your life. If you are moving furniture for days before this event, you have gone way overboard and need to either learn to relax, or give more parties so that you don’t need to go so over the top with your efforts.

Tip Number Five: Relax, Mingle and Enjoy the Party

Too many people stress in the planning stages, so that by time the party rolls around, they are exhausted, physically, emotionally and mentally. If you are snapping at people and yawning by eight pm, you may have tried to do too much. You throw a party to get people that you like together for an evening of fun and food, not to show off your party hosting skills.

Tags: chewbacca, darth vader, star wars, star wars costume, star wars costumes

Who would have thought that the little waitress outfit you dread, was actually a sexy look? Well, maybe that is a major stretch of the imagination, but there are some very sexy uniform costumes for women that are just enough to make you wish, that you worked at one of those jobs all the time! Don’t believe me? Check out this list:

Sexy Lady Cop: You Have the Right to Remain Sassy!

While there is no doubt that the ladies in blue that walk the beat deserve our utmost respect, never let it be said that a woman that knows how to take control of a situation is not totally and completely sexy. The sexy lady cop costume is a little tighter and a little shorter than the real cop’s uniform, of course. If you want, you can add in a little upgrade by using fuzzy cuffs in your favorite color instead of the usual plastic or metallic accessories.

The Retro Flight Attendant

The friendly skies, at least in the minds of men from the past, were very friendly indeed. Now, thanks to some sitcoms, movies and other venues, the retro flight attendant costume has come back into vogue. Wear yours with a little bit more cleavage and a shorter skirt and of course, practice your line, “Coffee, tea or me…”

Nurse Goodbody is Here to Make Your Temperature Rise

There may be some pouting because this one did not come in at number one, but at least it made it onto the list. Go with the retro nurse’s uniform, in pure white. Add in a little more cleavage than you would usually have and (you might sense a theme, here) make it a little shorter. Use a nurse’s cap to make the costume perfect.

The Bad School Girl Uniform Costume

A fantasy for many men, there is nothing better than a bad school girl as a costume choice. Of course, this one, more than any of the others can have varying levels of heat including mild, medium and wow! For the mild costume, the basic version, you start with the plaid skirt and white blouse and add a blazer or cardigan. Pony tails are a cute hair idea for any of the three. For the medium: the skirt is just a little shorter and the blouse is either lower cut, tighter or sheerer. (Don’t try all three!) For the wow version of the costume: the skirt is as short as imaginable, the blouse is either very low cut or even more daring, tied in a knot at the waist. Throw in an oversized lollipop and you may never make it out of the house!

Tags: cop costume, flight attendant costume, nurse costume, police costume, school girl costume, uniform costume, uniform costume ideas, uniform costumes