Themed Parties

I MAY have mentioned a time or two that my kids like trucks. They’re obsessed with everything having to do with these big machines, from the engine to the bed and lights and hauling capabilities. We actually hosted a monster truck party recently in order to get them hands-on with their favorite subject.

When kids are young, you can literally use ANY excuse to throw a party. Half the time, parents don’t even take note of what they’re celebrating. "You’re saying you’ll entertain my child for a few hours? Done deal!"

Our dear friends Kim and Dom are having another baby, and I was SO stoked when they decided to do a gender reveal ahead of time. I had never actually been to a gender reveal party before.

We had a very special Cars-themed party the other day in honor of a very special visitor who came ALL the way from Florida to see us here in San Diego.

Sidekick’s second birthday was about a week ago, and I’ll confess that I dragged my feet severely when it came to getting a plan put together. Both of the boys have been a little clingy lately as I’ve been preparing for the birth of the new baby. I didn’t want to pick a theme that would leave either one of them feeling left out. It finally dawned on me as they were watching TV one day. Disney! The boys both equally love all things Mickey and Mater and sometimes even exclaim, "Aw, coconuts" when something doesn’t go their way. So a Jake and the Neverland Pirates party seemed to fit the bill perfectly.

Many families view Labor Day as a chance to say goodbye to summer, but for us it’s a chance to throw a big camping party to say HELLO to the camping season! The weather starts to cool in September, travelers have returned home and kids are back in class and aching for some weekend adventure.

Ever since he could talk, Some Boy’s been all about the cars. Everyone and everything becomes a speedway to him – an obsession I attribute largely to his NASCAR-fanatic Uncle Brian. When Uncle Brian lived with us, we didn’t have TV. So every time Brian wanted to have a NASCAR party it was this big ordeal figuring out where to host the game day festivities. Let me tell you, those NASCAR fans are a fun group, and I’ve since gotten on board with the NASCAR party fun. Things really start heating up in fall leading up to the Sprint Cup series, and I have a great time creating custom party plans.

The Avengers movie is officially releasing on DVD and Blu-Ray tomorrow! We’re huge Marvel fans around here and collect all of the movies, so this is a BIG deal in our house. We’re brainwashing instilling Some Boy with a love of all things superhero from an early age, and decided that an Incredible Hulk party would be the perfect way to gear up for the new movie release. I actually hadn’t seen The Incredible Hulk yet, and I was pretty clueless about his whole back story when I saw The Avengers in theaters.

When I was seven years old, my grandpa had a HUGE western birthday party for his 60th bash. Grandpa’s a retired old-time executive from the days when men talked business in cigar rooms with fancy coats (that’s how I picture it all going down, anyway) and it was awesome to see him and his business partners cutting loose in their cowboy hats and boots. His 80th is nearing, and grandma decided to recreate this fond memory for all of us.