DIY Tips for Planning Parties for Multiples

May 16, 2017Amber 1 Comment

It is hard to believe, but I am in the beginning stages of planning a FIFTH birthday for my babies. It seems that I was just planning their first birthday, and here were are on #5. Guest author, Wendy Dessler, shared a few ideas for planning the big bash this year.

Each of our children is special and their birthday is a particularly important day. When you are the parent of multiple kids born on the same day, giving each of them their special experience can be a challenge. It’s unrealistic to host multiple parties and expect guests to attend each one. But you can have a shared party for your multiples and still make each child feel special. It just takes a little planning and creativity.

More bang for your buck

If your children were born on different days of the year, you would be hosting different parties, complete with unique sets of decorations, cakes, gifts, and of course the expenses are multiplied. As the parent of multiples, you can combine the funds and have one big celebration. For the same money you would have spent, you can have pony rides, rent a bouncer for the entire day, have costumed superheroes attend or have a talent show.

Instead of multiple cakes, have a candy buffet

Candy buffets are very popular right now, and as the parent of multiples, you can easily make that work to your advantage. Set up an 8’ table, or two 6’ tables. Zone the tables so that each child has his or her own section. Your table covering for each child should be a different color, using craft paint to write their name on the front of the cover in their zone is a nice touch. Each zone will have a theme based on the likes and style of each child. For example, one zone may be a Barbie theme, another section may be a baseball theme, the third may be all about bugs, and the fourth may be teddy bears. Allow each child to choose their theme. Buy your candy in bulk and have it sent directly to you. Each zone should feature two main colors. Create matching backdrops and you have a really great quad-candy buffet. If you need more information on how to set up a candy buffet, please click here.

Set up the venue in four zones as well, allowing each child his special table.

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Shared Birthday = shared gifts?

It happens. People buy one gift for multiple children to share. Multiples are not unlike any other child. They want their own gift and sharing with siblings is a tough request. So how do you get around the shared gifter?

Request a no gift party. Explain to the children that the party is a great celebration, and it may be difficult for some of our friends to afford multiple gifts. Here are some favored variations:

Note on the invitation that no gifts are expected, but if they feel inclined to bring a gift, please bring one gift for the children to share. Then divide the gifts among the children, allowing each to open a few.

Limit the gifting to one gift per child per family.
If the children are inviting their own friends, you could note, “You are invited to Bobby’s 6th birthday party. You are not expected to bring a gift for child A, B, or C.

While some people feel uncomfortable, my favorite idea is to have a 5 & 5 party. You explain to the guests that you request $10.00 for the gift. $5.00 will be donated to the charity of the child’s choice and the other $5.00 is collected for the gift. The children can buy one item or the money can be divided equally between them.

There is no right way or wrong way to host a party for multiples. So use your imagination and have some fun!

About Wendy
Wendy is a super-connector with Outreachmama who helps businesses find their audience online through outreach, partnerships, and networking. She frequently writes about the latest advancements in digital marketing and focuses her efforts on developing customized blogger outreach plans depending on the industry and competition.

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Step Right Up {Carnival Party}

August 8, 2016Amber 5 Comments

As the quad’s fourth birthday approached, I decided it was prudent to host at a party venue rather than at home. Last year we rented a playscape and it was fabulous not having to clean the house before or after having a slew of preschoolers at the party. I was ecstatic to find a similar venue that included fresh popcorn and cotton candy with their party package. Since we’d be serving carnival fare, I decided to run with that theme. Once again, I commissioned my friend, Amber , to design custom invitations that I had printed at Costco.

The week of the party, I had the kids create carnival themed crafts to hang as banners. As center pieces, I used Dollar Tree Mylar balloons arranged in popcorn containers. Since our party overlapped with the dinner hour, we served hot dogs from a crock pot along with fresh fruit. It was a super easy way to feed a crowd and keep with the theme. Since George is a cupcake connoisseur, we never order bakery cakes. This year, we used a rainbow cupcake recipe from Just a Taste and it was ahhhh-mazing! Whether or not we actually make rainbow cupcakes again (the rainbow part was slightly tedious), it will be our go-to recipe for from scratch cupcakes and frosting. The cake was dense and sweet, but not overly so and the frosting complimented it perfectly. For this particular party, the rainbow color in the cake was a fun touch.

To cook hotdogs in a slow cooker, spray your slow cooker with cooking spray then fill it with hot dogs (mine held about 50). Cook on low for 4 hours.

For party favors, I filled cello bags with animal crackers and fruit snacks then embellished them with a printable gift tag from We Heart Parties.

Before our guests arrived, we snapped a family photo, and I was glad we did since there was never another opportunity. The kids filled their time bouncing in the bounce houses, playing in the kid town, exploring the train, and playing games as the adults mingled.

It probably feels redundant for guests, but to make each of the kids feel special, we sing happy birthday to them individually, in birth order. It doesn’t take a lot of time, but I know it means the world to them.

I’m quickly noticing the challenges of this new season with four year olds, but am appreciating the end of the threenagers reign.

hugs!

Amber

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Party Animals {Safari Party}

August 17, 2015August 8, 2016Amber 2 Comments

Birthday parties are one of the few times it’s more cost-effective to have four children at the same time. Instead of hosting four parties throughout the year, we throw one big bash for four kids. For the big one, we hosted a splash party at our home, and when they turned two we had a pirates and princesses soirée at the house. I enjoy decking the house for parties, but it’s hot outside in July and guests end up cramped in the den. This year I decided the party would be away from home with limited prep and clean up. We rented a local church’s jungle themed playscape. I ran with the existing decor for a safari party. My friend, Amber, designed custom invitations, which I printed myself. She is expanding her Etsy shop, Texas Take, to include invitations and other printables. For your next shindig, check out her collection. If you don’t see something that fits your theme, she can create something unique for you.

I was disappointed at the lack of safari party supplies and favors at our local party and big box stores, but Amazon did not disappoint. I scored paper bags at Hobby Lobby in the kid’s colors and filled them with Amazon trinkets including: neon animal print pencils, animal print notebooks, m ake-a-zoo animal sticker sheets, and flashlight key chains, all of which coincidentally came in the same four colors as the bags. I also ordered each party guest a beige pith helmet to add to our party ambiance. Keeping with our prior party tradition, my friend Jen, snapped photos of the party. It means so much to me that she takes pictures because if it were up to me, we’d get home without a single picture. I struggle to host parties and preserve memories of them at the same time.

Since our party wasn’t at home, our menu consisted of easy to prep and serve kid-friendly fare: fresh fruit, veggie straws, animal crackers, popcorn, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and juice boxes. I intended on ordering a Costco sheet cake too, but George insisted on baking and decorating blue and pink velvet cupcakes himself. He did a fantastic job!

As part of our party decor, I printed our three-year photos Jen shot the week prior and mounted them onto canvas using a tutorial from Designer Trapped in a Lawyer’s Body. My little project set me back about $20 and maybe 30 minutes of time. I believe I’ll be making many more canvas photos in the future.

As party guests arrived, we snapped a quick family photo. As usual, we weren’t successful in capturing four smiling kids, but we got this one.

Our venue was ideal for our mix of party guests. The quad’s little guests included another set of quads, a set of triplets, two sets of twins, and five singletons. If you do the math, that’s lots of little people! We also had their teenage cousins, parents, and grandparents at the party. The littlest ones were content hanging out on the playscape while the older kids (and adults) were entertained by the arcade.

This year, we sang Happy Birthday to each of the kids individually. They may share a birth date, but they are individual people so I try to honor that. Rylin and Harper were slightly bashful, while Sydney soaked up the limelight and danced to the tune.

When it was time to open gifts, we lined the kids up at a table where they could be seated. It worked really well for organization.

We managed to wrangle up both sets of quads for a quad squared photo. EIGHT three-year olds and two Ambers in one frame. Wheesh!

Here’s to a year with threenagers….stay tuned!

hugs,

Amber

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Ahoy, mateys. Greetings, ladies. {Pirates & Princesses Party}

August 4, 2014August 8, 2016Amber 10 Comments

As the quad’s second birthday approached I began to panic as I fell short on party ideas. Instead of choosing a theme and then searching for a coordinating invitation, I reversed the order. I perused invitations first, and found a simply adorable princesses and pirates birthday invitation for boy girl twins. I contacted the designer and she customized the invitation for us by adding an extra pirate and princess making it the perfect invitation for quadruplets. Once I had a theme and invitation chosen, I discovered a treasure trove of ideas on Pinterest fit for a princesses and pirates bash.

When we choose a party theme, George and I go all out. consequently, we both dressed the part. I made good use of an old bridesmaid dress my mom had in storage and accessorized it with my bridal tiara. George wore a few tatty items from his closet with a dew rag to create a pirate look. As part of their birthday gift, I ordered princess dresses (on clearance) from the Disney store for the girls and Carter’s pirate t-shirts for the boys.

After our guests were welcomed, each tot was given an empty bag personalized with their name, which would later be used to collect game prizes. Little pirates were to take a hat, sword, and eye patch while princesses were asked to select a dress and tiara. The pirate gear was all found in Target’s party section and doubled as party favors for the boys. The dresses were on loan, but the tiaras were also party favors. I used a shower curtain rod to display the selection of princess dresses available.

Give party guests an empty bag to fill with game prizes at a party

I used free clip art from Disney Junior to create labels for the loot bags. Unbeknownst to me, it’s a “Princesses and Pirates” summer on Disney Junior. This made finding party goods a cinch.I used more free clip art found online to create signage for directing pirates and princesses about what to get.

A few weeks before the party, it occurred to me that the quads weren’t familiar with pirates. To prepare them for the party, we watched The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything: A Veggie Tales Movie and Jake and the Neverland Pirates. We also read Unexpected Treasures from our own bookshelf. Since I love literacy based crafts, we created a few pieces that served as party decor. Pirates don’t generally have the best reputation for being kind and such so I carefully selected books and videos where pirates were portrayed as having desirable virtues.

The quads had fun making their party decorations and still enjoy looking at their masterpieces.

My friend, Jen, kindly served as our party photographer. I have enough trouble being a hostess without also managing the camera. Besides, she’s a far more talented photographer than I! To make sure she’d be IN a picture and not just behind the lens, I snapped this one of her.

My sister and cousin, Brandi were both on board with our princess theme and donned old formal dresses to the party. Noteworthy…CiCi is wearing my junior prom dress, and I think she looked just like Belle.

Matt did his best to dress for the pirate theme with his red and white stripes with eye patch.

Each of our little pirate guests came sporting pirate themed threads, but our quad buddy, Harrison matched Harper. It was adorable!

Since the quads are two and all of their guests were two, I planned a few simple party games to keep everyone occupied. First, everyone tried their hand at fishing. My cousin, Ryan, sat behind a black curtain hung by a tension rod while the little ones tossed a fishing pole over the curtain. He then clipped goldfish crackers or shark fruit snacks to their line for the “big catch”.

I also set up a treasure dig in the yard. I filled a bucket with sand and littered it with gold doubloons (Dollar Tree plastic coins), gems, and rings. Each guest had a chance to riffle around to find a few treasures of their own.

My friend, Ashley, is talented in the baking department so I sequestered her help for creating cupcakes and cake pops. Both were a huge hit! By the end of the party one cake pop remained and I enjoyed savoring it with a glass of vino.

Ashley made cupcakes for each princess and captain, and the liners coordinated with their “assigned colors”.

Ashley hand-made each of the sweet treats served at the party. Her attention to detail is impeccable.

The boys easily made wishes and blew their candles out, but the girls were a bit more hesitant. Rylin used a straw to finally blow hers out, but Sydney got help from Mason.

This year the cake smashing was much more tidy. I love how each of the quads approached their cupcake their own way.

Harper willingly wore his eye patch for just long enough to capture a photo.

With four tykes, gift opening was a bit like a Christmas extravaganza. I was proud of how well the littlest guests as well as our four managed the scene. No one protested, tried to get into things they shouldn’t, or caused any trouble whatsoever.

The quads worked well together to open packages.

The quads are all able to tear through paper, but still need a bit of encouragement to realize there’s something beneath the pretty paper. With a little help from ~~Captain Flynn~~ Jen, Mason decorated his arm in Jake temporary tattoos as did his troupe of friends and siblings.

Set up a temporary tattoo station for a pirate themed party.

Little princesses chose from an assortment of princess tattoos. Sydney’s choice was none other than Cinderella.

What a scene!

The boys immediately made use of the pirate ship riding toy they received. This toy has been among our most popular toys since the party, and is often sought after.

Hugs!

Amber

I missed out on taking pictures of our food spread, but we served toddler favorites (PB & J, goldfish crackers, fruit, chicken nuggets, ect) and paired them with cute labels with fancy names for the Plain Jane fare. Here are all the printables I created using the free clip art from Disney Junior. Feel free to edit and use for your own Princesses & Pirates Party.

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