My son is turning 8 on Thursday, and wants to have a party (of course)- here lies the problem- he comeplined that his parties are always boreing compared to his middle brothers whos birthday is in September and there for gets to have outside parties and beach parties ect. I have suggested that we could go bowling, or to a movie, or stay home and have the party here- he gets a sad face and just walks away. I have asked him what he wants to do, and he just says he does not know. We live in cold Minnesota where last night it poured down ice and snow mix, so no snow to have a sledding party- I am stuck.

Any suggestions would be GREATLY appriciated- as I am presently planning his and his almost 2 year olds brother's party (who turns 2 January 15th) as well. Thanks.

My niece's birthday is on Friday, so my sister has had the same problem with party planning.

How about a party at the local indoor pool?
Kids usually love a chance to get back into their long-forgotten swimsuits and into the warm water.

Or a Hawaiian Luau themed home party?
Decorations can really be fun, use Hawaiian music, have the kids dress in Hawiian/summer clothing, play "Limbo", etc...

The big thing with the kids in our area now is a birthday at a local hotel. You get to have a room for a night (with separate room for the parent staying over) the kids get a Game Cube & Games, they get to use the hotel pool, and they stay up late. Here they only allow 4-5 kids per room, so it is for a smaller group, but the kids love it.


Good Luck!
Shelle

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Originally posted by KMEJ:
<strong> My son is turning 8 on Thursday, and wants to have a party </strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Boys that age love messy fun. When our son turned 7, we had an outside party of water guns, water balloons, and marshmallow bombs... but we had good weather. (added: and we had silly string too ... what a friggin' mess!)

Can you rent a party room somewhere? Like an arcade? Let someone else clean up <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="images/icons/smile.gif" />

Have your son come up with a theme... like pirates, or something.

Pep

<small>[ January 02, 2005, 11:57 AM: Message edited by: Pepperband ]</small>

Thanks for the ideas- I will suggest them to him. Or am I giving him too much say? I wish there was snow so we could have a day of sledding, skating and snowball fights, followed up by hot cocoa and a winter campfire. However waht are the odds that we will get snow- good snow soon?

What about laser tag? My boys always liked that. How about a field trip someplace? At that age, my boys loved cars. Maybe you could find a place that had a race car they could even sit in or a shop that would talk to them about cars. There's probably a Home Depot or something near your house. Talk to them about doing a special craft with tools with your group. They hold workshops for kids like building birdhouses or something. The cost couldn't come out to be much more than what you spend for goodie bags.

Yup, cars, power tools and guns. That seems to me it would cover 8 year old boys.

Just make sure to serve dirt cups instead of cake!

We did that for my sons 4th birthday and it was hilarious.

They are pudding, crushed oreos in see-through cups with gummy worms coming out...I have pictures and the looks on their faces...priceless!

Even though they knew they were candy they all got the creepy crawlys when the worms moved.

Those are some GREAT ideas. I will look in to them. The only place around here is a paintball thing, but you have to be older to play <img border="0" title="" alt="[Frown]" src="images/icons/frown.gif" /> Not sure about Laser, I will ask around.

Care to post the recipe for the dirt cups <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="images/icons/smile.gif" />

kmej,-

don't know if you liked the indoor swimming idea or not, but if you do, consider renting a room at a hotel w/ pool. then they can have cake and stuff and watch movies, and you don't have to clean <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="images/icons/grin.gif" /> . you can get two adjoining rooms if you need.
good luck,

arjdad

p.s.- for movies, you may have to take your own vcr.

Dirt cups are really easy. My daughter made them for her school bake sale.

You need:

Oreos, chocolate pudding, clear plastic cups, and gummy worms, the regular variety, not sour ones.

Take a package of oreos and crush them into small chunks with a rolling pin.

Make instant chocolate pudding. It takes a lot of pudding, so make sure you have a few extra boxes and a lot of milk.

Start with a layer of crushed cookies on the bottom of the cup. Add pudding. More cookies and more pudding until cup is filled. Somewhere in the pudding layer hid a couple gummy worms. Top with crushed cookies. It looks its gruesome best if you have a half buried worm hanging over the edge of the cup.

My daughter also likes to add a little Hersey's chocolate syrup into the layers. These are really rich and hardly anybody can finish one.

Your guests will love them.

Also, if you have the $$$, you can rent one of those airfilled, bouncey castles. They can set them up in your garage. Good way for little boys to get their ya yas out

I am totally for the whole hotel room thing, I suggested it a few weeks back- H is against it. Actually H does not think DS8 should have a party- as he only got one growing up. I then asked him how he felt as a child not getting birthday parties (his parents had the money just did not want to spend it <img border="0" title="" alt="[Roll Eyes]" src="images/icons/rolleyes.gif" /> )- he said he hated it, so now he is on board- just afraid of a lot of little boys in water that he is responsible for- I can see his point, but nothing wrong with Shallow end Marco Polo right?

Love the dirt idea. Come to think of it my mom made me one but put it in a planter and a fake flower in it- as well as the gummy worms, also since it was Minnesota and the fact I do not care for Chocolate she made it with 1/2 Chocolate, 1/2 vanilla, and it looked like dirty snow- people were so weirded by it they had a hard time eating it <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="images/icons/grin.gif" />

Here is the recipe I used for the dirt cups:

1 pkg. (16 oz.) oreos
2 cups cold milk
1 pkg. (4 serving size)instant chocolate pudding
1 8 oz. tub cool whip
8-10 7 oz. plastic cups

Crush cookies. Pour milk into bowl, add pudding mix, beat with wire wisk 2 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes. Stir in cool whip and 1/2 of the crushed cookies.

Place 1 tablespoon crushed cookies in each cup. Fill to about 3/4 full with pudding. Top with remaining crushed cookies.

Refrigerate 1 hour or until ready to serve. Decorate as desired.

Gummy worms, frogs, all the wiggley stuff <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="images/icons/grin.gif" />

They are fun! Make sure you have a camera handy.

We have the winter dilemma also-but we don't live where we have a pool or anything indoors! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="images/icons/shocked.gif" />

Good Luck!

go to www.familyfun.com.

lots and lots of info on fun themed home parties...

throw a fake beach party inside..since it's so cold outside..


ARK

<small>[ January 03, 2005, 09:19 AM: Message edited by: ark^^ ]</small>

Thanks ARC- I had been looking on-line with no real luck. I will go look there!

Thanks ARC- I had been looking on-line with no real luck. I will go look there!

is there an ice skating rink, that you could rent for a couple hrs?
winter is a bad time for kids b-days, mine are both december babies.

kmej
have you given up on your journal?

I made the dirt cups one year, the boys loved them! I am really BIG on birthday parties, I think everyone should have one every year!

Do you have a skating rink or bowling ally nearby? I have given a few of those parties, they always have a party room that you can use for refreshments, presents etc. and charge a per kid fee to cover it all. You can have the parents drop off and pick up there so you are not responsible for transportation. If not, maybe a fun movie and a trip to McDonalds or out for pizza.

I would be wary of a home party if the weather is not nice, kids can get pretty wild when they are cooped up! (I have 3 boys)

The important thing is that your 8 year old feels that his birthday is special and that you are making him the priority on that day. I'm glad that your H came around on this one, it's really impostant to your son and he deserves his special day!

Let us know how it turns out. Ladysing

I have 3 boys as well. I am hoping that it goes well. Last year he did not get a party because H was still in his affair and drained us financially- so I really want this year to be good for him, as I feel badly. If you are the queen of B-day parties I will take some tips to ensure that the day is GREAT!!! Thanks

My son is scared of scateing- good idea however. Dalson- I stopped posting in there because I felt to many people thought it a pity party I made for myself, and I do not want that. I did just update in a thread called "well we will just chaulk this up to a bad day" or something like that. How is it going for you?

double post- this thing is slow today- either that or I am impaitent! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Roll Eyes]" src="images/icons/rolleyes.gif" />

<small>[ January 03, 2005, 03:19 PM: Message edited by: KMEJ ]</small>

im going good
well ok butnot getting my hopes up. i posted a thread this am called good day. it kind of explains my weekend.
is everything going good with hubby? are you holding your own?
ill read your thread