Planning A Birthday Party

I have no idea why the sight, the thought and the present of children makes me so happy and stress-free. Its normal for girls to love children but people my age are not usually that fond of kids. Maybe that’s why I’m always mistaken for my brother’s mom. This week it happened three times.

First, I was at my cousin’s house and his friends came over for raya. Erfan was alone and usually my maid gives him lunch but since she’s not around I tried to make him eat. When my cousin’s friends left, he started laughing out loud. He told me that his friends asked him about me and said your aunt is very young. OMG! How could they? Or was that just an excuse to shake hands because teenagers don’t usually need to shake hands with the opposite gender so I was quite surprised. They are 17 so I’m just 2 years older isn’t obvious? :P When I asked why ‘aunt’, obviously they thought Erfan was my son and they said I looked mature? Hmmm

The second time was at my brother’s future school last Monday. We were in the waiting room at the administration office when I realised a Chinese man and Indonesian women chatting in the room as well. Then the guy asked the lady if I was the sister or mother. It was obvious they were talking about me so I just smiled. Then the lady asked “Are you his mom?” I was like “ No no no I’m the sister. He’s going to school here soon.” Then she replied “Oh I wasn’t sure because some people marry at an early age.” Inner thoughts: Oh yes of course  -__-

Now the third time was today. We celebrated my brother’s 6th birthday in his school this morning and we called up the CLOWN. When they were busy lining up for balloons, Mr Siva, the assistant asked me “So which one is your child?” I corrected him “Make that brother, bro.” Ok I didn’t actually call him bro. He was like “Oh oh I’m sorry I mean brother.” Inner thoughts: Yeah right

Conclusion: The next time anybody asks me if he's my son, I'm saying this:

 "Yes of course and Ronaldo's the father." *double winks

Back to planning a party for kids, my mum was in-charge of foods, drinks, cupcakes and the clown. I was in-charge of games, winning prizes and decoration.

Food for kids: 
• Mini hot dogs
• Nuggets
• Potato chips
• Doughnuts- cut in half
• Mee hoon/Fried rice (not to spicy or too many ingredients if possible)
• Grapes (easiest fruit to eat for kids-not messy!)
• Jelly
• Lollipops
• Chocolate balls
• Cookies (no nuts)


Games for Birthday Parties:
I was the emcee/ game coordinator. 
We had a couple of games but since time was running and the kids were going home by 12pm we had to rush and make use of every minute. 

• Hot potato- Get a stuffed animal or any object and start the music. When music stops, the child holding the beanie has to go to the centre of the circle and do what the clown says. Eg: dance to the music, sing, whistle, hop then the child leaves the circle making it smaller and smaller. The last 3 children win the game.
• Pass the parcel. My mum wrapped the parcel 5 times with newspaper. In every layer there is a surprise ( candy, raisins, kitkats, M&Ms, storybooks, whistles). When the music starts they pass it around. When the music stops, the person holding it can open 1 layer only and get the prize.
• Pin the soccer player- This is something like Pin the Donkey Tail. Cover the child’s eyes with a handkerchief and spin him/her 3 times. The person who places the soccer player closes to the original place wins the game.
• Musical statue- Music starts and the kids jump and dance. The music will stop and the child who is still moving is out. This game was quite competitive and it took long to finish as they were so good and alert. Definitely potential ‘statues’. *winks
• Treasure Hunt- The clown hid his Magical Wand and they had to search for it. You can use any other item or even hide presents.
• Simon Says-  I will say “Simon says touch your ears” but I am actually touching my feet. So the kids need to touch their ears and NOT their feet. This game tests their listening skills.

Decoration: 
You can buy Streamers at Great Eastern Mall Party Shop (same level as Pets Wonderland). I bought blue and orange then I twisted them together when decorating. Get a Happy Birthday banner and some colourful balloons and there you have it, a very cheerful environment for kids.  Here’s a balloon the shape of a bird and a heart.

Clown:
He was kind of shy and didn’t talk much so I did the talking and he made them laugh. It was so fun! Then at the end of the day when the clown was about to leave, I said “Attack!” and the kids took my words literally and attacked the clown. Poor thing. They pulled his hat, his hair and his nose!!! When he went out the door, he said to me “Thanks a lot.” I was like “Most welcome. You definitely made me laugh my lungs out.” Oh and the clown’s assistant, in-charge of music and PA system, Mr Siva said I made a good emcee. I haven’t done it in ages and I miss my emcee days sooooo much. Anyone looking for an emcee, I'm right here :)

Winning prizes:
For kids who win the games, here’s a few things you can get for them:
• Colour pencils
• Crayons
• Colouring/Workbooks/Storybooks
• Whistles
• Bubbles
• Small toys
• Cars (for boys)
• Hair/Make-up set for girls
• Chocolates
• Notebooks