WANT?
Alexa wants to host a Babymouse-themed 5th birthday bash with about 25 people in attendance.
COST?
Reading mommyforums and blogs, I discovered that the average parent spends $10 per guest when the costs of all food, decorations, entertainment, and party favors are considered. So that's $250 to throw an average party for Alexa and her 25 guests.
IS IT A PRIORITY?:
YES! Celebrating life is always a priority! So is fellowshipping with our friends in our home. And leaving anyone off the guest list is not an option.
DO I HAVE ANYTHING LAYING AROUND THAT CAN BE USED?
YES! I have plenty of arts and crafts supplies, library resources, pantry items, and old fashioned ingenuity that can be turned into some pretty legit Babymouse birthday fare.
CAN I MAKE IT DO?
Decorations? YES! Using glue, ribbon, colored paper, and paint, I can create a big birthday banner for Alexa based on the Babymouse book covers.
I can also borrow all the Babymouse books (plus the Babymouse spin-off, Squish!) from the library and stand them up around the house for the reading enjoyment of Alexa's guests.
Special Outfit for the Birthday Girl? YES! I can cut mouse ears out of white paperboard and attach them to a headband, tying the top with a black ribbon. I can give Alexa a mousey nose and messy whiskers with a black face-paint crayon, and strategically pin a black ribbon to approximate a tail.
I can cut a heart shape out of an old stained pink T-shirt and sew it onto a white ruffly skirt from Alexa's drawer. Paired with a white tank-style undershirt, it will look just like Babymouse's signature white dress!
Party Favors? YES! I can use my mad facepainting skills to give partygoers the gift of Babymouse whiskers. Also, I have enough safety pins and yards of black ribbon to provide mouse tails for anyone who wants one.
Food? YES!..and No. I have everything I need to make plenty of yummy bright pink cupcakes, but I don't have any maraschino cherries to top them off (which is what MAKES a pink cupcake a Babymouse cupcake!), so I'm going to have to buy a jar of them.
I'm also going to need to purchase some food of the non-cupcake variety since we're wanting to serve lunch to Alexa's 25 guests.
Entertainment? YES! We have four kids. We have a lot of grandparents and friends who have provided those four kids with a plethora of really great books, instruments, toys and games. We have a big backyard, and some cardboard boxes to boot. The partygoers can have free reign of all those resources and can use their imaginations and entertain themselves.
CONCLUSION: We spent $21 providing a buffet of PBJs, carrot sticks, apples, cheese, crackers, and pink lemonade. And oh wait, I forgot: that must-have jar of maraschino cherries was a whole $2 (typical). But everything else was created completely from items we already had at home! So for a grand total of $23 ($227 less than average!), Alexa celebrated the blessing of five years on this earth (and her love for Babymouse!) for three hours with 25 people who love her dearly. And she had a wonderful, wonderful time.
