Fun Birthdays Despite Recession

Madeline Holler — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 22:36:00 GMT

In all this talk about economic downturns and recessions or "recessions" and whatnot, politicians are overlooking one very important thing when calculating rebates and tax cuts and interest rates freezes and economic stimulation: what the hell is a parent to do about birthday parties?

Listen, party-planning expert Lisa Kothari, author of Dear Peppers and Pollywogs...What Parents Want to Know About Planning Their Kids' Parties knows your pain and she wants to help out with her three-part series on recession-proof children's birthday parties. Thank God, because I was worried we'd have to leave it up to our kids this year to create their own fun.

For Part 1, she counsels to "think outside the box," but goes on to give some cool ideas, so stick with me. The first is a Messy Party, with these sugggestions.

Invitations stamped with handprints.
Make a mess out of balloons and streamers; hang them all over the place in no set pattern.
Have the kids paint pictures with chocolate.
Let the kids decorate premade sugar cookies.
Set out paint, roller brushes, and butcher paper for the kids to make fantastic creations.
Have a bunch of stamps and water-soluble ink out and have the kids stamp their arms and legs all over and stamp one another!
Place a pile of dirt in one area of the yard and have the kids make dirt creations using twigs, rocks, and other natural elements.
Make a traditional round cake, ice with vanilla frosting and then drizzle different colors of icing into your own messy masterpiece. Add candy toppings as an added bonus.

Outrageous Cookie Party

Make plain cookie dough and then set out these ingredients for kids to get creative with. Bag them up to take home. Be sure to warn parents in case the kids decide to share.

Ketchup
Mustard
Chocolate Syrup
Ranch Dressing
Steak Sauce
Cherries
Yogurt
Cheese
Peanut Butter
Balsamic Vinegar
Jam
Pesto Sauce
Tomato Sauce
Relish

Don't forget to request all birthday gifts in cash. (Who's going to pay for all that wasted pesto? We're in a recession!)

So what are you doing for a cheap birthday party this year (or any year)? Canceling the tiger cub rental? Yeah, me too. Me too.

Photo: Once Upon a Bash

Things Fall Apart: Another Reason to Hate Bobbleheads!

Karen Murphy — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 21:26:00 GMT

Last year, at least according to my daughter, the entire first grade at her school was obsessed with/owned/coveted bobblehead dolls. To which my response was always the same: eww. Bobbleheads are simply something I don't "get". Never have, never will. What's the point? So hello, some have been recalled. *Yawn*.

And combining bobbleheads with another thing I care oh-so-much about, football, takes the cake. Er, I mean, these are cake decorations, actually. Of little football men with bobbing heads. Which is exactly what I would want perched atop my cake, oh yes. And yes, they have been recalled. For they will surely taint that delicious cake (mmm...cake...) with lead. But ONLY the ones with green bases are affected by this recall. Want a list of the affected bobblepeople teams? Have a look.

If you have one of these lovely items, you wouldn't have bought it separately. It would have come with the purchase of cake or ice cream from a bakery or ice cream store anywhere in the U.S. sometime from January 2006 through, well, now. But you can return it anyway for an item of equal (or lesser, natch) value. Contact the manufacturer, DecoPac, for more information.

Strollerderby : cake decorations

Fun Birthdays Despite Recession

Things Fall Apart: Another Reason to Hate Bobbleheads!