Circus School Party – The “Experience Party” Strikes

As kids start to get older, they seem to want at-home parties less and less and are drawn to experience-based parties. This year, there was no convincing my daughter into doing something at the house, we had to go seek some thrills. My little coastal city is not a panacea for exciting party venue–you’ve got your choice of inflatable romper rooms or the pizza place with the giant mouse. Both things I’d rather avoid…so I did some digging and found what is a birthday party I’d have died for when I was a kid in nearby entertainment capital Orlando. Circus school!

The kids are going to spend a few hours learning to fly on the trapeze and wrap it up with dinner and hot fudge sundaes. While I’m kind of sad there is no immensely photograph-worthy party going on this time, there are some benefits to having someone else take care of the party.

Someone else takes care of the party.

Lazy, lazy, lazy. Yes, I know, but I am kind of liking the idea of sitting back and letting the venue take care of entertaining the kids. No decorations, no dessert bar, no million little details to attend to, no making sure every kid is having the time of their little lives.

Minimal prep work.

I had to send some invitations, get some waivers signed and arrange for everyone to get there. I’m going to skip a special cake or anything like that and have the restaurant we stop at for dinner serve up birthday desserts and perhaps and embarrassing song. This year she asked for a rhubarb pie to herself anyway.

No clean up after.

Probably the part I dread the most. (You saw yesterday’s post, right?) It doesn’t seem to matter how small or big the party is, the mess made preparing for it and the mess made during it are colossal. I’m glad there is not going to be a last minute drill at the house for this this year!

No stress.

With so little to do other than show up, I’ve got all sorts of time to worry about other things and not stress about making the even of the year happen.

My husband loves the price tag.

Big giant parties are not cheap–without all the decor and food to buy…it’s going to be like we’re robbing someone when the bill comes!

So now that I’ve convinced myself it’s ok not throw an over the top party and just go make my daughter blissfully happy up there on that trapeze bar, I think I’m good. Sometimes that make-the-kid-happy thing gets lost in the big parties. Especially when they’re little, they can’t always focus on all the cool stuff you pulled off for them. In the end it usually takes very little to make them happy, and every few years it’s probably a good idea to focus on smaller parties with a singular focus–them!

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