Springing up parties!

The spring brings April showers, and allot more. We're just wrapping up 2011, but my mind is on the parties in 2012. Spring is a fun and exciting time for parties - with first communions, graduations, company picnics and more. It's a very busy time for Party Jumpers!

Here in sunny Sarasota, the spring is a perfect time to party! Not too hot, still dry a considerable amount of the time, it's a wonderful time to get people together and enjoy our gorgeous weather!

Parties that center around a life event, like a communion or graduation, can be child centered, however require in most cases the kids being well dressed and behaved! Consider the guest of honor and try to schedule in kid friendly food and fun. Perhaps requesting parents bring along a "fun" set of clothes so that the children can burn off some energy after being so well mannered!

If changing clothes is not an option, then really consider the food you are serving. Chocolate and fruit punch can be deadly on that little mans suit or that expensive party dress! Light colored sodas are usually a better bet!

Providing entertainment that supports your perfect party is important as well! Do you want the kids to work off energy? Maybe you would prefer to have them entertained? Naturally, we choose http://www.partyjumpersinc.com/ for our entertainment....but perhaps you have something else in mind? We were all totally entertained by a balloon artist at dinner the other night! Just make sure that you check references for any vendors you are selecting. You want to provide the most fun AND safe party options for your family and friends! At Party Jumpers, we are SIOTO (Safe Inflatable Operators) licensed, and our drivers are all background checked through the school board as well as fingerprinted and scanned through the FBI system. Family men themselves, they have your kids safety in mind at all times. Make sure you require background information from ANY vendors you invite to be around your kids!

I recently found some really fun invitations at http://www.polkadotdesign.com/ .... fun stuff! If you are looking for a great baker in the Sarasota/Manatee area, check out http://www.maesmagicalcakes.com/

...she just made the most delicious birthday cake for one of my daughters - it was A-MAE-ZING! (couldn't resist - sorry!)

Best wishes to everyone in the New Year! Party on like it's 2012!

My secret for stress free holidays.....

We love the holidays! The hustle and bustle, family and friends, presents and decorations. I'm the goofball in line next to you at BJ's humming Christmas carols with the eggnog mustache. At our house, the whole family comes for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Thanskmas (which is the holiday where everyone who was too busy during the OTHER holidays comes for a big meal and festivities between the two!) Shopping for five kids alone can take a month!

So I totally get that the holiday season can be chaotic and always look for ways to cut down on stress so that we, as parents, can enjoy the holidays with the family. Spending less time in the kitchen for me was a priority, so I look for ways to farm out work there. Who wants to be slaving in the kitchen when I could be playing Just Dance on the Wii??? I've worked to not make everything "perfect" as in the past. I'm just going to leave that up to Martha Stewart...to me perfect would be getting in that epic Nerf battle.

I have another family secret for keeping the holidays stress free. I have a little unfair advantage here. We throw up an inflatable bouncehouse, waterslide, or other great game. At any holiday here at the house, there are a MINIMUM for 8-12 kids ranging in age from 5-15 years old. That's alot of kids in a house that is not huge. And ALOT of energy. Depending of the weather, I throw something up outside to keep them occupied and happy! The key is to divide by ages...the little girls (5-10 years old) will just don't play as rough as the boys...so we have other activities to keeps people happy while waiting for their turn. This Thanksgiving it was tablecloth decoration (with fabric markers) and gingerbread house making! The teenagers needs space too. We make sure that they get time on all the fun inflatables. The hidden beauty is that the adults get a minute to enjoy a quiet conversation (or a fun game of charades) while we watch the kids have the time of their lives.

The holidays are precious times - and I'm so grateful for the memories we have made as a family here in Sarasota. Here's a wish that your holiday season may be filled with wonder, laughs, and love.

Michelle

Party Jumpers

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