Have a Monster of a Party!

Adorable Monster themed party table!

I'm kinda obsessed with monsters....not the scary kind....but the cute fuzzy kind.  They also make for an awesome kids party idea!  The "Little Monster" theme is great for first birthdays, but I'd throw a monster party for any age!

This is a party theme that you can easily pull it off D.I.Y. and cheap too! Google eyes to the max! Cupcakes with eyes (you can buy edible ones on Oriental Trading)

Homemade invitations - how can you screw up a MONSTER?  Check out some cute ideas on our Pinterest board here!


Balloons with Eyes?  Fuzzy tablecloths! Monsters peaking out from under chairs! Monster footprints leading up to the door !  Let your imagination go wild!  Don't forget a bouncehouse, obstacle course, waterslide or foam machine for the wildest monster party ever! Party Jumpers - Sarasota and Bradentons answer for great kids parties

Edible Monsters!  

Dinosaur Party!

Boring Parties are prehistoric with this great party theme!  I love this non-gender specific party - who doesn't love to dig up a great party!  Here are some great suggestions!

Invitations! There are many cute ideas out there - but I'm a sucker for an invitation that you can play with too!  Check out this baby!

Decorations!  My favorite thing is to decorate for a party with items that we can play with or reuse at a later date!  I HATE the waste associated with throw away decorations - it's kinda my obsession!  SO if you kid LOVES dinosaurs - find fun decorations that they can play with again!  Throw in some vines and a green backdrop - and voila' - instant party!  Your local science museum is also a great place to find cool dino stuff!

Cake and Food!  I've been on a cupcake craze lately - and the idea of putting cute tiny dinosaurs on them sound delightful!  I also love this "Dino Dig" parfait idea! Cake - or ice cream - or a number of other yummy treats would work here!  Find those little "bone" candies!

Activities!  Keeping those kids busy is always key to a successful party - don't forget to call Party Jumpers for an awesome inflatable - we have a great Dinosaur bouncehouse that will be the hit of the party! We have lots of other stuff too!

Seriously - follow us on Pinterest for many more great ideas for a dino theme party (and other awesome kids party ideas)!

Dinosaur Bouncehouse

Celebrating Everything - Suncoast Style!

     As I sit here writing, the house is unusually quiet.  All five kids have gone back to school today, and I'm faced with a stack of "summer" work that has piled up the last couple of months while trying to balance kids with work.  It's quite a stack, but I would trade it for the kids being home one more day in a heartbeat.

     You see, my oldest started college today. COLLEGE. When the heck did that happen? When your kids are little, the days go by slow - but the years go by fast. When they hit school age, your family enters this wormhole of a time warp and things enter lightening speed.  My hubby stood, coffee in hand this morning, reviewing the driving schedule I posted on the fridge to get the other four kids to their four schools.

     "When did things start moving so fast?" was his question.

     I'm not quite sure when it happened. What I do know is that we, as parents, need to take a minute everyday to just stop. Stop talking on the phone, surfing the web, being preoccupied by work - just stop even for 15 minutes - and just BE with the kids.  Play cards - listen to that paintball story - make dinner together - SOMETHING where you are 100% present with your kids.

     On my wedding day, one of my best friends advised me to close my eyes for 2 minutes and just BE in that space.  She said the day would be gone before I knew it and I'd regret being swept away by so many moments.  I took her advice, and that two minutes are still my favorite memory of the day.  What I heard, smelt, felt - those sensations are still with me.  Why not take that advice everyday with the people the most important to you!

     I hope you and yours have a wonderful first day back to school.  Celebrate everything - every small and large victory!  Have dinner on the beach tonight!  Swim in the pool instead of putting on the T.V.! Break out the Monopoly game and let them stay up an extra 15 minutes!

With Love,

Michelle

Back To School Bash!

Sigh - the end of summer is always sad - we never accomplish all that we want to do with the kids and time flys so quickly.  This last week before we return to the hustle and bustle of school, we're going to cram in seven more days of fun!  Been booking "Back to School" bashes lately - cheers to the neighborhoods that combine funds, talents and time to give the kids a great send off! It's also a GREAT icebreaker idea for a kid new to the school and wanting to make some friends! (What better way to get acquainted then at a fun party!)  Here are some ideas for your Back to School Bash!

* Celebrate the start of something new!  It's such a stressful time for kids going back - most are nervous and especially if starting a new school!  Make this a joyful time!  I love the idea of having the party just AFTER school starts - something to look forward to!  Consider inviting the whole class as well as old friends - instant popularity! :)

*  You already have so much going on with back to school preparations - make this as easy as possible on YOU.  Look into downloadable invitations (check out on my Pinterest Back to School Bash Board)

* You can probably find lots of cute Back to School themed cakes and cupcakes at your local market - but I think these homemade apple ones are adorable (you can put a worm in them too for added effect!)

* I wonder if you might snag some cute B-T-S decorations from your local stores as they break down those decorations and move into the Halloween decorations? Might be worth a shot!

* If you are throwing the party within the school year - check in advance with your teachers about invitations going home.  Many schools have tight restrictions in terms of class lists - you may have to send them out blindly and hope for the best!

* Feel free to add a fun inflatable to jump up the party!  Here in Florida it's still super hot - so a waterslide is a great choice - but if you are in a cooler location consider a bouncehouse, obstacle course or something fun like our Octodome Extreme - you can joust, play Twister, basketball, volleyball or just plain bounce! Check out all of our other awesome stuff on our site www.partyjumpersinc.com  or call me at (941) 343-0370

* Adding a "Book Swap" theme makes the deal even sweeter! What better way to start the school year then with a new (recycled) book!!  Consider adding several of your own in case someone forgets one - check to see if your local library has a store.  Goodwill Bookstores as also a great choice!

The Clan McLean - ready for a new year!

I wish you all a wonderful school year.  I pray for our kids as they all start new journeys as well, especially Jackie starting a new elementary, Ian starting high school and Cami starting college. Blessings to you and your family as you start your new adventures!

Michelle

To Bake or Not to Bake...The Cake is the Question!

I'm thrilled that I have great friends that are WONDERFUL bakers....because at my house, where there is smoke - there's dinner!  When my kids were little, I made their birthday cakes - and at no small expense.  I would travel to the far corners of the Earth to find the "right" candy rocks for a construction birthday cake, or the perfect princess for that precious little girl.  And every year, I would beg my mother-in-law to NEVER LET ME DO THIS AGAIN. I don't have the patience to painstakingly attend to the details that are required to make a cake great and it ends up causing more stress (and more expensive when you consider all the time and energy it takes to find all the materials, buy all the materials, and apply the ice packs to your head after banging it on the kitchen table repeatedly).

So now I purchase cakes...and it's a beautiful thing!  What kind of cake you make/buy should depend on many factors, not the least your budget!  Custom cakes can run into hundreds of dollars...money that might be better spent on something that won't be consumed in five minutes!  Here in Sarasota, we've done Publix cakes, Sam's Cakes, A Slice of Heaven Cakes and some private bakers (who were AMAZING!) to get just what we needed - and honestly - they were all perfectly fine!

Ask yourself...

• What's my budget? 
• How many people am I feeding? Check out my Pinterest page for a servings chart!
• How will I store the cake (ask me about the time that i brought an ice cream cake to my daughters pony riding party....still a family favorite story)
• Do I have a theme? Favorite flavors? 
• Do I have the time and energy to pull off a masterpiece of my own?
• Do i even want a cake? How about cupcakes? Cake Pops? Cake in a Cup?

Purchasing the perfect cake for your special event doesn't make you a bad Mom - being a frantic lunatic who's been up all night battling with fondant and arrives at party battle worn might!  I'm including a few pictures of some cute cakes for your viewing enjoyment....and throwing two thumbs up to all you Mom's out there - the bakers and non-bakers alike! Party On - and don't forget the inflatable fun from Party Jumpers.  Friend us on Facebook for monthly specials on bouncehouses, waterslides, obstacle courses, giant slides, dunk tanks and more fun for every event!

Great Birthday Party - Great Mom!

I just posted about Do-It-Yourself cakes last week, a few days before tripping over some super cute pictures of a birthday party hosted by my friend Chanda.  She did just a great job, she really deserves a shout out!  Truth be told, she loves to do this stuff (outside of her regular profession as an eye doctor!) and it shows in her cute ideas.  But also, most of these could be done even by super un-crafty Mom ME!  She had a minecraft party for her 9 year old boy ( but my daughter would love this theme too!).  Check out her cute ideas here and the rest of them up on my Pinterest board.  Not into Minecraft?  There are lots of other great ideas on our Pinterest.  Need some fun party rentals? Call me at Party Jumpers (941) 343-0370 if you are in the Sarasota or Manatee Counties - We Bring The Party!




Minecraft Party Ideas

Rent an inflatable here

Friend us HERE for $20 off your next rental!

Why a Sports Birthday Party is a Win-WIn Idea!

There are so many great ideas for kids parties these days - you can almost get lost in the colorful mire of concepts!  Sometimes, the oldies and goodies are the best!  A sports theme is a great idea for a kids party for alot of reasons!

1) Boys and Girls? No problem - no worries of the little guys turing up their noses at a princess cake!

2) Activity Activity Activity! Plenty of opportunity to burn off sugar!

3) Healthy focus! Get them moving! You might inspire the next Willie Mays! Who knows!

4) Low stress - no tiny crafts to make here or complicated games. Just lots of fun!

Naturally, if your kid already has a favorite sport, you should start from there.  If not, I've seen a cute "Twister" theme idea lately, decorate with dots (even on the cake!).  We have a great new inflatable called the Octodome - play your way!  Play basketball, volleyball, jousting, boxing, bouncing or TWISTER! A HUGE Twister mat is also included!  I can't even describe how much fun this is bouncehouse is - our new favorite! If you are in the Sarasota/Bradenton are and are having a kids party, call Party Jumpers at (941) 343-0370 and ask for this baby! Your kids will thank you for it!

Springtime Flings!

In Florida, February brings the most glorious weather in the country!  Sitting here on my 80 degree, sunshine filled porch, I'm watching the news cover the blizzard that is quickly approaching my hometown of Boston.  I love where we live!

February also brings a flurry of business to Party Jumpers as people brush off the holiday glitter and get back to the business of birthdays, first communions, and start planning graduation parties!  What fun!  There are so many great sites these days to help with planning....from creative ideas on Pintrest.com and Etsy.com, coordinating on Punchbowl.com, and fun invitations on tinyprints.com or polkadotdesigns.com...there is SO much you can accomplish from the comfort of your couch while catching up on what's going on at Downtown Abbey!

While planning, please remember our local companies here on the Suncoast!  LTM Party Store just relocated to the Publix Plaza on the corner of Honore and Fruitville...the perfect setting to grab all those fun decorations and balloons!  Right around the corner, pick up your cake at A Slice Of Heaven and the rest of your menu for the party at Pizza Srq with a wide catering menu!  Like Party Jumpers, these are all family owned, locally operated small business that really appreciate your business!

You may be celebrating a birthday, a sports victory, or just the fact that it's Sunday....we join you in celebrating our wonderful community and gorgeous weather!