10 yrs Old!

Every year the request has been, "can I have a birthday party?"

My reply has been, "When you are 10"

Jasmine was 10 years old last week the time had finally arrived.

She was restricted to inviting 5 friends. I am sorry but that is about the number I can handle in one sitting.

We devised a theme adapted from another party which my younger daughter attended recently, a 'spa' theme. This spa theme centred around facials, nail varnish and a foot spa experience. It was a great lesson in planning and assessing what goes well and what doesn't go well with this theme.

Build up planning.


I purchased a foot spa and massager, nail varnishes (multiple colours), hair pieces (vibrant colours), face packs and foot treatments.

Day before


The preparation included a massive, monumental clean up operation. I don't think the girls would have really noticed if the place was clean but it is always important in case the parents enter the house. Most of my food prep was also done the day before.

Menu


Decorated fair cakes.
I found an easy cup cake recipe:

• 125gms melted butter cooled
• 3/4 cup of milk
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups self raising flour
• 3/4 cup of sugar

And I added chocolate chips.

 Mix flour and sugar together make a well in the middle.

Mix together cooled butter, eggs and milk

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix

Fill cake papers 3/4 full and bake for 8-10mins

I did buy ready made frosting, once the cakes were cool I piped the frosting on top and added a pre made decoration.

I also made sausage rolls, ham, cheeses and pineapple pinwheels.

But the real hit was melted chocolate in fondue set with marshmellows, strawberries, banana and pineapple chunks.

Party Plan

 14.00 - Welcome drinks served in pink plastic champagne glasses, lemonade with a strawberry

Activity 1

Facemasks.

With facemasks applied I asked them to lie down in a circle with pieces of cucumber over their eyes they then had to share something with the group, a fact that their friends didn't already know about them.

I was asked by my daughter to leave the room at this point as she said that her friends might be inhibited with an adult present! She didn't realise her dad could hear from the office and so we learnt who her first crush is!

Giggles and hysterics made facial mask removing difficult and things threatened to get out of control.

Activity 2

Musical nail varnish

The plan was, that each girl would choose a different nail varnish and paint one colour on one nail. I would start the music and they would pass the nail varnish to the next person until the music stopped, then they would paint another nail. This should continue until all the nails are painted.

This didn't work out as planned.

Two of the girls just wanted one colour for their nails. Then once one hand was painted they obviously couldn't paint the other hands nails and there was dispute over which nail varnishes they wanted. It is also very difficult to do single handed, it is definitely a two adult job. I abandoned the idea as nail varnish was all over the table cloth and all over each girls hands.

The nail stickers were popular though.

Activity 3

Foot Spa

I recommend practicing with these before use! I didn't. I added the bubbly stuff and when they turned it on we were engulfed with soapy bubbles. The girls found it hysterically funny and started a bubble fight. I decided it wasn't worth intervening and so long as there was laughter I ran with it.

Activity 4

Making Body Glitter

A very simple process of buying Aloe Vera gel, glitter, plastic pots and wooden spatulas. Each girl got to choose their glitter and mix it in the plastic pots with Aloe Vera gel. They got to take it home and they got to put some on before going home. This was easy and they seemed to like it.

Activity 5

Adding hair pieces

I bought some brightly coloured hair pieces, let them choose their colours and added them to each girls hair. I did need to trim the hair pieces to the same length as their own hair.

For a two hour party this I found was enough activities as they wanted to play with the presents and do some hysterical running around. It was not a quiet, tranquil spa day but I really think that spa treatment businesses should consider this as an option to grow. I would have loved to have booked them all into a spa for the day, it would have been so much easier! Others may consider getting a team of adults together to 'man' the different stations and to help out.