why we host epic kids parties
My mother-in-law rolls her eyes and thinks we go overboard, other family members think we are crazy, my mom always wants to join the fun and the parents of my kid’s friends who attend parties at our house know that the kids will get dirty, be tired and have a blast. This is the story of why we love to plan and host Epic kids’ parties.
For me it started when I was little, I was blessed to have my grandparents live right across the street from me when I was growing up. What I learned most from my Grandmother is how to be an experience maker. In her mind she was here to make everyone, and everything feel special. Whether it was noisemakers on New Year’s Eve, our annual visit to the Canadian National Exhibition and the ride back home sitting on the floor of the car so the giant mice we won could be on the seat, crazy trips to experience the tallest, fastest, wooden roller coaster in the states at the time, it was always an experience. She was the one who made everyone feel special on their birthday by making their favorite meal and cake, not just any cake, she went to cake decorating classes so she could make special cakes. My favorite cake was a Panda Bear she made when I was in first grade. It was 3-D, sitting up and looked fuzzy. She always told me, “why save your money, you need to spend it and live life while you can.” I’m not sure my husband appreciates her philosophy as I have somewhat adopted it. What I learned the most from her is being an experience maker and this is what led me to planning awesome kids’ parties.
For my husband, growing up was much different. He was one of 7 children and grew up moving around and not having a lot to spend on family trips. His experiences were working with this dad and learning a TON from him, woodworking, and other crafts. He worked hard when he was a kid and always looked forward to helping his father do various chores around the house. He is that guy that can do anything, fix anything, and is always willing to help others when something needs to be fixed, renovated, or built.
Our experiences were both very different growing up and together we make a great team in planning and hosting EPIC kids’ parties. We both absolutely love to plan super fun events, not just for our kids but all the kids who attend. We use any event as an excuse to plan and host something fun, whether it is the end of the year soccer party, summer kick off or a birthday party it’s all about creating an amazingly fun experience for the kids. We always start with a theme and then we brainstorm fun games, decorations, and activities for the party. My creative brain starts to imagine all kinds of fun things and then my husband’s handy work kicks in and he gets building. We soar with our strengths. A super long slip and slide, a foam machine, a backyard zip line, a gem mining sluice are just a few of the things we have done. As the party hosts, we are very engaged in the party, hosting the activities, and really spending time with the kids, I think that is what makes it special. We all get dirty, messy, wet, and let loose. All the parents know if they come to a party at our place send a change of clothes. During my 11-year old’s birthday party this year, as the kids were splattering each other with paint and dancing in the foam machine, one of the parents said to me, “kids really need this, they need to have a chance to have fun, be crazy, get dirty and let loose.” Some might say we spoil our kids by doing this and some of my family members say we go over the top, to me, we are following in my grandmother’s footsteps being experience makers. Every parent should do what they feel is right, just soar with your strengths and it will be great!