We’ve had a blast planning kids’ birthday parties with offbeat themes like worms and dragons (yes, there was even a fire-breathing kid photo). After our last party post in 2014 — remember the Pink & Gold Everything Party? — we took a break from the blog for a year. During that time we wondered if our enthusiasm for going “all out” would fade without the pressure to document everything. “All out” is relative — we never hired a petting zoo — but we did enjoy decorating, making themed cupcakes and favors, and creating a festive atmosphere.
The result was a mix: we pulled back a bit, but we didn’t stop enjoying themed parties. When our kids asked for a joint celebration in 2015 (their birthdays are four weeks apart) we treated it as an experiment. We worried less about photographing every detail, but we still had fun embracing a quirky theme.
Since this was our first joint party, we searched for the overlap in our kids’ current obsessions. Our daughter was deep into fairies that year and our son loved bears, so we combined the two into a woodland/forest theme. The food table featured toadstool cupcakes, bear cupcakes, faux butterflies perched on decorations, and a cheeky “fairy poop” treat that delighted the preschool crowd.
We kept things low-key: an outdoor get-together with friends and family, pizza, sprinklers for the kids, and eventually a piñata. The woodland theme came alive mostly through the food displays, arranged on colorful, washable floral tablecloths we’ve had for years — perfect for kids’ parties.
We labeled ordinary snacks with woodsy names — chips as “fairy wings” and pretzels as “twigs” — using simple folded cardstock signs written just before guests arrived. It was a little playful and kept things stress-free: no frantic printing last-minute and no meltdowns when guests arrived early.
Preschoolers love cheeky treats, so anything labeled “poop” — in our case Skittles or brownie bites — was an instant hit. Simple jokes and silly names go a long way with little guests.
I had the most fun with cupcakes, making two varieties: fairy toadstools and bear faces. My approach tends to be more hack than bake — taking store-bought basics and tweaking them. The cupcake bases were plain vanilla grocery-store cupcakes. For bears I used mini cookies for ears and chocolate chips for eyes — it took five minutes and the kids loved them.
For the fairy toadstools, I dipped the tops into red sugar sprinkles and added white candy spots. A wood-slice “plate,” a few fake butterflies, and a tiny plastic fairy finished the display and reinforced the woodland vibe without fuss.
By 2016 we wanted to simplify even more. The kids still wanted a joint party, so we booked a few tables under a canopy at one of their favorite playgrounds. It cost less than many dedicated party venues and offered a relaxed environment. With Finding Dory on the horizon, both kids were in an ocean mood, so we chose an “Under the Sea” theme and kept things simple.
Aside from blue tablecloths and fish-shaped balloons, the theme appeared mainly in the food. We held a morning party with breakfast-style fare — fruit, bagels, croissants, donuts, and coffee. I also made a few sea-inspired snacks the kids could play with and eat: croissant crabs and banana dolphins were simple, playful hits.
The croissant crabs were made by adding toothpick legs and paper eyes; drawing different eye directions and adding lashes gave each one personality. Banana dolphins were made by slicing the top, slipping in a grape, and adding pen-dot eyes. They transported a bit bruised but were still beloved.
Goodie bags were easy and affordable: a small handful of blue jelly beans with Goldfish crackers “swimming” on top, placed in clear plastic party bags and tied with string. The kids left happy with a little sugar boost and a fun take-away.
For the cake moment we chose donuts instead of cupcakes since it was a morning party. A stack of Krispy Kreme donuts embellished with a few small plastic sharks sparked the kids’ imaginations — whether the sharks were attacking the donuts or simply exploring them, the display was playful and successful.
This year we simplified even more and didn’t take many photos — just a few candid shots of the kids laughing and spinning on the tire swing. Over the years we’ve dialed down the effort and expense required to make our kids feel celebrated, and we’ve dramatically reduced the time we spend documenting everything.
That shift isn’t about whether we’re blogging; it’s about the kids getting older. At ages 7 and 3 they still appreciate quirky snacks and a loose theme (this year’s choice was “Bugs”), but they don’t care about perfectly matching tablecloths and favors. What matters most to them is being with friends, hearing the birthday song, and diving into cake and icing.
So this year we sent an Evite, met at a neighborhood playground (free this time), and showed up with pizza, drinks, cupcakes, gummy worms, and bright balloons. The weather cooperated, the kids ran themselves ragged, and the adults enjoyed an easy, relaxed afternoon — no perfect photos required.
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