The Basics to Party Planning.

Whether it's a first, seventh, eighteenth, or even an 80th birthday party, planning for the occasion can be a huge and oftentimes daunting task. Organizing and overseeing a party can be quite a challenge, so it is important to have a checklist of all the important things you need for the event.

Photo credit: Party Decor Designing.

Date and Location
Before you can decided on anything else, you must first confirm the event date and the venue. Make sure that the birthday celebrant is available on the date that you have set, and choose a venue that fits not only your budget, but can also accommodate all the guests you plan to invite.

Guests
List down all the people you would like to invite to the party. Aside from family members, relatives, and friends, this list could include the celebrant's acquaintances from work, from church, or even online communities.

Invitations
Whether it's a DIY card, online invitations, or bespoke memory mags like the ones from Lifetimes magazines, make sure that the party's date, time, and location are written on the invitations. These invites should be given at least a week before the party, so the guests have ample time to prepare for the event.

Photo credit: Vanspaperie.

Party Theme and Decorations
Choosing a theme for the party would depend mainly on the celebrant's personality, his/her hobbies, or the things that he/she likes. If she loves the beach, a nautical-themed party is a good option. If she's a dog lover, purchase plates, cups, and napkins that have cute paw prints.

Food
When planning the menu, consider two things - the celebrant's food preferences, and the guests who will be attending the party. If it's a children's party, spaghetti, chicken, sandwiches, and sweet treats (think cupcakes, cookies, and a chocolate fountain), are a must on the party table. If it's a party for the elderly, go easy on the sweets and serve healthy dishes instead.

Don't forget to factor in drinks as well. If you are throwing a party for children then juice and fizzy pop will do, but, if you are planning one for an adult, you may want to bring in some alcoholic drinks. Some of your guests may not drink, so factoring that in is essential. Non alcoholic drinks are popular, but alternatives that can still bring that bubbly feeling are rising in popularity. It would be a good idea to take a look at WYNK drinks if you want a change. You might be wondering "what makes WYNK drinks different?" Luckily, their website can provide all this information and more to help you make your decision.

Party Activities
Party activities are a great way to get all the guests involved and having fun. Parlor games such as Scavenger Hunt, Funny Bones, and Musical Chairs are a perennial hit with kids. For adults, you can never go wrong with a videoke machine (and some booze on the side).

With all the advanced planning, all that's left is the party itself! Make sure you arrive at the venue at least an hour before the party starts. This will give you enough time to set everything up and welcome the guests.

Wordless Wednesday #118 | Frozen Birthday Party!

Oh yes! Another birthday party to which Yue, his friends, and the rest of the Grade 1 class were invited. Marianne, the celebrant, had Frozen for her party theme, and she was dressed as Elsa for her event.

Yue, Marianne, and Bienn.

There was a face painter at the party, and the kids took turns in having their faces painted.

Little man on the hot seat. :)

Little man had Olaf painted on his face.

Do you wanna build a snowman?

While some of his friends sported Adventure Time characters on their faces.

Olaf, Finn, and Jake.

No party would be complete without parlor games...

Fun games for the kids!

And a magic show, too. Yue even had the chance to be an apprentice for the day. :)

Yue the apprentice.

Looks like he's having a blast. :)

And here's Marianne's super cute birthday cake. With cupcakes to boot.

Happy Birthday, Marianne!

Let it go... let it go... ;)

Shakey's Birthday Party | Heroes, Pizza, Fun!

Yue's friend, Chiara, turned seven a few days ago. To celebrate the occasion, she had a party at Shakey's, where Yue (and I), and the rest of the Grade 1 class (and the moms, of course) had been invited. I wanted to blog about the experience, because truth be told, it's our first time to attend a Shakey's Birthday Party. Haha!

Happy Birthday Chiara!

The function room at Shakey's San Pablo can accommodate 70-80 guests. This was how the place looked like when set-up.

Birthday set-up. :)

At present, Shakey's has only one party theme available - Justice League Unlimited. Chiara, however, wanted a Frozen-themed birthday party. The staff at Shakey's San Pablo were kind enough to grant Chiara's request. The Frozen balloons, the cake, and the party favors were provided by Chiara's family, while the Justice League stuff are included in Shakey's party package.

Yue with Chiara, in her Anna costume.

Aside from the usual party hats, the kids were given super hero capes, which I thought was pretty cool. The boys got Batman, while the girls got Wonder Woman capes.

Game prizes and party favors.

Frozen balloons and Justice League loot bags.

Shakey's balloons.

Elsa birthday cake + cake pops.

Of course, no children's party would be complete without parlor games...

Yue having the time of his life. Hahaha!

Kids having fun!

And a mascot appearance, too!

Chiara and Captain Shakey's.

Photo op with the kids.

Pandemonium, lol!

Captain Shakey's even went table-hopping. :)

Oh, and the food! Shakey's has four food packages, with prices ranging from Php 155 to Php 225.

Spaghetti, chicken, mojos, garlic bread, and pizza + a glass of cola.

A Shakey's birthday party runs for two hours. They are pretty strict when it comes to time, and they charge extra in excess of the allotted time. Prior to the party, Chiara's mom (who also happens to be my friend) gave us guests a gentle reminder to arrive on time because of the tight schedule. If you're planning to throw a Shakey's birthday party, I suggest you do the same with your guests to avoid the hassle. :)

With the birthday girl.

Happy campers! :)

Yue enjoyed the party so much that I'm considering Shakey's for his seventh birthday party next year. (Aside from the fact that the little man loves their Mojos and Chicken to bits!) Hopefully, they'll have more party theme options by then. :)

5 Activities to Have at your Child's Next Birthday.

It’s important to have a whole bunch of activities to keep the kids entertained at your child’s birthday party. You want them to have an amazing day with their friends and remember their birthday as a super fun experience. It can be hard to decide the best things to do for a birthday party, so we’ve put together a list of activities that your child will love!

The little man's 4th birthday! :)

Hire an entertainer
This might be a clown or someone dressed-up. It will be a great surprise to the kids to see someone new and exciting at their party, especially if they’re dressed as their favourite movie character and have a bunch of fun party games ready to play.

Treasure Hunt
Perfect for getting the cherubs outside! Treasure hunts are easy to set up and will keep the kids entertained for hours. You can hide lots of different things such as food (make sure it’s sealed or wrapped), toys or tokens and create little maps to help them along the way. The kids will definitely love an adventure in the backyard and they will be excited when they find the treasures at the end.

Make your own tshirt design
A unique party idea for the kids is to help them design their own t-shirt. They will have a blast picking the colours and pictures and they will remember the fun they had on their birthday every time they wear the shirt. Vistaprint has heaps of options to help you easily design a nd print your own shirt. Check out the website for more info today.

Petting Zoo
Farm animals are very educational for children to learn about. The kids will love having a petting zoo at their party so they can get up close and personal with heaps of cute and cuddly animals. Because this is a service offered by professionals, the animals are trained to know how to react to children, so you won’t have to worry too much about the kids disturbing them. They will have a great time getting to know the animals and it will teach them about the farm and what animals live there.

Pass the Parcel
A party favourite amongst many children, pass the parcel is a birthday activity that will have them at the end of their seats. Pass the parcel is both fun for the family and the kids. The game is really easy to make. All you need is some prizes (chocolates, lollies or small toys) and some newspaper. Make sure you put something in every layer so nobody misses out.

There are heaps of fun activities to plan for your child’s next birthday. Put on as many fun games as you can for your child’s next birthday!

5 Ways to Involve Your Kids in Planning Their Birthday

Having a birthday party is so exciting! There is so much to do and organising a party can be so much fun! This a great opportunity to get your kids involved in the planning stage. The anticipation of having a party can be just as exciting as the party itself. This is your child’s special day. Involving them as much as possible will make them feel extra special. There are so many things going on throughout the year and life is always so busy, so this is a great opportunity to let them do some planning for their special day.

Guest List
Ask your child who they would like to invite to the party. Depending on their age, it may also be necessary to invite some parents if the children are quite young. Decide how many guests you are able to host and stick to that number. With younger school age children, make sure they do interact with the names on the list as younger ones may want to invite the whole class! Also take into account any family members you may wish to invite.

Choose a Venue
Once you have decided on the number of guests, you can choose a venue. Ask your child whether they would prefer to have a party at home, have a party in the park or go to a venue that specifically caters for children’s parties.

Invitations
Invitations are a great way to get children involved in planning their birthday party. You can get free templates on the internet and then print out the invitations or let your child make their own invitations.

Games
Games can be difficult to decide upon. Write down a list of age appropriate games and explain what they are to your child. Depending on the length of time the party will go for, let your child choose as many games as practical.

Party food
Ask your child what food they would like to have at the party. Make sure you are aware if any of the guests have food allergies to nuts or eggs, for example. Decide upon a menu that is age appropriate. Also get your child involved in making up the party bags. Wherever your child decides to have their party, the preparation will be much the same. Some children opt for a few friends, whilst others will want to invite everyone they know. Some children may be happy with a family dinner with just one friend.

Whatever your child chooses, it is their birthday and it is their decision. Children also love to help with decorations. They can blow up balloons, put up streamers and decorate party bags or invitations with self inking rubber stamps. Rubber stamps have a multitude of uses and kids just love stamping away. You can get stamps saying ‘happy birthday’ or stamps with decorative images from online retailers such as Vistaprint. By getting your child involved in planning their party, it actually makes their birthday seem to go on for longer. Because this exciting event only happens once a year, your child will be absolutely thrilled to help with all the planning.

Wordless Wednesday #27 | Achy Breaky Heart.

Mum officially became a Golden Girl last February 12, and to celebrate this milestone, we threw a party for her over the weekend. Dubbed '50 and Fabulous', the event also became a mini-reunion for Mum and her high school and college friends. Our friends were there, too, and so was our relatives.

One of the highlights of the party was the Flash Mob/Line Dance spearheaded by my brother-in-law. Check out my little dancer, trying to keep up with the steps. You may change the quality to HD for better viewing. (Video taken with Seunghyun, my Samsung Galaxy Note 2!)

Turning 31 | It's Miller Time!

My siblings threw a somewhat surprise party (somewhat, because they told me about it first thing in the morning) for me yesterday, in celebration of my birthday. Yep, I just turned 31.

Pizza, pasta, pastry. And chicken, too.

My sister-in-law made spaghetti (which the little man loves) and fried some chicken, too. My brother, meanwhile, bought pizza from Pizza Hut. As for my boys, they got me this Coffee Crumble cake from Red Ribbon.

Hearts and smiles.

Now look at the kids as we sang the Birthday Song. My little man sang the loudest while my niece clapped her hands gleefully. What an adorable sight!

Thanks Mum, for planning this even while you're out of the country. To my sibs and sibs-in-law, thank you for preparing this 'surprise' party. And to my two boys, thank you for making my life a lot more meaningful.

To my friends, colleagues, fellow fangirls, and everyone else who texted, tweeted, DM'd, and posted on my Facebook wall, thank you for the birthday greetings! You all made my birthday a very happy one!

Whoosh! It's Miller time!

*Reggie Miller, my most favorite NBA player of all time, wears jersey number 31. 

Sharing with Food Friday, Food Trip Friday, Heavenly Treats Sunday, InstaFriday. 

Foodie Goodie | Cakes by Issa Aguilar.

So this food post is going live a little bit late, because my internet connection and phone line went berserk. I was excommunicated for the past 36 hours! Anyhoo, my DSL is up and running, and we're back to regular programming. :)

The little man's Mickey Mouse birthday cake received quite a handful of compliments, and I've been asked where I had the cake made.

Photo credit: Bubbles Cristobal

They were created by none other than my friend Issa Aguilar, whose family owns Golden Wheat Bakery - one of the popular and long-running bakeries in San Pablo City. Issa, whom I fondly call Baker Queen (with reference to Baker King Kim Tak Gu since we're both Kdrama/Kpop addicts) is actually a CPA by profession. She ventured into the cake business not too long ago, after discovering the joy and fulfillment in creating cakes.

And her creations are as good as it looks, I tell you. Those Mickey Mouse cupcakes are the most divine butter cream cupcakes I've ever tasted, and they have walnuts, to boot!

Best butter cream cupcakes ever. :)

The cake, on the other hand, is a yummy chocolate chiffon adorned with Mickey's smiling face plus uber cute lettering.

Cutie patootie font!

And yes, they're edible, too.

Meeska Mooska Mickey Mouse!

Thank you for the lovely cake and cupcakes, Issa! Love love! :)

Check out Issa's cake creations here! For orders and inquiries, you may call Golden Wheat Bakery at (049) 5626693 or 09175016694 or send a DM on their Facebook page.

Golden Wheat Bakery - Main
71 A. Bonifacio St., San Pablo City

Golden Wheat Bakery - Los Banos Branch
9568 Batong Malake, Los Banos, Laguna

Shared with Food Friday, Food Trip Friday, and Heavenly Treats Sunday.

Wordless Wednesday #13 | Four the Win!

Scenes from the little man's fourth birthday celebration. :)

Wordless Wednesday #12 | Getting Ready...

For the little man's birthday party!

All the way from the Disney Store in London.

Photo credit: Designer Celebration Cakes

Photo credit: Cake Love

For his classmates.