How to survive your child’s slumber party

 

 

 

“Mum? Can I have a slumber party for my birthday?”

At some point, your child is going to ask for a slumber party. This CAN be a source of stress for many mums but today we’re sharing some  must know tips from a sleepover specialist to ensure yours is a roaring (or snoring) success.

If anyone knows how to throw a great slumber party, it’s Mel Jacobs.  Her business, Sweet Dreams and Goodnight,  is putting a new spin on a birthday favourite and bringing delight to parents and kids alike. Whilst Mel is offering something new to the kids’ party scenes in Perth and Melbourne in terms of setup, here are her old style hints to ensure your party doesn’t turn into a nightmare.

 Be Prepared

We don’t mean stock the Tim Tams and the popcorn (although these are pre-requisites for any successful sleepover).  Before the party starts, it’s important that you, as the parent in charge, have some basic details for each child in your care.  You can either ask for this information before the party, or grab a notepad and speak to the person dropping them off.  As a minimum, you should have the following:

• Contact number of someone in case of emergency
• Any allergies the child might have
• Any medication they may need during their stay
• Any other relevant details (sleep walkers, fear of the dark etc.)

           

Set the Ground Rules

 No need to go all Sergeant-Major on the kids.  Ease them into the rules of the house with a quick tour to point out all the necessary areas – toilet, bathroom, kitchen, bedroom.

Show them where you will be throughout the night, so you can be found if needed.

Throughout the walk-around, make it clear what is and isn’t allowed, so boundaries are set early and everyone can have a great time.

Leave a Light On

Remember you are going to have kids sleeping in a house that is strange to them.

To a lot of little humans, being in the dark in unfamiliar surroundings is scary and a small nightlight can make it seem just that little bit safer.

Where possible, try to leave a light on that can direct the way to the bathroom/toilet.  There’s nothing worse than waking up in the middle of the night, in the dark, having to stumble and feel your way to the loo!

Keep an Ear Out

No need to helicopter parent, but stay close by so you can keep an ear and eye on what’s happening.

Sometimes unfortunate situations can occur (homesickness, bedwetting or even bullying).  It’s good for the kids to know that you are close by if needed.

Gain agreement about social media

Finally, and this isn’t an old hint, but certainly one that should be discussed in this day and age – gain consent to post pictures of the party-goers.  While you may be happy to have pictures of your children on your social media feed, not every parent feels the same.  As a matter of courtesy, check first with the parents/guardian of each child attending to see how they feel before posting pictures containing their image.

A little planning goes a long way

Sleepovers are almost a rite of passage in childhood – staying up all night, sharing secrets and tucking into a midnight feast (don’t forget those Tim Tams).  Sure you may not get any sleep until the wee small hours, continually telling them to “Turn it down!”.  Yep, you’ll probably have tired and grumpy little people for the rest of the day.  But with a few easy steps, you can pretty much guarantee you’ll help to make memories they won’t forget in a hurry.

Now of course slumber parties don’t have to always be kept for the young ones! Relive the fun from your childhood with a gorgeous slumber party setup to celebrate a special girls weekend away or hens party setup before heading out to town! The gorgeous teepees from Sweet Dreams and Goodnight can tailor for all sorts of celebrations!:

If you’re interested in having Sweet Dream and Goodnight help you with your next slumber party, contact Mel on0402 463 812 or visit www.sweetdreamsandgoodnight.com.au.  Franchises are now available.

 

Mel Jacobs is the founder of Sweet Dreams and Goodnight, Australia’s original and best slumber party specialist.  Originating in Perth and with franchises now available, visit the website to see why this great company is being nationally recognised as a leader in kids’ party entertainment.

 

Minnie Mouse Birthday Party Inspiration

 

For an 89 year old, Minnie Mouse still has everything going for her.

Not only is she lovely, stylish, great with kids and has a shoe wardrobe any female would be jealous of, she has the uncanny ability to just keep reinventing herself!

All jokes aside, the coveted Minnie Mouse has never gone out of fashion in my book, but is proving to be super popular with little girls lately. Of course when you’re as famous as Minnie you have your face branded on pretty much anything you can think of, so finding supplies shouldn’t be too hard for the die hard fans! But if you’re after something a little more boutique (or is that bowtique?) then I’ve found the perfect pieces to pull together a soiree even Minnie would happily attend!

This party can be styled with the traditional red/white/black or pink/white – or for something different go with a floral look or a unique colour scheme. Anything works as long as you work in the Minnie Mouse head silhouette!

Let’s get our polkadot on!

Minnie Mouse  Invitations & Stationery

Pink or red, black and white makes a great colour palette for a Minnie Mouse party, and don’t forget the polkadots! Just add the instantly recognisable Minnie Mouse outline with bow and you have yourself a theme.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Minnie Mouse Decorations

We’ve seen a really big trend in backdrops playing more of a role in room decoration instead of  just for photo backdrops, so why not give one a go and use in conjunction with  coordinated balloons, tassels and other accessories.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love these sweet Minnie Mouse pom poms!:

 

 

 

The perfect props to add to a Minnie Mouse party!

 

 

 

 

 

Minnie Mouse Tableware

Continue your theme of colour choice and polkadots to the table, set perfectly for afternoon tea! How cute are these labels to coordinate back with the invitations from Edgehouse Designs!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Minnie Mouse Cakes & Desserts

A Minnie Mouse party wouldn’t be complete without some delicious treats, all with her face on them of course!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The perfect finishing touches for any Minnie Mouse cakes or desserts!:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Minnie Mouse Party Favours

What better way to say farewell and thank you to your guests than with a little slice of Minnie herself! Headbands with ears, bows and oh so sweet treats.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can have a lot of fun with this theme, and your Minnie Mouse fan will no doubt have a few ideas of her own! I hope our finds have inspired you and we see the Minnie Mouse appeal alive and well for generations to come.

 

Something new is coming…

I love myself a good magazine to flip through – they provide me with party ideas, keep me inspired and I just simply ENJOY seeing so much fantastic content all in one place (rather than having to scroll through a newsfeed)!

Although I’ve had a lot of business owners in the event industry encouraging me to launch a party magazine – I had other projects I was focusing on. However THIS year I felt ready and passionate about launching an online magazine specifically focusing on children’s celebrations!

Hence I’ll be releasing “Celebrating little ones” FREE online magazine in May! Please make sure you subscribe to this website using the space on the sidebar so you are notified when the magazine is released.

*promo image – NOT the official cover*

Now the above is a SAMPLE cover only however the first issue WILL have interviews with Katherine Sabbath and Jordan Ferney which is truly exciting..along with never before seen parties, fantastic tips, tutorials, product ideas and more!

The free online “Celebrating little ones” magazine will be a place where you can

– get inspired by gorgeous kids parties

– find tips/advice for party planning

– enjoy interviews by talented creatives

– view products and businesses that you can click on and source  directly from the magazine as you’re browsing

So watch this space – the new free ‘Celebrating – little ones’ online magazine is coming this May!

I can’t wait to share it with you! Subscribe to our website using the form on the sidebar to ensure you receive your copy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Introducing our newest little celebration!

You may have seen on my social media that we have a new little celebration who has joined our family 6 weeks ago!

 

 

Our 4th child, Leah Jacinta was born on the 25th February and she is just heavenly!

 

 

Our other children are just besotted with her….

 

 

and so am I!

 

 

There is something so precious about newborns! Perhaps it is how tiny they are…how much they need us…or the wonder and joy that comes from birthing and meeting them for the first time!

 

So life has been extra busy around here over the last 6 weeks as we settle into life with Leah.

 

Often people will ask how do I run a business with such young children? I started Life’s Little Celebrations when my first child was 6 months…she is now 6yrs old and I have a 4 yr old (nearly 5!) , 2 yr old and a newborn. So as the business has grown so has my family and I definitely do NOT have it all sorted out and still struggle with balancing it all. However here are my tips:

• Outsource when and where you can! Whether it is getting cleaners or extra help with babysitting or outsourcing social media – do it! When I was pregnant with Leah it pushed me to outsource more just to ensure I was sane and had enough sleep. It meant yes that I lost some of my income but I knew it was worth it for my own sake.  So choose just one thing you can outsource – business or personal – to ease the pressure off yourself and free up some of your time for yourself and family.

 

• Don’t overdo it! I have many ideas and plans for Life’s Little Celebrations…but I know I cannot do it all right now when the kids are so little and are not all at school yet. So that means fulfilling the goals I can right now … and keeping those dreams and goals alive for the future!

 

• Accept your reality!! You will end up so frustrated and stressed if everyday you are expecting to get a million business items done and expect the kids will leave you alone to do some work during the day.
• It is better to just accept you will probably not get anything done at all with the kids around and then anything is a bonus! Work when they sleep or when they are at school, daycare or with the grandparents.
• Scheduling social media posts is also brilliant – it means that your social media is working for you even when you’re out and about at your daughters ballet class or son’s school assembly!

• Be wise with your time. When I finally do get some time to do some work – I can get a huge amount done in a short timeframe if I plan exactly what I need to do in that hour…and don’t get distracted by browsing on social media or doing online shopping!

 

At the end of the day – many of you (myself included) started your businesses so that you could be there for your children and have that freedom and flexibility. So don’t let your business rob you of that which it was meant to give you!

Let me say that again…don’t let your business rob you of that which it was meant to give you (eg time with the kids, freedom, flexible lifestyle)!

I hope those tips help those of you also in business and for now let me take the chance to wish you and your little one’s a joyful and special Easter! 

Photos by : Priscilla Cork Photography

 

 

 

One of a kind party decor

Your children are one of a kind unique….so it is fitting when planning their special celebrations to include a few bespoke creations.

That is where ELK prints comes in – providing party decor designed just for your child and their theme which give their party an extra special luxurious touch.

ELK Prints is a design and illustration studio who work with you to create custom pieces that will make your event magical. Their signature style pieces are individually hand-painted with watercolour paints so no two are exactly the same.

Owner Elizabeth’s bespoke work is best seen in light of how they can be used for a gorgeous children’s party, as seen here in her son’s Bubble party:

 

 

As Elizabeth explains:

“For this event I designed the custom backdrop of bubbles floating on fishing wire. The effect was really pretty and the fact that they seemed to just float by themselves and that they moved in the breeze meant they were just like bubbles.  The invitations were all letter pressed and hand-painted so it is a really special luxe finish that you can choose if you want your event to really stand out from the crowd and entrance your invited guests before they have even attended.”

 

 

 

 

 “The imagery from the invitations was then carried across the decor choices so that there is this seamless transition from invite to event. The imagery also continued on with a balloon tassel and thank you tags for the take home gifts. The whole party was also styled around the idea of light watery bright floating bubbles.”

 

 

As you can see the details and hand-painting is just beautiful and suits this theme perfectly:

 

 

 

 

 

 

More of Elk Print’s work can be seen in these gorgeous placecards for a Woodland themed Naming Ceremony.

 

 

The event was set at a restaurant so the client wanted something simple but special to define the event. Having hand-painted place cards is a nice idea for this kind of event held in a venue with decoration restrictions as it’s something the guests can engage with and it does reflect the significance and theme of the event also.

 

 

No two parties are ever the same so why have the same decor?

Elk Prints designs custom unique pieces and as seen below you can have a peek at the creative custom design process which makes each piece so unique!

 

 

For a bo-ho inspired party, go neutral or bright – Elk prints can design according to the look and colours you want as seen in these gorgeous teepee invitations and feather balloon garland in different colour schemes:

 

 

So if you’re looking for something truly bespoke and one of a kind for your little one’s celebrations, ensure you contact ELK Prints to discuss how they can turn your vision into reality as Elizabeth explains:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elkprints/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ELKPrints/