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Goody bag ideas? Help!!Submitted by Catmama on Sat, 07/12/2008 - 3:58pm.
My biggest angst at my kids party s the *goody* bag for I would also like to open up a discussion on *siblings* that come? NOT to be a hardass, but it gets tricky when you have a head count for cake and goody bags and then 6 extra older kids show up and expect a goody bag. If I send an invitation addressed to one of my dd's pal's, I should not worry about the pal's siblings coming? If they come, handing out goody bags could get awkward/weird? I don;t mind doing a few extras, but the thing is I'm making a goody bag suitable for a 5 year old girl, not a 8 year old boy? I fall inot that people pleasing making myself crazy finding the perfect take home treat. Hope this makes sense. I'm not agaiinst siblings coming, but a party for 12 cold easily turn into 24. This also plays with how many freakin cupcakes to make! ACK! to bday parties, I never assume that the other is invited. In the case where they are friends of the family (versus one of their friends from school), then I would ask if the sibling is invited if I do not see their name on the invitation. Siblings are individuals and in general should not assume that they are invited somewhere just cause their brother or sister is. The line seems a little less clear for the younger age bday parties, but I think that is cause parents feel less comfortable leaving their kids at the party alone. In those situations, I usually picture the parents and a younger sibling hanging around, but older siblings can usually find something else to do - stay at home, a playdate with their own friends, time with the other parent, etc. You know? This is just my opinion though... Check out my daily photo journal: becuase yesterday I went to large Bday party for a 5 year old girl. The mother worked her butt off and spent a lot of $$ on 50 goody bags (yes 50!). She did 12 extra bags for fear that their would be siblings also along. Well, guess what, Fifty bags were NOT enough which resulted in about 4 little guests (who were the bday's girls actual invites) not getting any. Needless to say they are 4 year olds and some tears/sadness happened. The mama was so frustrated. She tried to cover it all. She ended up promising the wee ones who missed out that she would hand deliver goody packs to them this week (OYE). That said, the old sibs who came left with play buckets, shovels, sidewalk chalk, etc...In other words, kindergarten age toys. I really feel the mamas who brought the sibs should have been clear with the older sibs what the deal is. Invited guests should get priority to bags. They can share with their siblings if need be. If there are left over, then spread it among siblings if any. This has happened to me and I was just clear with parents that I did not have enough bags for siblings, but if there were left overs, then no problem. You could always go the no bag route. I actually hate that kids expect a gift when they go to a bday party. Often times the party cost enough money as it is. Just give each invited guest one of those cute eggs that you picked up. Check out my daily photo journal: *keep it real* with the Birthday Party world. Everyone has raised the bar so high that kids feel slighted if the party is not up to snuff. Now, this is not so much the case for me with an almost 5 year old, but my mama friends with older boys and girls seem to be jumping through hoops. Kids *expect* so much. I hate that. 20 cents each. There are thirty. I love em. They are *easter-ish*, but when I add soome other small things and bag them up I think the little wooden pieces will be cute for the wee ones.
perfect! I am swisterland...switzerland? fuck it, I am swiss. A little pot with a package of flower seeds and then have a bag of dirt, with a watering can there that they can fill up and plant their seeds and take them home. Possibly a couple of stickers that they can put on the outside of the pot to identify it as theirs. You could get a bunch of different chicken stickers to put on the pots. "Fundamentally the markswoman aims at herself" DT Suzuki At my kids "end of June" party (as opposed to individual birthday parties which would have been in the summer when school friends might have been hard to track down) I made little grab bags of glass beads and some fishing line that the kids took home to make suncatchers out of. A simple craft for them and not too junky or expensive. http://www.enchantedlearning.com/themes/eggs.shtml Did you have a brain tumor for breakfast? --heather c. sis will schedule her csect in the next month or so...i think her official due date is the 1st of december so somewhere in that week?!? you ain't getting off without a playdate this time! haha. can't wait...for my nephew or to get me some serious real-time catmama. Did you have a brain tumor for breakfast? --heather c. i can't wait to see the ATS center!!! you know, noah and i are *like this* on myspace, haha! seriously, that is ON. mark may have to watch vinny depending on whether we go before or after my nephew arrives... Did you have a brain tumor for breakfast? --heather c. tell when babies will come, but hopefully you can spend a few nights up here (my little guest studio is ready) and then you, crockmama and I can pay a visit to mamkia down south. A few things I put in our goodie bags: I had a hard time with the goodie bags, too. Just couldn't think of good, non-crappy stuff. I think we did okay, though. Cheap and easy, if that's what you're going for. I wanted to put finger puppets in each bag, but I couldn't find any chaep enough for me, actually had a hard time any period. And I didn't have time to make any. BleuRoo Handcrafted Sweetness When I did DS tractor themed party. I made fabric bags for the goody bags, and then found someone who made tractor soaps on ebay(really cheap too) and we stamped washcloths with tractors. Each bag was bath themed, and the kids loved em. A few stickers and some homemade cookies, and voila! I got the washcloths at target like 4 bucks for a package of 15 plain white ones. The cost of each bag was pretty reasonable, and it was not just cheap plastic crap, somethin they could actually use. |
Though I would just hoard them so I could do an easter tree 
sorry, but unless they were invited, then their "goodie bag" needs to be being able to attend the party. Rule of thumb: if your kid is invited to a party, you can not assume that your other kids are invited too. If, by chance, there are left over bags, then share away... if not, parents need to understand that you did a head count and there were enough for the kids invited. This is what I would assume - it is only fair.
As for what to put in the bags - can you get feathers since it is chicken themed? Maybe even quills?? I like the egg idea - you could also do those plastic eggs with things in them...
Have fun!
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