Kids Birthday Parties: love ’em or hate ’em?

I posted awhile back that I was asked to be a co-host of MommytoMommy.TV by Kimberley Clayton Blaine (a.k.a The Go To Mom) and my episode aired last week. MommytoMommy.TV  is sponsored in part by Sony Electronics and features new, lighthearted fun shows every other Friday on current topics for moms.

The topic of my show is kids birthday parties… LOVE ’em or HATE ’em? I think there are definitely two schools of thought on the topic!  I know some moms love to go crazy and decorate to the nines and then others are “over it!” and go super simple. Where do you stand?  Are you on the “love ’em” or “hate ’em” party train? Please do comment, we want to know!

For me, the first couple years, I was soooo not into doing a big party, and we just had family at our parties.  But then last year, for Emma’s 4th, when she really “got it,” I have to admit I got a little caught up in the planning and went a little crazy.  Here was my rundown on our pretend pajama party.   So I have to say I done a little of both!

The day of filming was a ton of fun.  I was really nervous, but everyone at the shoot was super friendly and silly, so it made the day so relaxed.

We shot at the amazing Montage Laguna Beach, my gosh, that property is incredible.  I had never spent the day there before.  It was a day in October, but about 80 degrees, perfection!

We also got pampered as Tera Rae Stephens came and styled everyone’s hair.  She did a beautiful job and is always fun to be around, so thank you Tera!  By the way, check out her fabulous new website!

Melanie from Sensitive Sweets whipped up some darling cupcakes at short notice to be used during our shoot.  And, they tasted as good as they looked!  She can make gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, and soy-free cupcakes so if you know anyone with OC kids with food sensitivities, she is your gal for custom sweets!

My friend Michelle from Stylish Dish went shopping with me before the shoot to help pick out an outfit.  Love her blog. The ensemble was supposed to include a cute faux dark grey jacket and black tights, but since it was so hot that day, I ended up just wearing the dress. But have worn the jacket a gazillion times since then. Thanks Michelle!

We shot three shows that day, so I got to meet and hang out with two other amazing co-hosts – Sheila from Xialoin Mama and Jessica from Babbaco.  Here is a link to Sheila’s show on “Our Fav TV Shows & Celebrity Crushes” and Jessica’s on “Letting Go of Perfection.” And here we all are…not a bad view, huh?

From left…me, Jessica, Kimberley & Sheila

So here is my episode on kids parties.  It includes a cool idea on how to do video invitations, features an AWESOME Sony video camera (I am in LOVE), ways to make your party eco-chic and three great websites to use in your party planning.  Of course I am ultra-critical of myself, ugh, but I hope you like it… 🙂