Paddington Bear Kids Birthday Parties In Your Future? See Paddington Movie in 2010

We are so excited about the Paddington Bear movie coming out in 2010, as he is one of our all-time favorite children’s characters.  (I still have my little stuffed Paddington bear I received as a kid).  Loved worldwide, Paddington Bear’s story is that of an immigrant arriving in London and trying to find a home and a family. Wearing his signature Wellington boots, he sports a label around his neck saying “Please Look After This Bear. Thank You.” Next year’s Paddington’s movie release is sure to endear another generation to Paddington.  The movie will draw from all 11 of the Paddington books written by Michael Bond.

While we haven’t seen too much hype about it yet, we’re sensing some adorable Paddington kids’ birthday parties will be taking place over the next couple years.  A children’s tea party in a garden sounds like a super cute Paddington-esque theme to us.  Or, taking a group of kids to see the Paddington movie will be a great time as well.  In the meantime, check out one of our favorite Paddington Bear titles Paddington Bear in the Garden.

Undersea Fish Birthday Pinatas: Underwater Birthday Idea Theme, Dolphins, Whales

We adore birthday pinatas and think these colorful, swimming creatures would be great for an underwater, sea exploration theme birthday party.   Pinatas come hollow so you can fill them with whatever you wish. We suggest filling the pinata with treats like Swedish fish and individual-sized packages of Goldfish crackers.
What about a Dolphin Pinata, a bright blue smiling fish that both kids and adults will love? Coordinate it with other blue decorations such as a blue punch and blue Jello snacks.    Enjoy the outside playing with a beachball. Consider having some beach-theme items such as plastic beach pails and tools as party favors.

The Clown Fish Pinata also adds a splash of color to any underwater theme birthday party. It’s designed for parties up to 10 kids.  If you’d rather not have kids wacking the pinata (or eachother) with a baseball bat or broomstick, you can also pull a ribbon to release the booty.  We love the idea of buying several fish pinatas and hanging them at varying lengths from the ceiling, giving the impression of being inside of an aquarium.

This Killer Whale Pinata is actually very cute and sweet. Decorate your table with bright green streamers representing seaweed. Store gifts in a “treasure chest,” which could be an old trunk you decorate with foil wrapped coins and seaweed streamers. Also, an aquarium makes a wonderful and educational birthday surprise for a child. Otherwise, these adorable underwater theme pinatas are the next best thing!

Where the Wild Things Are 1st Birthday Party: Wild Rumpus Birthday!!

We’ve been so thrilled by the gorgeous home birthday parties we’ve been seeing lately for both kids and adults.   This one, from the Hostess With the Mostess (hwtm) blog really stood out as an adorable first birthday party idea beautifully executed.  Using Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are as a party theme, she combined purchased reusable paper decorations, homemade items and a sweet costume from Etsy. We loved the colors and the creativity involved from decorating fallen tree branches with die cut leaf decorations and pretty wrapping paper as a table runner.  She had a delicious array of kid-friendly healthy foods like cut fruits, apple sauce and popcorn balls.

REAL PARTIES: “Wild Rumpus” Birthday.

Yo Gabba Gabba 1st Birthday Party Supplies, Ideas

We loved this at-home 1st birthday celebration featuring a Gabba pinata with fabulous handcrafted decorations.  They used cost-effective but colorful solutions throughout the party that really brought the Yo Gabba Gabba theme to life.

“The centerpieces were made with plastic disposable cups filled with pinto beans and covered in colorful Gabba colors and balloons.”

Check out Cristian’s party pics: Cristian’s First Birthday! | Gabba Friends.

Also, we came across a nice selection of Yo Gabba Gabba birthday supplies over at Celebrate Express.

We think the Yo Gabba Gabba! Invitations (8) are really cute and festive.

Also getting rave reviews are the Yo Gabba Gabba! Giant Wall Decals. What’s fabulous is that they’re easy on and off the wall. You can decorate for a party and then reuse them as decorations in your child’s bedroom.

Finally, these Yo Gabba Gabba! Sticker Sheets (4) are a nice addition to a party favor bag, as decorations, or game prizes.  They’re highly colorful and of course stickers are always a hit.

Kids Birthday Breakfast or Morning Brunch Party

The Frugal Momma has some great recipe suggestions (after the link) for a kids’ birthday breakfast or brunch party.  It can be so much easier and less expensive to coordinate a morning birthday event, and the timing usually works out well for little kids’ schedules.

“I think birthday parties at brunch hours are ideal for entertaining because brunch food is so inexpensive and children are so much happier during the earlier part of the day. You beat all of the grumpiness that happens closer to the nap hour and you also get the rest of the day to kick your feet up and just relax after all of that planning. If I had my choice, I would always do birthday brunches because of those very reasons.”

The Mother Load: Ask Frugal Momma: Brunch Birthday Ideas? – The MomAdvice.com Blog.