For once, I think I’m inspired by Christina Aguilera.

Forgoing the over-the-top birthday parties that some celebrities choose for their children (Tom and Katie reportedly spent $100,000 on little Suri’s 2nd bash), Christina and her husband, music executive Jordan Bratman got together with friends to celebrate little Max Liron’s first birthday.

Since Christina gave birth just one day after her good friend Nicole Richie delivered her daughter, Harlow Winter Kate, the ladies decided to celebrate together. Together with their beaus (Richie’s boyfriend is Joel Madden of Good Charlotte), the starlets invited a conservative 40 guests to the party.

Rather than $15K worth of butterflies and flowers (only the best for Suri), Christina decorated her Beverly Hills backyard with pink, green and blue balloons tied to the trees. And they decided to forgo the Wolfgang Puck catering in favor of a more kid-friendly spread (as in, peanut-butter and jelly) by Along Came Mary.

But really, I think my favorite part of the party is that the theme was lifted from one of my favorite childhood books, Where the Wild Things Are. The big surprise came when costumed characters from the book arrived!

Now, to be fair, it would be cool for little boys to have the kind of personalized mini-cars that Brittney Spears had at her boys’ joint party. But I think a book-inspired theme is more my style (and in my price-range). And since I am rushing headlong toward my own baby’s first birthday, maybe I’ll keep that in mind. I might skip on the catering and make the sandwiches myself, though.

With Thanksgiving on the horizon?I’m reminded of the Thanksgiving not too long ago that went really, really wrong.? I wasn’t the hostess so it wasn’t like I was the one who felt the bulk of frustration for everything that happened, but since the hostess was a friend of mine I could feel her frustration.

My friend always puts on a perfect event.? She reminds me a lot of Martha Stewart in the sense that everything has to be perfect whenever she has people over.? Our daughters were both about to turn three, and since we don’t have any family nearby she invited us over for Thanksgiving to join some other members of her family.? It was a sweet gesture and we eagerly accepted the invitation.

When we arrived I noticed tension in the air immediately.? It became obvious that her mother was driving her a little crazy.? Every so often her mother would march up to my friend and tell her about something she was doing wrong.? “Darling,” she would say, breathless and condescending, “don’t you think we should start seating the guests?” To this my friend would snap back, “Mo-ther, this is MY party and MY guests and I will do things as I choose!”? Then she would take a deep breath and pleasantly announce that it was time to find our seats.

You have to understand that I grew up with very laid-back parents.? I was also brought up as a strict vegetarian, so you can imagine what our Thanksgivings were like.? Picture pizza and soda and lounging on a sofa.

I wasn’t sure how to react to the tension, so I ignored it.? Then my friend’s mom brought me into it.? “Tamsen, how old is your daughter? She must be older than my granddaughter.”

“No,” I replied.? “Your granddaughter is actually a couple of months older than my daughter.”

To this she gasped and then dramatically declared, “My goodness! Your daughter speaks so much more eloquently than my granddaughter! I just can’t get over the difference!” She then turned to my friend and said, “Darling, doesn’t she speak really well?”

Through gritted teeth my friend replied,? “Yes, Mo-ther, she speaks well.”? You might think this would be enough to make my friend’s head explode, but?her mother wouldn’t drop?it.? All through the meal, whenever my daughter would say something, my friend’s mother would make a face as though she?had just?encountered something fabulous.

My husband and I were incredibly uncomfortable.? We started to make motions to each other that it was time to leave, when all of a sudden my friend’s daughter threw up all over the place.??Not only did my friend shriek and lunge for a carpet cleaner she had in an adjoining room, but I swear her mother stood there with a look on her face that indicated that she was incredibly disappointed that her granddaughter would?dare to throw up on such an important holiday.

We left soon thereafter.? My friend never called me again.

I tried to call her a few times but she was very cold. I later found out through the grapevine that her daughter had delays in speech and was seeing a speech?therapist, so I can only imagine how tough it was to deal with her mom lamenting about my daughter’s verbal ability.

This year we’re going to a different friend’s house, and my kids will be the only kids present.? Unless my?friend wants to compare her dogs to our kids I don’t think we’ll get another experience with fierce?rivalry.

As my nephew is about to celebrate his first birthday, I?ve started to think about all of the parties we?ve held for our boys over the years.

While it can be fun to celebrate your kids? birthdays in a variety of places (trust me, I?ve been to ?em all), my favorite parties are always those spent at home. I value the time and effort that parents put into hosting their parties.

When it comes to party planning, I have learned that some things are worth splurging a bit on and others are usually a waste of money. Party hats are cute and may reflect your party?s theme, if you have one, but they are almost always worn for five minutes and then quickly forgotten. The same is true of theme- or character- oriented plates and napkins. I learned pretty quickly that basic colorful plates and napkins work just fine; kids are usually much more interested in the yummy cake on top of their plates than the design beneath it.

Party favors, on the other hand, usually get reluctant kids to say ?goodbye? when the party?s over. They are souvenirs from your child?s special occasion. I really like the theme-oriented party-favor boxes sold by BirthdayExpress.com.

It takes more effort to make up your own goody bags but can actually be fun, especially if the birthday child is involved.

Sometimes the biggest party-favor hits are one larger prize to take home. We had a sports-themed party in our backyard for our son?s third birthday. We sent each child home with an inflated ball. They were similar to beach balls but were instead footballs, soccer balls and basketballs. They seemed like something the kids would enjoy playing with for a few days. They were definitely a hit.

Inflatable toys such as this can be purchased from Oriental Trading Company. The website and catalog are full of fun party and craft supplies at reasonable rates?which brings me to another activity at that third birthday: The kids made sports door hangers for their rooms (although I think I may have given the girls pink and purple hangers with flowers to decorate).

We lined up several long tables for the kids to eat and make crafts on, and covered them with paper (from a big roll). We put several small buckets of crayons on the tables and the kids had fun doodling.

At later parties (when our sons were at least five), I wrote something like ?Ben is 5!? on a large piece of poster-board, in colorful letters. Each guest was asked to sign the poster as a memento of our boys? special day.

I?d love to hear all of your ideas for babies? and preschoolers? birthday parties!

We had a big weekend here in our household. Our only daughter, and the first grandchild in my family, just celebrated her 1st birthday. We had close friends and family flying in or driving from all over the nation. The celebration started off on Friday, her real birthday, and ended Sunday with her baptismal ceremony and accompanying reception.

Thank God Murphy’s Law gave us a break over the weekend, but there were still plenty of snafus that could have driven an anal-retentive mom like me over the wall. From the logistics of dividing my time between my good friends who had come to visit and party arrangements, to dealing with a cranky baby whose whole schedule was thrown off course, to late caterers, and demanding relatives, I had plenty of opportunity to go bonkers.

Fortunately, I was able to keep my perspective on things. What have I learned? I learned that I have great friends, who are understanding that I can’t be with them the whole time they’re here. Second, when the same friends offer help, take it. I was sending reliable and willing friends on errands to help smooth out the party arrangements. I appointed some to be on my decorations and some to be on my music committee. Some went out for extra ice, and drinks, some went to fetch a cable for the music system to connect to the laptop.

When the caterers, who were supposed to set up the place, were late, I got a tad upset, but I just took my troops to the task of starting the whole thing. In no time at all, everything was decorated and perfectly set up.

Third, I learned that the more rigid I am in wanting things to look a certain way or unfold in a certain way, the more stressed I will become. I was able to relax and take calming breaths after a shaky beginning, and just HAVE FUN. One of the best way to have fun is to leave things to take care of themselves. After all, all you really need to have a good party is to have good food, good drinks and good company. I had all three!

Fourth, I learned that babies can be very resilient. My daughter was cranky yes, but she must have liked the attention she was getting because contrary to what I was afraid of, she didn’t break down after a lack of a nap and going two hours past her bedtime. After a little distraction and yes, some cake, she was her usual bubbly self.

The last thing I learned? That it will be a very long time until I agree to hold a big party.

Happy First Birthday Dear Daughter of mine!

I’m planning a big birthday bash for my soon-to-be 1 yr. old. I embrace simple parties, but this is a combo party that will be celebrating her christening as well so I decided to make it a big one. I told myself, she’s only going to be 1 once, she’s my first daughter and I’m allowed to indulge.

As I booked a venue, ordered the invitations, inquired about catering, favors, and on and on and on, I slowly started to get a sinking feeling in my stomach. I added up the total and had startling moment. What have I gotten myself into?!

Planning a party is hard, but the logistics of a big party, plus the added expense is even harder. I’m almost to the finish line of her party. If I were to do it again, I probably would still have a big party but I’ve learned my lesson. I’d do several things differently.

I’d buy cheap software like Hallmark Card Studio which is only $9.99 and make my own invitations. Or even better, send an e-vite (electronic invitation). I would have bought a second-hand christening dress. I wouldn’t have bought her a birthday outfit but have dressed her in one of her pricey outfit gifted by doting grandmas and grand-aunts that have yet to be worn. I would stick to a simpler menu, and maybe held the big party at a relative’s place. One thing I did do was gratefully accept my parent’s help in the planning process and their offer to cover some of the expenses (thanks Mama and Papa!).

I’m still looking forward to the event though, even if we still have to contend with cake and other odds and ends. We’ve got family and friends flying in for the occasion and that at least, you can’t put a price on. My baby is about to turn one, oh boy.

Cooking School Parties for Kids
By Cheryl Tallman and Joan Ahlers

Entertaining your children’s friends is never an easy task and coming up with an idea for a birthday party is often harder. Recently, Fresh Baby creator Cheryl Tallman’s son Spencer turned five and the event was celebrated with a cooking school extravaganza. For 2 1/2 hours Cheryl and her husband transformed their home into “The Cooking School for Brilliant Kids.” Here she shares just how she did it!

We started out doing a little research on the Internet and found a neat web site called www.kidsaprons.com. We ordered disposable chef hats and aprons, and picked up a few kidsized cooking utensils to use in the take home gift bags. We also planned the menu and developed a schedule for the party.Before the children arrived, we covered a ping pong table with white paper, did some prep on the foods, and decorated the dining room table for the birthday luncheon with balloons and the Star Wars tablecloth and plates that Spencer picked out.

When each kid arrived, they were fitted with their chef hat and apron, and we took a digital photo. We printed out their names (i.e “Chef Spencer”) on plain paper, cut it out, and used clear packaging tape to stick their name on their apron and hat. While we were waiting for all the guests to arrive, the children were given stickers to decorate their chef hats. This gave them something to do and also gave them some time to get comfortable.

The party menu included French bread pizza, pigs in a blanket, carrots sticks and green beans, and for dessert, ice cream and cupcakes. Our school started with a “group” experience of making ice cream. Each child took a turn pouring, measuring, or whisking, while the others watched attentively. We poured our ice cream in the machine and moved on to making lunch.

We spread the kids out around the table and started with the French bread pizza, each child took a piece of bread and “painted” it with pizza sauce, sprinkled cheese, added pepperoni, and placed their creation on a cookie sheet. The pigs in a blanket were next. Each child took a piece of crescent roll dough that were already separated onto a piece of wax paper. They picked up a hot dog with tongs and then rolled the dough around the hot dog, and they were placed on another sheet pan.

After the main course was prepared, we took a class photo, and it was time for a break while the master chef (me!) put everything in the oven. The kids all went into the living room for a game of “Pin The Mustache On The Chef”, and a magic show put on by my husband Roger, who picked up some magic books at the library the week before. By the time entertainment was done, the kid’s masterpieces were ready to be served. In the dining room each child’s plate had a piece of pizza, a pig in the blanket, some carrot sticks and green beans. The kids were so excited about their accomplishments. They all happily and proudly ate their lunch.

After lunch, it was back to cooking school for cupcake decorating. We had colored icing bags (tied at the top) and an assortment of sprinkles. This was the BEST event of all, the kids had great time. The creativity of a five year old is absolutely precious. After about 20 minutes, it was back to the dining room, were we sang “Happy Birthday”, and gobbled up our cupcakes and homemade ice cream. After that, we opened gifts and gave out the take home gift bags. Two and half hours seemed to fly by.

Spencer’s thank you notes were sent with a certificate (printed on our home computer) from “The Cooking School for Brilliant Kids”, and it included the child’s picture and the class photo.

If you are thinking of having your own cooking extravaganza, here are few tips that you might find useful:

• Keep the recipes simple and have the steps written down to follow.
• Do food prep in advance, so kids are not waiting, and you can avoid the use of knives, graters and other dangerous utensils.
• Make the experience hands on, a combination of group recipes and individual ones worked well to keep kids focused.
• Have an adult work the oven or stove and keep the kids away from them.
• Use a big table for your workspace (the ping pong table was perfect) and line it with paper (or plastic table cloth) for easy clean up.
• At $2/kid the chef hats and aprons were totally worth it ? not one kid took them off during the party. We heard one girl wore her hat all day!

About the Author: Cheryl Tallman and Joan Ahlers are the mothers of five children and founders of Fresh Baby. The Fresh Baby concept is simple — When you make it yourself, you know it’s better. Along with developing products for parents to get actively involved in making healthy food choices for their children from the first bite of food; they also publish Fresh Ideas, a free, monthly newsletter that provides healthy eating ideas for the whole family.