A blog reader told me, "You're famous for your tiny but tasteful kiddie birthday parties." Awww. Really? That was never my intention (to be famous haha) but yes, I'm a fan of small birthday parties because I have a firm belief that a big party overwhelms children and so they don't really enjoy themselves. Actually, that's me we're talking about. When I was a child, I absolutely loathed parties—for me and for anyone else. Vince said he felt the same. So we figured we'd spare our kids the pain. Brooke Shields influenced me, too. She once said that the child's age determines the number of guests. So if the child is 4 years old, she invites four guests! Well, I'm not that strict but I see her point.
A lot of people told me that kiddie birthday parties are really for the adults. The reasons being, and I quote:
1. "Mommy has been cooped up in the house for a year. I need an excuse to drink dammit!"
2. "The grandparents wanted it. They paid for it. We just went along with this whole craziness."
3. "Big parties mean big gifts! We get about P80,000 per big birthday party!"
I love my friends! They're as brutally honest as I am! So no one is allowed to criticize what they just said haha. Well, I always am amazed at kids' parties these days and, believe me, I was tempted to throw a bash for Iñigo but... It was Mother's Day weekend plus the elections so everyone either already made plans with their families or they went home to wherever they vote. So we had no choice but to have a super small birthday party!
But even the tiniest parties need a lot of love. Here's what we did for our baby birthday boy:
First, we strung up the colorful pennants that Ria Salonga especially made for me. Ria is the one who made the names of my kids in felt letters (
see here). Last Christmas, she wrote me and said that she has sooo many orders now ever since I blogged about her crafty skills. So she made these pennants as her gift and included two quilted toy bins that she made herself. I am so grateful! Thanks so much, Ria! The pennants really added something special to my family's celebrations!
Speaking of celebrations, here are paper flowers and paper lanters from Celebrations Party Central. They are so bright and colorful and instantly make a place look party-ready! They come in many colors and patterns. Mine were a gift from them (thanks, CPC!) but you can order from
their Facebook page or check out their new shop in Power Plant. It's right beside Toys R Us.
For our theme, well, we couldn't decide on a theme until Vince saw these cute Pooh napkins at Rustan's Supermarket. And that decided it. Yes, paper napkins decided our theme! The napkins are so colorful, hence we went all out colorful! That's why I ordered party things from
Paper Chic Studio. I love everything they have but I wanted to stick to oranges and greens. These cute party basics cost me around P890. Pretty cheap!
Since we have no yayas and maids to help clean up, we had to resort to disposables. I got the paper plates and spoons and forks from Pioneer Centre for about P310 (I got a lot, for future parties). The citrusy napkins are made of cloth and are from True Value. I don't remember how much they cost but I think P100 for a set (orange, lemon and lime).
Bulaga! Our cute table decor is a set of Winnie the Pooh toys! They're a hand-me-down from the boys' cousins. I think they were a fast food kiddie meal toy. They made the perfect centerpieces!
Since Vince and I will have to do the cleaning up ourselves, I covered the table in manila paper then drew those random squiggles around the Pooh toys. Happy table! The best part is whenever anything spilled or smeared or dropped, I didn't worry—I knew I'll just roll up the messed-up paper and throw it away!
I super love how Pinoy this cake looks! Actually, it really just read "Happy 1st Birthday Iñigo!" It's elegant that way. But when I saw it, I decided I wanted it to look tacky haha and added the "Love: Papa, Mama & Vito!" Dapat nga "Kuya Vito" but no more space. It's so Pinoy! Love it! This simple cake is from Red Ribbon and it's just P600. Super yummy chocolate cake with generous chocolate frosting!
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Since we only had four kids coming over for a little snack, I just bought chicken empanada and taisan pastries from Red Ribbon and that cost about P300. Then I cooked sweet spaghetti. I used the new Del Monte merienda packs. A P40 pack can feed four people so I cooked three packs. Big oops! In the words of Vince, "You don't want to be Mama Mary." Explanation: I don't want to suddenly be faced with the situation of running out of "wine" and having to ask Jesus for more! Well, I thought cooking spaghetti for 12 people was more than enough. Turned out I was wrong—we ran out of spaghetti! I forgot that kids eat a lot!
Yep, even Tigger ate and ate and ate! Here he is drinking juice while waiting for his little guests to arrive. I'll write about the party next! Sooo fun!
