Day 82...Tuesday Nov. 3

Tuesday November 3rd was my husbands birthday! As a fun surprise for him, I scrounged up some decorations and decorated the house for him before he got home from work. The best part was, my lead gave me some confetti to use. So I rigged the confetti on the door with a handkerchief so that, when my husband walked through the door, the confetti dumped all over him! It was so funny! We both had a good laugh.

Just for fun, I looked up some fun birthday party ideas. Here is a fun animal themed birthday party idea I found with the parent's budget in mind. (Double score, right?) This party is also great because it can work for both a girl or a boy!

For toddlers, what could be more fun than a farm animal themed birthday? This simple and festive idea can be done inexpensively and in an unlimited number of ways. See below for some ideas on how you can do it for $100 or less.First, some starter tips to keep costs down:

Invite 8 kids or less
Have kids bring their favorite stuffed animal
Make the cake yourself
Have the party at your home

Invitations
Savings Tip: Find free printable invitations
Many websites offer invitation templates that you can use for free: Just print them out on card stock, and then mail as a postcard or in envelopes. Try some of these on for size:
Doggie Invite
"Bee" There Party Invite
Dinosaur Invite

Decorations
Savings Tip: Use your coloring books
Before you start trying to hunt down specialty decorations, go through your child's old coloring books and find animal pictures. Have your birthday boy or girl color them, and then cut them out and tape them up. Instantly, you have an animal theme started at no cost!

The Table
Savings Tip: Buy plain tableware and have the kids decorate them
Stickers are cheap, and can be used as both an activity and décor for your table. Buy your plates, cups, and napkins in bright, solid colors. Get a couple of rolls of different animal stickers and have the kids use them to jazz up their plates and cups any way they want. A roll of 100 should cost no more than a few dollars. Plus, if you have extras, you can add them to your goody bags.

Activities
Savings Tip: Don't invest in too much "equipment"
There are many easy animal-themed games you can play with minimal to no equipment. Try gathering the parents and kids in a circle, and play recordings of animal sounds (or have each parent act one out). Have the kids guess which animals they are. You could even turn this into a game of animal sound bingo by making your own play sheets (use an animal sticker in each square).

Face-painting is also a guaranteed hit. Enlist the help of a friend or other parents to decorate the kids' faces like their favorite animal. While professional stage makeup can be expensive (we'd recommend Aquacolor by Kryolan if you're interested), you can still find some cheaper-priced palettes as well. Try the makeup kits at The Magic Corner for example, some of which are below $10 each. Then once everyone's ready, have them get together (with their stuffed animals if they brought them), put on some music, and follow the leader for their very own animal parade!

Food
Savings Tip: You're the cook!
Nothing beats making your own cake in a fun animal shape. Here are some ideas to get you started:
Doggie Cake
Horse Cake
Cow Cake
Tiger Cake

Also, animal crackers, as well as sandwiches cut with animal-shaped cookie cutters, can make great party treats. And as for lunch itself, why not try something different like this fish-shaped pizza?
Party Favors

Savings Tip: Give just one or two items
At this age, there's no need to go overboard on party favors, but you could do a few simple things. Definitely add your animal crackers and stickers if you have them; or, animal-themed pencils (just $4 for 24 at Oriental Trading Company), as well as little plastic animals, are inexpensive at party stores and make great party gifts.

More great budget birthday party ideas can be found at: http://family.go.com/shopping/pkg-birthday-parties-under-100/.

Happy Birthday to Pickle's future daddy!