I KISSed my son's birthday party. Eco-friendly and sustainable.

In grade nine I learned a saying that was supposed to help me keep my writing simple and straight forward.  KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid.  It sounds kind of rude but it has a point.  Writers can easily get carried away, write too much, say too much and lose the reader in the process.  But let's go beyond writers.  After attending a million birthday parties for young children (that's what happens when you have 3 kids) and seeing chaos rule in some situations, I am now using this mantra for the parties I throw.  Besides, it is kind of stupid to let a birthday party ruin your finances, the environment, and your peace of mind. 

I am guilty of not KISSing during past birthday parties.  My kids' birthdays are all within 3 weeks of each other and in the past I have thrown one huge party to cover all the birthdays at the same time.  It worked, but it couldn't possibly be held at home (30 kids is a bit much for our house) and since the birthdays are in the winter we have to rent a facility to host the party.  Money.  Planning.  Keeping things under control.  Food for 30 kids.  Phew!  It wasn't keeping it simple.  I was stupid.

This year we decided to throw separate parties, and the first one up was my nine year old son's.  So today we threw him a party at home.  He invited 7 of his good buddies.  The rain held off and the party was a sucess.  I Kept It Simple.  Not Stupid.  Here's how.

Invitations
The invitations were made online at evite.com.  It was free, required no unnecessary paper, was immediately delivered, and parents responded promptly.  I wouldn't do it any other way from now on!

Planning
Keeping 8 nine year old boys entertained can be a challenge.  The birthday was in the winter, and we don't have a TV.  With a little planning, it isn't a problem.  My teacher-background helped me out here... keep the kids moving from activity to activity and nothing gets wrecked.  What do 9 year old boys like to do?  Well, my guy likes to play sports, create things, and eat.  So we planned to play hockey, do a scavenger hunt, build bird houses, and eat.  In the invitation I requested rain gear, old clothing, and a hockey stick.  They all brought them.  I made the cake and ice cream ahead of time, chopped carrots and apples during the party, and fed those hungry, growing boys. 

And don't forget to plan an appropriate time!  KISS!  A party from 2-4 pm on a Saturday does not require a meal.  Cake and snacks are great!  Cheaper and easier. 

Activities
My son was outside playing hockey when the boys arrived.  They joined in, one at a time, until a great game was going on and the boys were fully entertained.  Before they started losing interest we moved on to the scavenger hunt where they had to run across our small acreage to find things from old leaves to a container of sand, pond water, and charcoal from an outside fire.  This took them about 15 minutes.  Once completed they moved into our garage which Muscle In The Arm (aka my husband) had turned into a temporary workshop.  They made chickadee bird houses.  Muscle In The Arm pre- drilled holes and partially cut the wood so the boys could still do some sawing and hammering but not be overwhelmed.  8 kids is manageable for such a project.  They stained them with a water-based, low-fume stain and those done early went back to hockey.  By the time this was done there was just enough time left to eat.

Food
In the past I have been guilty of staying up until the wee hours of the morning making gorgeous fondant cakes covered in colorful fairies, flowers, or hockey logos.  They were fun to make: much like playing with playdough.  This last year, though, I couldn't make another fondant cake without a guilty conscience.  The amount of nasty food coloring that went into the fondant was frightening, and the ingredients of the marshmallows used to make the fondant was horrifying.  I vowed I would never make another fondant cake again.  Chocolate, however, is all natural, and Chocolate Sun Drops are equally all natural and delicious.  The cake was a child's delight: homemade cake covered in chocolate icing and decorated with chocolate sun drops.  The ice cream was homemade and preservative/additive/coloring-free.  Sugar? Yes. Organic cane sugar.   Artificial anything?  No! 

Along with cake and ice cream I served organic apple slices and carrot sticks, and "almost" healthy chips that were also all natural.  No juice, just water.  The kids didn't notice in the slightest that there was no juice.   Juice adds extra, unnecessary sugar to an already sugar-loaded party.  The kids gobbled up the food and for once I didn't cringe at the thought of what they were eating at a party.  No hotdogs.  No pop.  No preservatives.  No artificial color.  No GMOs.  All organic and all natural. 

Gifts.
KISS.  We didn't have any.  That was easy!  No made-in-China, fall-apart-the-first-day, or duplicate toys.  No wasted wrapping paper.  No difficulty deciding what to buy the birthday boy. No bored kids watching the birthday child open half a million gifts he doesn't need.   In the invitation I said "ABSOLUTELY NO GIFTS!  My son is saving to buy a pig (his choice) for a needy family through World Vision, and if you would like to make a SMALL donation you are welcome to".  And they did.  We raised $70 which allowed my son to "buy" the pig, and then "buy" soccer balls for less privilaged children in other countries.  My son had the fun of deciding where the money would go, and felt no pain about not getting gifts.  He learned something about giving to others instead of receiving.  He received gifts from family members which provided him with more than enough new toys. 

Goody bags.
KISS.  They took home their birdhouses, and I made "monster-sized" oatmeal chocolate sun drop cookies to take home in a paper bag.  No cheap candy, no junky toys.  Which also meant no fighting when the kids went home and met up with their siblings who didn't attend the party.  I made extra cookies to send home for the siblings. 

Decorations
Most of the party was held outside.  In the house, I set the table minimally with stainless steel plates, cutlery and cups, and orange cloth napkins.  The cake graced the table and the fruit and vegetables added extra color.  No one noticed there were no toxic balloons, no unsustainable paper streamers or paper plates, napkins, cups or plastic cutlery.  All eyes were on the all natural smartie-like chocolate sun drops on the cake.

All in all, the party was a smashing success in the kids' eyes as well as in my eyes, which says a lot.  There was literally nothing to throw away.  Food scrap went to the chickens.  The plates, cups and cutlery were washed and put away.  No wrapping paper or packaging to toss.  The kids had an acceptable (in my opinion) sugar intake for a birthday party but did not get unnecessary sugar (extra candy, or pop) and ate all natural, non-GMO, organic food.  The most expensive part of the party was the wood for the birdhouses, which ended up costing us less than $5 per house.  But this wasn't much in comparison to renting a gym, buying goody bags, plates, cutlery, cups, decorations, and a main course.  It was, in fact, Simple.  I KISSed the birthday party.  Now, repeat for the next 2 kids!

I would love to hear some of your simple birthday party ideas.  Please let me know what you do to keep your parties simple!

This post has been shared with Frugal Days Sustainable Ways #19 and Homestead Barn Hop #55.