Build-a-Bear...Easiest slash Best b-day party EVER!

Because anyone who knows me is already fully aware of this fact, I might as well come completely clean.

I go overboard occasionally.

Okay, I go overboard a lot.

So when Rebecca had a friend's birthday party coming up, I thought, what the heck. I might as well go overboard again.

Flashback to her 6th birthday. End of kindygarten year. I, I mean, SHE decided on a dog theme. Mom decides to make invitations and spends hours scouring the internet for great dog pictures and editing ad nauseum: (Come: to a party, Stay: from 2-4 p.m....etc. It truly was one of the cutests invites ever...I even included "bloodhound's guide to finding the party"
with a map.) Maybe I'll find that invite and post it. It really was adorable.

But that's not enough. Oh, no. Every kid at a dog theme party needs a doggy bag, right? So why not SEW them, patchworked from various "furry" fabric, including a printing on fabric a different breed of dog on the front, none of the 14 the same?

And what to put in said doggy bag? Why, "sealed" cans of dog food, of course, made from reusing a soup can, relabeling it (again, more computer time in design) and filling with Chex Mix. (If you are intersted in the "how" let me know...."

Then there were the chocolate bones, the dog collar crafts, the doggy decorations.... I easily spent around $200. It was a great party, though. (p.s. I'm not the only over-doer out there. One of the moms...you know you are, JB!...got in the theme action, too, getting me (I mean, HER!) a stuffed yellow lab, complete with dog dish, leash, and a shirt embroidered with the name "Quimby" across the front....)

So this time, I thought I'd take the advice of said JB and try a Build-a-Bear party. I have never been there, really, but it sounded fun.

I'm reluctant to admit this, but I think this party might have even been cooler than the dog one. I know, I know, it pains me to think someone could do this better, but let me plead my case:

***Payton. He was the party host guy. He was awesome. He walked around with a bear strapped to his back and was just the right level of silly. This left me free to snap pictures and hang out.

***Location. Um, in case you didn't know, cleaning my house is NOT my top priority in life. I know, pick yourself up from the shock. Guess what? You don't have to clean up before the party if it's at the MALL!!

***No gift bags, only a gift bear. Come on, what kid wouldn't rather take home a fully-clothed build-a-bear they picked out themselves than, say, a can of dog food in a home-made doggy bag, with a crafty dog collar thrown in? Just sayin.

***No ice-cream. We did have rice krispy treats cut into the shapes of bears. (Again, JB...you're a genious!)


This is Rebecca stuffing her new Rabbit, Rosey. The number one rule of a build-a-bear party? The birthday girl always goes first.



Blame it on heredity.


Logan stuffing his bear, Cinnamon. We didn't bring Lily cuz her b-day is coming up in June, and I figured she could do a party here also, if it worked out. I wasn't shelling out another $25 bucks just to do a repeat next month!


This is Rebecca the next day. She and Rosey are inseperable. So happy birthday, Rebecca. Hope it was as memorable for you as it was cheap* for me!

*cheap refers to amount of money tendered toward invitations, Rice Crispy Treat ingredients, and each invitee's bear budget (minimum guest budget, $10 per child, not including discounts. $25 budget set by adult rendering payment at Rebecca's party includes a bear recommended to not exceed $12, combined with clothing not to exceed total $25 budget set by adult rendering payment, except where secondary responsible adult, such as invitee's parent, renders overages directly to Build-a-Bear. It is recommended that budget be a minimum of $20, before discounts, per invitee to allow both bear and clothing to be acquired by invitee) plus the lack of time spent in preparation for, cleanup of, and other stress related activities that go into throwing a friend birthday party for any particular 9 year old girl.