Fun – Page 3 – ketchupface.com

Fortunately, our party was held on a warm day in August so we were able to use the deck and the backyard.

Early on, the call went out to anyone that had a monkey lying around their home (plush monkey, that is). Garage sales and school bazaars are another good place to get cheap monkeys. Auntie Clare and my sister volunteered their favorite primates for the day. The little guys were found climbing in trees, hanging under the patio umbrella, and sitting on the roof of the gazebo. They looked hilarious. Some were super subtle but effective.

To help “monkify” the place, I ordered monkey napkins and paper plates which, upon reflection, I think were totally unnecessary. Plain, brightly coloured items from a Dollar Store would have been just as nice and cheaper. As long as your colour palette is consistent and limited (2-3 colours), it will have impact.

We stung streamers on the deck to match the buffets colours and put green streamers and oversized artificial leaves around the gazebo to make it look like the vines from a jungle.

I stole (ok…borrowed) a leafy plant from my Mom’s living room, stuck a monkey in it and placed it on the buffet. Voila, instant centerpiece.

Earlier in the year, I bought a “Balloon Time” disposabile helium tanks with 50 balloons from Costco and used it to fill up a large monkey balloon I bought online.

Note: The tank seemed like a good deal but I was shocked to see how small the balloons are that come in the box.

Two year olds aren’t exactly a predictable bunch and they definitely don’t participate in group activities for any length of time. For that reason, I bought a few things they could get enjoyment from individually: inflatable beach balls and temporary monkey tattoos (both from Oriental Trading).

The monkey beach calls, although cute, did not hold their air very well. Either way, the kids liked kicking them around. The tattoos, on the other hand, were loved by almost everyone. They depicted neon monkeys in a variety of poses and best of all, they came off pretty easily when it was time to take them off (says the girl who put an electric pink monkey on her face).

We blew up two of our toddler pools and filled one with inflatable beach balls and the other with toys (as it wasn’t warm enough for swimming). Finally, we put up a couple of tents we had on hand. Anything to make the backyard look interesting, colourful and inviting to explore (it’s a two year old thing).

Oh….one more thing…the loot bags were super cute and dead easy. I bought yellow buckets at the dollar store and a bag of yellow happy face balloons. We blew up the balloons, grabbed a permanent marker and transformed the happy faces into monkey faces. The bucket had crayons, stickers, and mini M&Ms in them. The balloons were taped on top and became the best part (as far as the kids were concerned) of the package.

Decorating was fun and not overly expensive. One look at the deck and a quick listen to the monkey music playing in the background and you knew you were in for some monkey fun…OoooOooo…AhhAhh…BABY!

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Thinking of planning a Monkey Party? Look no further… you’ve hit the motherload of monkey ideas.

After a few months researching the best (meaning easiest) way to throw a Monkey Party for a two year old, I was finally able to throw the monkey extravaganza a couple of weeks ago.

If you’re wondering why I chose a Monkey Party, it’s simple. This is probably the last party I’ll have a say in, after this it’s all downhill. I see Spiderman, Cars, Toy Story and pirates in my near future. I thought a Monkey Party would be relatively easy and economical. Plus, there are lots of great ideas out there in cyberspace…mine is not the first primate party.

If you’re on the fence, I say dive in and just do it. We had a great time and it was one of the most relaxing parties I’ve thrown (being able to enjoy the party and not spend my time running around like a chicken with its head cut off is alway a goal of mine).

Tips to make the party fun for Mommy:

Make the cake or cupcakes ahead of time and freeze them (no one will know or care and if they do, I doubt they’d say anything to your face)
Use bought icing (it’s cheaper and stands up better in the heat) and ice the night before. Note: I iced my toddlers cake in tinted whipped cream as he doesn’t like sweets and iced the cupcakes with bought icing
Forget the fancy cake that takes all night to ice and leaves you frustrated beyond belief. Instead, use the cake as a base for a toy. Ice the cake as a road for a truck, as the grass for Malibu Barbie… you get the idea. It takes a fraction of the time and let’s face it, who isn’t going LOVE another toy. The cake will look super cute and, with a good night sleep, so will you.
If you’re making cupcakes, buy a bottle of red wine and invite 2 friends over to ice. It’s actually quite fun ….what’s that old saying….one moment please….ah HA….”Many hands make light work”. Too true.
Buy supplies ( napkins, paper plates, wrap etc…) ahead of time and store them away.
More delegation! You can’t do everything, even if you want to. Assign tasks to a few guests. Try to find someone that’s looking a little lost. Once you give someone a task, they feel more comfortable and have a reason to mingle. At the last party, I gave Auntie V the job title “Monkey Tattoo Artist” and armed her with a sponge, a container of water and some brightly colour temporary tattoos. She did a bang up job (everyone was covered with neon monkeys). Thanks Auntie V.
Do as much as you can ahead of time. I’m talking about loot sacks, food, decorating. Note: I don’t advise hanging streamers outside the night before as the suck up any condensation in the air. The result, extreme (almost humorous) sagginess.

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As far as cute, little community events go; the Point Grey Fiesta was a blast.

My 22 month old loved the parade, goodies and rides. The motorcycle display put on by the Vancouver Police Department’s Motorcycle Drill Team sent him over the moon. Everytime they roared by, he would sign, “more, more” furiously. Everyone around us seemed to be in a stellar mood. Even the shoe repair man across the street in his apron was cheering away. This event is full of warm fuzzies (as a friend put it, “shiny, happy people”).

The parade is fun and casual with lots of things given to the kids like candy, stickers, balloons, hats etc… The atmosphere is busy but not crowded which is good for small children.

Parade Highlights:

Most unusual thing: St Helen’s church had a man dressed in monk robes carrying their flag on roller blades. He literally floated down the street.

Most adorable thing: A 6 year old boy dressed like a pirate riding his bike which was decorated like a pirate ship.

Most counterproductive thing: Women from Curves handing out candy.

The rides and midway assembled at Trimble Park were also a lot of fun. Yes, the rides were pricey but hey, it’s once a year thing. Tickets were a buck a piece and the toddler rides were 3 tickets. For me, it was worth every penny to see Caden on his first amusement park rides. He loved the Merry-Go-Round, the Train and the Giant Strawberry that spun like a Teacup.

There were rides for bigger kids like the Octopus and Salt ‘n Pepper Shakers to name a few. Definitely something to make everyone feel woozy.

If you don’t feel like forking out the cash, you can spend your time at the playground and wading pool at the far end of the park. There’s lots of fun to be had there for the little ones.

If you’re at Trimble park around lunch time, just know that the food is expensive and limited so bring your own picnic or grab something on 10th Avenue. There’s a Tim Horton’s about 2 blocks away.

We’ll definitely return next year, hopefully by then Caden can ride the “Go Go Gater” Mini Roller Coaster….wheeeeee!

Calling all monkeys…calling all monkeys…

Thinking of Planning a Monkey Party?

Point Grey Fiesta 2010: I went, I saw, I played