Birthday Party Ministry

Well, I finally did it. That is hosting a party where you, my daughter, were allowed to invite guests from school (in addition to church). Wow. What a lot of work. On the whole, I believe it was worth it. Though today, you have a full blown cold, my lower back is a mess and your Daddy is aching all over from trucking up and down stairs with laundry baskets full of party supplies. But, like I said, it was totally worth it and a joy to orchestrate.

Don't worry. This post isn't Pinterest-like, where I visually display what a fabulous Mom I am (or at least I'm not trying to). Neither will I be posting a whole load of pictures, as I do not have permission from our guests to post them on the world wide web (which many Facebook users forget). This is more of a reflective post that documents the event, for you, my daughter, and for anyone else who may benefit from our experience.

You like movies and crafts. So I decided that we'd gift you a Frozen themed party, where you created crafts with your girlfriends in addition to watching some of the best-loved songs from the movie. I also face painted each child's face. We had several Olafs, many Elsas, two winter butterflies, one Anna and one Spiderman (guess who?). You were an Olaf, to match the faces of your two school friends.

We rented a Sunday School room and the "Movie Room" from our church for an amazing $20. (The "Movie Room" looks like a miniature theater with a large screen and sound system. It is pretty cool!) The schedule was to create a snowflake themed painting on a mini-canvas with acrylic paints, snowflake cutouts, stamps and glitter glue. Following that would be a simple pass-the-snowball race where the kids stood in a line and passed a Styrofoam ball while being timed (the purpose being to beat the entire group's last time). Then snacks & gifts. After which -- the grand finale -- Frozen songs in the theater. 

Two hours was a perfect time to get all of the above accomplished. However, there were several things I learned about 5 - 7 year old girls, especially since I don't work with them on a regular basis (thank the Lord). Here goes...

1. Painting on canvases is a quick activity. I guess kids are speed crafters, as so many school-esque programs do crafts. Of course, some of the girls were focused on creating a work of art. But the social butterflies saw the crafts as one thing to get done so they could go on to more exciting things. In retrospect, I spend far too much time punching out snowflakes. And I purchased way more paint than I ever needed (Does anyone need blue/white acrylic paint? I've got extra!)
2. Don't underestimate the power of a coloring sheet. Some girls spend more time coloring an Anna & Elsa coloring sheet than their painting. And when there was a lull in the party, they'd go back to their sheet to color more!
3. Plan a game. Yup, so glad we planned a game. And it was a hit. Who knew trying to beat the entire team's last time while passing along a Styrofoam ball was so super exciting! Oh, the squeals! And while your Daddy ran the game, I had time to clear the table of the paintings to make room for food and drink.
4. Eating is practically a half-an-hour activity. I had no clue, thinking kids would eat fast. But the girls enjoyed sampling everything. Of course chips and cupcakes were a hit. The "snow covered pretzels" (i.e. Greek yogurt pretzels) not so much. Frozen grapes where a novelty (and surprisingly yummy). The pina colada/raspberry cranberry slush punch was okay (we loved it). The girls were thrilled with the "melted snow" (i.e. bottled water as our water smells like chlorine these days because of spring run-off water treatment). And "snowman noses" or carrots are almost always enjoyed by all.
5. Gift opening is chaotic. I gotta to find a way to make it more organized and less crowded. Maybe that is just impossible. I don't know. This requires Google research for future events.
6. Watching Frozen songs is like karaoke. What hilarious fun to witness! So many of the girls were singing their little hearts out to every song. With dramatic actions!  I was going to make popcorn for the movie part of the party, but due to a lack of time and the desire to have less mess, we "Let It Go" (the "it" being the popcorn idea). I am glad now, as the popcorn would have deterred the girls from singing. Your poor brother, who got to attend your party by default, concluded, "Everyone was singing. I couldn't hear the songs. It was so annoying!"
7. Follow some personal party guidelines to make your life easier. Here are mine. Search the web for free templates that are already constructed (though don't get overwhelmed by the shear number of ideas out there). Make a checklist for the day of, so you don't forget anything. Stick to a budget, as much as can, to avoid over spending. Use your child's age as a guideline for the number of guests. Do such parties every other year (amen).

Now for an important spiritual aside. One of the missionaries our family supports partakes in "Birthday Party Ministries". The culture she serves places a huge emphasis on birthdays. Among the middle and upper class, birthdays are a grand event with and grand invite list to match. This missionary has attended several parties, as she accompanies her school-aged son. She views the opportunity as an intentional way to connect with other Mothers.

What if we viewed our birthday parties as such? What if we prayed for our guests, that God will draw them near to Christ? What if we saw hosting a party as a way to reach out to our unbelieving friends with the love of Christ?

Two weeks leading up to the party, we prayed for each and everyone of our guests, that they would have good health to attend. But more importantly, that they would draw closer to Jesus. By God's grace, everyone was able to attend. Nobody cried. And I think everyone felt special. The parents were thankful for our hard work in providing a fun afternoon for their daughters. We trust God was glorified.

Now, we have at least 700 days until the next big birthday party. What a relief!