Tag Archives: Parties

It’s Costume Season

It’s Costume Season

After the rush of “Back to School” is all over and I ever so gladly welcome the routine of a so-called organized life (HAH! made myself laugh) the fun begins!

Yes I’m intentionally going to ignore the endless drives back and forth, school drop-offs and pick-ups, homework and extra-curricular activities and I’m going to talk about FUN stuff like Halloweeeeeen!! coloriage-halloween@coloriage_lapinoo_com_

What a fabulous holiday that lets me get dressed up all crazy!! Oh and the kids too….

Every year I keep thinking how am I going to outdo myself this time?? Especially now that I have to think of not just myself (as a couple) but also for the girls!

I take events very seriously and try to be really creative.

It’s a mix of wanting to be unique and the lack of variety when it comes to shopping for costumes in Kuwait.

I mean so seriously that last year I couldn’t find the right wig for my costume so I went and chopped my hair!
 

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I was really happy about last year’s couple costume.

It took me a while to figure out and off course I resorted to ordering it from amazon which made me spend more on shipping than the costume itself. But what’s a girl gonna do?!

We were Neo & Trinity from The Matrix granted I didn’t have Trinity’s long sleek legs but I believe we pulled it off… Not bad Yeh!

I wasn’t that lucky to have enough time to order Jennah’s costume when I got the note from school about the Halloween event stating to “Dress up as a book character” only 4 days prior.

Needless to say I was frazzled and frantic. Halloween comes the same time every year, why would they tell us a few days before?

I know why….. to torture ME!

 
Off course my child of reading age says “I want to be Dorothy” Why oh why did she read the note?? Then I thought I love the idea. Off to the stores I go…..

NO Dorothy costume to be found. 3 days in search and still no luck.

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Finally I thought I’m wasting time! Valuable Samoor time.

It’s time to take actions in my own hands. Off to the Fabric Souq I go.

Oh Wow! What fun, rows and rows & columns and columns of fabric from every color of the rainbow.

I stood there wanting to buy it all while thinking “Why didn’t I do this to begin with?”
 
 
 

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I found the blue checkered fabric that’s Soooooo Dorothy, an elastic band and two buttons is all I needed.

A quick run to centerpoint for cheap red glitter shoes and I’m halfway set!!

Jennah was smart in digging through her stuffed animals and finding Toto. I guess the obsession of getting it perfect is contagious!

I quickly put the girls in bed and started designing and cutting the dress pattern. I spent the whole night hand stitching Jennah’s Dorothy costume, hoping that the measurements fit.

Now that I think of it I had no back up plan if it didn’t fit in the morning what would I have done? Yikes! Just thinking of that made me quiver.

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Morning came and it was a PERFECT PERFECT fit!

I made Jeenah wear one of her white tutus under the dress to give it that extra fluff it needed.

Two braids, white shirt & socks and lets not forget Toto! The whole outfit made complete sense.

I felt such accomplishment and relief that she got what she wanted and “Made Life Memorable” for the both of us.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
On the other hand I’ve set myself up without realizing it. The girls are invited to 2 Halloween parties and have already decided on costumes (that I’m not exactly happy about!) but I have to let them have it…..

I’m having a really hard time adjusting to not having control.

Off course the search begins with no results as expected so I told Jennah I can’t find the costume she chose she barely looked my way then chuckled and said “Just make it mama” as a matter of fact….

I guess I’m heading to the Fabric souq and getting my needle and thread ready! Let’s see if I can pull it off this time too.

The Guest List

The Guest List

So you’re having a party and decided on your Theme!! Woohoo step one check.

guestlist Next step is your guest list….sounds simple right? Nope! This I think is one of the hardest decisions, after all it is what makes the party really work.

Some guests are a no brainer…Family comes first! Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles & Cousins. I know that sounds like a party on its own but you do have to invite kids!

This is where it gets tricky… How many and who (or is it whom?) to invite?

It’s a standard that you should invite the kids age plus one. So if your child is turning 4 then you invite 5 kids. The first time I read that I almost fell out of my chair laughing. There was no way I am able to limit myself to just that, my girls and myself are too social for that.

The easiest way to help in deciding how many people/children to invite is according to the space you’re having the party in.

Almost all the parties I’ve had for the girls were in the garden so I’m pretty generous when it comes to numbers.

A good rule of thumb is to figure out seating. You should have 2.5 seats per child (the child + parent) this off course doesn’t include adults that come without kids (Grandparents, aunts, Mom’s best friend ….etc).

Next you may want to consider siblings. I have a rule not to invite Jennah’s friends to Zeenah’s birthday and vice versa. With that said I do have specific friends (you know who you are!) that have both age groups that I do invite.

Now how do you prepare the list…. I usually divide a nice white crisp A4 paper into 3 columns, yes as old fashioned as that sounds I like to have it on paper and in my purse so I can add and cross as I please.

The 3 columns are Family, Friends, Children.

Each column is then divided into Adult & Child. You can download my word document and fill it out.GUEST LIST

Here’s how it works…. First column for each Family member you’re inviting you have a column for their child/children. So my sister column one and her 2 kids in the next column.

The Friends column is actually the parent’s friends, but your child actually has to know their child and enjoys playing with them too…. so for example my friend “ABC” and her child “abc”.

Now that Jennah has been in school for a while some parents have become my friends but their children are no longer in the same class or school.

Here is where you as a parent need to make the hard decision of cutting people out. Sure you love “Mommy H” but your daughter doesn’t play with her “Son Y”. Off the list they go. No guilt, if you want set a date with the mom over coffee or dinner and enjoy the company of an adult!

Finally the kids column….this is where I use the child’s age plus one. These are usually children that are new friends, in her class and basically I have no knowledge of. I’ve let Jennah (almost 7) decide on those. That way your child can feel involved too.

After all it is THEIR birthday and “Making Life Memorable” for THEM!