Lesedi’s superhero picnic birthday party

I had two big projects over the festive season, the first of them being Lesedi’s birthday party. I was really excited on his behalf, because it had been 3 years since we had a party for him. We always celebrate and take him out on his day; but the timing for a party is always off since his birthday is on December 31^st. Most people are away or doing their own thing so it has always been a struggle.

The planning:

At first I was going to get a party planner so I wouldn’t have to deal with any of the stress, but in the end I had to allocate some of that budget to project two (blog post to follow).

Earlier on in the year he had already told me that he wanted a superhero theme. The venue was always going to be our yard, since… well, it’s free hehehe. I settled on a picnic-style party, since the lawn was green and space wasn’t an issue. It all worked out and looked simple and age-appropriate.

For décor, I bought the supplies from Party Spot and China Mall (Main Reef Road) then I hired the jumping castle and the pallets and threw around some cushions and throws that we have at home.

We sent invites out for 29 December and we were ready to go, but the rain had other plans. It poured hard for a few days before the party, including the day before, so we made a call to postpone the party to January 2^nd instead of waiting for the actual morning (giving everyone a chance to make other plans for their day).

Did we not wake up to clear sunny skies on the 29^th???? I was devastated and heartbroken!! But we couldn’t exactly say “just kidding, come over”. Whoever said “everything happens for a reason” knew what they were talking about because he fell very ill later that day.

The party:

We were supposed to have it between 11:00-14:00 but uuhmmm, that didn’t happen – it ended up being a full-day affair, which we didn’t mind at all. The kids were having fun and it was lovely to play host since we had never had a large group of friends over to the house since we moved a year ago. It ended up working out so well – kids in the pool, dads at the braai and the mama’s catching up over bubbly and laughter. My friends really know how to have fun in any setting – so much so that we didn’t take many pics, ooops 🙂

I kept things simple for the kids, by making hotdogs. Snacks were: watermelon, cheese platter, ice cream, cake and crisps.

I loved that Lesedi felt special and that the day was all about him – our exact intention.

He needed that, after sharing half of the year with a new little sister.

He was so finisssshed afterwards, that he didn’t even get a chance to open prezzies. He jumped straight into the car to go back to my mom’s house and didn’t return until the night before school reopened. HA, the cheek!!

Love,

Modern Zulu Mom