This Is Not Your Average Request

I just did a party for my son who turned 3, the adults had as much fun as he did if not more. We had a petting zoo come to our house and it was amazing. All of the adults and kids rode on the horses and they had a pot belly pig and all kinds of stuff. It was amazing!!!! And best of all they came to us!! The name of the company is Pony & Friends! there telephone number is ###-###-####.

My sister had a luau for her 30th birthday and it was a blast. All of our kids were there and my little sister (16 yo) was there with some of her friends and we played games and listened to some music and just had fun. Some of the games we played were bag races and limbo...it helped the older ones feel young and gave the young ones something to do too.
Good Luck and have fun, I turned 30 last year and I cried!!! But I am looking forward to turning 31 in less than 2 weeks.

A fun place for all is Sports Connection in the Ballantyne area. They have video games, bounce house, laser tag and bowling. Even bumber bowling area for the young ones.

Good luck

Can any one say Glittery Princess
Hi Kaysey
I am the Princess that never got to experince the Life of a Princess.
So what about putting yourself in hershoes . Just Shutt your mind off to your life and enter her life for a Few Minuets and youll find your answer . For me the perfect birthday Party would be one where its Princess themed with loys of Glitter and lots of Pampering Aka foot baths facials manicures leg Waxings ect Only instead of going to the expence of making it a girls day at a salon Id mave stations set up ath the parety where you would all take turns giving each other the pedicures and Manicures ect

well, what about a pottery painting place? not sure where you are, but the mad potter in lexington will let you use their large back room area, bring in food and drinks (even alcoholic, if you choose), and i *think* someone told me it's no charge, you just pay for the piece(s) you paint. you could do a big piece, like a mirror with tiles around it, and have everyone paint a tile. that way, she'd also have a great keepsake gift to remind her of the big day! i know a lot of people who have done that for birthdays and wedding or baby showers with much success. good luck, and let us know what you pick so we can also have some good ideas to remember!

we have taken our daughter shopping thrift stores,the mall then went somewhere not very expensive usually kfc for lunch.then the ones that are not intrested in shopping or elderly and not really able could meet you at the restrant of your choice we go to kfc becouse most everyone likes chicken and some have buffets that are reasonable.or we have done pizza partys where every one bought the pizza of their choice and went in on a desert pizza my daughter likes chocolate chip pizza and my husband likes one that has cherry filling.they could be ate in restrant or delivered to your home for a pizza birthday bash.

One thing that my best friend and I did for my husband several years ago was to 'attack' his car. We loaded her van up with about 30 helium baloons and a few other goodies. While he was at work, we stuffed them in his car (A Dodge Stratus! hehe) and tied some to the mirrors and windshield wipers, added a giant "Happy Birthday " sign, some personal messages on the windows in soap, and went happily home. (On a side note, he acutally drove home with all those balloons in his car and we discoverd that 30ish helium baloons will NOT float a 4 month old child)

As for the actual 'celebration' I'm not sure. What does she like? You could have the party at and cookout at a local park that has a play area for the kids and trails to hike on, have a "retro" skating party for her at the roller rink, zoo, or even the local bowling alley for that matter. Good luck though! She is very lucky to have a friend like you.

Pick a theme and go with it! Maybe something that fits her personality like... a princess! Do Princess of the Day or something and give her a feather boa with a tiara. Revolve the decorations around that with plates and napkins as saying princess theme. Make some sort of a cake that follows the theme along with gifts that may be princess-like. Gift cards to a shoe store, house cleaning or whatever. Maybe have everyone chip in and have a limo ride during the time with the "princess". If one of your friends has an extra special place to have the party, (club house, home on the beach) you may want to have it there. Have food she may like that is fit for "the princess"!

K.,
I went to Google and searched "family birthday party ideas" and got a whole bunch of sites that can help you. The one I looked at was a Disney at Family.com list of party ideas. The Barbie Fairytopia Mermadia Party looked like a great fun event for everyone. Your friend could be the Princess she is and the kids would have a great time too. Anyway, there's lots of ideas to choose from. Have a great time!

You still have the cook out and then you could rent a one of those big bouncy house things that are big enough for adults too. Lots of fun! Have kind of a "princess party" for her....with a crown and all!

One of my favorite cookouts is a LUAU - complete with tiki torches, grass skirts, and, of course, some cute little drinks with umbrellas in them!

For my mom's 40th,her friends threw her a party at McDonalds and they had a blast! The staff threw the party just like they would for little kids and the adults all acted like little kids "MR TOM>....Carolyn Took my blue!!!!" It was great and they played all the games and everything.

Maybe throwing a child's birthday party somewhere would be fun :)

I have found that Dominoes is a fun game for everyone. We played it last Christmas with my 5 year old niece and my 90 year old Grandpa!You could get everyone to bring a set as your acitivity and maybe get some BBQ to eat.

I would throw a princess party and book a clown, just for the fun of it...Whatever you decide, I hope you all will have fun and I know she will love it, simply because her friends put it together for her :)

Pump It Up! would be fun for the kids, and adults.I'm not sure about the seniors. A friend told me that her girlfriend had her 30th birthday celebration there. They had a wonderful time!

It really does bring out the kid in us.

For my 30th birthday we all went roller skating and acted like kids again. In greensboro you can rent out the local skating rink for a private party of 30 skaters for $150 (1 1/2 hours)and then $5 each person thereafter so it's reasonably priced. the snack bar is open for anyone wanting food and you just need to bring a cake. even the seniors put on skates to relive their youth again. just for something a little different. good luck.

Hi K.,

Dave & Busters at Concord Mills Mall

Have Fun!!!!!!!

B.

I don't know if this will help but I myself had such a tough time with '30'. I was given a surprise party though and I loved it. What if the people that attend were asked to share some special stories they remember or special funny times they have shared with the 'birthday' gal. They could always gear the gifts towards that as well..or a collage of pics from birth to now...or a thrown together scrapbook. If everyone pitches in quickly it doesn't have to take much to make it a really fun and very special princess day for her. She would surely be the center of attention having all those events recalled. Hope it helps and that her day is as special as she is and you too for asking.

What Fun!
I agree with Bev L.
What fun to have a pig roast, outside, fun drinks, horse shoes, but really glam up the decorations!
This could be a real blast. I don't know what your budget is, but you can have this catered for less then taking out everyone to a restaurant, and it'd be easier on everyone. Elders love to watch kids, and kids love to be entertained by the 30 somethings so it's a no brainer mixed with some great old and new hit music!
If you dream it you can do it.
Just be hyper organized so everyone knows what their duties are and expectations for what the party should be.
I live by party check lists. BJs or Costco for plastic wear etc. I usually go clear plastic and all white and the punch out the color with table clothes and decorations, string lights etc.
ENJOY!!!!!!!!!! Have fun with it! It's more then she expected in the first place. (ps: delegate too)

Hi,
My friends and I tend to be kids at heart as you have described your friend. I am also 30 so I know that all of our childhood things have made a comeback, i.e. carebears, strawberry shortcake, my little ponies. Why not return to her childhood with a traditional "kiddie party". You could do all the decorations(paper plates and whatnot) in her favorite childhood theme. Do traditional kiddie party games too like pin the tail on the donkey. I'd be excited if my friends did this!
Good luck!
J.

There is a web sight called birthdaypartyideas.com that has great suggestions I use it for all the parties I do.

For my friend's 40th bday, we got a lot of contributions of very funny old and new stories, nicknames, etc. and had someone write two songs for her, one in country music style and one hip hop / rap. We had a singer do both songs at the party "live" as a surprise. I think you could just as easily make it into a cheesy poem rather than a song depending on your talents. The grown-ups will laugh, the bday girl will feel appreciated, and the kids will laugh because everyone else is, even if they don't get all of the "grown-up humor." :) Good luck!

for my best friend's 30th birthday, we took her out dancing at the blue moon on euclid ave. we had a blast. maybe you could to that on saturday night and still have a family friendly get together on sunday...maybe do like a pot luck brunch and serve mimosa's for the adults and sherbert punch for teh youngsters. maybe make a scrap book...give everyone a page to decorate...with pictures and write a memorie corresponding to the pics. something from all her stages in life. and assemble it and present it to her at the brunch. we did something like that for my grandparents 50th wedding anniversary.

Give her a princess party, have her a crown and a magic wand. Decorate with flowing sheers(mind you this would be great outside on a carport) have flowers everywhere. A real pretty cake like a small tier cake. Have more of a reception for her. Everyone will love this type of party both young and old. Go to extreams for her she will love it!!

You could have a picnic in the park with some of her favorite foods and have a scavenger hunt with various items hidden in the park. Have a prize for the adult winner and one for the childen winner. If you have a community building you could rent it and have a meal there and the scavenger hunt and other party games. You might also consider a pinata with goodies for children and adults. Good luck with whatever you decide to do. The important thing is to have fun and enjoy the time with the birthday person and all your/their friends and family.

What is the bday girls favourite thing? For me, my best birthdays were the ones when I went to a nearby lake with family and friends - we played frisbee, croquett, badmiton, had a picnic, took out a paddle boat...It's all about what SHE likes. Another fun thing would be to collect 30 of something - something simple, obviously (preferably free) - you could also pass out bottles of bubbles for everyone to play with. I think that no matter what you do, you friend will be pleased that you remembered her. Good luck, hope it's a happy birthday!

I know we're nowhere near you, but we have a buffalo ranch close, with a restaurant, petting zoo, hayrides, horse riding, llama races, etc. Have you considered something like that? or an aquarium or central zoo? Something for everyone....

just a thought! :)

Good luck!

Take a family trip to the zoo. There's something for everyone there. They offer trams to take you from one place to another, and most have strollers that you can rent. You may be able to rent wheelchairs for seniors, or they have those great walkers now that have a seat built in so that if they get tired, they can stop and sit for a moment. Many also have a basket, so you can take some water, snacks, and sunsreen. Check with the park, they may offer golf cart rides for the elderly. ??????? Theme parks.......same thing. Depending on how many people are going, it may be cheaper to rent a van or RV.

We had a breakfast for a co-worker when she turned 40. Not exciting in itself, but we did make her feel very special. One of the girls brought in a place setting of fine china, crystal stemware, a silver place setting and cloth dinner napkin. While everyone else was eating on paper places and sytrofoam coffee cups, etc. the birthday girl was eating on fine china. Maybe you could incorporate something like that into the celebration you decide on!

I would suggest a park. Get a table near a recreation area. That way you can play horseshoes, playground, volleyball, etc. You could also take lots of pictures and get people to write sweet, funny, crazy, etc memories of her in her first 30 years and put it all together in a digital scrapbook. I can help you with that if you are interested ;)

You obviously don't have a lot of time to prepare. If you are wanting to have the party at someone's house, go to your local party store and pick a theme that she would be thrilled about. Lula party? Costumes? Or how about ROAST?? ROAST her!! If you don't know what I'm talking about, it's where everyone makes fun of her in a funny way. Comedy Central does it. You can probably search it on the net!!

If you don't think you have enough time for all that, do you have a CRABBY JACK'S in your area? Or a fun restaurant like that?? We surprised my husband there for his 30th. The restaurant helped in the celebration by making him get up, dress like a fairy, and go around to all the patron pretending to sprinkle fairy dust on them. It was hilarious!! I also bought a "30th" shot glass from Spencers and asked everyone to buy him a shot (if your friend drinks).

Oh yeah, and for my 30th birthday, my husband and a friend sneaked to my job and TRASHED my car. They strung streamer all through the inside and bought some window paint and painted words all over my windows. The worst thing they wrote was on the back window. "HONK, I'M 30, TODAY"!! Because of that, I was honked at all the way home. I even passed a COP that put his siren on for a split second. HOW EMBARRASSING!! But I'll never forget it!!

I hope this helps. And I hope she has a blast with what ever you choose.

For a game, try bocce. You play it outside in the yard and throw a little ball, then throw other balls at it, trying to come closest. Anyone from preschoolers to seniors can play it.

The scavenger hunt is a great idea. I've had a couple of friends do it for different occasions and it is a big hit. You could divide into teams with adults and children and make sure each team has a digital camera. Of course if you have a lot of really young kids you may have to have an alternate activity for them during the hunt. Have a big list with points assigned for difficulty and have them bring back the items or pics at the end of a specified time period. Most points wins. You can include things like get your picture taken with a WalMart greeter, get a copy of Apartment Finder magazine, take-out menu from a Chinese restaurant, etc. By the way, I have two friends that sound just like yours (a few years older). Gotta love 'em!