A Dora the Explorer Adventure Recap & 10 Party Tips

I'm not the best party planner and I'm certainly not crafty.  So when my hubby and I decided to throw Princess a birthday party, I knew I was in major trouble.  We had something small last year with just family and close friends.  Even though we had help, it was still a lot of work.  Rather than complicate things, we decided to have the bash at her daycare this time around- that way we wouldn't have to worry about cleaning up.

Choosing a theme was pretty easy.  Princess loves Dora the Explorer so much that it was the obvious choice.  I've never planned a kid's birthday party before, and wanted it to be fun.  The last thing anyone wants is to have tots standing there wondering why the party is so whack.  I looked up party ideas and pinned them on Pinterest to help stay organized.  I was able to make up these invitations in Photoshop.

If you've ever watched Dora, then you know that she's always off on some adventure with her sidekick, Boots.  To help them find their way, the map guides Dora and Boots to their destination.  I thought incorporating a map would be a fab idea for the party guests to follow.  So, I put this together in Photoshop too.

As far as goody bags, I wasn't quite sure what to do.  I recreated Dora's backpack (another idea I got from Pinterest).  I bought these cute lavender bags from Party City for about 69 cents a pop.  They also had some cool Dora favors for less than a dollar.  I picked some crafts from Michaels, including wobbly eyes (pictured below).  After borrowing some of Princess's crayons, I came up with this...

I had some help from the birthday girl herself.  Pretty cool huh?  The kids loved it!

These Dora theme cake pops, made by my hubby's co-worker, were also a tasty edition to the favors.    You can check out her Facebook page more info on baked goodies.

I purchased some Dora mylar balloons, including a life size version that greeted everyone as they walked through the doors.

As the kids came in, they each got a map and their hand stamped.  Then the fun began!

Princess had fun climbing and sliding the 3 tier maze

The kids enjoyed arts & crafts

Daddy tried to help Princess Hoola. 

Kids and parents alike enjoyed pizza for lunch.  But, the icing on the cake was this ice cream dessert from Baskin Robbins.  It came complete with a snap shot of the party invitation.

Princess had so much fun, and it didn't stop there.  I felt so bad that I wasn't able to thoroughly enjoy the party with her.  It was like seeing the celebration through the camera lens.  My sis helped with taking pics, but I also played party host, and had to make sure everything and everyone was ok.  With that said, we spent the following day together.  We opened gifts and played all day long.  She also started writing her thank you cards.  It was a great birthday weekend!

To recap, here are some tips for planning a party for your tot:
1.  Avoid the headache of cleaning up your home, Have the party at a different location.  It actually worked out cheeper for us.
2.  One and a half to two hours is all you need for a party.  These kids wear themselves out!
3.  Pick out 2-3 activities and keep it moving.  We had 3 things to do.  You'd be shocked at how time flies!
4.  Simple fingered foods work best.  We chose pizza.
5.  Most places have a generic theme included in the price package of the party.  If you choose your own, you can still save by hitting up the dollar store.  That worked for us last year.  But, this year Party City had everything we needed at reasonable prices.
6.  Don't be afraid to ask friends and family for help.  It takes the burden off of you.
7.  Don't be afraid to experiment.  It's ok to get crafty.  You'd be surprised of what you'd come up with.
8.  Have hand sanitizers and/or wipes on hand for a quick clean up.
9.  Stay organized.  I stayed on top of everything with Printerest.  Find the things you like, and pin them to your board.  You can check out my party ideas here.
10.  I'm a huge procrastinator!  Last year, I kinda threw everything together last minute.  This time I planned things out which made things so much easier.

If you have tips of your own, please share!  Plus, check out more birthday pics at my Google+ page.

Weather Anchor Mama

Note: I was not paid to endorse any company.  This IS NOT a sponsored post.