Saturday, February 28, 2009

Would I Do It Again? & Answers to Other Questions

A lot of parents wanted to know. Was it worth it? Well I don't know. It WAS amazing if I do say so myself. One of those once in a lifetime things. It did consume my life for a full month. And then the cleanup. That is going to take awhile. At the time of this writing it's still all over the house. The money.....I'm not sure how much it cost. If you add up all those trips to the Goodwill and miscellaneous expenses I'm sure it would add up. But did it cost more than renting out the local swimming pool, roller-skating rink, bowling alley or bouncy house? Probably about the same. But obviously the time commitment was huge. How did I do it? Those who know me personally know that in addition to my 8 and 5 year old, I also have a 2 year old daughter with many medical issues and special needs. I don't really have the time to do this. Who does? Seriously.Yet somehow we pulled it off. I spent less time on the computer, didn't watch TV, basically didn't do anything else for the month before the party and everyone in the family helped. I also was awake until 3:30 in the morning many nights the week of the party. It was a LOT of energy for 3 hours of fun but the memories will last a lifetime.

If I did it again would I have this many kids? YES! It would have been easier to manage with fewer children but the fact that it was crowded made it feel real. If I had a bigger house I'd have invited more kids.

To all the people in other countries who may be viewing this: NO. This is not a typical American kid's birthday party.

23 comments:

  1. Susan, Um I just really don't know what to say?!
    I am that blown away..perhaps your future is in party planning. One could only dream of a party such as this......so um yea the twins birthday is coming up in October and I guess....okay...no really...you are hired!!

    WOW! WOW! WOW! WOW!
    Great job!
    Lisa

    ReplyDelete
  2. Abso-freakin-lutely amazing Susan!!!!!

    I come from a party planning family, and let me tell you - you did such an amazing job! I am sure Evie, Adrian & all her friends will remember this for years to come.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I agree with Janis ... you ARE AMAZING! Your kids are incredibly lucky to have you as their mom. Wow! Wow! Wow!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Fantastic job! I love that you were able to do this for your kid(s). I am in awe :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. You're fantastic!!! The kids will remember this party for YEARS to come! Unbelievable!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi. I really enjoyed reading about your HP party. I am planning an adult HP party for October and since I want it to be over the top I have been doing a lot of research. You had some very clever ideas and I loved the personal touches (your daughters drawings). Looking at your comments/pictures I realized I'd really would like to have copies of the candy designs you made. If you still have copies of them could I purchase a copy? I'm not very comfortable with computer design so I'd really appreciate it if you are willing. If so would you email me at lonhun@hotmail.com and let me know if you could and what you would require for them. Thanks for sharing, I really enjoyed your blog.

    Best Wishes,
    London Riding

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh Good gawd, you are brilliant!
    My mom and i have been surfing google for more ideas for our own Harry potter party, in honor of Harry's birthday on the 31st, and i nearly fell off my chair!!! Now i thought we were insane, but you are just like... OMJ im just speachles! Which is saying something being a 13 year old with a big mouth, but there are no words! This party looks so epic its just, By the Angel i cant talk. Your kids must love you, thats just wicked...

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hey; I was just wondering if you had any of the Harry Potter information? (Potions and Spells) If you could just send it to me or something; it would be GREATLY appreciated.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I really enjoyed reading your blog. I run a week long Harry Potter overnight camp so I know exactly what you mean when the details take a lot of time. Excellent job and thanks for the ideas!

    ReplyDelete
  10. WOW! That is one AMAZING party! It looks like it went off without a hitch. Congrats on creating something no person will EVER forget. I thought I was a great party planner but I pale in comparison. Anyway......I am planning a Harry Potter Party for my kid's school. There will be 25 8 and 9 year olds. I was wondering if you want to rent out your potion books and a few other things. You would get to make easy money and I would look brilliant to the other parents :). The party is next Saturday so I would need you to send it one or two day mail. Please contact me by e-mail if you are interested. It is hiltoo@aol.com. Thanks! Best, Hilary

    ReplyDelete
  11. How amazing!!!! Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful party and piece of your family's life... What a very special party you made for your child and one that will go down in family history for sure!!!! (and for the children attending too!!!)

    :) Jess

    ReplyDelete
  12. THIS IS SO AWESOME! I love that you did all that for your little girl. im currently a college student and would LOVE to do this for my birthday.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hello,
    I love looking through the amazing ideas you have on this site, you're truly fantastic for making this! Evie is really creative, too -- I think that's so lovely -- but I must say, I think she gets it from you. My favourite craft was the Platform 9 3/4 Brick wall -- that was very clever and inspired me to make my own! I like this blog so much and got a lot of ideas from here for my own Harry Potter party, so I've linked it to my blog, http://harrypotterparaphernalia.blogspot.com/ and I would really appreciate it if you could find the time to link back to me at some point.
    Thank you very much!
    FlightlessPhoenix

    ReplyDelete
  14. Just to let you know, we're giving it all a go down here in New Zealand following a very wet week during the summer holidays. We keep having to refer to the blog to check how we're going. So far Fat Lady and brick wall sheet are painted. Potions are well under way (dried fruit makes some awesome things). 9 3/4 sign being painted now and I'm working on Honey Dukes. Wands are made and I found a light up cup. Party is next sat so panic setting in. Thanks for all the tips. I'll report how it goes.

    Andrea

    ReplyDelete
  15. Wow! That was an amazing journey! Thanks for sharing! Loved the sign for 9 3/4 and the sweet shop. The costumes and snitch hunt were pretty spectacular too! If anyone is interested in printable Harry Potter Frog Boxes or Bertie Botts beans boxes, I found some cheap you can get here: http://5rr.it/s/2kltid

    Super job! I really enjoyed this!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Oh my goodness!!! I'm just as speechless at the previous commentators. What a party!! I can only imagine how long this took to put together. Do you ever rent out your props? I currently don't have a party planned, but if I ever do plan a HP party, I will certainly check your blog for ideas! Amazing party! I know your kids will remember it for a lifetime!!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Can you be my mum??? Please? Nah... I really want a HP party for Halloween and I have fully planned it though it won't be as awesome as yours!! That was amazing and you really set the benchmark, with some great ideas, thanks for the tips!!

    ReplyDelete
  18. you are totally amazing..!!!
    could you please mail me the book you guys made...like pics of every page...i'd be soooo glad...!!!

    ReplyDelete
  19. In a Ron-like voice, it's bloody brilliant! I did something like that too but no way near as amazing as yours (funds were incredibly tight). But perhaps one day I can pull one of like yours. =D

    ReplyDelete
  20. Great blog! As a self proclaimed (as well as by some others) party planning fanatic and am so glad I came across your blog; it gets my creative juices flowing. My 7 and almost 5.5 year old children just saw Sorcerer's Stone for the first time this weekend and I believe that may be our next theme. Not a typical American child's birthday party?! Ha! - it is at our house (big, bold, over the top and twice a year) so I'm loving all of your HP details - you and your husband did a fabulous job! ::big applause::

    ReplyDelete