themey, at-home birthday #7

in anticipating kindin's 7th birthday party, i wondered if she had outgrown a themey, at- home party.  i offered multiple alternative suggestions but kindin insisted on a hello kitty party at the house.  apparently she really does love the cheesy, homegrown games her mom plans for her.  in discovering that these details are what makes the party for her, i thought the details of this themey, at-home party should be written out for posterity's sake!  

• as the girls enter, our gathering activity was to color and sign a hello kitty picture and decorate kindin's room with them.
• our first game was the balloon stomp.  it is the absolute favorite game of my kids and we play it at every single party we hold.  it is a hit with most except that one kid every year who is a bit squemish about popping balloons. the game is simple- pop the 60 balloons filled with starburst candy and enjoy.
• we then had a goldfish relay. the girls divided into teams and competed by running with goldfish and feeding partners.  (hello kitty loves goldfish doesn't she?) 
• we took a break from structure and let the girls dance and go crazy for a bit.  there may or may not have been a round of freeze dance too.
• we then played a blindfolded who has my missing bow? game.  the girls were extremely good at identifying each other's "meow" to catch the thief. 
• we then went upstairs where hello kitty (aka dad) had made a huge yarn mess on the top two levels of the house.  the girls were to work together to follow the yarn maze that led to finding their party favors.
• last was snacks.  cupcakes, cheez-its, and apple juice are birthday party staples at our house so we kept with tradition. after eating, the girls had the chance to decorate an additional cupcake to take home.  think lemonhead for nose, choc chips for eyes, a scrunched bubblegum bow, and gel frosting for whiskers. 
• we also opened gifts.  i'm always surprised that the kids want to sit through this tedious process but it only took one or two reprimanding party-goers to keep this a priority in party planning details. 
• when the girls left, they left with a red bow (just like the kitty's), a decorated cupcake, any uneaten starbursts, and a found goody bag.